Jemstein123 Posted February 24, 2010 Share Posted February 24, 2010 I have to admit i purchased this magazine for a friend recently. I used to watch the programme as a kid but never get the magazine..Wish i did now! Interest has to start somewhere it seems, and i think model railways magazines should have something that is fun.. offer a free dvd on the main feature and some Stickers. Just made me think why i used to get Sugar magazine...I know better now! and i think magazines for children have come on a bit. but i would like to ask "Would you ever buy a thomas the tank engine magazine to influence your young cousins, sons, daughters, nieces to gain an interest in first trains and then model trains?" i mean i got my interest from thomas the tank engine, i mean the concept of a train actually talking was amazing, and i was a fan of Brum later on 2. What magazines would you recommend for me to read as a "newcomer" to the "train model world", i mean i like reading about trains in general is there a magazine for that? B) Many thanks Jem Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold JohnR Posted February 24, 2010 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 24, 2010 I think I'm showing my age here when I say that when I was a lad I read the Thomas books - years before Britt Alcroft and Ringo Starr and magazines. A good magazine for a newcomer would be Hornby magazine, in my opinion, althoguh it also covers more advanced modelling... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
S.A.C Martin Posted February 24, 2010 Share Posted February 24, 2010 "Would you ever buy a thomas the tank engine magazine to influence your young cousins, sons, daughters, nieces to gain an interest in first trains and then model trains? No - the change of emphasis on real world railway history and the awdry-esque touch is alarming. I've been sticking to the original books and my good old train set at home for the little cousins. In particular, while its no doubt colourful, it's also severely unimaginative writing, and I've noted there's a plethora of grammatical mistakes and misspellings in there that wouldn't do a good job of educating anyone, let alone for modelling. I find the best way to gain interest in the trains is in the first two series of TTTE - and then show them a working train set and let them have a play with it. I've had much more success with "Allen the A1 Pacific" going round and round my little train set than the old Hornby Thomas in any event! EDIT: and in response to the poll - I did read it as a kid, but not often as I was far too engrossed in the good reverend's superb books. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
48666 Posted February 24, 2010 Share Posted February 24, 2010 No, never, cold day in hell and all that. Now the original 'Railway Series' by the Rev. W. Awdry, that's a different kettle of fish all together. A few years ago whilst looking through my brothers collection (I never actually had my own) I came accross a character called Bear. This was a direct influence on me as I used to only model steam with the exception being a Hymek. I hadn't actually put 2 and 2 together and made the link as to why I actually like the Hymeks, I just knew I did. now I know. I don't think you can really sway somebody into railways and railway modeling, they will either like it or not. If they do like it then it may held nurture the idea but not implant the idea in the first place. Andii Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leicester Thumper Posted February 24, 2010 Share Posted February 24, 2010 No - the change of emphasis on real world railway history and the awdry-esque touch is alarming. I've been sticking to the original books and my good old train set at home for the little cousins. In particular, while its no doubt colourful, it's also severely unimaginative writing, and I've noted there's a plethora of grammatical mistakes and misspellings in there that wouldn't do a good job of educating anyone, let alone for modelling. I find the best way to gain interest in the trains is in the first two series of TTTE - and then show them a working train set and let them have a play with it. I've had much more success with "Allen the A1 Pacific" going round and round my little train set than the old Hornby Thomas in any event! EDIT: and in response to the poll - I did read it as a kid, but not often as I was far too engrossed in the good reverend's superb books. i see the point but the thing is, Kids still read the books, kids still watch the TV programmes, kids read the mags. ok I'm 17, i have an Autistic spectrum Disorder called Asperges' syndrome (Which is explained by reading the following two articles: Wikipedia Asperger Article and National Autistic Society Asperger Article please read these, it helps to make sense of things ) when i was younger, around 2, my second ever spoken word was thomas, i saw the tank engine mock up of thomas (minus face) at the Severn valley railway and ever since that moment i was hooked on him. through thomas i developed a love for all types of trains, and also built up a knowledge of certain engines very quickly too!! Thomas not only helped me to gain an interest in models and railways but he also served an educational function, which was teaching me to relate certain emotions to certain facial expressions. as the article outlines people with Asperges' and autism have social interaction issues when young, which may not get much better throughout life (however some people with these diabilities do develop these skills and are great successes, such as Bill Gates and Dan Akroyd) so when i was sat there on the floor watching thomas, i was also learning to relate expressions with emotions. much of the target audience of thomas in the present day is actually made up of people with mental disabilities, such as Autism related disorders. i know that was a slight tangent, and you may ask, whats the point? well, despite the stories being classed as Unimaginative, and i understand this approach, and do agree with it to some extent, but when you are a small child, it is so interesting and exciting to watch it. despite the stories being unimaginative, it does create an interest in railways and modelling and it does flare imagination and a scope for more expansion, such as Allen the A1 so after my little tangent (lol) i can say that if i ever have kids, then i will encourage them to watch thomas, etc, only if they liked him *EDIT: and i agree with the last sentance by 48666, you can't force a kid to like trains or thomas, but if they do like him and trains, then you are on to something. