Model Rail #276 August 2020

[Anadin Dogwalker]

19 hours ago, dibber25 said:

More time on our hands? Yes. But you can't do a lot with time if you can't pop out and buy the stuff you need, if you don't know whether review samples are stuck somewhere in the system because your post room is closed etc, if everything takes several times longer to do because you're working under unprecedented conditions. I find that comment deeply insulting, actually - a case of someone who has nothing to do with his time except snipe. This was the first - and only - issue produced totally under lockdown conditions. In all that spare time that I had I built a Scottish castle from scratch (had to wait a week for materials because even Amazon couldn't cope any quicker) and produced about 10 pages of content and my colleagues did similarly, from lock-down locations spread between Newcastle and Guildford. I also produced a 4pp review but due to having to post the model off for photography I couldn't turn that around in time. If you didn't enjoy the issue, fair enough, say so by all means but don't make smart remarks about people who did a difficult job under very exceptional circumstances. (CJL)

Mr Leigh, Gents, I apologise unreservedly for any offence incurred, especially by the last sentence.

My intention was to point out, at an opportune moment as the thread had come up, that Model Rail's content and particularly Paul Lunn's plans have been recycled to a degree that is worthy of comment (and which I have not observed in other magazines). This editorial habit pre-dates lockdown and the current issue - which I clearly said I had yet to buy, but recognised the Jones Goods on the cover- by a number of years. It hasn't stopped me buying MR more frequently than any of its competitors (which I take or leave on individual content), but it is annoying enough to me to chip in when an appropriate thread came up. I do appreciate that producing a monthly mag is an unrelenting treadmill, but others manage it without the degree of recycling I have observed in MR.

I have no problem with people returning to favourite themes, we all do that; eg my UK modelling is mostly of a refresher between US projects but I keep going back to Fisher Street +Victoria Bridge (RM Sep '85-ish) for inspiration and relocating it from Sheffield to Strathclyde. I have found that the Lima 87s and Hornby 86s of my childhood now scrub up remarkably well and am currently renovating a DC Kits 303.

Yours, Neill Horton

Cranleigh, Surrey

 

[dibber25]

1 hour ago, Anadin Dogwalker said:

Mr Leigh, Gents, I apologise unreservedly for any offence incurred, especially by the last sentence.

My intention was to point out, at an opportune moment as the thread had come up, that Model Rail's content and particularly Paul Lunn's plans have been recycled to a degree that is worthy of comment (and which I have not observed in other magazines). This editorial habit pre-dates lockdown and the current issue - which I clearly said I had yet to buy, but recognised the Jones Goods on the cover- by a number of years. It hasn't stopped me buying MR more frequently than any of its competitors (which I take or leave on individual content), but it is annoying enough to me to chip in when an appropriate thread came up. I do appreciate that producing a monthly mag is an unrelenting treadmill, but others manage it without the degree of recycling I have observed in MR.

I have no problem with people returning to favourite themes, we all do that; eg my UK modelling is mostly of a refresher between US projects but I keep going back to Fisher Street +Victoria Bridge (RM Sep '85-ish) for inspiration and relocating it from Sheffield to Strathclyde. I have found that the Lima 87s and Hornby 86s of my childhood now scrub up remarkably well and am currently renovating a DC Kits 303.

Yours, Neill Horton

Cranleigh, Surrey

 

I can't speak for the Paul Lunn articles because I have to confess I don't study them that closely and the proofs usually appear on days that I'm not working. I believe that most of it has appeared in his books in the past. However, I can state that I'm not aware of any other recycling of material. Everything the rest of us produce is new. The Jones Goods belongs to me, was painted by George several years ago, and the pictures were used to illustrate a technique. It is necessary, from-time-to-time, to revisit techniques as there are only so many of them and there are always new readers who want to learn them. In your original post it was your last remark that offended. It was a cheap shot at a team that has really been up against it in recent weeks and actually felt quite proud of what they had achieved. If you need spares for your 303 let me know. I have one that I never completed because some parts got lost at some stage. (CJL)

[Dzine]

Hi Folks,  

 

