Reverse Running feedback

Dear Joe,

I've only been a reader for a little over two weeks. I have downloaded every issue of MRH and read them. At first I couldn't believe that it was free. I've always heard "there ain't no such thing as a free lunch". Well your the first to prove them wrong as far as a subscriber is concerned. At first I didn't think I'd like the magazine but in two weeks I've changed my mind. To me this magazine is a tool that allows me instant access to others with the same interest and I don't have to type in the web site for vendors. They're just a click away. A definite plus. At first I didn't care much for all the adds, but it sure is easier just clicking on a link and be taken to the vendors web site.

I've been a model railroader for nearly 6 decades. I have a collection of Model Railroaders that starts in the early 60's right on up to 2009. I stopped my subscription to MR do to the lack of scratch build articles. What I like is articles with some real meat to them so to speak.

I also have a been a subscriber to Railroad Model Craftsmen from the early 60's and still continue to this day. Another subscription I have since the late 70's is The Short Line Gazette. I still subscribe to them because they still have good articles on scratch building.

I'm also a home shop machinist. I love to scratch build but also realize not everything can be scratch built. Vendors need to be support so they can produce those wonderful products we enjoy today. 

So I consider myself a bit knowledgeable to magazine content and what I like. I do like lot's of articles on building things. I also understand it's difficult and time consuming to write a well written article and take pictures. I find this out building my own model railroad web site.

I skip over articles that give a point of view on a product. I think that can be discussed in the forum section of the magazine. I skipped over several of the Reverse Running in the downloaded issues because I don't find them any value in them. No offense meant.

So if you can keep the construction articles coming I think you have a winner here. I'm going to stick around for a while and see how it goes. I've even been thinking of starting a blog on a current project I'm working on now, plus one I've got in the wings. I've been documenting them on my web site as I go.

If it sounds like I've been rambling it's because I have a hard time putting my thoughts on paper (screen?). I hope I haven't made to much of jumble of it.

Regards,

Bernd

Still Prefer MRH, you bet (except...)

No question MRH would still be my preferred general model railroading mag. if RMC and MR were free online (I doubt they'll get all the way to free there but who knows). My 'other favorite' is scale specific, O Scale Trains. It too offers high quality articles and is not afraid of innovative techniques or controversial editorials. MR and to a lesser extent, RMC are too beginner oriented for my taste (thou that is still needed I suppose). Keep up the good work and congrats on Three!

Bob Courtney

We like to build things!

Dear Joe et. al.,

I'd have to agree with the previous post. I think most of us in this hobby like to build things. On top of that, I think most of us are an extremely resourceful lot, maybe just as much as our full size counterparts. The recent series of layout construction articles in the other magazines have seemed to me to be "sterile" if that makes any sense. For me lacking any real sort of ingenuity or "wow, now that's a cool idea!". Even some of the scratch building articles are boring. Four elevation drawings and a list of store bought materials is not interesting or educational. And these articles seem to get whittled down way too much leaving a lot to the imagination, definitely not good for the beginners. 

I understand some folks out there just want to run their trains as quickly as possible, but I for one (even if I had the money) wouldn't just go to the hobby shop and buy a kit of parts, bring it home and "assemble" it all. Your recent article on zip texturing is an excellent example of why I can't wait to see what you come up with next! It even made me go and pull out my old 1950's scenery book (by McClellan?) and read it over again. Here is a low cost way to get something done inexpensively and quickly! I had forgotten all about it. I don't want to give the impression that I'm against commercial products, it's just that in my world they are used selectively and carefully i.e. Grandtline windows in N scale. Sometimes I go back in time with my old magazine collection and enjoy all of the old scratch build articles and plans for how to "make things" - even tools! One of my favorites is the old popular mechanics magazines I have from the 30's through the 50's chock full of plans, diagrams and ingenuity! Maybe a look back could spawn some ideas for the future. Just like zip texturing! 

p.s. I think what also keeps me coming back is the camaraderie that I feel when reading the articles and blogs by staff and readers on their personal projects. 

