Seems a simple question, it perhaps is, but let me explain:
I'm looking for a model railroad magazine, that is aimed at the average to more experienced model railroader. It should feature loads of how to's, on any subject related to the hobby, be it weathering, scenery building, tracklaying, locomotive re-motoring and upgrades, DCC etc etc etc
I'm not sensitive to it being glossy or not, nor do I care which magazine is the biggest, those issues are totally irrelavant to me, I am looking for a quality periodical, one that I will keep and read back in past issues time and time again.
Which one is it? (please also bear in mind that it should be in the english language, and can get a subscription even when living in the UK)
Thanks a bunch!
TinGoat Wrote:Hello,
My first reflex was to tell you about American Magazines. However, they focus on North American Prototypes...
Since you are in the United Kingdom, you should look for something home grown.
Well your first reflex was correct, I am interested in North American Prototypes, however for modeling techniques and the likes this is largely irrelevant, thanks for the links :-)
There are 2 big, general model railroad magazines: Model Railroader and Railroad Model Craftsman. I think that RMC has more content on doing things while MR has glossy pictures of immaculate layouts. There have been a number of other, more specialized magazines but I don't see them even in the hobby shop any more.
Also available in the British line are Railway Modeler and Hornby magazine. RM has a wide sweep but does have detailed articles an a piece of rolling stock each month. Hornby is apparently independent of the manufacturer.
For more challenging modelling, I would choose Model Railway Journal.
Try the free online Model Railroad Hobbyist magazine. It has lots of how to's, 360 views of models and some very good videos.
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poliss Wrote:Try the free online Model Railroad Hobbyist magazine. It has lots of how to's, 360 views of models and some very good videos.
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Thanks for that one, great suggestion!
Poliss has an excellent suggestion. Model Railroad Hobbyist has been enjoyable and informative in their first four online issues. I especially enjoy some of their video presentations; really adds an extra dimension to reading.
dwight77
Like BR60130 I generally prefer railroad model craftsman "RMC" for short. I have been subscribing to it now for about 10 years with no complaints. I even have a few back issues from the 40's. I highly recommend them.
To be perfectly honest, I think I have learned more from online forums like this than from print magazines. I used to read Model Railroader every month, but sometime in the late 1990s wither the magazine changed or my interest advanced beyond their content. I still enjoy reading older issues from the 1980s or earlier. Railroad Model Craftsman is more oriented to my interests, but I have never read it regularly. I buy Narrow Gauge and Shortline gazette from time to time, but that magazine has a specific niche.
Like I said, I get more from online forums, but those are kinda hard to take to the restroom with you
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The first question that needs to be asked is: "what are your modeling interests in terms of time frame and equipment?" Different magazines focus on different aspects of modeling. If you want early narrow gauge, for example, you don't ant a magazine that primarily features modern diesel unit trains.
I really prefer the older back issues of MR and RMC...MR to about 1986 and RMC to about 2000. After those points they really became industry plugs ---to me--- and I just didn't enjoy reading them any longer. The older back issues with articles on building switch machines from scratch, tuning open frame motors and making scenery from anything but Woodland Scenics products make for great reads.
I think it also depends on your interest in the prototype. I model Santa Fe in the Southwest, Southern California in particular. None of the modeling magazines have very much southwest scenery articles. At the NMRA National convention in Anaheim in July of 2008, I attended a scenery clinic put on by Miles Hale. He is from Missouri and works as a spokesman for Woodland Scenics also a Missouri company. What he models is Missouri scenery, which looks nothing like the Southwest. The climate and rainfall of each part of the country dictates what the scenery will look like for the area you model. I belong to the Santa Fe Modeling and Historical Society and subscribe to the Warbonnet. I also get the free subscription on line to Model Railroad Hobbyist. I buy magazines off the news stand only if they have content specific to my interests. Since Model Railroader is from Milwaukee and most of their writers that are not from that area are from New England, there is seldom anything in MR that is of interest unless there is something from Andy Sperendeo on Cajon Pass or David Barrows on the Santa Fe. RMC is better, but most of their content refers more to the East Coast or mid west.
After about 4 years of subscribing to Model Railroader again, I let my subscritption run out. I've found they repeat the same articles over and over, some are almost verbatim. They of course keep sending me renewal notices. I keep checking to see if they offer a better price, but knowing Kalmbach like I do, I've gotten 3 notices with no special offer, other than a "special" issue as a bonus, which is again more rehashed articles from something they've printed before. My wife, bless her, gets me Kalmbach books for Christmas, whcih again is the same old articles and how-tos fom Kalmbach. So I searched this thread and I'm thinking about subsribing to RMC. I guess my questions is, do they keep things fresh or will I get similar info to MR?
After being in the hobby for decades, There is little absolutely new on a month-to-month basis. You get kept up with new products and once a year there may be a new idea for modelling.
I think RMC has a slightly higher ratio of construction articles. They, at least, don't put lots of information on restricted web sites.
My favourite British magazine by far is Hornby Magazine (<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://www.hornbymagazine.com/">http://www.hornbymagazine.com/</a><!-- m -->). It only started 2-3 years ago. It has several articles on layouts and loads of "how-to" articles -- how to do wiring, soldering, recreate a buildings / scenes on your layout. They often have articles aimed at the beginner, such as how to make a small, portable layout but also have lots on offer for more experienced modelers. Their reviews of models are excellent too as well as descriptions of the prototype ... For example, if a manufacturer has released a new model of "loco XYZ" they will also run a historical article on how/where the real XYZ locos ran. Their photos and diagrams are also excellent.
The magazine is also incredibly long -- I have trouble reading it all as it's like two magazines in one. At the LHS, where I buy my copies, they told me that several N. American modelers buy it for inspiration. Hornby Magazine is also excellent for people like me because if focusses primarily British steam era 00 modeling -- more modern diesel layouts are rarely featured in it.
Another British magazine, called Model Rail, is almost as good (IMHO) as Hornby Magazine. Lots of diagrams, pictures and how-to articles. Both Model Rail and Hornby Magazine have a good, contemporary feel to them. Model Rail also features more modern layouts as well. So if you're interested in (say) the 1980s British blue diesel period, it will often have articles on them.
British Railway Modelling & Railway Modeller are also good but, frankly, I find them a bit "stuffy" -- somehow, they don't feel as lively or as contemporary and don't seem to have as many short, how-to articles.
Just a few ideas/suggestions!
Rob