BRM November '18

[BMS]

Our objective is to give readers choices.

As I see it i have 4 choices each month but not all are accessible

a) Newsagent

b) Subscription paper

c) Subscription digital

d) Individual digital

All different

 

Unfortunately, having chosen one of the subscription issues, I can't make an alternative monthly choice based on what is in each 

Regards

Basil  

[Phil Parker]

As I see it i have 4 choices each month but not all are accessible

a) Newsagent

b) Subscription paper

c) Subscription digital

d) Individual digital

All different

 

Unfortunately, having chosen one of the subscription issues, I can't make an alternative monthly choice based on what is in each 

Regards

Basil  

 

All the digital issues are the same whether subscription or individual.

[John M Upton]

A Facebook post mentioned that an email to BRM with name and address will result in a Metcalfe Cottage Kit being put in the post to you.  I duly fired off the email this morning and also have ordered a second one as well.  Will see what arrives in the post!!

[BMS]

All the digital issues are the same whether subscription or individual.

So this reduces my monthly options to 3, but I am already committed to subscription - no choice.

 

As a subscriber and long term modeller (start 1953ish) the cottage matched into my needs well - South Wales 1920s or earlier -not just for beginners.

BMS

[davidw]

Sorry if I've mised something. I've just bought a paper edition. Specifically to see the 1938 Little Bytham Dvd material. Only to discover its not available. The magazine is bagged. I'm not a subscriber nor do I want to be. Is there anyway to get hold of the dvd. The dvd did set BRM apart from competitors. I've no interest in ametcalf kit. Apologies if the has already been answered.

Edited October 15, 2018 by davidw

[Andy Y]

Sorry if I've mised something. 

 

If you read the topic all the answers are in here.

[micklner]

Sorry if I've mised something. I've just bought a paper edition. Specifically to see the 1938 Little Bytham Dvd material. Only to discover its not available. The magazine is bagged. I'm not a subscriber nor do I want to be. Is there anyway to get hold of the dvd. The dvd did set BRM apart from competitors. I've no interest in ametcalf kit. Apologies if the has already been answered.

 

Post 42 ,click on competition link  and follow the prompts. Good luck.

[davidw]

Post 42 ,click on competition link and follow the prompts. Good luck.

Thanks

[Huw Griffiths]

Sorry if I've mised something. I've just bought a paper edition. Specifically to see the 1938 Little Bytham Dvd material. Only to discover its not available. The magazine is bagged. I'm not a subscriber nor do I want to be. Is there anyway to get hold of the dvd. The dvd did set BRM apart from competitors. I've no interest in ametcalf kit. Apologies if the has already been answered.

  

Post 42 ,click on competition link  and follow the prompts. Good luck.

I guess I'd better try and find my registration details as well - as I'd also rather like a copy of this DVD (assuming, of course, that there's no option to collect it at a major show in the next couple of months - and save Warners the postage).

 

While I think of it, those BRM bulletins seemed to dry up when GDPR kicked in - it might be worth my while checking what settings I need to change, so I can get them again … .

 

 

Regards,

 

Huw.

[Andy Y]

While I think of it, those BRM bulletins seemed to dry up when GDPR kicked in - it might be worth my while checking what settings I need to change, so I can get them again … .

It really is worth making sure you get Phil's BRM Express whilst you're doing that; I know you follow so much of his output.

[SteveCole]

  

I guess I'd better try and find my registration details as well - as I'd also rather like a copy of this DVD (assuming, of course, that there's no option to collect it at a major show in the next couple of months - and save Warners the postage).

 

While I think of it, those BRM bulletins seemed to dry up when GDPR kicked in - it might be worth my while checking what settings I need to change, so I can get them again … .

 

 

Regards,

 

Huw.

 

Hi Huw,

 

The RMweb emails had to stop with GDPR. But, as Andy says make sure your preferences on World-of-Railways are set-up to receive Phil's BRM Express emails.

 

Thanks,

 

Steve

[Buhar]

I'm not a fan of digital magazines mainly because I can't archive the pages I may want to refer to later. With print, I cut out the pages, scan them and name them appropriately.

 

However fomo (fear of missing out), particularly on the Little Blytham photos, pushes me to buying this month's. What I'll do to archive anything is a problem for later.

 

However, as a subscriber, I feel a bit cheated that the journal I pay for doesn't make all it's content available to me. Or I end up paying for some of the same content twice.