Thanks, and keep up the good work!

Phil

As I've mentioned before...

I'd happily pay for MRH, but I love the idea that it is advertiser supported and I thank those advertisers with my hobby dollars over shopping semi-locally, whenever I can. Nearest RC shop masquerading as a hobby shop is 45 miles away. :o)

My Opinion:

I don't see RMC as a contender online yet.  If something has changed in their online presence recently, I have missed that, so maybe they are showing signs of getting wired?  I would love it if they went digital with bonus downloads of scale plans, all for free, how cool!  There has been a lot of beefy content in RMC throughout it's history and into today I believe.  I don't pick it up for myself anymore so I can't say how things might have changed there either.  It's a good mag though.

MR, will never be free.  I'm sorry, I just don't see "free to subscribers" in their business model.  Of course, they could see this and go free tomorrow just to make me a liar...but I doubt it. [wink]

Currently, it is not as good a magazine as MRH, I see lots of modelers say the same thing.  Too simplistic, too much buy this from our major advertiser and glue it on your layout, and not enough, I built this out of baler twine, sticks & mud! [grin]

Reverse Running

I am a new subscriber to MRH and also have a paid subscription to Model Railroader and usually end up buying Railroad Model Craftsman.  I really like MRH and find it has a wealth of information for the novice model railroader.  I starter in this hobby some 50 years ago, but family got in the way and the years slipped by. Now near retirement and embracing the hobby once again, the changes that have occurred are mind boggling. My last locomotive had rubber band drive for goodness sake.  So, my two cents is while there are many MMRs out there the hobby will be sustained by the newbies and to that end, please don't assume that something is too simple or that "everybody knows that". I would like to see articles in every issue that address  particular topics as though the reader has been in a closet for the last 20 years. Many of us are too timid to speak up and say "please keep it simple", and yes I mean really simple.

Thanks for a great magazine!

Doug

Keep up the good work!

"I would like to see articles in every issue that address  particular topics as though the reader has been in a closet for the last 20 years. Many of us are too timid to speak up and say "please keep it simple", and yes I mean really simple."

I think Joes series of videos offered by model-trains-video.com probably meets everything you are looking for.  For $14.95 you can pick up a 5 volume set that will probably meet everything you would need to get "up and running"  I think the problem with "keeping it simple" is that it is too easy to keep it so simple that more experienced modelers loose interest.  I remember when I first got interested in model trains in the 1980's I thought Model Railroader was really great and subscribed for over 10 years.  Just before I dropped my subscription sometime in the 1990's  realized that I had progressed beyond Model Railroader to the point that they seldom had more than one article and often not even one that was of any use to me.  I think it telling that I recently went through 10-15 years of model railroad magazines to cut out and save article of interest and dispose of the rest to cut down on paper storage.  I reduced over 10 years of Model Railroader to 1 medium sized three ring binder!  Many of the issues that I had saved, I tossed into the recycle bin without finding anything in the entire magazine worth saving.

I like what you guys are doing.  You have a web site where experienced modelers are ready to help out anyone who asks questions.  The magazine is very well written with a great mix of articles for everyone from beginner to advanced modeler.  I especially liked the article this month by Lance Mindheim on Photo-Laminating Structures.  It enables a prototype modeler to build any structure that I can take a picture of!

Basic skills...

I have to agree Russ.  I've purchased many books over the years, in addition to subscribing to MR and buying issues of MR and RMC when not a subscriber.

I also got my hands on Joes DVD's and learned more still from watching those excellent videos, that are perfect for a beginner or more advanced user, IMO.

I think beginners need to do like I did and rely on some purchased resources to learn basic skills and techniques so that more of the articles in the hobby press fall within their skill level and understanding.

Also guys.  Pushing the envelope helps.  You never know what you can do until you try.  I didn't think I could solder my own turnouts before I met Joe Fugate and saw what he did on his Siskiyou Line Forum with Central Valley Tie Strips.  See the article in MRH September 2011, PG 48.

So, do buy Joe's DVD set to learn the basics and much much more, then practice and don't be afraid to try new things.  Before long it will all begin to make sense.

