On looking into Old Railway Modellers

[PatB]

After reading this thread I have now started pulling out all my old RM's and having a bit of a browse. My collection includes issues bought by my father before I was even thought of up until I stopped buying it regularly at the end of 2004*. The oldest bound years I have start in 1961 but there are a number of years which have disappeared over time. Complete years 1964, 1965, 1972, 1973, 1977 & 1978 are totally missing. I know we had them but there is no trace now - probably lent to someone in the past and never returned. There are thirteen various complete years still awaiting being bound. The bookbinder who did the binding in the 1970's is still in business so I will have to chase him up for a quote.

 

I have eight years of magazines from the 80's and 90's which are missing odd issues. Can anyone recommend a second hand business who deal in old railway magazines? I would like to fill in the gaps and have them bound to match the others. Some of the years which I know we had but have since disappeared are available from online auctions. The biggest thing putting me off is that the postage to Australia for a full year of issues is usually about five times the cost of the magazines themselves. Still, it would be nice to have over forty years of Railway Modeller sitting on my bookshelves.

 

* Since then I have only bought issues which have articles related to my interests.

 

Dave R.

 

 

I just noticed I have finally made my 100th post. Taken me long enough!

 

It's a bit hit and miss, and I don't know how things stand in SA, but I've rebuilt my once extensive RM collection for very modest cost from the organising club's fundraising stand at the annual exhibition here in WA. They've all been had for very nominal sums, or even free, when the guys on the stand see how many I'm prepared to take off their hands. I'm having to be more discriminating these days as the risk of a job lot containing mostly duplicates is getting quite high.

[joppyuk1]

After reading this thread I have now started pulling out all my old RM's and having a bit of a browse. My collection includes issues bought by my father before I was even thought of up until I stopped buying it regularly at the end of 2004*. The oldest bound years I have start in 1961 but there are a number of years which have disappeared over time. Complete years 1964, 1965, 1972, 1973, 1977 & 1978 are totally missing. I know we had them but there is no trace now - probably lent to someone in the past and never returned. There are thirteen various complete years still awaiting being bound. The bookbinder who did the binding in the 1970's is still in business so I will have to chase him up for a quote.

 

I have eight years of magazines from the 80's and 90's which are missing odd issues. Can anyone recommend a second hand business who deal in old railway magazines? I would like to fill in the gaps and have them bound to match the others. Some of the years which I know we had but have since disappeared are available from online auctions. The biggest thing putting me off is that the postage to Australia for a full year of issues is usually about five times the cost of the magazines themselves. Still, it would be nice to have over forty years of Railway Modeller sitting on my bookshelves.

 

* Since then I have only bought issues which have articles related to my interests.

 

Dave R.

 

 

I just noticed I have finally made my 100th post. Taken me long enough!

try www.magazineexchange.co.uk  , although that auction site is useful too. 

 

I have issues from 1955, (started buying it in 1960) to date, all bound up by the same binder, who is now retired but still does them for me every year. It's interesting how the volume thickness has increased over the years.

[locomad]

I've the whole lot and its takes quite a bit of space & weight reckon about 3/4 of a ton, wish someone has digital copies so whole lot could be stored on a chip.

 

Thinking of copying the whole lot bit by bit using a camera on a stand requires good light, also started to strip the ads that does reduce weight and space on later copies

 

No one wants them btw

[St Enodoc]

After reading this thread I have now started pulling out all my old RM's and having a bit of a browse. My collection includes issues bought by my father before I was even thought of up until I stopped buying it regularly at the end of 2004*. The oldest bound years I have start in 1961 but there are a number of years which have disappeared over time. Complete years 1964, 1965, 1972, 1973, 1977 & 1978 are totally missing. I know we had them but there is no trace now - probably lent to someone in the past and never returned. There are thirteen various complete years still awaiting being bound. The bookbinder who did the binding in the 1970's is still in business so I will have to chase him up for a quote.

 

I have eight years of magazines from the 80's and 90's which are missing odd issues. Can anyone recommend a second hand business who deal in old railway magazines? I would like to fill in the gaps and have them bound to match the others. Some of the years which I know we had but have since disappeared are available from online auctions. The biggest thing putting me off is that the postage to Australia for a full year of issues is usually about five times the cost of the magazines themselves. Still, it would be nice to have over forty years of Railway Modeller sitting on my bookshelves.

 

* Since then I have only bought issues which have articles related to my interests.

 

Dave R.

 

 

I just noticed I have finally made my 100th post. Taken me long enough!

Dave, I have a number of spare mags that might be of use to you. PM me with a list of what you need.

[Kelly]

I used to have a huge collection of 60s/70s RM and Airfix magazines, which I'd pick up cheaply whenever a visit to a preserved railway occurred growing up (every holiday *had* to have one or both of a preserved steam railway or a good selection of book shops according to my father's criteria). He stopped buying RM around the late 80s/early 90s as I lost interest in model railways in favour of aircraft models at the time. No idea what happened to the collection of magazines I left behind, probably long ago went in the recycling bin.