 

I understand the need to keep abreast of publishing developments (I heard yesterday that audio books are surging as a medium) but is there some way of being able to be a subscriber to one version and then get discounted access to the alternatives.

 

For example a code in the magazine so newsstand purchasers could go to a closed YouTube channel to see the DVD.

Edited October 15, 2018 by Buhar

[RedgateModels]

I'm not a fan of digital magazines mainly because I can't archive the pages I may want to refer to later. With print, I cut out the pages, scan them and name them appropriately.

 

Use the PC version of Pocketmags, install CutePDF, print your pages to pdf, job done

[Phil Parker]

I'm not a fan of digital magazines mainly because I can't archive the pages I may want to refer to later. With print, I cut out the pages, scan them and name them appropriately.

 

However fomo (fear of missing out), particularly on the Little Blytham photos, pushes me to buying this month's. What I'll do to archive anything is a problem for later.

 

However, as a subscriber, I feel a bit cheated that the journal I pay for doesn't make all it's content available to me. Or I end up paying for some of the same content twice.

 

I understand the need to keep abreast of publishing developments (I heard yesterday that audio books are surging as a medium) but is there some way of being able to be a subscriber to one version and then get discounted access to the alternatives.

 

For example a code in the magazine so newsstand purchasers could go to a closed YouTube channel to see the DVD.

 

Offering a print and digital deal has been looked at and currently isn't an options - because Pocketmags handle the digital, legally, they aren't allowed to share a subscriber list with us (we don't make the law, moan to your MP).

 

This isn't the end of it becaue we know this is desirable - watch this space in a few months time. 

[Howard Smith]

I'm not a fan of digital magazines mainly because I can't archive the pages I may want to refer to later. With print, I cut out the pages, scan them and name them appropriately.

 

However fomo (fear of missing out), particularly on the Little Blytham photos, pushes me to buying this month's. What I'll do to archive anything is a problem for later.

 

However, as a subscriber, I feel a bit cheated that the journal I pay for doesn't make all it's content available to me. Or I end up paying for some of the same content twice.

 

I understand the need to keep abreast of publishing developments (I heard yesterday that audio books are surging as a medium) but is there some way of being able to be a subscriber to one version and then get discounted access to the alternatives.

 

For example a code in the magazine so newsstand purchasers could go to a closed YouTube channel to see the DVD.

 

The digital edition pages can be downloaded as pdf files if you want, saving you the hassle of tearing pages out of your printed copy and scanning them. Give it a try with this month's copy and send me a PM if you have any difficulties.

Best,

Howard

[lochlongside]

But when I'm at shows, and not just Warners ones, people come up to me to say how much they love the DVDs. Should we drop them because one or two people don't like the idea of them? If you've not watched them, give a couple a go.

 

In the same way, some people really liked the Pendon photos. Holograms would have been better (I love a hologram, nearly as much as I love cake), but most people would have collapsed at the cover price!

Good day Phil,

I wasn't necessarily advocating leaving off the DVDs that would be your decision based on what the mass of your customers are saying.- I was just saying that having browsed a few I spend my time on other things  so I no longer open them unless there is something that (metaphorically!!) leaps out at me- It was just feedback for you and of course pointing out that the reason I buy the paper magazines is for the immediate printed content. (My dinosaur moment here )

I have actually been a buyer of BRM since the beginning and still have all the copies in the garage (sad that....). When you came on the market you were definitely a market leader but in my view you did go off the boil a few years ago and unlike the opposition seemed to me at least not to know quite which way to go and what market you were addressing. I emphasise this was 2-3 years ago - In my eyes at least you are re-establishing yourself now, and developing a presence/character which complements the other magazines (which all have their own characteristics/foibles) - so well done there. I have no complaint.

I was however interested in your comment about having to change or you would be dead in five years due to market changes. That does seem a bit apocalyptic - the other magazines do not (as yet) appear to see it that way. Can you expand?

Incidentally  looking to the future -Decades ago  I did once see a hologram of Jinty (think it was a scientific establishhment not sure where it was so long ago)  - it was static and horrible (a yuk green in colour - made your pendon edition look wonderful even without the glasses but you could put your hand through it - so just think in a few years (well decades !!) you could download your layout from BRM as railway of the month, play with it at Xmas whilst everyone else wanders through it to go to the drinks cupboard or whatever and no-one would be treading on the track, the cats would go demented chasing it (be like the laser spots on steroids - cat owners will know what I mean) .......... and then you could chuck it out with the trash when the next month's edition came out.without worrying about wrecking the track during the salvage phase - sounds win-win  

PS no-one has so far answered my query on the BRM reverse loops wiring - no hurry no worry - I am going to try a test this week.

