Railway Modeller March 2018

[Legend]

No one seems to write up the poor old Railway Modeller , so here goes.

 

March is traditionally the Scottish issue and this is no exception but also with lots of other articles to maintain balance.

 

On the Scottish side we have drawings for GSWR class 5 0-6-0T (the one in the Glasgow Riverside Museum). Whithorn , layout in 4mm. Crioch, the Highland Railway , a shed scene. Lovely pre grouping.

 

Railway of the Month is the spectacular Dent . Really lovely layout in LMS days , 2nd part of a three stage build. The next one will be Mallerstang .

 

A brush with steam:Eric Bottomleys O gauge layout Chadbury. My favourite in this months edition . Lots of large industrial buildings so reminiscent of the Chadderton/Oldham area . Beautiful layout just oozing charm . Eric is an Artist and I think you can see his artists eye in this , it all just blends together as opposed to being a collection of buildings planted for effect.

 

Denley Moor n gauge modern Derbyshire

 

Hillbrow 009

 

Plan of the month : Marks Tey

 

Hamworthy Junction. Visually a real treat. Beautiful double page spread on P219/220 showing the Station, part of a 5 page article on LSWR Junction in 1950s . Again really lovely

 

Other stuff:Building L&SWR H16, Building Peco 7mm box van,building a helix. The usual comments, letters and talking point , which this month is about Parkside kits in the Peco empire

 

A really good edition. When other mags seem to be looking at sound bites and limiting narrative because people attention span is short , this is really a contrast. A lot of reading in this mag. N to O, pre grouping to Franchising.

Edited February 11, 2018 by Legend

[Widnes Model Centre]

We have stopped selling Railway Modeller. Dwindling sales mean that we are also about to drop Hornby Mag.

 

We literally have a queue when the free Railway Modelling mag arrives. Have most people gone to digital editions or are we just an isolated case?

 

I have to say and agree with Legend that the above looks like a really good edition.

[tractionman]

Thanks for this -- I used to occasionally post-up monthly the RM contents based on the Peco publications web-page, but that's not been updated for months, so good on you for taking the time to set out this month's highlights!

 

It is a top issue--RM is the only modelling mag I buy without fail and always look forward to publication day.

 

The Railway of the Month, "Dentdale", is a real corker, absolutely love the pic of the two 3Fs on freights at Dent Junction box--I'll look forward to seeing more on this layout in future issues.

 

One thing caught my eye in the News section, a new Ratio signal box, wartime flat-roof style, should go well on an industrial-style set up I reckon--similarly the mention of the new Modelscene Yard Lamps, again in 4mm, no picture of those in the mag but something to look forward to seeing, here's hoping they're in the LMS style!

 

cheers,

 

Keith

[grahame]

When other mags seem to be looking at sound bites and limiting narrative because people attention span is short , this is really a contrast. A lot of reading in this mag.

That is good news. I do find the reduction of information and in-depth articles being replaced by distilled down social media style sound bites not to my liking. Unfortunately the content subject matter of the March issue doesn't sound like my cup of tea. But thanks for the warning.

 

G

[Legend]

We have stopped selling Railway Modeller. Dwindling sales mean that we are also about to drop Hornby Mag.

 

We literally have a queue when the free Railway Modelling mag arrives. Have most people gone to digital editions or are we just an isolated case?

 

I have to say and agree with Legend that the above looks like a really good edition.

I think Railway Modeller is still the magazine of choice. I’d stock it above everything else

[Robin Brasher]

A representative from Peco gave the Wimborne Railway Society a talk several years ago. He said that sales of the Railway Modeller had gone down since the 1970s.

 

He said that one of the reasons was that clubs like ours, which now has about 130 members, were buying one copy of the Railway Modeller as a library copy and then club members were reading it at the club meetings without paying for it.

 

I don't think we have ever had all 130 members turning up at one club meeting which is just as well as I don't think that the church hall can accommodate more than about 50 people. A lot of people attended the talk which was in another building.

