MODEL RAILWAYS ILLUSTRATED (MORILL)

[5982]

Hi all

Started by Iain Rice and his cronies, MORILL lasted no more than 4 volumes, back in the 90s, and is now all but forgotten.

I always thought it was one of the best periodicals we ever had, and that it was a great shame it did not last very long. Towards the end, it changed publishers two or three times very quickly and lost out on distribution (and I lost out on acquisition) as a result - it finally petering out, as far as I can tell, somewhere towards what would have been the end of Volume 4.

Over the years I have been keeping an eye open for back-numbers, and have finally reached the point that I have no gaps. However, I have no idea which the final issue was, to know if I still have more to find. Someone was flogging a "complete set" on Ebay a while ago, but it stopped two or three issues before the latest in my own collection - so didn't help - and obviously I'm not the only one confused on this score.

Does anyone know, definitively, what the final issue was, please?

Thanks

Brian

[Dave47549]

.

Edited October 1, 2021 by Dave47549

[Scottish Modeller]

Volume 4/10 - August '97, according to this source:

 

https://britishrailwaybooks.co.uk/magazine/morill.php

 

Dave (who's personal MoRIll collection stands at a paltry 30% ! )

Hi Dave, Yes - agreed with that....

 

I'm only missing two of them - Issue 2 and Issue 7.

 

I did have them - but they have either got lost or been loned out and not returned.

[bike2steam]

Yes I agree, it was a good mag, but after Irwell Press stopped publishing it in March 1997 I lost interest. 

[Arun Sharma]

MORILL was and still is a very useful reference source. It was of a time when editors realised that some/many/most/all* modellers wanted detail close-up prototype photographs as well as clear well-executed drawings. Iain's successor journal "Rail Model Digest" was cast in a very similar mould but sadly only lasted for seven issues.

 

*delete as per your personal beliefs

[sulzer27jd]

I have a copy of the pilot edition, that was mocked up to show what it would look like. 

 

John

[Enterprisingwestern]

I have a copy of the pilot edition, that was mocked up to show what it would look like. 

 

John

 

The equivalent of MRJ #0 then?

 

Mike.

[DougN]

I have to admit to having most of the mags that made it to Australia so I am probably missing a couple at the very end. I also found another mag that I only ever found one issue of which was cut from the same cloth as Morill. Personally I think it was a serious contender to challenge MRJ at the time for up and coming modellers.

[stewartingram]

I believe I had a full set, though have only just disposed of them to a fellow member on here. My (old) database listing what I had goes from 1997-3 to 1997-8. For the 1st year or so they were bi-monthly. I have no entries on my list for 1997-4/5, possibly because when I compiled it I didn't find them.

 

Stewart

[laurenceb]

Whatever happened to Andy F....... Ricey's co-ed for the first volume?

[DLT]

Whatever happened to Andy F....... Ricey's co-ed for the first volume?

 

Good question, never heard from him again.  Maybe he packed in railways and took up something else; not everyone is a "lifer"!

 

I agree, MORILL was a very good magazine that eventually lost its way and fizzled out, sadly.

I've got most of the earlier ones, and certainly all the Ricey editions.

 

Cheers, Dave.

[sulzer27jd]

The equivalent of MRJ #0 then?

 

Mike.

 

Vol. 1 No. 1 November - December 1993.

 

Plans Page - LMS Carriages

Modelling Nouveau - concrete structures

Loco Profile - Thompson B1

 

I seem to remember writing one of the fake letters for Andy Farq.

 

John

[kevinlms]

Vol. 1 No. 1 November - December 1993.

 

Plans Page - LMS Carriages

Modelling Nouveau - concrete structures

Loco Profile - Thompson B1

 

I seem to remember writing one of the fake letters for Andy Farq.

 

John

This is most odd. I have all the issues except the last and the first issue. Well the first I have a dodgy photocopy of, but the cover is nothing like yours, nor the contents listing is the same.

 

My cover looks like this one, note the volume number is the same as yours, but the dates and title colour is totally different.

 

Edit to correct errors. I will post a list of the contents in mine, but basically only the Leintwardine layout is the same.

Edited April 4, 2018 by kevinlms

[Enterprisingwestern]

This is most odd. I have all the issues except the last and the first issue. Well the first I have a dodgy photocopy of, but the cover is nothing like yours, nor the contents listing is the same.

 

My cover looks like this one, note the volume number is the same as yours, but the dates and title colour is totally different.

 

Edit to correct errors. I will post a list of the contents in mine, but basically only the Leintwardine layout is the same.

 

Post # 6 elucidates.

 

Mike.

[Scottish Modeller]

Vol. 1 No. 1 November - December 1993.

 

Plans Page - LMS Carriages

Modelling Nouveau - concrete structures

Loco Profile - Thompson B1

 

I seem to remember writing one of the fake letters for Andy Farq.

 

John

 

 

This is most odd. I have all the issues except the last and the first issue. Well the first I have a dodgy photocopy of, but the cover is nothing like yours, nor the contents listing is the same.

