Traction Magazine

[WhiteRoseRambler]

Having been a regular purchaser of Traction magazine for the past 3 years I have decided that the September issue will be my last for now. The reason is the sudden appearance of articles on foreign locos; first the article on Cuba in September and now an article on Latvian locos in the October issue.

 

Whilst I fully appreciate that there will be people who find the articles interesting; I personally only have an interest in diesel/electric traction from the UK (locos that I can remember from my youth) and if I did have an interest in foreign railways I would purchase a magazine dedicated to that subject.

 

Maybe the November issue will be all British; I will wait and see.

 

What do others think of this new avenue for Traction?

[Oldddudders]

Having been a regular purchaser of Traction magazine for the past 3 years I have decided that the September issue will be my last for now. The reason is the sudden appearance of articles on foreign locos; first the article on Cuba in September and now an article on Latvian locos in the October issue.

 

Whilst I fully appreciate that there will be people who find the articles interesting; I personally only have an interest in diesel/electric traction from the UK (locos that I can remember from my youth) and if I did have an interest in foreign railways I would purchase a magazine dedicated to that subject.

 

Maybe the November issue will be all British; I will wait and see.

 

What do others think of this new avenue for Traction?

I sympathise. Although Traction isn't my sort of magazine, I think you are entitled to expect a largely UK content, with perhaps an occasional glimpse overseas. Peco Publications got over this many years ago by launching Continental Modeller, initally every other month, to take the overseas models and advertising that would inevitably come Railway Modeller's way. Both magazines seemed to prosper afterwards. The leading US monthlies, Trains and Model Railroader, occasionally include an overseas contribution, but it never intrudes, and is not every month.

[fozzy280472]

I do agree with the op to a point , i am a subscriber to traction and although i do find the foreign loco articles interesting i feel the magazine should be a british traction mag only , i can see the cuban article being of interest as its basically about export 47s and therefore i would say reasonably relevant to the british traction scene , i dont think i will be cancelling my subscription yet i think i will wait and see how the magazine carries on.Next months black and white issue seems interesting...........................

[Bruce Depot]

I am a bit out of touch with it all, but perhaps they are finding it harder to fill the mag with UK content? Mind it certainly would not bother me as it

could be interesting to see some of the operations in other counties as well?

 

cheers

Keith

[Dicky W]

I am a bit out of touch with it all, but perhaps they are finding it harder to fill the mag with UK content? Mind it certainly would not bother me as it

could be interesting to see some of the operations in other counties as well?

 

Thanks Keith

 

Your second sentence was exactly what I was thinking of when I arranged both the Cuban and Latvian articles. Don't worry though, I certainly haven't run out of UK material!

 

November's magazine is back to 'normal'

 

Regards

 

Richard

[merlin46]

Hi Gents

 

 

 

I think the mag has gone downhill since the change of editor & once my subscription has run out I will not be be renewing it & I have been reading it since issue one!

 

 

 

Tim

 

 

[Supaned]

I'm afraid I've stopped buying Traction since the change of editor - up until then I've got every issue without fail , but I've found the standard of photos to have dropped and the subject matter sadly is not as good as it was.

 

I think in my case the straw that broke the camels back was an entire issue devoted to class 47s - I don't dispute that they may well be a "classic", but I think an entire issue full was just overkill.

 

A great pity.

[cb900f]

Supaned

May I ask which mag no contained the class 47 articles please .I don't buy Traction but would in this instance.

To me a 2 tone green Brush 4 was the best looking loco on BR.

Stand back and wait for the flak.

 

 

Pete

[Bruce Depot]

I have not seen a copy for a long time, but think if I had the Cl47 edition would a been a nice buy, Will have to try and look out

for the mag when back and pick a copy up I think....

Keith

[coachmann]

I don't buy Traction but would in this instance. To me a 2 tone green Brush 4 was the best looking loco on BR.

There's a nice two-tone one on the centre spread....... :D

 

And an even nicer cheque on my doormat...