Reverse Running 3 year-old toddler

I've gotten every issue of MRH since #1 and I can say that one advantage with your publication is that the articles are very current technology. You don't "hold" an article for years before modelers can read it. My particular reference was for the TAM VALLEY Quad PIC servo controller. Tam Valley is making some real handy products and info was printed in your 3rd issue. I have since purchased one for a test. Trust me, total cost to control 4 switch motors is less than half from purchasing 4 $20.00 Tortoise motors and a DCC accessory controller for each motor. I was very impressed. Duncan is also very support oriented. When a problem came up, he was quick to send a replacement even though it was not "defective". I'll buy from him again. Your E-Zine is why I bought it in the first place. Advertisers Take Note !!

Regards,

Nick Kulp

The Long View

Thank you for taking the long view and planning for the marathon, vs. burning out in the sprint.

MRH has plenty of 'steak' for me, along with good side dishes and appetizers.  Most issues have enough to keep me reading and reading and reading...  But I think there will always be the occasional issue that just won't do it for me and that's okay.

That was the case with MR, back when I was a subscriber and at a time when I really looked forward to getting every issue.  Sometimes there just wasn't a feature or even a secondary article that really grabbed me.  Sometimes nearly EVERY article jumped off the page, whether or not it fit my era, general interest, etc.  It just varied from issue to issue, and author to author, although several editorial staff changes later I don't think it is the same magazine producing the same level of quality.

You seem to have/be a good team producing great results, both steak and sizzle.  Keep it coming, and I'll do my part to contribute as best I can.

Galen

3 Years

I have been a Model Railroader subscriber for about 30 years on and off a few times and I was always pleased somewhat with there issues. Their helps were in most part well explained and their articles interesting. Now we come to this magazine that is free and much more informative. The videos are fantastic, the articles, although hard to read because of the page sizes are easy enough to print when they seem to be what I might be interested in. I look forward to each issue and thank you for such a well done work. Bill from Arkansas

Article Content, Not Advertising

The trend in the printed magazines is toward using the articles as a basis for promoting the advertisers.  Every other sentence tells you what brand product to buy.  With the paid advertising in MRH and the links in the ads to video and print pages of the advertisers, please keep the articles clear of advertising.  I use the ads and the links are a great service.  Also try to have fresh subject matter on a schedule shorter than 6 months.  I mean, how many times can you show us how to make a tree, like one particular magazine does a couple of times a year.  Keep up the in depth articles.  My computer can handle all the content you have the time to put in each month.

tmaz

"please keep the articles clear of advertising"

What does this mean, exactly?

If that means don't put ads on the same pages with article content ... well, that's not going to happen. As long as ads pay for the content, the one sacrifice we all will have to make is to allow ads to share space with content.

They're paying the freight, so it's only fair.

Could be worse - we could do in-your-face popups or dancing locos in the ads ... (wink) ... wouldn't THAT be fun!

Written To Sell Product

I read it as product promotion in the text of the article. There will undoubtedly be some of this as the modeler describes the components they used. I agree however, MR seems to go way overboard with it. RMC on the other hand seems relatively free from it.

I took it that way, too, Alan

The caveat for that is if you use certain products in the article, I sure as heck want to know who makes them, the product number, etc., so I can get the same parts.  THAT isn't advertising, its a useful part of the article.  If you are writing the article solely to sell a particular product, then that's wrong, but I don't think MR does that deliberately even if you may think so.

Reverse Running

Hey guys after reading the article,well. dont kick yourselfs in the guts, your doing a splendid job and I have enjoyed it from the first E-issue. Just keep it coming and manufacturers with any sense will be getting on board en mass. Its real great to tour around the different sites that ordinarily you would know about and all at the click of a button. Many THANKS

Reverse Running MRH, 3 year old toddler

I'm a MR subscriber since the early 80's, and was always reluctant to reading the MRH on screen, as recommended by some friends here in Belgium.

