…By the way, it’s interesting that MR used to be the mag. for the advanced modeler and RMC was the one for the beginners & less talented ones. Then Tony K. became editor of RMC and started its climb in status. Now MR seems to be the one that focuses on beginners, & RMC seems devoted to the more advanced modelers. Maybe I’m wrong, but that’s the way it feels.
Also, I wish MR (and lots of other publications too) would stop relying on spellcheck, and go back to using a good old dictionary & Thesaurus, as Al K. would have liked. Gaffes are rare, but they do appear, & they never did in Al’s day (or Paul’s, or Linn’s). Back in the '50’s and '60’s, I think I learned as much about good writing from them (and D.P.M.) as I did from my teachers.
Oddly enough I haven’t bought a RMC in years I always felt MR supplied my simple needs since I never really got caught up in the modeling skill badge thingy or “expert” status that’s toss about like a ship in high seas…
I’ve always been a simple down to earth old school modeler that hasn’t changed that much over the years.
I’ve gone to the e-edition since getting the wife’s hand-me-down iPad. Kind of pinching pennies these days, but one sub I’ll not give up is MR. Much like the NY Times is for print journalism, MR is the journal of record for model railroading as a hobby.
Some folks think MR has various things wrong they just “gotta do something about.” And if you were editor, maybe you would. But MR has to serve the needs of a very broad audience. Rarely do I hear such a concern where I don’t think of how the change desired could be good in one way, but detract from the experience of others. That’s a tough balance to achieve for any editorial group, but MR does a pretty good job of it.
One area where I did have a bit of a gripe was the trend toward beginner level topics being repeated. That now seems dialed back to a more comfortable level. Thing is that people rarely take up this hobby on a whim. It creeps in to take over their entire life…[(-D]…well not quite that bad[:P], but people will pick up the beginner’s stuff over a longer period than as one or two issues or as a yearly cycle where regular readers can almost anticipate a reprise of what they read this month, last year. Maybe it’s slipping toward a 3- to 4-year cycle and that’s a good thing.
After all, we have these forums to refer to if we’re a beginner and get stuck on something, where advice is easy to find and specific enough to solve most any model railroad related problem or to help take your modeling to the next step. So the forums can fill in until a beginner’s topic next makes it into the print edition.
As a 40+ year reader of MR, I keep reading it to stay up to date with common basis of information that is widely shared in the hobby. It’s not everything, but it tries to serve everybody; that’s important to model railroading and useful for me.
I have subscribed to MR mag for 10 years now, as well Classic Trains.
The problem that I have with any hobby magazine, be it model railroading, golf, or tropical fish, my three hobbies, is that after a period of time, I grow bored and disinterested in the monthly or quarterly issue.
As a newbie to any hobby, I would eagerly wait for each new issue, pour through it, absorb it, save it.
But after a while, I get the new issue in the mail, browse through it and then discard it.
A friend of mine gave me around 10 years worth of MR, a bunch of MR How To Books and the DVD set last year. They were great reading as I was very new to the hobby. I would never subscribe to the magazine due to personal reasons but I do buy the odd old copy at a train show.
Years ago i started buying the interesting ones off the shelf at the local hobby shop when my dad stoped his subscription. After awhile i found i was spending alot of money on magazine. So when i found out how much i could save by doing a multi year subscription i signed up. I find it is worth it in the long run because it gives me alot of ideas for my layout.
Right now there IS a budget strain with a tightening budget and the $50 went to other necessary expenditures. The $150 for the three {MR, TRIANS, CLASSIC TRAINS} Was spent eleswhere. Then there was the “just $8.95” fo the SPecial mags that is added in there ecah time I renewd!..When the others run out, they too may go.
Secondly, I wasn’t reading it much and neither was MOH {who is also into trains, aren’t I the lucky one?}
Thirdly, I actually enjoy TRAINS magazine more than MR. Ditto MOH. I like the 1:1 info far better than “just modeling” info.
Fourth, I wasn’t “getting much out of” the MR amgazine…A relative statement, I assure you.
Fifth, I was passing them onto a train nut friend without even having read, or so much as glanced through them, and He can get his own subscription!
Sixth, I do, If in B&N or the like, look for such mags, but I feel I can buy the ones I am really really interested in owning, even if cover price is higher. I may miss “special” issues, but I can deal.
I DO like to support our hosts, but I can’t always do it.
Rich, I couldn’t have said it any better. I just re-upped my digital editions, but I understand that the majority of content is targeted at beginners and those that choose to keep it simple. For more advanced tactics I go elsewhere as I am always seeking to improve myself instead of just being good enough to get by. My main focus on MR is the the products reviews, adverts and “whats new” as far as products.
The key to Digital is a good device. Older lower resolution devices won;t be nearly as satisfying. Most of the newer tablets (and I’m sorry, gadget freak though I am, a single task reading device or limited content somewhat more general device doesn;t cut it) have high enough resolution displays that the individual pixles in the lettering fonts are indistinguishable to the naked eye. This makes them as clear as print. And when they have things like those bird’s eye view shots of a prototype location, I can zoom the picture until it is effectively LARGER than the version in the print magazine so I can catch all the little details, without pulling out a magnifying glass.