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burkitt Posted February 24, 2010 Share Posted February 24, 2010 My Dad used to by me a magazine as a reward for coming to Sainsbury's with him on a Saturday morning. I usually went for one of the two different Thomas magazines; one mainly stories, and the other with a short story and lots of colouring pages, join the dots, spot the difference and similar puzzles. Then when I was seven, I discovered Railway Modeller, attracted by the cover photo of a pacer on Boldon Junction (March 1995, still have it somewhere) rather than the normal steam loco. I read that copy avidly and bought every issue for the next four years, when RM was going through a rather dry period and I defected to Model Rail. I haven't looked at Thomas magazine since then so I'm not sure if I'd recommend it, but as SAC Martin says the series overall seems to have lost its focus on representing real railway practice. Trains are better than no trains though, so if the alternative is Pokemon, Batman etc, then go for it. As for a magazine to introduce a newcomer to model railways, all the major ones have their strengths. I subscribe to Model Rail, which has an excellent range of features aimed at people of all skill levels, with a lot of step-by-step practical articles and comparative tests of available products. I would recommend it as an excellent introduction to anyone looking to get more involved with modelling. Hornby magazine is specifically aimed at those new to the hobby, but has a fairly narrow focus on modelling the BR steam and early diesel era, so doesn't give a good representation of the full scope of what can be modelled. Railway Modeller has a particularly good selection of layout features, with more per issue than any of the other magazines. Its other articles have also improved a lot recently, and now include a lot of step-by-step and introductory features. I'd recommend it if you are looking for a broad overview of the model railway world, with lots of aspirational projects. Paul Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
60B Posted February 24, 2010 Share Posted February 24, 2010 I watched it more than anything else. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Tony_S Posted February 26, 2010 RMweb Gold Share Posted February 26, 2010 Apparently my first word was train but although as a small child I loved trains (drawing them, playing with clockwork trains,then a Triang train set) I didn't like Thomas. I can remember my Dad getting some of the Rev Awdry books from the library and I didn't like them at all. Years later we introduced our son to Thomas, initially with the Thomas videos, then the ERTL toys, the original books and sometimes the comic/magazine. His favourite Thomas experience was having bedtime stories either the proper Awdry ones or ones we made up based on them. I think his interest in Thomas ended on or about his second day at school when someone laughed at his Thomas lunch box. Matthew never really liked the activity part of the Thomas magazine as it usually involved coloring in or dot to dot type things which he hated doing. I think for the second part of your query I would buy Model Rail. Tony Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Delamar Posted February 27, 2010 Share Posted February 27, 2010 yes! being born in 83 I think I was at that right age when the Thomas was first shown, and its one of the main reasons Im here now, other was my dad was a railway enthusiast, I was hooked by it, I wore vhs players out watching it! I had lots of things, comics (which I used to get and colour in), books,cards, Hornby thomas trains, james jumper that my mum knitted for me with googly eyes oh and pyjamas..... so when you guys where reading in the 80s that the show will get kids interested in railways, it certainly did with me Ill still watch the original Ringo Starr series now and then(and other kids shows I remember, I am a big kid! ) but dont like the newer thomas's Mike Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
peach james Posted February 27, 2010 Share Posted February 27, 2010 I'm a little older than Mike, having the issue of MRC with the articles on the filming of the original Ringo Starr narrated episodes. I started out with such nice little lightweight books as "Big Red Train Ride" (as narrated by my sister...who had trains before me!). The Thomas books used to come out once a year, sent by grandmum in the UK, as they were unknown really in Canada ~1980. Mum & Dad knew some of the back stories of them, so I would imagine we got other bits of amplification. First memory that I have of trains is at Harbourfront in Toronto, where we went to one of the early March shows. I would guess it was March 1980, based on all that I can think of. (first year we were in Canada in spring). We went there, and there was a (probably Boston & Albany 4-6-6 tank) running on coal. I've had OO scale trains since I was 7, first a Triang Lord of the Isles, then a brief fling with North American diesels (yuch! most didn't run well, and the couplers are for garbage...at least tension lock doesn't come apart...). I had a subscription to MRC from around 1984 to the end (1986), and then started picking up occasional copies of other magazines. I started getting MRJ with issue 67 (bought from a newsstand at first), and have most of them from then till now. I had a subscription to Model Railroader (US), for a couple of years- generally, I found it like the Peco pubs, full of adverts and not a lot of actual content. Since my dad is a model engineer, I have been bending metal in various forms from around 1987 