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Post by Halstead on Nov 28, 2008 23:57:47 GMT
Hello all
Feel free to discuss your favourite types of railway magazine here and also kindly discuss which are brill and which aren't so brill.
For example one of my first magazines I brought was Railway World in 2000 which had a staple mix of loco snapshots and very useful information. I've no idea what's happened to RW now.
Early this year I've been collecting a few Modern Railways mags and while they bring top notch news on today's railway I felt that the content wasn't right for me giving the extensive broadsheet image aimed at the railway bigwigs.
Recently I've brought the top 50 locos mag from Railway Magazine (owned by IPC) to keep me entertained this winter and after reading the articles on the locos, I felt that the content was evenly balanced for the casual railway anorak like myself.
Over to you now...
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Nov 29, 2008 0:32:20 GMT
ok, well i go through periods of buying Railway Mags, sometime i do sometimes i dont, im not that regular. But when I do buy, and I get steam railway mag and Railway Modeller :-)
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Post by Jim on Nov 29, 2008 0:33:17 GMT
I'm more of a fan of British Steam than North American ones. The magazine imports that I normally try to pick up are:
Steam World Love the anecdotes and articles submitted by former steam railwaymen. I also like the tongue-in-cheek humor that crops up in the magazine every once in a while.
Back Track (mainly for the in-depth historical stuff and comprehensive list of references)
Steam Days Another quality steam magazine.
The magazine shop folded in my city about 10 years back, so I'm left to making a bee-line to any Southern Ontario city bookstore (e.g. Chapters) whenever the opportunity presents itself.
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Post by stuart7 on Nov 29, 2008 1:00:36 GMT
I first started buying the Magazine 'Steam Railway' in February 1999, and have stayed with it ever since. Still got a few issues from 2000-2005 lying about in bags around the house. Very useful for ERS works, if you read it.
Stuart
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Post by FlyingScotsman on Nov 29, 2008 2:33:54 GMT
I used to get Steam Railway, but haven't bought it for years. I have some of the really early ones, which feature a couple of articles by a certain Christopher Awdry.
At present, I mostly read modelling magazines. The two "unmissables" for me are Railway Modeller and Model Rail. I also tend to get Hornby Magazine, they're pretty good at explaining broad topics in simple but non-patronising ways and they talk about things that I didn't even think of (for instance, I never knew that horses were used in British Railways days). I used to get British Railway Modelling, but I think it's gone downhill a bit. It doesn't seem to have the kind of focus that the others do.
It seems to me that since Model Rail came on the scene, the modelling press has received a bit of a boot up the backside. You see far more beginners' articles in Railway Modeller, for example, and Hornby Magazine clearly takes its lead from MR rather than RM with its photo and caption-heavy articles.
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Post by MRHloco on Jan 19, 2009 20:47:49 GMT
Re: Steam RailwayThis is a magazine I've been reading for over 10 years now and, to tell the truth, I'm utterly delighted with it every time the latest issue is released. It's a magazine that, for someone who loves steam locomotives, contains everything: the latest news, beautiful colour-enriched pictures, fascinating indepth features etc. And if it's a magazine that focuses mostly on the major steam lines, such as the Bluebell, Severn Valley and North Yorkshire Moors Railways, I don't usually notice. It's certainly very unbiased if you want to find out surface details and have a particular engine in mind. Besides, any magazine has a right to feature the major heritage lines in most of its issues, since they've done so much to achieve recognition nationally. Re: The Railway MagazineWell over 100 years old, this is yet another fascinating mag that really keeps us up to date with the world of railways in general. The pictures here are also brought to life wonderfully on the pages - there were some particularly cold and frosty but romantic ones of Class 395 Units in the latest edition. Features deal with the world of railways in general, particularly the modern world of main line development in which projects such as Crossrail are currently hot topics. Steam and diesel traction are given plenty of justice on separate pages, franchise operations are covered and you can even find out when rolling stock is due to be sent for scrap or withdrawn. On that subject, the most recent stock being sent to the breakers in recent months has been the Class 310 EMUs. From what I can gather some vehicles are still left at Shoeburyness but I sincerely hope that at least one driving trailer and an accompanying centre trailer will be preservation-bound. Can anyone enlighten me a little on the subject? Re: Heritage RailwayBack on the wonderful world of heritage, which I must admit I love as much as I love the thought of the times that resulted in it (The Age Of Steam, for instance). All forms of traction are covered with carriages and wagons occasionally getting whole articles to themselves if they're of outstanding significance at the time. The features are also very worth looking at - a very good one on the return of Scots Guardsman recently. Altogether, if you want a blend of