Perhaps I, too, will shift to MR digital as time goes on- I already download and DVD copy all MRH issues since day 1 in 2009 for re-reading and reference. I understand the various issues- old hat stuff, pinching pennies, etc, but having been in those same shoes, it is the thought that it is something to look forward to which made me re-up. I consider Cody Grivno a journeyman expert, as he appears to be on track (LOL) to become a future Linn Wescott (not just because he is also a native Minnesotan!). The assemblage of outside expertise- Pelle Soeborg, Lance Mindheim, Gerry Leone, etc are smart marketing on the part of MR, as they provide fresh perspectives and "outside the box) thinking. It’s just that thought of reaching into the mailbox at the curb to retrieve the next issue that is comforting as well. (or maybe it’s the holiday season approaching and I am feeling the spirit???) Cedarwoodron
I still, and always will, subscribe to the paper edition. The digital edition is fine, but the paper copies will last close enough to forever for all practical purposes, and I actually OWN them! The content will never disappear due to reading device obsolescence, the provider taking the content offline because it didn’t pay, or any other reason that streaming content may disappear. My collection of paper issues takes up about 30 linear feet on top of my bookcases, and I can read them anytime I’d like, without regard for internet connection outages, device battery condition, etc. All I really need is sunlight and I’m good to go!
I grew up with paper, so until I’m forced to, I’ll stick with that.
I’ll stick with paper too. I am into HOn3 narrow gauge and my main mag is the Narrow Gauge and Short Line Gazzette which has been a real full sized magazine since 1978. Prior to that it was “Fine Lines”.
MR is still taken here as well. Just spent too many years buying MR on the newstand. So I subscribe now.
Interestingly, I see back issues of MR mags at the train shows for free or selling for 25 cents each to a very high price of $1.00 each. Even back into the 50’s and 60’s they can be found for 50 cents each!
I have been trying to get all my back issues of the Narrow Gauge Gazette back to 1978, but they are $5.00 each for all back issues from 2012 until the mid-80’s and then the price jumps to $10.00+, each! The first year (1978) was offered complete by one dealer for $250.00! Yes, occasionally you will find a full, single, modern year bundled by an ex-narrow gauger who didn’t renew for $10 or $20, but that is very rare. One of the mag dealers I saw recently said he can’t keep the older 80’s and 70’s Gazette back issues in stock. Fortunately, it has always been a bi-monthly so there are only 6 issues/year.
I assume MR has seen so many copys in each printing that the death rate of old MRs keeps back issues well stocked and, often, as a drug on the market.
I grew up with paper, so until I’m forced to, I’ll stick with that.
So did I. I also grew up with atmospheric nuclear tests, leaded gas, and leaded paint, to name a few examples, so I’m not at all enamored of the idea that just because I grew up with it that it’s worth keeping around.
I dropped my paper subscription for an electronic subscription because paper just takes up too much space ( old MR’s, RMC’s, Trains, Classic Trains, Railfans… need I go on?). I have several plastic carrying containers, that, when full of magazines, weigh something on the order of 50 lbs each and occupy several cubic feet. Compare that to the complete set of MR’s (1934-2009) on DVD that occupies a few cubic inches for the media. Near as I can figure, a complete paper collection of MR and Trains dating from initial publlication would weigh upwards of a ton and earn me a spot on A&E’s “Hoarding: Buried Alive”. [(-D]
EDIT: Whoops, it’s TLC that does that program. A&E does “Hoarders”.
The release of the DVD with the first 75 years of MR drove the back issue prices down. I noticed a drop at the train shows where back issues were commonly $2 and occaisionally $1 each. Now they are $5 for a year and $.50 each - sometimes less or free.
Once I bought my DVD copy I stopped acquiring back issues (I already have them back through 1947, plus a few earlier ones) While I haven’t gotten rid of my paper issues since I have currently have space for them, I won’t take them with me if I move again.
My first issue of MR was Dec. 1955, and I’ve been a subscriber for over 4 decades. Like all mass media communications, some issues are better - to me - than others. But, MR is THE magazine of the hobby here in the USofA. And, while I used to get other train mags as well, it has come down to MR and CT exclusively these days.
I’m pretty established in the hobby, having already built my “final” layout - and picked an era, location, road, scene, and of course - the operating system. So many of the articles in MR aren’t really needed by me, but I really do enjoy looking at the work of others, especially the layouts. And unlike most magazines, I especially like to see the ads - for I’m always looking for that new and different car/loco/structure.
I did too but, maybe I’m a techie junkie [sigh] because I prefer my magazines and western novels on my Kindle Fire. There is a annoying drawback. If you do a lot of reading you need to recharge the battery every other day.
My coffee table does seem to be missing something though.[:O]
OP: Never realized that this topic would have such long legs! The device obsolescence issue is a critical one for many of us who have transitioned from phonographs to wireless devices for our music, from carbon copies of letters to e-mail, etc. I hope that DVDs will remain a primary media storage for images and such, as small, easily-lost thumb drives and those even smaller memory cards are just too easily- well, lost, to be permanent storage locations. That topic is worth exploring- any more-knowledgeable techies out there to do so? Cedarwoodron