[Edwardian]

My Father's collection of RMs c1956-63.  I grew up on them and devoured them all long before I was allowed a model railway or mags. of my own.

 

We had Buckingham, Berrow and Craig, and Rev. Awdry's Ffarquar.  I value the rolling stock drawings and the modelling projects.

 

Towards the end of the run it was tinged with melancholy as they were running "last chance to see..." articles, and then made absurd attempts to be positive about the Beeching cuts.  It marked the transition from modelling the old steam-age railway as it had, in its essentials, been for generations as the contemporary scene, to what would become, by the time I had a model railway, modelling the historic scene. 

 

Anyway, I recall that I particularly enjoyed "The Living Lineside", by 'Dax', a series of ideas for satirical lineside accessories, more often than not involving complex animation.

[Pacific231G]

My Father's collection of RMs c1956-63.  I grew up on them and devoured them all long before I was allowed a model railway or mags. of my own.

 

We had Buckingham, Berrow and Craig, and Rev. Awdry's Ffarquar.  I value the rolling stock drawings and the modelling projects.

 

Towards the end of the run it was tinged with melancholy as they were running "last chance to see..." articles, and then made absurd attempts to be positive about the Beeching cuts.  It marked the transition from modelling the old steam-age railway as it had, in its essentials, been for generations as the contemporary scene, to what would become, by the time I had a model railway, modelling the historic scene. 

 

Anyway, I recall that I particularly enjoyed "The Living Lineside", by 'Dax', a series of ideas for satirical lineside accessories, more often than not involving complex animation.

I think Cyril Freezer was trying to persuade people not to give up on the raiways despite Beeching and the loss of steam and it was around that time he came up with the "Moderrn Image" phrase but I agree that was a horrible period for anyone who loved railways. 

 

I too have a soft spot for "The Living Lineside". The first film I ever made was shot (with the Stationmaster's permission) on Oxford Station and based loosely on one of Dax's visual jokes. It was the passenger who keeps emerging from the waiting room to ask if the train just arrived is his but when his train does arrive manages to miss it. I think it was after seeing Mon Oncle though our school film society's version wasn't exactly up to Tati's standards.

 

The French seem quite fond of setting up little animated scenes on their layouts (or more often their modules) and some of those are rather Dax like.

Edited April 14, 2016 by Pacific231G

[Horsetan]

.... I particularly enjoyed "The Living Lineside", by 'Dax', a series of ideas for satirical lineside accessories, more often than not involving complex animation.

 

Not seen that before, but the first cartoon certainly looks a good laugh!

[PatB]

Not seen that before, but the first cartoon certainly looks a good laugh!

 

IIRC others included a waiting room fire which burned brightly in high summer but dwindled to nothing in winter, and an indecisive old dear at the head of the queue at the ticket window.

[Pacific231G]

IIRC others included a waiting room fire which burned brightly in high summer but dwindled to nothing in winter, and an indecisive old dear at the head of the queue at the ticket window.

Nowadays of course a whole queue of people trying to figure out the TOCs' labyrinthine fare structures without getting ripped off.

 

Dax also had the small child shouting insults and making rude gestures at passing loco crews until enough lumps of coal had been thrown at him to fill a coal bucket to take back to the cottage for his mum ( the modelled coal is magnetic so finds the metal bucket) . That one was supposed to come with a recording of insults in various unintelligible dialects and is a very old railway joke.  That was the in the series of 23 cartoons that ran from June 1958 until July 1960.

 

I've just been going through them and some are hilarious. The old dear isn't indecisive by the way, she is calmly discussing at great length the price of a ticket for her cat. The queue get increasingly agitated and when the train arrives they rush past her only to have the platform gate slam shut in their faces whereupon once the train has departed the queue reforms behind her.

 

I think my favorites are two buffet jokes. In one a passenger gets off a train and runs over to the buffet which is firmly closed; as the train departs he jumps back on whereupon the buffet opens.  In the other a customer emerges from the buffet with a roll which he attempts to eat, in disgust he throws it on to the track where it derails a passing express.  

 

I think the great thing about them is that, like W. Heath Robinson's contraptions, they are almost credible as automata. There's usually a slot in the platform for the person to be moved along by a mechanism beneath just as you see in elaborate medieval clocks and some of them certainly could be built.

Very easy to build would be the two face savers where, when the layout's power fails it releases a presumably spring loaded mechanism that in one case causes a picket to appear with a strike placard and in the other a cow to charge through a broken railway fence and block the line.  

Edited April 14, 2016 by Pacific231G

[Edwardian]

IIRC others included a waiting room fire which burned brightly in high summer but dwindled to nothing in winter, and an indecisive old dear at the head of the queue at the ticket window.

[Legend]

Nice to see Nigel McMillan still around in the article about the 50th anniversary of the Scottish show in this months Modeller. Well I remember his Campbeltown and Macrihanish layout.