Reusing material in Model Rail is always going to be a fine line, sometimes it's relevant to new narrative, to illustrate a particular point, sometimes it's aimed at those who might have recently become involved or have found time to become more involved, due to Covid for example, and this certainly relates to my work in issues 275, 276 and to a lesser degree in 277.  That said, I'm passionate that my work doesn't get irrelevant over exposure, but you'd be surprised how many people have asked if I'd do an omnibus series with everything in.  Always one to take on constructive criticism, I thought I'd have a look at the content of my articles from issue 259 to date and the next 7 articles to come.  They are as follows, with ANA indicating all new article and MNA mainly new article;

 

259 Scotland 1  ANA 8 new format plans

260 Scotland 2  ANA 9 new format plans

261 and 262 Falmouth MNA 2 new plans

263 and 264  Longmoor  ANA 3 new plans

265 Narrow Gauge mock-up  ANA

266 Making Industrial Track ANA  Modelling Feature

267 Minimum Space  3 new plans

268 Harry Potter ANA 4 new plans

269 Got it covered ANA 4 new plans

270 Railway Garden ANA 4 new plans

271 Bargain Shunt ANA Modelling Feature 2.5 month build

272 and 273 Cement Works ANA  3 new plans

274 Building a layout round a garage column ANA several variations on one plan

275 Layout planning and design 2 new rough plans (see opening comments)

276 Paul's Top 5 (see opening comments)

277 MNA with all new narrative

278 ANA  with several track plans

279 Break

280 MNA with 3 new track plans

281 ANA Building Makeover

282 ANA  4 new track plans

283 ANA  4 new track plans

 

For obvious reasons I'm unable to provide any detail  for as yet unpublished articles 277 to 283

 

You'll have to make any judgement on the basis of the list provided.

 

 

One last thought on the 'idle hands comment', I know the team have been doing their level-headed best to cope under very difficult circumstances and for myself, besides writing and drawing, for the most part sat up in bed, I've been fighting off the most horrendous virus known and whilst it's gone now, I, like many others, have been left with post viral chronic fatigue disorder....you know sometimes a comment can seem really insensitive! 

 

So here's to more all new material.

 

Regards Paul

 

 

 

 

 

Edited July 13, 2020 by Dzine
added punctuation

[dibber25]

On 10/07/2020 at 18:23, dibber25 said:

I can't speak for the Paul Lunn articles because I have to confess I don't study them that closely and the proofs usually appear on days that I'm not working. I believe that most of it has appeared in his books in the past. However, I can state that I'm not aware of any other recycling of material. Everything the rest of us produce is new. The Jones Goods belongs to me, was painted by George several years ago, and the pictures were used to illustrate a technique. It is necessary, from-time-to-time, to revisit techniques as there are only so many of them and there are always new readers who want to learn them. In your original post it was your last remark that offended. It was a cheap shot at a team that has really been up against it in recent weeks and actually felt quite proud of what they had achieved. If you need spares for your 303 let me know. I have one that I never completed because some parts got lost at some stage. (CJL)

I apologise unreservedly to Paul for the suggestion that his material had appeared in books in the past. This is clearly not the case and I withdraw that comment wholeheartedly. As I said, its a section of the magazine that I'm not usually involved in, and I had gained a completely false impression. (CJL)

[steve1]

Bought my copy today. Enough in it to have made the purchase worthwhile.

 

Having been in the media industry prior to recent redundancy, I can appreciate the problems of finding sufficient material in the current situation. My regards to the MR team.

 

steve

[sumo]

Disappointed.

 

When journalists run out of ideas they resort to lists. This is why the internet is full of lists. 

 

I blame The Book of Lists (for those old enough to remember.

[Mark Saunders]

4 hours ago, steve1 said:

Bought my copy today. Enough in it to have made the purchase worthwhile.

 

Having been in the media industry prior to recent redundancy, I can appreciate the problems of finding sufficient material in the current situation. My regards to the MR team.

 

steve

 

I would expect the opposite with enough contributors clicking their heels on furlough, with nothing better to do!