[Dan Griffin]

im not that keen on the continental stuff, apart from the cuban 47's and other ex-pat uk things. and next issue is a black and white issue. which i think shouldnt be the same price as a colour issue as the price depicts the price of colur ink ect.

[Pennine MC]

I am a bit out of touch with it all, but perhaps they are finding it harder to fill the mag with UK content? Mind it certainly would not bother me as it

could be interesting to see some of the operations in other counties as well?

 

 

If that's the article by Steve Morris, I thought it was an interesting development (although not from the point of view of making me want to buy the mag, 'cos I rarely do anyway). The preamble to the article says that fans of loco haulage are increasingly having to go overseas to avoid the MU railway, and in that respect I thought it interesting how history is repeating itself, insofar as steam fans of the 1970s travelled to the Iron Curtain countries and beyond in search of steam.

 

If the real (UK) railway is becoming less and less varied in terms of traction, with older classes gradually bowing out, then it's obviously going to get harder for the publishers to find material. Having said that, what the market really needs IMHO is a proper 'heritage' D&E mag, along the lines of Steam World or Steam Days. REx did do some interesting heritage material in the early days, but not so much of late AFAIK

 

As a final thought, I think mags that are 'exclusively' one thing or another are increasingly unlikely to happen bearing in mind today's hard commercial realities.

[jollysmart]

I'm also a subscriber and what I really want from the magazine is a traction feature of British content, if I wanted foreign traction I would seek it out a magazine with it in. Please lets have a properly dedicated magazine for BRITISH traction fans what it should be leave the foreign stuff to others.

 

Michael

[John M Upton]

im not that keen on the continental stuff, apart from the cuban 47's and other ex-pat uk things. and next issue is a black and white issue. which i think shouldnt be the same price as a colour issue as the price depicts the price of colur ink ect.

 

I have been told (although I cannot confirm) that it now costs just as much if not more to print black and white than colour these days. I know that is certainly the case in domestic home film photography (assuming that is you can still get black and white print film domestically these days?)

 

As for foreign content in Traction, I have no objection to the Cuban 47's as they did run on British metals all be it for a very short while! It would make an interesting cut and shut on a Bachhy 47 and have the 'I think you will find...' brigade coughing up into their real ale at any exhibition mind!!!

[coachmann]

People not wanting to find foriegn stuff in their magazines is a familiar cry. It is not unreasonable and publishers who buck the market do so at their peril. We are an island and it is natural that people want to read about their railway system. There are dedicated magazines for people who want to read about European or North American railways.

 

In the case of 'Traction', it used to be a heritage magazine when I read it, so it should matter not that todays railways are dull or full of Units or whatever. There were plenty of photographers about photographing trains from the early 60s to the late 90s so there should be no shortage of "archive" material to sift through even allowing for the dross. However, many railway photographers (me included) stuck with monochrome for many years. When colour printing improved in leaps and bounds in the mid 1980s, there was a move by editors away from monochrome reproduction, which was only natural. Books were different and continued/continue to use black & white material, which is why some of us switched to writing for for book publishers.

 

Larry Goddard

[DavidH]

People not wanting to find foreign stuff in their magazines is a familiar cry. It is not unreasonable and publishers who buck the market do so at their peril.

 

I'm not disputing that this is true, but personally I find it rather saddening that many of us can be so insular about the hobby (whether full size trains or models). A railway anywhere is just another railway, is it not? The trains may look different - and there's always going to be a fear associated with the unknown - but surely knowing even a little about what's going on outside your own country can help to open up your horizons and give you new and (possibly even) exciting places to visit.

 

If you close off your mind and say, "no don't want to see it, not interested", then you condemn yourself to forever tread the same path.

 

Just my opinion, however. I don't say anyone else has to share it!

 

So, to conclude, I think publishing occasional articles about foreign railways is a good idea - especially if the bits looked at were built in Britain.

[fozzy280472]

DavidH ,i fully understand your point about broadening your horizons in the railway scene but the point is Traction was started with the view to be only for British heritage traction , it stated that in the first issue. I myself am interested in other railway topics/aspects , for example i am getting into the US scene but i dont want to see it in Traction , if i feel i became interested enough to buy a magazine about US stuff i would certainly not like to see articles about say class 37s in it !!!!!