traction and some news from a railway other than the major ones, this is the perfect magazine for you. Re: Hornby MagazineNow this is something that's only been published for about a year or more but, with every issue of it that I've ever bought, I've become more and more impressed with it. I especially love seeing other people's model railways being brought to life on the printed page, something I'd otherwise have never seen in all my life. The fact that so many folk out there can set up model railways in their homes or local group HQ and take them on tours and exhibitions is a wonderful thing indeed. The ones with the most historical accuracy and detail are especially worth the read - there was a fantastic one featuring Bath Green Park several issues ago. The latest products from Hornby are also announced through this magazine, all of which seem to improve every single time they're put through the printing press. In some issues, they even use black-and-white images to accompany the lastest products or some tips that they feel would help budding modellers. On the subject of these photographs, a truly beautiful one of No: 7027 Thornbury Castle (Pete Waterman's Castle!) leaving Brunel's magnificent Box Tunnel in 1956, caught my attention recently. Until I saw that picture in the February 2009 issue, I'd been wondering if any pictures of Box Tunnel featuring steam engines have ever found their way into publications or magazines before. Well, now it seems they have! Not much else to say on the subject except that I hope that, some day, some kind enthusiast will send a photograph of a steam engine railtour leaving Box Tunnel to STEAM RAILWAY to feature in a potential Great Western article. I'd love to see that! Does anyone else regularly read railway magazines? Any others you can recommend to the rest of us? Warm Regards As Always, MRHloco
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Tricky
Goods Engine
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Post by Tricky on Feb 10, 2009 23:51:29 GMT
2 main ones for me are Steam Railway and Railway Modeller. I find Model Rail have some truely awesome pictures but nearly all the layouts they feature are to 4mm scale and rarely anything other. Not for me. I used to buy it all the time when it first came out but got bored. Also seemed to be a mish mash of articles and never had any order to it. Although Eliot has a good point about Steam Railway, they do try and feature what is happening with other lines. Though i know a few volunteers so that helps in the grape vine of things. Every now and again i get Heritage Railway. I got this months issue as it lists this years gala events and i hope to be at a few of them. I agree with Eliot for Rail mag. It's very dull and i'm just not quite sure whether it really does touch all items and issues even if it is published fortnightly. Have bought it in the past when an article and older traction has caught my eye. The rest i don't even bother with. I find British Railway Modeller for rivet counters more than anyone else, but that is just my opinion.
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Post by Gundam288 on Feb 13, 2009 12:02:55 GMT
Steam Railway: I have been reading this since 1999 and had not stopped collecting (although I stopped collecting in early 2000, but started again in 2002). Somehow, I don't see any problems with the series in general as mentioned, though I wish they could have covered other countries like Japan and Australia for the World News. Model Rail: I don't know what to say about it really, it has useful articles (especially in the the current and last month's issue featuring articles on constructing a locomotive kit for beginners) and Q&A. I like the fact that it featured layouts that never leave home and such. Railway Modeller: Being one of the oldest railway magazines, this is a must have with inspirational layouts wonderfully pictured, as well as having Awdry's Ffarquhar Branch featured in the 50's issues. Hornby Magazine: Another series worth getting with tutorials for beginners as well as layout plans. My drawback however is that the featured layouts were mostly 4mm scale. British Railway Modelling: I wouldn't mind reading them if every issue I've seen weren't bagged with booklets and stuff!
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OldBoiler
Passenger Engine
With thanks to Colin Bowden, owner of the Mint Cake Mine
Posts: 614
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Post by OldBoiler on Feb 13, 2009 12:25:24 GMT
Some of the booklets can be quite interesting. More so than the magazine at times! That's were Railway Modeller can be really good. Although they don't often put booklets in with the magazine, they do put in some useful ones about how to start modelling, laying track, how to wire points etc. They also publish a list of preserved lines around the country with vouchers for money off for many of them too. I did like Model Rail o begin with and have seen some lovely layouts in there in 0 gauge which i have bought but generally i stick to RM as i find that no matter what gauge there is always something worth reading. And although the general layout and type of pictures hasn't really changed in the 8 years that i have been buying the magazine it has still got some great shots in of both scenery and rolling stock. The one thing i should add about Model Rail which i have always thought as a cracking idea is the fact that they show you a great track plan of the layout and also where the photographs have been taken so that you can follow what is happening ever so easily on the plan.
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