In January I tried it out, and I must say that I'm very glad I did. From now on I'll be a regular reader. Interesting articles, good photos, very easy links to commercial and other items and immediate video fragments.

I was really surprised how easy and how interesting your formula is!

 CONGRATULATIONS !

A job well done for a three year old toddler.... 

MRH 3yr old toddler

I have been a MRH reader since issue 1. It just gets better and better.

Since reading some of the comments above I have done a bit of research on line, regarding digital magazines, with very interesting results. 

I have been a MR subscriber for a number of years now and am contemplating getting their digital edition only, when it comes time to renew (this will save me about $20 US a year since I am a 'foreign' subscriber). I also used to subscribe to RMC but had to give it up in an attempt at economizing. I now see that they are offering their mag in a digital form also, at a US subscriber price which will save me about the same as MR.

I also do a bit of model aircraft modeling and subscribe to SAM magazine which I see is also working towards a digital edition.

So the magazine scene is definitely moving with the times, so maybe I will have to also, and get myself an ipad or at least a tablet of some kind so I don't have to sit at my desktop PC to enjoy my hobby reading!

Cheers,

Bill

A tablet really helps

I have to say having a tablet really helps. I have a ton of ebooks and of course every issue of MRH on my iPad, with room to spare.

Because the iPad is so very portable, and it also plays the media content too, it works well as a workbench reference or in the easy chair for some leisure reading. Once you have a tablet, you will also save a ton of trees, because you no longer feel the need to print it out.

And besides, print outs don't play the media worth a darn ...

3 years old

I've been a subscriber from early on and have enjoyed every issue. I realize that it is hard to push the boundaries of technology especially with such a wide fan base that is not necessarily on the edge with you. I have never run into a problem myself and enjoy the magazine on all my computers and even my phone (sometimes). I actually walk around with a thumb drive in my backpack that has all the issues.

It seems like MRH should have a video show of some sort – Is Cody’s Office weekly at MR?

All magazines seem to find it hard to draw track plans except MR. Somehow I think you guy’s need to raise the bar and consistently (that’s really important) produce track plans for all layout visits. The track plan should always take up the whole page too.

As you have mentioned in podcasts, it would be great to get that “I’m there” feeling with these layout visits – more video? Check out John Sing’s Pbase galleries http://www.pbase.com/atsf_arizona/image/130299415 – He put text on the photos explaining “this photo is to the left of the last shot” or “this is the reverse view of the last photo”. Easier with video probably. Don’t be afraid of adding graphics to a video to really show how something works or what the industries are on the layout. Gopher rail has awesome videos

It would be great to address the hobbyist and what they are thinking. The name of the magazine alludes to this, but you just haven’t capitalized on it. You seem to ask the basic questions of layout owners and especially on the videos you visibly run out of questions then say thanks goodbye. For instance, Did you draw a track plan, is there another way you would have done it? Did you have a list of givens and druthers? When did you start operating the layout? What system do you use? How many people operate?

With all the different medias at your disposal the magazine could really stand out with it’s coverage of layouts.

Hopefully you can get to a place where many manufacturers send you actual products so you can then make 3D spins or videos for all of them.

I guess that’s it for now, thanks for writing the article thus giving anyone a chance to chime in. I’m happy to get my issue each month and I’m excited about what you will accomplish in the coming years.

Ken 

Three Years Old -CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Reverse Running

You want dancing locos?

Joe wrote - "Could be worse - we could do in-your-face popups or dancing locos in the ads ... (wink) ... wouldn't THAT be fun!"

Well here's one

Ohhhhhhhhhhhh....

An added comment

As a follow up to my previous post, I'd like to say how impressed I am with the involvement of the MRH staff in the discussion forums and blogs. I don't know how you do it! And I hope you are able to continue! Your availability and follow up supersedes anything else I've experienced from ANY publication (and from most businesses in general). I realize that you really asked what content in the E-zine would keep me coming back and interested, but I have to say that your personal involvement in this endeavor and your readers for me goes a long, long way. This sets you apart as it brings an added "experience" to us the readers.

Thanks again,

Phil