[meatloaf]

I picked to recieve the link to the dvd content on the competition page. When will the links be sent?

[Phil Parker]

I was however interested in your comment about having to change or you would be dead in five years due to market changes. That does seem a bit apocalyptic - the other magazines do not (as yet) appear to see it that way. Can you expand?

 

Sadly not. Magazine sales across all sectors are down 7% this year (source) and this is a process that has been going on for a while. All the model railway magazines are losing sales, in this respect, BRM (and Garden Rail, smug face) is bucking the trend thanks to the inclusion of a DVD.  Everyone is seeing the problem, but BRM is better placed to deal with it thanks to all the different channels we have available to us. No-one else has an RMweb, or easy access to a film crew!

 

Print isn't dead, and won't be for some time. The expectation is that our sort of magazines will hang on longer than most, and Warners investments in print prove they aren't seeing the end yet either. 

 

BUT, if you look at people on trains, or other places you might expect to see magazine reading and it's smartphones and tablets. That's not our choice, it's the way the world is changing. Technology is always moving. Once our mags were tiny (compare a 70s model railway mag to today and see how much more editorial you get for relatively the same amount of money) and in monochrome. Taking photos was harder, as was reproduction. Colour was difficult and expensive.

 

Now you wouldn't think of skimping on photos, or colour. Digital mags offer more possibilities and readers expect us to take advantage of the technology. 

 

Magazines have to make money for everyone along the chain. Your newsagent won't give shelf space to publications not selling over a certain amount. Drop below that and you vanish from the shelves. Supermarkets are very aggressive and every product, including mags, have to fight for space. One day, many magazines might find that there are simply not enough sales to justify this. When that day comes, we need to be thinking about how people want to read about model railways.

 

If you have grown up with tablet computers, and that includes teenagers now, then do you see reading from paper as natural?

[Robin Brasher]

I thought the Hay Wain diorama was brilliant.

 

Regarding the sales of magazines the Swanage Railway shop has stopped selling magazines mainly because the suppliers were sending copies of non railway subjects like fishing which the shop did not want. We have a W H Smith in Swanage but I like to browse through a magazine before I choose one. I cannot do this if it is in a cellophane cover but the November BRM looks good if that is what is in the paper copy. I did buy the November Hornby magazine because I glanced at the Severn Valley layout but when I bought it I was not interested in much of the rest of the content. If you buy a magazine at Smiths you can get a free copy of the Sun. I have never paid for a Sun but I used to have a quick look after someone else had finished with it.

 

One of my model railway clubs at Wimborne has over 100 members and the club subscribes to a copy of several magazines. We had a talk from Peco and the speaker thought that this was one of the reasons for the decline in magazine sales.

[lochlongside]

Sadly not. Magazine sales across all sectors are down 7% this year (source) and this is a process that has been going on for a while. All the model railway magazines are losing sales, in this respect, BRM (and Garden Rail, smug face) is bucking the trend thanks to the inclusion of a DVD.  Everyone is seeing the problem, but BRM is better placed to deal with it thanks to all the different channels we have available to us. No-one else has an RMweb, or easy access to a film crew!

 

Print isn't dead, and won't be for some time. The expectation is that our sort of magazines will hang on longer than most, and Warners investments in print prove they aren't seeing the end yet either. 

 

BUT, if you look at people on trains, or other places you might expect to see magazine reading and it's smartphones and tablets. That's not our choice, it's the way the world is changing. Technology is always moving. Once our mags were tiny (compare a 70s model railway mag to today and see how much more editorial you get for relatively the same amount of money) and in monochrome. Taking photos was harder, as was reproduction. Colour was difficult and expensive.

 

Now you wouldn't think of skimping on photos, or colour. Digital mags offer more possibilities and readers expect us to take advantage of the technology. 

 

Magazines have to make money for everyone along the chain. Your newsagent won't give shelf space to publications not selling over a certain amount. Drop below that and you vanish from the shelves. Supermarkets are very aggressive and every product, including mags, have to fight for space. One day, many magazines might find that there are simply not enough sales to justify this. When that day comes, we need to be thinking about how people want to read about model railways.

 

If you have grown up with tablet computers, and that includes teenagers now, then do you see reading from paper as natural?

