Wonder why Model Railroader has a new editor

jwomble Sep 3, 2017

  1. James Fitch

    James Fitch TrainBoard Member

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    Interestingly, Neil is retiring to Mexico. Yes, from what Pelle said, it was a shock so not the proper send-off. At least Neil had an exit plan!
     
  2. jumijo

    jumijo New Member

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    I'm brand new to the forum, and registered just to add my two cents. I've been following this story on several forums, including Model Railroader's, and decided to do a little digging. After poking around a bit, I believe he was let go for disciplinary reasons. I'm just speculating, but Neil may have posted things on social media that may not have been to the liking of his employer or their advertisers. He seemed to be a fairly active poster on one site up until October of 2016. Some of those posts were political in nature, and at least 2 photos had profanity in them. Judging from the fact that I saw only 1 post from October 2016 until now, I'm guessing that some have been deleted.

    Employers often monitor their employee's social media activity to ensure that nothing is being said or done to make the company look bad. It could be that Kalmbach decided that Neil's expression of free speech violated their policies or reflected badly on the company. Political commentary from the editor of a national magazine can be polarizing to that magazine's readership.

    I'm going to miss Neil as editor of MR, and wish he had received a better send off.

    Jim
     
  3. Philip H

    Philip H TrainBoard Member

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    Were that to actually be the case it would probably be my last straw reason to cancel my MR subscription. While I "understand" companies not wanting to "look bad" I still bristle at the notion that a person's personal speech reflects on the company when presented as personal speech. And making sudden changes without warning like that often have a greater negative connotation - just look at Photobucket's recent changes . . . .
     
  4. jumijo

    jumijo New Member

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    The evidence certainly points towards my supposition being correct. Even his comments about moving to Mexico could be taken as wanting to leave the current political climate of the U.S.
     
  5. trainman-ho

    trainman-ho TrainBoard Member

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    In this modern era, the computer age, it seems that we all give away our right to privacy every time we type something on our screens! Big Brother doesn't have to watch....... What we print on line will be available for ever....or until deleted!
     
  6. RailMix

    RailMix TrainBoard Member

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    That , in my opinion, was a very bad move on RMC's part. The magazine was way better with Koester at the reins (again, my personal opinion) than it had been before or for a very long time after. Looking back at my collection, during the Koester era I read RMC much more often than I did MR.
     
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  7. Hardcoaler

    Hardcoaler TrainBoard Member

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    Well put Tom. Tony's Allegheny Midland is/was an extraordinary model railroad. While MR was trumpeting magazine thickness in that era, RMC was tops in magazine content.
     
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  8. BoxcabE50

    BoxcabE50 HOn30 & N Scales Staff Member TrainBoard Supporter

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    Their reluctance to keep step with the times might have aided in this decision. For instance, the rest of the world moved on long ago. Meanwhile they stubbornly stuck with old references to track widths long since renamed to named "On30" and "HOn30". They kept on with the archaic HOn2&1/2, On2&1/2. Which lost them subscribers. I know that some On30 folks went to RMC, as that publication happily evolved with the times. What has happened in the years since, I did not follow. Don't know, don't care.
     
  9. Point353

    Point353 TrainBoard Member

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    Or, it could simply be due to seeking a lower cost of living and a warmer climate than in WI.
     
  10. J911

    J911 TrainBoard Member

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    I ditched my subscription years ago. Nothing of use or worth to me anyway. Far less useful stuff than in the past. I made the switch to Model Railroad Hobbyist Magazine. Not only is it free but offers some great stuff.

    Sent from my SM-G920P using Tapatalk
     
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  11. cocotrain2

    cocotrain2 TrainBoard Member

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    I also love Model Railroad Hobbyist Magazine online. Much better than MRM' Which I still get' I only got one year for $29 a year. Its not nearly as good as the old days but still decent. I like Cody's Office he a fun guy and I enjoy his reviews. As far as Neil being let go or him just quitting that's their business not mine.
     
  12. RailMix

    RailMix TrainBoard Member

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    I would agree regarding both MRH and Cody. He's very personable and is developing into a very capable modeler. I also suspect that he fits the "old school" profile of having been a modeler who became a journalist

    I will also say that I bought this month's magazine and while I have not digested it thoroughly I enjoyed Paul Dolkos' article on his street trackage and a couple of other things (layout in a weekend and the stone blacksmith shop) look interesting. Not bad content wise this month.

    In retrospect, with regard to Andy Sperandeo being moved from the editor's position some years ago, that was when the magazine changed from modeler's magazine to a "buy it RTR, plop it down and throw some scenery material around it" magazine. Andy was another old school modeler who had once been an operator on John Allen's G&D.

    OK, I've used up $1 worth of space on my 2 cents worth, so I'll shut up now.:)
     
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  13. jumijo

    jumijo New Member

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    I also enjoyed Dolkos' article, but thought he missed a perfect opportunity to use a lil' joe 0-4-0, the quintessential Baltimore waterfront steamer. I'm in the planning stages of a Baltimore waterfront layout, and will refer back to this article many times, I'm sure.

    Dolkos is somewhat responsible for my desire to model the Baltimore waterfront. Way back in 1975, he photographed the Severna Park club layout, and the photos in the Dec '75 MR left a lasting impression on me.
     
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  14. Pete Nolan

    Pete Nolan TrainBoard Supporter

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    After 45 or more years as a peripatetic writer/editor, may I comment that none of this speculation is anything more than a warm bucket of spit? Ediots--I mean editors!--are hired and fired for every reason one can imagine. I've had warm relationships with an editor only to have an absolutely poisonous one with the replacement. Most magazines other than the most prestigious change colors periodically, quickly and as dramatically as New England maples in the Fall. Even the biggies change direction albeit more slowly.
     

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