My initial impression...

[BlackRat]

 

 

If your that worried about what he looks like, ask MRJ or Wild Swan for a signed phot.

 

But like I said, as long as he keeps producing an excellent mag and superb books, I couldn't care less what he looks like

[James]

it's only model trains after all. Lol

 

And I bet the train set I've been playing with today is far more accurate than anything in BRM this month

[BlackRat]

That'll hopefully be the real thing then?

[James]

That'll hopefully be the real thing then?

And complete with a rather nicely detailed pair of class 47s too today! The sound was very convincing

[BlackRat]

Lol, better than any sound chip eh?! Lovely, living the dream there!!!

[Legend]

Well the new image worked on me. The magazine stuck out in the newsagent primarily due to the new masthead. I browsed, compared it to Hornby Magazine and decided on the whole I preferred BRM and so bought it.

 

I enjoyed the description of Summat Colliery and the photos are superb, although I would have preferred them to be without the smoke effect, particularly page 20 where it obliterates the colliery buildings. There are 5 layouts in the mag which compares favourably with Model Rail. Yes there's a fair few gimmicks in it but overall these are not obtrusive. I think at the end of the day it'll depend on the content of each edition whether I buy or not, for that reason I really will want to browse it first , so no bags please!

 

So this month ended up with Railway Modeller and BRM . Enjoying them both

[Andy Y]

At a little local show today I had some face-to-face (unsolicited) feedback from a couple of people I know (known for speaking their minds) who were very positive about the quality of content and didn't find any of the issues a problem in their eyes. I also watched a couple of people in WHS yesterday; they spent more time browsing BRM and Phil Parker's bookazine than any of the others but walked out without buying any.

[The Stationmaster]

 

And I bet the train set I've been playing with today is far more accurate than anything in BRM this month

Ah, Rest Day off then James

[DaveF]

I have a subscription but while I was in my local Smiths today I had a look at their magazine section.  

 

They had 30 magazine and bookazine railway titles on display, covering model and prototype.  The new BRM cover certainly stood out from the rest.

 

Having read my copy I think that there has been an improvement in layout and presentation, I could quibble about some minor points but that would purely be personal preference and not very relevant here.  

 

Whenever a magazine is "updated" there is always a period of a few months during which further tweaks are made, I assume BRM will be no different.

 

David 

[Huw Griffiths]

I have a subscription but while I was in my local Smiths today I had a look at their magazine section.  

 

They had 30 magazine and bookazine railway titles on display, covering model and prototype.  The new BRM cover certainly stood out from the rest.

 

Having read my copy I think that there has been an improvement in layout and presentation, I could quibble about some minor points but that would purely be personal preference and not very relevant here.  

 

Whenever a magazine is "updated" there is always a period of a few months during which further tweaks are made, I assume BRM will be no different.

 

David 

 

Absolutely.

 

In view of people comparing the new BRM to ModelRail, I wonder how long it will be before we see monthly fold-out Russell Carter locomotive plans in 7mm, 4mm and 2mm scales, like ModelRail had in the late 1990s.

 

Seriously though, the format and presentation work for me. The articles also work for me - being well written and about interesting topics - no complaints from me - and (in view of who wrote these articles) I'm not surprised.

 

 

Now to the question which only I can answer - am I likely to buy BRM again? Almost certainly - probably a lot of the time - depends on content (but I'm happy with what I've seen so far).

 

What about other magazines - again, the answer depends on their content (which will need to be good).

 

Saying that, BRM's new style and masthead certainly draw attention. Also, this month's articles are written by people who consistently turn "everyday" topics into excellent, "must read", copy - the articles are to their usual high standards.

 

 

Do I think the "relaunch" will help BRM's circulation figures? Probably. I certainly don't think it will do any harm - people who were already reading British Railway Modelling are likely to see the new version and check out the articles - I wouldn't expect many to be too unhappy. People who hadn't previously read the magazine are more likely to have a look - and some are likely to buy.

 

What about other magazines? I wouldn't expect much impact - as (to me, at least) many magazines mainly seem to cater for their own, distinct, niches. To be honest, I wouldn't wish to see any magazines getting knocked out of the market - far better for the market to be grown by innovation and continuous improvement.

 

 

It will be interesting to see how things develop.

 

 

Huw.

[gwrrob]

 I also watched a couple of people in WHS yesterday; they spent more time browsing BRM and Phil Parker's bookazine than any of the others but walked out without buying any.

 

I think there are quite a few people who do that whilst their other half does some shopping.Mentioning no names of course.

[robmcg]

 

And I bet the train set I've been playing with today is far more accurate than anything in BRM this month

 

Sorry, the upholstery on the seats in the 3rd class was never that colour in 1957.

 

I was around in that year, so I must be right.

 

Rob

[Downer]

Just to add to the initial impressions...  I agree with those who find the design over-fussy and at times almost insulting to the intelligence of the reader - 'Please turn over for more' indeed!  Also find the typeface a bit hard for these aging eyes.   That said, the content of this edition -  which I suppose doesn't have much to do with the re-styling - suits me better than for several months: the layouts are of a high standard (I love Roger Merry's commentary on his own), Phil Parker's three pieces are all good, and Tony Wright's two lengthy reviews are state-of-the-art. And when it comes down to it, the content is what decides whether I will buy any magazine in any particular month.

Two last thoughts.  The cover lines '5 great layouts, 6 readers' layouts' is somewhat unfortunate in its implication  .  And for all those who say that the new BRM is too much like Model Rail, well, I wouldn't mind two of those each month.