Phil, thanks for that - and an interesting article at the end of your source link. - Looks like you chaps have the right of it. I know you cannot extrapolate from one customer's experiences but my local little Sainsbury now stocks all 4 major MR mags - it never used to - I had to go to the big one 10mins away or to WHS - but then that might just be Sainsbury trying to hold back the retail versus online tide!!

On the reverse loop question/query front - following a practical test using Peco electrofrogs there is I believe there is an error in Howards 2nd reverse loop diagram on page 92 - he has one too many breaks - he needs   to remove the red rail loop break at insulate 1. I did and it then worked. I then tried moving the breaks around and nothing worked as well  (or at all !!) as keeping the live fishplate adjacent to the frog on the loop and insulating the other rail opposite the fishplate. An excellent solution though, ergonomic/intuitive to use and very neat... and locos run thro in either direction - now to build the board.

I also In a spirit of experimentation had a go at using Peco Unifrogs  on a reverse loop w/o switching - nightmare of insulating gaps and jumpers- I quickly lost interest - if I ever run out of electrofrogs I will revert to the DPDT switch method - now for that triangular junction as per Bournemouth West.!!.

[D9502]

 BUT, if you look at people on trains, or other places you might expect to see magazine reading and it's smartphones and tablets. That's not our choice, it's the way the world is changing. Technology is always moving.

 

Now you wouldn't think of skimping on photos, or colour. Digital mags offer more possibilities and readers expect us to take advantage of the technology. 

 

If you have grown up with tablet computers, and that includes teenagers now, then do you see reading from paper as natural?

For many years now I have been reading model-railroad-hobbyist a free (until now) online US oriented magazine that you could read either online or download to the device of your choice. Having liked the concept this influenced my decision in the size of tablet I wanted for reading digital magazines. I still buy paper but very rarely.

 

But tech is moving so quickly why store my downloaded Uk magazines on my device? They can be in the Cloud freeing up space on my device for apps. Your Cloud based storage will your virtual bookcase, I can’t see anyone under 25 buying a railway magazine when they use apps, social media and digital content these days.

 

Perhaps I’m wrong but working in engineering tech and seeing how quickly that’s moving right now I see digital content with links to virtual tours of layouts with ‘readers’ wearing VR headsets at home.

[D9502]

In retrospect perhaps this digital thing might be considered a generational argument too?

 

DVD?

 

Stream online.

[Kiwi]

In retrospect perhaps this digital thing might be considered a generational argument.

Absolutely not!! I’m an OAP and use / enjoy every piece of latest technology I can get my hands on. (I stopped buying paper books and magazines 10 years ago) I’ve been this way all my life. Luckily my wife is the same.

Reading various posts on this forum it is clear there are many, if not more, people decades younger who have a major aversion to any new technology, and refuse to even contemplate benefits.

 

No, its not generational, it is attitudinal. Nothing whatsoever to do with age.

Edited October 15, 2018 by Kiwi

[Howard Smith]

Phil, thanks for that - and an interesting article at the end of your source link. - Looks like you chaps have the right of it. I know you cannot extrapolate from one customer's experiences but my local little Sainsbury now stocks all 4 major MR mags - it never used to - I had to go to the big one 10mins away or to WHS - but then that might just be Sainsbury trying to hold back the retail versus online tide!!

On the reverse loop question/query front - following a practical test using Peco electrofrogs there is I believe there is an error in Howards 2nd reverse loop diagram on page 92 - he has one too many breaks - he needs   to remove the red rail loop break at insulate 1. I did and it then worked. I then tried moving the breaks around and nothing worked as well  (or at all !!) as keeping the live fishplate adjacent to the frog on the loop and insulating the other rail opposite the fishplate. An excellent solution though, ergonomic/intuitive to use and very neat... and locos run thro in either direction - now to build the board.

I also In a spirit of experimentation had a go at using Peco Unifrogs  on a reverse loop w/o switching - nightmare of insulating gaps and jumpers- I quickly lost interest - if I ever run out of electrofrogs I will revert to the DPDT switch method - now for that triangular junction as per Bournemouth West.!!.

 

Glad to hear it. You're right about the wiring diagram however, so my apologies. I think next time I'll be hand drawing them Feel free to email me some photographs of your project as it develops for our Inbox section...

Best,

Howard

[Taz]

Hi, I may be being a bit dense but I’m struggling to find a link to the Little Bytham video on the digital version (via pocket mags).

 

Any help much appreciated (as this is the main reason I purchased this months mag).

 

Thanks.