I am not an NMRA member.  I have considered becoming a member in the past but have always asked, "What's in it for me" and come away wanting.

An NMRA index like we have been discussing would answer that question for me.  If I knew a portion of my dues was funding an open, free index, I'd join up today!

The index being on NMRA clearly crossed Kevin's personal value/cost breakeven point with respect to NMRA. I suspect he is in the majority. I too share Kevin's position. Not a memebr but would be if the index were there.

I think many of the new moves the NMRA is making will add value that might entice many more people to join.  The index being but one example.  My understanding is that if the NMRA does put the index up, it would be an open source asset available to anyone going to the NMRA site. The thing that I am most excited about with the NMRA is the move to digitalize the extensive research library that they have so that modelers can look at the materials and buy whatever pictures they find that would be useful to their hobby interests.  Giving a discount to members is incentive for people who would use that library extensively to join the NMRA.  I belong, not because of what I get out of the membership, but because of what the NMRA does for the hobby that benefits all of us. 

Haven't seen this mentioned yet, but last night I read in the Feb 2011 MRR editorial that the Magazine index has returned.

http://www.trains.com/magazineindex

Yeah, I saw this morning that their index is back. I watch those forums regularly.

I have noticed a couple times that those forums blipped a reference to this site.

Rich

Is there any mention in the editorial as to WHY it returned?  I thought it was beyond salvage!  Am I going to have to retract my "pansies" comment afterall?

Hmmm....and it works, too!

Hmmm....

Galen

I would hope that 3rd party efforts for the index continue to have the NMRA host it as this episode has made it clear of a few things.  In the hands of a private enterprise it is vulnerable to be taken down again or simply have articles from places like MRH ignored and not indexed, making it less valuable overall.  With over 42,000 people downloading the last issue of MRH, obviously many people are reading it and would get value from it.  It also speaks to a little bit of egg on the face of Kalmbach who clearly stated redoing the index was "impossible" when it clearly wasn't and then when third party efforts and all the complaining hit home to them and they realized they would lose control of it, they quickly made the impossible possible and came up with the index again.  Terrible business call on the part of Kalmbach, but it demonstrates how it should be in the hands of a non-profit.

40 yrs ago when I was a youngun, I got away from my trains. Got married, had kids, and retired. 3 years ago I decided I needed a full time hobby and went back to my trains.  Could not believe the difference from now and 40 years ago.  When I found the index yearly in the mags I thought I died and went to train heaven.  That index has helped me get aquainted with my favorite hobby and get caught up on all of the new tecnology.  With it gone I feel as though I have lost a close friend.  Only if we had reincarnation, maybe it would come back. 

The mandarins of Milwaukee (or at least its west side) are again saying the Model Train Magazine Index can't be effectively salvaged for their long-promised new web presence. Pretty much what they said in 2010, before it reappeared, or limped along, or whatever.

The mandarins of Milwaukee (or at least its west side) are again saying the Model Train Magazine Index can't be effectively salvaged for their long-promised new web presence. Pretty much what they said in 2010, before it reappeared, or limped along, or whatever.

Probably they prefer not to give competing publications the bandwidth by having them coming up in an index search. In short, they'll index their own stuff for sure, but indexing competing publications costs money (you have to buy every issue and then index it) -- the accountants say it's "not cost effective" ...

But they fail to realize the drawing power of such an index. I would wager that if they put out the call for volunteers, many modelers would step up to update the index for no cost to the big K. Gotta get those accountants thinking outside the corporate box! Their readers are flesh and blood people (not just cash-generating carbon units) who I'm sure would be happy to volunteer to help if they would just ask them.

Think more like a modeling community and less like a big corporation ... ah for the days of Al Kalmbach again.