There have been stories circulating that Andy Sperandeo has been moved from editor to executive editor while Russ Larson takes over the reins until a replacement can be found. Marty McGuirk has also left and is now a VP of somethingorother at Intermountain. Jeff Wilson has also left and Jim Kelley has retired. Here is a quote from Andy about his departure source is from an unsourced mailing list > Yes, I'm afraid it's true. I've been replaced as editor, though I'm > still working on the magazine as executive editor, and I'll go back to > being editor of our annual "Great Model Railroad." Russ Larson is serving > as both editor and publisher of MR in the interim while he searches for a > new editor. It will be interesting to see what direction the magazine will take. I understand some mebers have been unhappy with the direction the magazine has taken over the past few years but i still look forward to reading it every month. Comments????????
I'm surprised. I thought the magazine has improved over the last 12 months. They went through a real dry spell for a bit. I am concerned over the loss of some of the people over the last six months. They seem to have had a real "brain drain" since February or so. It sounds as if they've created a title for Andy. Usually not a good thing in industry. Chris
On several other lists (the N scale list at Yahoo!Groups, for one) the concern is that MR will revert to a beginners' level magazine. The opinion is also there that under Sperandeo's watch, the quality improved. FWIW, the staff loss in such a short time doesn't sound too good. Wonder if there's a behind-the-scenes battle at Kalmbach? My opinions (which are like belly buttons- everybody's got one, but not many want to know about 'em, LOL): 1. The promotion of new technology (DCC) by MR is a good thing for the hobby. 2. While it gets tiring reading Tony Koester's columns sometimes, his ideas, like it or not, are thought-provoking (scale rail, leaning more toward prototype-specific when modeling, researching the prototype, etc). He isn't the Alpha and Omega of model railroad knowledge, but I read him, and if I don't agree with something he writes, I flush it & go on. No reason to get your shorts in a wad over it. 3. I applaud the run of small layouts featured in MR. Not all of us have basements or spare large buildings for layout space, and the smaller layout trackplans have been beneficial, especially for your truly. And, they're not all super-duper detailed to the Nth degree, but they are done just right. 4. I don't think Kalmbach is "in bed" with any specific manufacturer (no flames, please, lol), but I'd like to see a Consumer Reports-like column (that magazine doesn't pull punches). Jim Kelley's N scale diesel roundup was very informative- I never heard anybody refer to N scale diesels as junk, horrid, poorly manufactured, etc. before in print. I would like to see what products get submitted that don't get reviewed in print....... There's been an earlier thread about MR, and I don't want to revive it, but I'm gonna take a "wait-and-see" approach as MR sorts out the major staff changes. If, in my opinion, the quality reverts to Tom Swift and His Electric Choo-Choo, my subscrption is history. Somebody else want this soapbox? I'm done now....
There needs to be a magazine for the average hobbist that would fill the void and become the Bible of model railroading again. One where people could write in, ask questions about a product, and get answers or be refered to past articles, not just ignored totally. I am not willing to pay that kind of money for a book of adds that never change. MR is not worth what it costs in my opinion, and I got tired of being belittled in it constantly, as were several other people who also cancelled subscriptions. It seems that Andy and Carstons got their big collections and became Big Shots, leaving us Little Shots, Half Shot. I enjoy the TrainBoard far and away more than any thing MR has had to offer since 1950. In my most humble opinion, that is, so there! BITE ME!
I have noticed changes in MR over the past year, but it was hard to put a finger on it. I do applaud their small layout series, but something else seemed to be missing. To me it seemed that they were saving there good stuff for great model railroads and model railroad planning, while MR suffered. I have found RMC more enjoyable lately and may subscribe to them after MR subscription runs out.
I've been reading both MR & RMC for 40 yrs now. In the 70's I looked with equal favor upon them both but the last 15 yrs or so I've favored MR over RMC, many times considering cancelling my subscription to RMC. I liked MR for their product reviews understanding that it's just one other person's opinion not "the Bible", and I also always liked their featured layouts even though I have my own 3 level around the basement wall layout. It was Russ Larson's article in an April MR that got me interested in large scale railroading. I've always enjoyed reading what Tony K had to say, many times knowing where he's coming from & other times not knowing or caring what he was trying to say. As for all the "ads", well, before the home computer came along, MR was a good way to see what was available out there.
Interim? Where do I send my resume? I can see it now.....First, we'll change the name to "N Scale Model Railroader With A Little HO & O Scale Thrown In To Keep-Em Happy And No Walthers Ads" Yep...I'm as good as in there!
In the early and mid 1990's I was an avid reader of Model Railroader, but as of late, it's gone downhill. If I had to pick a specific year, I think it'd be 1998, when they redesigned the format of the magazine. I have many issues from the '80s and '70s and I find them to be more useful than more recent issues. I don't know really what they did differently back then, but to me those issues hold more value than newer ones. For my money, N Scale Railroading is the best magazine, although I have found that N Scale has become quite good in the past few years. I generally keep my money away from Kalmbach, preferring CTC Board over TRAINS, and the Internet over Garden Railways.
O.k,heres my opinion,for what it's worth........ When I bought Great Model Railroads I saw that they featured some N scale layouts and got excited until I got it home and actually looked through it.Where are the Great N scale layouts? I would expect those layouts in the regular monthly issue,not the annual.Why do we n scalers have to see tiny little layouts.Is that all anyone is building?Is that all anyone is writing articles about? Don't get me wrong,my layout isn't exactly huge,and my plaster and ground foam slinging skills leave much to be desired,but I look to the magazines for inspiration,something to make me put the magazine down and head to the basement.The articles on 4x8 layouts just don't inspire me. That said,I'm not trying to put down or dicourage anyone from building a small layout.We all have space limitations,and some have it better than others,but does anyone have the '94 GMR? I'm sure the size of the Hooch Jct.layout is the exception to the rule,but that issue still inspires me.Hasn't anyone built n scale layouts of the same caliber as the Cat Mountain,V+O,the Denver Front Range and Western,or the Utah Belt?These layouts (while H.O.)are very inspiring,and of a quality I work towards. Now I hope I havn't insulted anyone here,I'm sure I'm not the onlyone who feels this way.When I discovered Trainboard it was a god send.No more waiting every month for a issue that may or may not appeal to me,I just check in here to learn what is new and what people are up to in the hobby.