on, and wasn't impressed with a lot of what I read in MR or RM. They are a nice source for adverts, and occasionally exceptional layouts, but not what I have been seeking. For magazines, I would say that MRJ is the best. Not because anything in it is easy. It's not. But it is inspiring, and it is always full of content and not fluff. You are not paying for Hattons to send you 6 pages of adverts- (not to mention every other copycat). When I want adverts now, the internet is much readier to get to than a paper mag. My son gets Thomas read to him at night. I don't know how much of it is that it is daddy reading, or that it is because daddy likes trains, but he seems to enjoy them. James Powell Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pugsley Posted February 27, 2010 Share Posted February 27, 2010 I have to admit i purchased this magazine for a friend recently. That's what they all say... I still enjoy watching the Ringo Starr (and Michael Angelis to a lesser extent) episodes when I happen across them on the TV and I read nearly all of the books when I was a child (still got a lot of them around here somewhere). I've been known to watch Brum in the mornings too Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leicester Thumper Posted February 27, 2010 Share Posted February 27, 2010 yes! being born in 83 I think I was at that right age when the Thomas was first shown, and its one of the main reasons Im here now, other was my dad was a railway enthusiast, I was hooked by it, I wore vhs players out watching it! I had lots of things, comics (which I used to get and colour in), books,cards, Hornby thomas trains, james jumper that my mum knitted for me with googly eyes .................... Ill still watch the original Ringo Starr series now and then(and other kids shows I remember, I am a big kid! ) but dont like the newer thomas's Mike I still enjoy watching the Ringo Starr (and Michael Angelis to a lesser extent) episodes when I happen across them on the TV and I read nearly all of the books when I was a child (still got a lot of them around here somewhere). they sometimes appear on the TV but a quick search on youtube brings up some results. so i'll go find a link for you guys because i found a good number of the old ones are on there through to about series 6 (by which point it had start going to the wayside). admittedly i still watch them.... whats that saying... growing old is manditory, Growing up is optional or something.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Delamar Posted February 27, 2010 Share Posted February 27, 2010 yeah thats where I watch them great thing about the originals is that some where based on real railway stories, did an engine really spin round on a turntable? I think at Garsdale? one of my favourites was this, the flying kipper... I love the model making in this episode, and the lighting, really like the dock sequence http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsBYkjaGXxU Mike Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jemstein123 Posted March 26, 2010 Author Share Posted March 26, 2010 That's what they all say... I still enjoy watching the Ringo Starr (and Michael Angelis to a lesser extent) episodes when I happen across them on the TV and I read nearly all of the books when I was a child (still got a lot of them around here somewhere). I've been known to watch Brum in the mornings too HEHEHE I used to love Brum! don't you think Children's Tv has got a bit worse for wear these days? I miss playdays Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
emac Posted March 27, 2010 Share Posted March 27, 2010 Introduced ttt mag to my 2 yr old grandaughter lots of activities in it and she loves "twains" and can tell the difference betwean a "sweem and deesil" much to my sons disgust, havent told him I have a Thomas setup planned for her and me in the very near future. The utube keeps her ammused till she gets bored I think its the music Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue star control Posted May 1, 2010 Share Posted May 1, 2010 I have to admit i purchased this magazine for a friend recently. I used to watch the programme as a kid but never get the magazine..Wish i did now! Interest has to start somewhere it seems, and i think model railways magazines should have something that is fun.. offer a free dvd on the main feature and some Stickers. Just made me think why i used to get Sugar magazine...I know better now! and i think magazines for children have come on a bit. but i would like to ask "Would you ever buy a thomas the tank engine magazine to influence your young cousins, sons, daughters, nieces to gain an interest in first trains and then model trains?" i mean i got my interest from thomas the tank engine, i mean the concept of a train actually talking was amazing, and i was a fan of Brum later on 2. What magazines would you recommend for me to read as a "newcomer" to the "train model world", i mean i like reading about trains in general is there a magazine for that? B) Many thanks Jem My first comics were the occasional 1992 versions of Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet and Also THTE...all three of which activly inspired me in model railways, but not just the idea of a locomotive and some stock...what was posible in miniture construction too. Slightly odd though for me - the same year a band that I love now, well the artist I should say, re-released a song called Temple of Love...how about that then. No but certainly THTE is a very good route into the hobbie, Only today for instance DRM was opened and just before midday a couple and thier very young children came in to make purchase, and the first question that was asked...'Do you have and 'Thomes' trains yet?'...to which came the responce...we are getting them in. Given that question...there's definatlysomething to be said for Rev W Awdrey. another mag a got for a while before she stopped publishing was Meltdown, shame about that...could have gone with Meltdown and Model Rail on subscription Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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