 

My cover looks like this one, note the volume number is the same as yours, but the dates and title colour is totally different.

 

Edit to correct errors. I will post a list of the contents in mine, but basically only the Leintwardine layout is the same.

Hi all,

 

Thanks for the input - that certainly resolves one of the queries I have had ever since Issue 1 - Vol 1.

 

Now I know there were certainly 2 versions of it.

 

I'll have to dig in the loft to find out which my version is.

Edited April 4, 2018 by Scottish Modeller

[kevinlms]

Whatever happened to Andy F....... Ricey's co-ed for the first volume?

Issue Volume 2, No 1 says in the editorial that Andy F. is 'turning to other challenges in the publishing field'.

[kevinlms]

Contents for MY Vol 1 No. 1

 

Setting out our stall - editorial

Leintwardine - P4 layout

HBA/HEA 46T Domestic Coal Hoppers - Plans, photos & prototype information

Locoprofile - 43XX 2-6-0  Churchward's Moguls - The Ubiquitous Pioneers

43XX - The O Gauge option    Bachmann's 93XX - a suitable case for treatment?

Atlantic Coast Express   Bachmann, Bullied and the ACE

Layout Design - Tregeare

A Small Matter of Actuation - points

Broaches - all about them

Modelstrip - Product review

Upgrading Peco "Streamline" points

Glossary of common terms

Product Review - Brassmasters Austerity 0-6-0ST

[polybear]

Hi all

Started by Iain Rice and his cronies, MORILL lasted no more than 4 volumes, back in the 90s, and is now all but forgotten.

I always thought it was one of the best periodicals we ever had, and that it was a great shame it did not last very long.

 

Agreed - a sort of MRJ but without the rivet counting (though in fairness MRJ has improved dramatically in recent years IMHO).

I believe MORRILL became Model Railway Review, which lasted all of one issue.

 

I have duplicates of issues  2/8, 3/1, 3/2, 3/5, 3/11, 4/1, 4/2, if anyone needs to complete a set.

Edited April 4, 2018 by polybear

[RANGERS]

Issue Volume 2, No 1 says in the editorial that Andy F. is 'turning to other challenges in the publishing field'.

 

He did pop up at shows from time to time, he was friendly with a pal of mine and they bumped into each other more than once when I was with him. Warley in about 1995 or 96 was one and I think the other was St Albans a year or two later.

[kevinlms]

Post # 6 elucidates.

 

Mike.

Not really, it appears that the pilot edition November/December (Blue cover) is dated AFTER the September/October (Green cover) one.

 

It seems unlikely that the pilot edition would have made it Australia, but I could be wrong.

[sulzer27jd]

Not really, it appears that the pilot edition November/December (Blue cover) is dated AFTER the September/October (Green cover) one.

 

It seems unlikely that the pilot edition would have made it Australia, but I could be wrong.

 

It was a pilot edition with only a few pages, the date was purely for illustration. It has a letters page with made up letters and advertisers that don't exist. 

 

I don't know how many were printed, but I suspect very, very few as it was primarily to show the trade what it would look like.

 

John

[dibber25]

It was a pilot edition with only a few pages, the date was purely for illustration. It has a letters page with made up letters and advertisers that don't exist. 

 

I don't know how many were printed, but I suspect very, very few as it was primarily to show the trade what it would look like.

 

John

 

The news trade often expects to see a 'dummy' before they'll consider placing orders for a magazine. We did one for Model Rail back in 1996/7 - had an 'A4' on the cover and a Masterclass on Class 31s. The Masterclass appeared in the actual first issue (Autumn 1997) but the cover was nothing like the dummy. (CJL)

[clecklewyke]

Somewhere I have both the last issue that Iain edited and the first non-Rice edition.

 

It seems that Irwell Press and IAR had fallen out, with reports of IAR's failure to meet deadlines etc. A sad end to a brilliant magazine. I didn't buy any more copies as the whole point of it was as a sshowcase for Iain's writings and drawings. Without them it lost its raison d'etre.

 

Many will know that I am a great fan of Iain. He's a brilliant, inspiring enthusiast and a really nice guy.

 

Ian

[Grovenor]

I believe MORRILL became Model Railway Review, which lasted all of one issue.

I have 4 issues of Model Railway Review, which I think is a full set. Oct/Nov 1997, Dec 97/Jan 98, Feb/Mar 98, and Apr/May 98. Editor Jim Woods, published by Vancouver Print Ltd.

Regards

[Tony Davis]

Interesting to read this thread, yesterday I was given a collection of unwanted magazines, this included a full set of Modelling Railways Illustrated, the 4 editions of Model Railway Review, and 3 editions of Finescale Railway Modelling Review (I understand that there was only 3) and about 15 copies of Modellers Backtrack - all make interesting reading (I am a fairly recent convert to railway modelling) and there is a lot of Modelling in these magazines. I realise it was a different world back then, but I prefer the d.i.y. approch, as opposed to ready to run/plonk.