[martin_wynne]

In a similar vein, every issue of Meccano Magazine in PDF format:

 http://www.meccanoin....uk/MMpdfs1.php
 

and

 

 http://meccano.magazines.free.fr

 

All your favourite issues are there.

 

Martin.

[Nearholmer]

Great pity that RM isn't available in the same way, as a set of PDFs on line.

 

If Peco were to do this, and charge for access, maybe as a supplement to an annual subscription, what would we be prepared to pay?

 

Kevin

[edcayton]

Great pity that RM isn't available in the same way, as a set of PDFs on line.

 

If Peco were to do this, and charge for access, maybe as a supplement to an annual subscription, what would we be prepared to pay?

 

Kevin

 

Probably nuffink. In my case I would use it if free, but rather than pay I'd go upstairs and look at my copies (complete from 1965).

 

Ed

[Andy Kirkham]

Nice to see Nigel McMillan still around in the article about the 50th anniversary of the Scottish show in this months Modeller. Well I remember his Campbeltown and Macrihanish layout.

Nigel was still showing the Campelltown layout when I lived in Glasgow (I moved away six years ago). I saw it at local exhibitions at Cathcart and Hyndland. He was very friendly and I recall him reminiscing about his early days as an apprentice at NBL testing newly built B1s.

[St Enodoc]

Nigel was still showing the Campelltown layout when I lived in Glasgow (I moved away six years ago). I saw it at local exhibitions at Cathcart and Hyndland. He was very friendly and I recall him reminiscing about his early days as an apprentice at NBL testing newly built B1s.

Lyoncross Colliery was (is?) worth seeing as well.

[PatB]

Lyoncross Colliery was (is?) worth seeing as well.

 

Did his house ever fall down where he'd  excavated the cellar to accommodate Lyoncross? Assorted readers letters in RM, after it appeared as Railway of the Month, assured us that it would .

[dick rowland]

Peco should take a leaf out of MIBA and Eisenbahn Journal's book, and produce archive DVDs.

To see what I mean, and check out the very reasonable prices, go to the VGB website. 

 

I scanned my 1979-2008 Continental Modeller collection, initially just intending to cover pure German material and produce .pdf files for my own reference.

In the event, about the only things I did not scan and archive were some of the Australian and African prototype material. Some of the Aussie layouts were fantastic, well worth keeping a record.

I freed up about three metres of shelf space, the original magazines went to the club, and articles are much easier to find.

[St Enodoc]

Did his house ever fall down where he'd  excavated the cellar to accommodate Lyoncross? Assorted readers letters in RM, after it appeared as Railway of the Month, assured us that it would .

Don't think so. As a mining engineer I think he probably knew what he was doing.

[ejstubbs]

In a similar vein, every issue of Meccano Magazine in PDF format:

 

OMG, nostalgia central!  I remember the "Spirit of America" one from April '68 (IIRC my brother set about building the model but I'm not sure he ever finished it).

 

I'm sure that I also remember (though I can't locate) an edition from the early 1970s which had plans for a wooden, rubber-band-powered submarine which I did build.

 

Pretty sure that I bought some of those MAP plans booklets, too.  Whether I ever built anything from them I rather doubt.  I did, though, build a KeilKraft Cadet balsawood & tissue glider, accidentally smashed it to matchwood with a football, bought another kit and built it up all over again (ah, happy memories of tautening the tissue skin in the steam from the kettle, and the heady whiff of dope...)

 

But what was going on with the September '72 edition?  There's a girl on the front cover!  (Actually I think I do remember that one as well.  Can't think why.)

 

Oh, and the advertisements for air guns...happy days...

 

And yes, if someone could be persuaded to put archive editions of RM online, er...that would probably destroy the market for second-hand copies on eBay!

Edited April 16, 2016 by ejstubbs

[kevinlms]

And yes, if someone could be persuaded to put archive editions of RM online, er...that would probably destroy the market for second-hand copies on eBay!

But the copyright holders probably wouldn't be happy. I wonder if anyone has approached Peco with a deal? In theory, Peco might have a good reason to block archive editions from having scanned versions, until their back issues have been sold. But afterwards, what do Peco have to lose?

[Horsetan]

....what do Peco have to lose?

I wonder how much storage space all those back issues take up...

[micknich2003]

I may be wrong, but I think there is more to it then PECO scanning the Railway Modeller collection and producing a set of DVD's. Obviosly PECO own the copyright to the magazine, but I don't think they own the copyright to the actual articles, if only a Reproduction Fee was paid, the copyright of any article remains with the original author. I believe copyright exists until seventy years after the death of the original author/photographer. If I'm right, every article published in the "Railway Modeller remains in copyright. Personally, I would like to see the first five years or so put on DVD, these would nicerly fill my odd missing issues .

[BR60103]

A lot would depend on what the contract with the author says. It may give RM the right to first publication, or only publication for n years. It may only cover print.

We have a few published modellers here -- what is the wording?

 

There are a lot of old TV shows (different field, similar law) which are not sold on DVD because of actors who can't be traced or won't release rights.