[John M Upton]

I have just read an article on the BBC News website about Q Magazine shutting up shop from the next issue (another Bauer Media publication) and one criticism of that was the amount of 'list' type articles it had resorted to in recent times.

[grahame]

1 minute ago, Mark Saunders said:

 

I would expect the opposite with enough contributors clicking their heels on furlough, with nothing better to do!

 

When I was an editor of a model railway society magazine I found it was difficult to winkle out suitable contributors and encourage them to write something. Often plenty of promises but many fail to deliver or can't write or take acceptable photographs and so on. And although I've had time for modelling over the last half year, I've found it difficult to finish projects due to the lack of that last necessary part, material, paint, transfer or whatever is required. It's not been easy to just pop out and get what is required. I guess others have had similar issues.

 

 

[grahame]

15 minutes ago, John M Upton said:

I have just read an article on the BBC News website about Q Magazine shutting up shop from the next issue (another Bauer Media publication) and one criticism of that was the amount of 'list' type articles it had resorted to in recent times.

 

Interesting. I've had a quick read through the article and presumably this is the quote about listicles:

 

It flourished during the Britpop years, but saw its reputation stall in the mid-2010s with a listicle format ("the 10 greatest gigs of all time" or "the 120 greatest stories in rock 'n' roll") that minimised the strength of its journalism.

 

But what was more concerning was that the magazine's circulation had fallen to 28,000 per month which is, I believe, a little more than the monthly circulation of Model Rail. And the editor squarely blamed it on coronavirus. According to the article, Bauer Media had put the title under review in May, along with a number of others in its portfolio, as sales and advertising revenues had fallen during the coronavirus pandemic. I wonder what those other titles were.

 

 

[Steamport Southport]

Yes. It's a Bauer Media thing. Lists and numbers.

 

Just look at the shelves next time you are in a shop with magazines. They all do it. 10 best family caravan parks. 50 best Scottish walks.

 

 

As for Q, I'm surprised it lasted as long as it did. Awful magazine and as with most music magazines you can now find "better" content online.

 

My mate used to buy Classic Rock. The news was always a couple of months behind and I've often had the albums in the reviews for ages. If the whole point of the magazine is to be current and up to date, then being months behind makes it a bit pointless. By the time the magazine has come out people are listening to something else.

 

 

 

 

Jason

[grahame]

3 minutes ago, Steamport Southport said:

Yes. It's a Bauer Media thing. Lists and numbers.

 

Just look at the shelves next time you are in a shop with magazines. They all do it. 10 best family caravan parks. 50 best Scottish walks.

 

 

Yep, many magazines and newspaper supplements do often include list type articles, incuding all the model railway titles at one time or another, and there seems to have been more listicles during the current pandemic. But it's probably not the sole preserve of Bauer or their only approach to journalism.

 

 

[dibber25]

3 minutes ago, grahame said:

 

Yep, many magazines and newspaper supplements do often include list type articles, incuding all the model railway titles at one time or another, and there seems to have been more listicles during the current pandemic. But it's probably not the sole preserve of Bauer or their only approach to journalism.

 

 

I actually thought the list thing was something that magazines had picked up from the 'social media' as there seems to be a steady stream of them on Facebook etc - "Ten things you didn't know about so-and so". The current issue of MR was an opportunity for us to look at favourite aspects of the hobby and of the railway and to express our enthusiasm in a way that we hope was eye-catching, thought-provoking and inspirational, while the pandemic was preventing us - and most of you - from enjoying some of the more usual and communal aspects of railways and modelling. (CJL)

[Chris M]

I still can't see any problem with this issue. I quite enjoyed the listings but of course I would soon switch off if future magazines were full of the same thing. 

 

I have heard on the bush telegraph that one model railway magazine  has increased circulation during the shutdown.

 

Model Rail have done well to get so much publicity on a rivals forum!

[Pteremy]

This was the first issue I have managed to get my hands since lockdown, thanks to my wife/daughter who go shopping while I am required to 'hide away'. It is fine. The difficulties they faced producing the issue are addressed in the editorial. I don't why some people have it in for Model Rail - in my view it is good value for money.