 

I have been getting the Hornby Magazine. I usually browse through it first but more often than not I find enough interesting articles to make it worth buying. It seems to be more on my wavelength than the other magazines although the digital articles are a bit over my head. I have been getting the Hornby Magazines from WH Smith because I got told off at our heritage railway shop for browsing. The assistant said this is not a library. On a more recent visit another assistant said I might as well look at the magazines because everyone else does. They don't let people do this in Switzerland so I wonder if this is something that just happens in Great Britain.

 

I also don't buy newspapers because I can read them for nothing in the library and in various clubs. W H Smith and Esso garages seem to be giving out free copies of the Sun

[Dunsignalling]

 

 

I also don't buy newspapers because I can read them for nothing in the library and in various clubs. W H Smith and Esso garages seem to be giving out free copies of the Sun

But are they giving any newspapers away free?

Edited February 11, 2018 by Dunsignalling

[rob D2]

I do the RM digitally.

I can’t imagine subscribing / buying anything on paper these days. So much more convenient to carry about and easy to make bigger on an iPad

[it's-er]

But are they giving any newspapers away free?

Yes, at Waitrose! if you have have a Waitrose card and you spend £10. Mind you, that £10 can include your free coffee and newspaper (quality paper - Daily Telegraph, Times or Guardian), so your net bill might only be £7 or £8 when you work it carefully.

 

John Storey

[Widnes Model Centre]

I think Railway Modeller is still the magazine of choice. I’d stock it above everything else

Over the years it dwindled to selling three copies a month. One guy comes in every three or four months and collects his. Another said he had taken out a digital copy, so he was cancelling. They are not sale or return, so we were losing every month as I would give any other copies away in the following month to anybody new or decent sales. Smiths now sell two extra copies every month. I buy them and save money. No profit, no loss.

Edited February 11, 2018 by Widnes Model Centre

[Pint of Adnams]

 

I also don't buy newspapers because I can read them for nothing in the library and in various clubs. W H Smith and Esso garages seem to be giving out free copies of the Sun

(a) the newsprint comes off; (b) the paper doesn't tear neatly into rectangles like it used to;  and © I prefer to use soft toilet paper

[Georgeconna]

Mags are way too Expensive these days, I used to get Scale Aircraft Modelling, Air Force Monthly, Combat Aircraft, Aeroplane, Railway Modeller and Aviation news in one month. That total to about €46 plus Euro. Pretty much the price of a decent book. Much of the Railway mags are repeat items and those top ten glues etc are unreadable. I have tried to digital stuff but too much hassle with the screen to be flicking in and out and around and side to side.

 

I'd only but one these days if an article caught my attention.

[grahame]

I can’t imagine subscribing / buying anything on paper these days. So much more convenient to carry about and easy to make bigger on an iPad

I find a newspaper/magazine more convenient to carry around than a tablet. When you've read it you can throw it in a bin whereas you've still got to carry the tablet. And it's expensive to lose or have stolen. Plus you need to make sure it's kept charged, it might go flat or can be difficult to read with sun on the screen. Sure you can recharge if necessary but that means also carrying cables around and having to find somewhere to plug in.

 

G

Edited February 11, 2018 by grahame

[Legend]

I find myself staring at a computer for work most of the day and then on my iPad for RMweb and YouTube so i don’t do digital magazines. Much prefer actual printed copies . I usually buy one a week although that also includes civil aircraft and warships . Railway Modeller has much more reading and of interest than any other of the main mags , BRM, Hornby or Model Rail. No need for gimmicks like 3D or Dvds either and doesnt contain articles like 20 ways towatch paint dry.

[TheQ]

I'm another one who stares at computer screens all day as I am doing now, so I don't want to do it for pleasure. I did use to buy many Railway / railway modelling magazines, but now I'm just down to Railway Modeller. With the odd MRJ if i can find a shop that sells it.

(PS 40mile+ round trip to Smiffs)

Sadly in many fields, the magazine market is falling, I can see us loosing some magazines permanently like the GWJ I used to buy.

[F-UnitMad]

.... and doesn't contain articles like 20 ways to watch paint dry.

Yes but at least the look-a-like comic magazines might tell you which paint dries the fastest - after all, you've got to achieve all those "professional" results in 30 minutes or less!!        