[Andy Y]

I'd distilled the issues raised from this topic, personal correspondence and my own considerations and fed this back through the process; we'll be making some tweaks in due course. I've had more feedback over the last few days and it's been significantly very positive about the content. In that context it seems as though we've got a lot right with the changes and it'll further benefit from some more tweaking.

[grahame]

 

So here's the (me) would-be purchasers 4 second thought process:

 

"GWRJ, tells me all I need to know"

"Model Rail, tells me all I need to know"

"BRM, what the hell's that all about?" (a quick online search reveals there is already a BRM on an alternate subject anyway!)

 

 

 

 

I'd suggest that everyone's four second process is different and that those three titles wouldn't be shown next to each other for comparison and consideration. I might be wrong but isn't the GWR mag a prototype one and not about modelling (although if it is then it fails to make that point) and it does look rather fuddy duddy and dull IMO.

 

But for me I'd probably think;

 

 - ahh; two (of the three) with TLAs (three letter acronyms);

 - no time to decode in 4 secs (although both do also have the full wording on the masthead);

 - so I'll go with Model Rail;

 - I can quickly understand what that's about.

 

G.

[The Stationmaster]

I'd suggest that everyone's four second process is different and that those three titles wouldn't be shown next to each other for comparison and consideration. I might be wrong but isn't the GWR mag a prototype one and not about modelling (although if it is then it fails to make that point) and it does look rather fuddy duddy and dull IMO.

 

But for me I'd probably think;

 

 - ahh; two (of the three) with TLAs (three letter acronyms);

 - no time to decode in 4 secs (although both do also have the full wording on the masthead);

 - so I'll go with Model Rail;

 - I can quickly understand what that's about.

 

G.

Er, maybe - GWRJ has the full title on the cover, set in a 'block' at the top and instantly recognisable once you know it.  The BRM 'block' will soon become instantly recognisable and in any case it's in with the model railway mags so it won't be about cars with interesting 16 cylinder engines - plus it has the advantage of being consistent over every issue (I hope) so 'regulars' will recognise it and '4 second punters' will see the cover is a bit different and go for it because they might think (rightly once they'e read them) that the contents are too.

[Oldddudders]

 it won't be about cars with interesting 16 cylinder engines

Didn't they also come from Bourne, Lincs?

[The Stationmaster]

Didn't they also come from Bourne, Lincs?

Yes - it must be something about the place. 

[micklner]

Sure did a proper BRM @ Bourne last year

 

[grahame]

Er, maybe - GWRJ has the full title on the cover, set in a 'block' at the top and instantly recognisable once you know it.  

 

Err, not maybe. It's a definitely for me if I saw all those three together - and yep, I did mention that both TLAs have their full title decode printed as "although both do also have the full wording on the masthead". Perhaps you missed that like possibly some others will also possibly miss it in 4 secs (I think that was the challenge) - although I'd probably take a bit longer looking through  .

 

G.

[Debs.]

I bought my November printed copy today; I really like the look and feel of the "new look": smashing and very enjoyable content with superb photography...........I`m a terminal 're-reader' and will doubtlessly continue to enjoy the issue`s content, throughout the month.

[James Makin]

Is there any room for someone whose indifferent here?

 

Bought the mag, looked alright really. I buy a few mags (mainly car ones) and read them for about 20 mins and then they get put in a pile to get dusty until being cut in about 5yrs for useful articles. I buy them as I'm attractee by a captivating picture or a layout I know is featured, the presentation doesn't matter too much as I rarely spend much time reading them.

 

In response to Chris Leigh's earlier post, really loved your 90s MR covers, particularly the one of a Peak in the moving snow, really impressed me as a youngster then!

 

So to summarise, I like all of the magazines (I have no allegiances and no mates anyway lol) just that maybe there are more like me that will buy a mag occasionally but just not that fussed as there's more to the hobby than reading what's already been done - if I do, I'll just go online to RMWeb as at heart I'm lazy and is easier to get the info and inspiration quicker!

 

Cheers,

James M

[Dave47549]

.

[Neil]

I'd distilled the issues raised from this topic, personal correspondence and my own considerations and fed this back through the process; we'll be making some tweaks in due course. I've had more feedback over the last few days and it's been significantly very positive about the content. In that context it seems as though we've got a lot right with the changes and it'll further benefit from some more tweaking.

 

I'm glad to hear that it's all going in the mix. Earlier you gave the impression that the face to face comments and off-forum contacts might be seen as more useful than the feedback seen here. I'd be a little wary about ranking them so; as the delivery method becomes more personal then our conditioning to be polite and work cooperatively  kicks in. You will in all probability get more comments about the positive aspects of the changes from face to face meetings and personal e-mails and more of the negative points from the less personal format of the forum. I'd argue both perspectives have value.

 

Looking at the issue of style I prefer a clean, uncluttered presentation. My all time favourite would be the late sixties/early seventies Railway Modeller. This site is a bit of a boon for front cover comparisons.

 

I had thought that I was a content guy and wouldn't be swayed by the presentation but an example from the world of television has made me think again. I thoroughly enjoyed the BBC's 'The Railway: Keeping Britain on Track' a gentle fly on the wall documentary where any tension and drama came from the events themselves. I had high hopes of Channel 5's 'The Railway' a similar fly on the wall piece, however I found it virtually unwatchable because of the commentary which sought to add drama and tension where there was none. Both programmes could have been brilliant but one was rendered pants because of its presentation.

[Andy Y]

Earlier you gave the impression that the face to face comments and off-forum contacts might be seen as more useful than the feedback seen here. I'd be a little wary about ranking them so; as the delivery method becomes more personal then our conditioning to be polite and work cooperatively  kicks in.

 

Frequently exactly the same points were made; as ever it's the way some may go about saying something.