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Nouveau - Train Magazine


EddieB
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Now I know that a recent plethora of hastily prepared "bookazines" and part-works has produced a few citrus fruits in the UK, but if this latest French offering isn't the worst of the worst, I'd hate to see what is...

 

EUR 7,95 buys the latest copy of the new "Train Magazine", a bi-monthly publication launched at the end of last year.  A glance through the contents seems promising - an editorial about the "cemetery" at Sotteville, a visit to AJECTA at Longeau, a piece on Courpet-Louvet locomotives (and a separate profile of one locomotive repatriated from the Americas), the story of 232U1, speed holders (Mallard and CC7107), a French railways timeline and a feature on the great trains (les trains des légendes) - and much more besides.  So what's not to like?

 

Well, for a start, the paper is poor - it may be recycled (I'd hate to think where from), but it's like those atrocious paper stocks we suffered back in the 'eighties.  Reproduction of images is therefore pretty poor also.  Images, yes - little danger that they are wrongly captioned as captions are minimalist to non-existent.  Secondly, the images bear little relation to the text, or the reader is left to make the links themselves.  For example, the "timeline" includes two pictures of a Marc Seguin locomotive, but without any explanation where and how it fits with the history presented.  The "Orient Express" is represented by the little Krauss 0-4-0 well tank displayed outside Istanbul Sirkeci station - with the bare caption "Locomotive Orient-Express" - I can just envisage this little shunter pulling in with a rake of luxury Wagons-Lits carriages!  (The rest of that article is illustrated with standard publicity shots of luxury trains).

 

And so it continues.  I mentioned the repatriated Courpet-Louvet loco - the history is actually quite good, but no indication is given (or places identified in captions) of where it has been operating in preservation (the reader has to deduce CFBS from clues in the pictures).  The rest is similarly lightweight - I won't bother with further description.

 

Finally, the magazine concludes with a Portfolio - a seemingly random selection of uncaptioned images (a couple appearing twice and some hard to tell whether they are from photographs or artwork, such is the quality of reproduction).  Most are from the USA, with some from Russia, Brazil, Belgium, Germany and Canada - none are credited (same throughout the magazine), suggesting that all have been "liberated" from royalty-free (vive la Republique) sources.

 

Avoid (well have a cheeky browse if you must).

 

 

 

 

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Thanks Eddie. I find the French monthly magazines are astonishingly poor VFM compared to any of the mainstream UK publications - and one of them regularly uses Continental Modeller articles translated! My attitude is not helped by having ordered a book from one of them - and paid, obviously - more than 5 weeks ago and yet to receive it. No word, no story, no excuse. Yes the publisher is German (this magazine seems to offer much German stuff) and he shows it as available on his website......

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I'm pretty convinced that one of the main reasons French railway magazines cease publication is their price. As oldudders said (above) their value for money is generally abysmal. In addition their content is often recycled stuff from other (not acknowledged) sources, as the OP indicates.

 

We have been here before in these discussions and one argument is that they do not carry the sort and amount of advertising that UK (and other, I'm sure) magazines do, but that simply demonstrates to me, at least, lack of enterprise on the publishers' part. In several of the magazines, the bulk of the advertising is of the publisher's own other publications…how can that bring revenue in order to keep down the cost of the magazine? (Other than by banking oldudders' money and not delivering the goods for weeks on end!  I sympathise with you.)

 

As a comparison for general railway publications, rather than just modelling ones, the UK publication Southern Way, which is well-researched and has comment by those who know what they are talking about, represents far better value than any French mag- or book-azine I know when comparing price/content/frequency of publication/drain on one's budget and so on. (Usual disclaimer - I'm just a very satisfied customer). Yes, it has far less colour than many (as does MRJ, for example) but that is hardly the point when speaking of content. 

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I think there are a number of reasons why French Magazines are more expensive than UK ones.

Advertising as you suggest.  The latest BRM had 167 advertisers in the edition.  I doubt if there are that many French model shops and producers - big and small.  

VAT - remember that with the exception of the British Isles, VAT is generally charged on books and magazines across Europe.  That automatically makes a magazine 20% more expensive.

Staff costs - I know the number of staff on a magazine is not that high, but those that they do employ will be costing the publishing company  perhaps up to twice what a UK publisher pays due to the very high social costs (health, insurances, pensions and employment taxes).  Plus corporation taxes on any profits made.  [i guess these high costs get passed on all the way down the chain - publisher, printer, distributer, sales outlet.]

 

Perhaps of interest as another comparison is that when I was in Germany the cost of model magazines there was if anything more than the French ones - although the quality was (depending on your interests and viewpoints) perhaps rather better.

 

In the end though, I guess it the whys do not matter.  Fact is they are a lot more expensive.

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Don't forget the VAT. Assume it is on the magazines as on books.

I am alwys a bit wary when people compare prices. In many ways what we have in the UK is underpriced, and in the long term that might not be helpful. I wonder how long some of the current magazines in the UK can actually carry on. Traders can only afford so much advertising. Many have come and gone.

For French magazines I do have a look when in France. Luckily have a local newsagent that stocks a few, but have found it difficult to find any railway titles in some shops. Still tend to find Voie Libre(which I subscribe to) and Loco Revue , the best, but they probably have more money behind them.

 

There has been some comparisons on book selling in France compared to the UK. As it is not permitted to discount French books, Amazon has not got the same grip in France, so I believe therre are more local book shops. Suspect most don't sell railway books, but for those , adverts in Voie Libre are worth checking. What does frustrate me is when French books are sealed. I have bought books in the past and found them not as good as hoped. Short print runs are frustrating, but we did manage to get one book reprinted because the first run ran out in a week.

For magazines I have found French publishers are happy to post to UK, normally at a local postal cost, even back issues.

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It tends to be the UK shops that keep the wrapping on. Frustrating looking through books at the old Ian Allan shop in Manchester, and not knowing if it was worth while buying a book.

The first French railway book I bought was a bit of a disappointment(I am always looking for scale drawings), but I have been luckier since.

One reason I like Voie Libre is its scale drawings insert, even if it might not interest me then, I find I go back later. Being able to find some older magazines online also helps, as it can result in my buying a back issue. Sometimes the online images are good enough.

If someone was to produce a purely digital magazine on French railways I would probably be tempted.

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It tends to be the UK shops that keep the wrapping on. Frustrating looking through books at the old Ian Allan shop in Manchester, and not knowing if it was worth while buying a book.

The first French railway book I bought was a bit of a disappointment(I am always looking for scale drawings), but I have been luckier since.

One reason I like Voie Libre is its scale drawings insert, even if it might not interest me then, I find I go back later. Being able to find some older magazines online also helps, as it can result in my buying a back issue. Sometimes the online images are good enough.

If someone was to produce a purely digital magazine on French railways I would probably be tempted.

 

 

 

The other magazine to go is Objectif Rail.

 

To be fair to the French magazines, some of them are cottage publishers not mainstream, because there is not a huge market for mainstream publishers to be interested. The long ceased 1980s orange cover 'Rail Magazine' was also a cottage publication.

 

This is on reason why Le Train keeps going due to its tie up with the Germans.

 

 

 

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Thanks Gordon.

 

Yes it is important to remember that these companies are largely small publishing companies, unlike for example Railway Modeller which has its PECO model manufacturing business behind it.

 

Sad to see Objectif Rail go, although I stopped subscribing when I retired as it did not coincide with my mainstream interests.

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