[truffy]

I find a newspaper/magazine more convenient to carry around than a tablet. When you've read it you can throw it in a bin whereas you've still got to carry the tablet. And it's expensive to lose or have stolen. Plus you need to make sure it's kept charged, it might go flat or can be difficult to read with sun on the screen. Sure you can recharge if necessary but that means also carrying cables around and having to find somewhere to plug in.

 

G

 

PLUS PLUS PLUS...swatting flies with an iPad is a very expensive way of pest control.

[Robin2]

Railway Modeller is my first choice, and my second is MRJ. I like BRM for the DVDs. And I buy Model Rail when it has a key subject that interests me.

 

I can't get digital editions because nobody supplies them for Linux which means I can't keep back issues as I don't have space.

 

A few time I have compared the changing cover price of RM with the changing prices of things advertised within it and I have always found a pretty consistent correlation.

 

...R

[Penlan]

I thought the editorial was good. 
I have bought RM since the 1950's, and MRJ since edition '0', so I seem to be set in my ways.
The others like BRM, Hornby etc., seem to have to many advert pages throughout the mags.,

I don't particularly like that, but everybody to their own.
I don't hold on to most of the RM's, they go to our local Hospital waiting room.
.... and yes, I think this is a good month for articles.

Edited February 14, 2018 by Penlan

[BlackRat]

I thought the editorial was good. 

I have bought RM since the 1950's, and MRJ since edition '0', so I seem to be set in my ways.

The others like BRM, Hornby etc., seem to have to many advert pages throughout the mags.,

I don't particularly like that, but everybody to their own.

I don't hold on to most of the RM's, they go to our local Hospital waiting room.

.... and yes, I think this is a good month for articles.

I don't hold on to any mags now, just so much waste paper taking up valuable space.

[toffee]

I browse mags in shops, if I find an article I must have, even a short one then I buy the mag. If I can't get into the mag as it's in a bag as so many of them are these days I don't bother and just move on, their loss. If someone running a shop expects me to buy before examining then I won't bother buying mags from their shop again, their loss. At the end of the day I can usually buy/ read a mag at the next model show/swap meet or on a market stall near me that sell all kinds of mags a few months old for a quid.

 

We are probably going to lose one or two mags in the next few years sad but inevitable I suppose, 50 years ago we just had 3 magazines how many do we have now ?

[Penlan]

We are probably going to lose one or two mags in the next few years sad but inevitable I suppose, 50 years ago we just had 3 magazines how many do we have now ?

... and probably just 2 layouts featured in each of them...

There's now many layouts featured each month - presumably this means the hobby is healthy.

[Steamport Southport]

I browse mags in shops, if I find an article I must have, even a short one then I buy the mag. If I can't get into the mag as it's in a bag as so many of them are these days I don't bother and just move on, their loss. If someone running a shop expects me to buy before examining then I won't bother buying mags from their shop again, their loss. At the end of the day I can usually buy/ read a mag at the next model show/swap meet or on a market stall near me that sell all kinds of mags a few months old for a quid.

 

We are probably going to lose one or two mags in the next few years sad but inevitable I suppose, 50 years ago we just had 3 magazines how many do we have now ?

 

If you want to know the contents then it's all freely available on the websites of most of the magazines. Many with screenshots of the actual pages.

 

 

Personally I would prefer all magazines to be provided in bags just to stop the dirty oiks putting their unwashed mitts on them. It's common knowledge about the amount of faecal matter found in bar snacks. Now imagine fifty middle aged blokes pawing over a magazine in WH Smiths. Doesn't even bare thinking about.

 

 

 

 

Jason

[Legend]

If you want to know the contents then it's all freely available on the websites of most of the magazines. Many with screenshots of the actual pages.

 

 

Personally I would prefer all magazines to be provided in bags just to stop the dirty oiks putting their unwashed mitts on them. It's common knowledge about the amount of faecal matter found in bar snacks. Now imagine fifty middle aged blokes pawing over a magazine in WH Smiths. Doesn't even bare thinking about.

 

 

Jason

That’s why I always take one from the back or three issue in

Edited February 15, 2018 by Legend

[Robin2]

Now imagine fifty middle aged blokes pawing over a magazine in WH Smiths. Doesn't even bare thinking about.

 

Don't worry about it. The human race easily survived the middle-ages.

 

...R