My personal view is Traction should stick to what its original aim was , the british heritage traction scene. I will state again i DID find the articles about foreign motive power interesting though.

Lets face it you wouldnt watch Match of the day to see Wimbledon highlights and vice versa.

Just my views,

regards

Paul.

[Dicky W]

It's interesting to read some of your comments regarding the magazine. I'm sorry to hear that some of you don't like what you're reading.

 

I've not made any major changes since David Brown left, the contributors are largely the same, so I'm not sure how the photos and quality of articles have deteriorated?

 

Still, everyone's entitled to their own opinion, and far be it for me to change that.

 

By the way, those of you that are interested in the Class 47 dedicated issue (there is a lovely two-tone green one on the contents page), either pm me or email richardw@warnersgroup.co.uk and I'll get a copy to you.

 

Also any of those that are unhappy, please do email me and pass on your ideas for the magazine's development.

 

I'll also announce that the next Traction Annual will be available at and after our Peterborough show. It's got a sufficiently varied content to appeal to you all (I hope!)

 

Regards

 

Richard

[trisonic]

It's interesting to read some of your comments regarding the magazine. I'm sorry to hear that some of you don't like what you're reading.

 

I've not made any major changes since David Brown left, the contributors are largely the same, so I'm not sure how the photos and quality of articles have deteriorated?

 

Still, everyone's entitled to their own opinion, and far be it for me to change that.

 

By the way, those of you that are interested in the Class 47 dedicated issue (there is a lovely two-tone green one on the contents page), either pm me or email richardw@warnersgroup.co.uk and I'll get a copy to you.

 

Also any of those that are unhappy, please do email me and pass on your ideas for the magazine's development.

 

I'll also announce that the next Traction Annual will be available at and after our Peterborough show. It's got a sufficiently varied content to appeal to you all (I hope!)

 

Regards

 

Richard

 

Well, the good thing is that it has made me aware of a British mag that I never knew existed!

Do you ship to the 'States? I'm interested in the Annual - do you have the contents firmed up yet?

 

Good luck with it, Richard.

 

Best, Pete.

[John M Upton]

Just a heads up to confirm that the 'Black & White' November issue is now in the shops (mine purchased from the Bognor Regis station bookstall this very morning just prior to working the 08:13!) and it's impressive. Noted that there is far less current news than there used to be though which is probably no bad thing in a way.

 

Plenty of modelling inspiration in there this month methinks!

[trisonic]

I really like Traction magazine - plenty (and I mean plenty) to read plus nice photos.

 

Best, Pete.

[stadman]

Sept or issue 191 contained the class 47 for those who asked.

Contrary to others here this is only my second purchase of this mag, because of the Cuban article.

Visited the island 6 times, the 47's (T975's) are all scrapped circa 1999.

A fleet of Brush built 3 foot gauge locos still operate at one sugar mill probably not of interest to many respondants above reading the comments.

However you can see one of my pictures at http://www.flickr.com/photos/kevin-staddon/3349503441/

Kev Staddon

[fozzy280472]

Just browsed this months issue , excellent , good photos/content , very satisfying .

This is what Traction should be like and in general is like. As another poster stated, the cut down on current affairs is welcome too .

Good job this month , regards

Paul.

[0O00]

Just browsed this months issue , excellent , good photos/content , very satisfying .

This is what Traction should be like and in general is like. As another poster stated, the cut down on current affairs is welcome too .

Good job this month , regards

Paul.

 

Agree, apart from the schoolboy typos that have littered this months edition.

 

Like the article on Lincoln - reminded me of my trips to the seaside on Mk1's behind 31's! B)

[griffgriff]

Just browsed this months issue , excellent , good photos/content , very satisfying .

This is what Traction should be like and in general is like. As another poster stated, the cut down on current affairs is welcome too .

Good job this month , regards

Paul.

 

I'd certainly say they were interesting but there are some of dubious quality... I realise that they have to gauge if a photo has enough journalistic importance to consider publication but are one or two examples running close to the wind?