Watash, Sure glad you don't have a chip on your shoulder over that!!!LOL I guess no orginization is perfect... hell, look at the Feds!!! I would say that on the national level your gripes about the NMRA are well founded, or perhaps a better comment would be to say that I can't disprove them. But I joined my local division not for what the national has to offer but what my regional & divisonal chapters have to offer in the way of fellowships & fun. If I were in your position I'd have a chapped butt too, but I think I'd still be a member just to enjoy all the fun I've had over the last 10 or so years. I've never been to the national show, don't know that I'd care to, but I try to attend all the regional & division shows I am able to. I've met some fabulous modelers & friends that I might not have if I hadn't been a member. Not trying to say you've been missing out by any means, we're all intitled to our opinions, this ones mine! Just remember, "Age and trechery will always overcome youth and exuberance"!! 2slim
2slim, you did not read my post correctly. It was not just one butt head, it was not the whole organization, and not just one editor. It continued with both since 1937! I did not know how bad they are until after my daddy died, (and mom showed me the paperwork); when I asked to have his engines and awards. I guarantee you, I do not carry a chip on my shoulder for any local chapter of the NMRA, nor any one editor of the rag, I carry a railroad tie on my shoulder against the Head Quarters!! At one time I knew the names, and the only one left I could reach, died before I could get to meet him face to face. I am dissappointed about that, because it left me with no closure. My facts can not be shaken. There are some excellent members, but at the head quarters, they deserve to fall on their face. They told my dad that because he was a professionsl model maker, he did not 'deserve' to be awarded a Master Model Maker's award! They never returned the engine he sent in for judging. They told me they never received one. Then how did they know to write him that he was not eligible??? Now you have to fill out an application to try for the award. I was told that applications for that award were no longer being offered when I asked to submit one. Now I know why, my initials are the same as my dad's, so they thought I was him. I already have a Master Craftsman Award. If your father and you had been treated this way, wouldn't you be (*) as much as I am? The main regret I have, is that I wasn't allowed to give him a good old Marine Corps knuckle sandwitch!! Yes Sir, back in those days you bet I would have!
It really feels good to have the TrainBoard to be able to give praise, ask questions, get answers, and vent frustrations and anger with those who understand. Feel lots better now that I finally got most of it off my chest. I have been carrying that indignation since 1984, and now that it all comes back to mind, probably before that. I just didn't realize it. I'm done, I mean no offence to any person on the TrainBoard, or any club member here, and I'm sure I am not alone, since the e-mails, tend to bear me out. Thanks fellows, I appreciate your support and so would my dad.
Watash, I would rather hear an honest opinion than some PC BS. Keep up the good work. Guess I am not a PC kind of guy.
Watash,I'd rather come to the board and find out what ya'll say about a product,because I know it wont be sugarcoated it will be an honest opinion from someone who went out and bought a product.I trust plain folks like us that dont have the money to go out and spend big bucks to buy something.I'd trust your opinion before I'd trust andy's(MR) anyway,cause you been there and be done,done dat!!! RRman48 RUSTYB FRISCO4EVER
Guys, The real truth comes out in.............. 6 words total!!!!!!!! "The Truth Comes Out In Trainboard" !!!! Guys we lead the model railroading truth by far! Compared to some of the magazines and such out their!!! We have the knowledge and the skill not to mention the "been their done that" type thing so guys keep it real for the rest of us to believe because the mags and such don't post the truth just a bunch of lies I will believe anything in here waaaaaay before I will something from MR, or MRC!!!!!! At least here in trainboard we all hear and read the truth and what some guys have went through for the hobby where MR MRC doesn't say what we all experienced in the past.
This type of discussion is good, as long as we remember not everyone is 18 or older here. We do have some minors around so keep it, not "PC", but even tempered and at least "foul-less", OK gang? Trust me, if you want to know what I feel about the NMRA, I'd be more than happy to tell you in privet, I couldn't post it here!
Here it is, the reasons why these magas like reviewing the stuff that is useless to us: 1)They are trying to make us feel good about spending lots of money for junk...because it is an advertised good. 2)These companies send them in this junk because they already know that we do not want to buy their junk. But then, they are not trying to get our dollars. They are trying to reach out to the people who are just beginning, or never have purchased railroad equiptment. 3)If enough newstarts feel good about this junk quality, the products sell, and these new people eventually outnumber us. Then, we are forced to believe that this lower quality is acceptable, and anything else costs so darn much we cannot compete. And the companies can then produce More sellable junk, and we won't be able to do anything about it. Then a new company comes out with better stuff but at slightly higher prices, all the other companies follow suit with their "slightly improved higher product lines," glorified junk (remember the "Plus!" product line?)so we all end up paying a little more for our stuff, even the low end junk. Its a conspiracy!!! And people wonder why I frequent eBay so often!
I only have two things to say, and no, I am not employed by Model Railroader Mag: 1- One must take ALL advertising with a grain of salt. Do you go out and buy a car that costs thousands just because Car and Driver says its the best ever? Nah, don't think so. You ask around, talk to people you know who have it or something like it before you spend your money. It pays to do that with everything we buy. And forums like this one is just the place. 2- I personally got the model railroading bug from reading an old Model Railroader Magazine. And I know at least 5 other guys who did as well. Plus, the helps and tips I have gotten from their mag (and now the website -I really liked the old site better) over the years have Made Me Think about things in ways that I haven't thought about before. That's how knowledge grows in any subject. So, lets all think before we throw the baby out with the bathwater her! Sure, I figure they fudge a little bit. I had wanted a model of a doodlebug for years that I could afford, but nothing was available in plastic until Bachmann came along with theirs. MRR gave it a super review, but when I compared the model to the prototypes I wanted to model, it was lacking on a lot of areas. However, this is where kitbashing comes in, and the model gave me a good place to start. in spite of the name, and my local hobby shop owner told me that "Another name for Bachmann is 'Junk'"! It filled my needs and runs really well if maintained well, and I am pleased with my choice. Do your homework, guys, before you buy, and then write in about what you find out. They can't print everything, but I have seen a LOT of rebuttal and correction letters printed, some that were downright negative toward the magazine. Be fair, and kep 'em rolling!
Benny, you really got my point I have been miffed about all these years. There just were too many rich kids growing up that kept dumping funds into the coffers of the junk dealers. I know of one whose dad started importing Brass so the kid could have it to play with! When he would break one, they simply bought him another! I tried to get him to let me have the damaged one, but his dad collected "damaged freight" on it. Its a shame you younger guys never will experience really well made equipment. Old, Lionel, Varney, Mantua, Globe, Tootsietoy, Marklin, Buddy L, Ives, Bing, and many others were like a Rolls Royce compared to anything on the market today.
Graphite is right on the money here. If it hadn't been for MR when I was a kid, the railroad never would have gone past the toy train stage. My earlier post on this thread still stands though. I disagree with model reviews in the magazines that carry the manufacturers advertisements as I see it as a conflict of interest. This does not stop me from buying the magazine; however, as it is always full of good info. I simply ignore the reviews and come here to hear what is real!! By the way graphite, I am interested in an N doodlebug and Bachmann appears to have the only affordable one going. What can you tell me about them?? Happy Modeling!! John
The August 1980 issue was my first MR. It got me out of the toy train stage. And again it was MR that brought me back to model trains after a long time off (July 1997.) But it was Model Railroading that I got me into the prototype modeling stage. MRG is hard to find in OZ but MR is readily available (although 2 months behind) and I still buy every issue without even opening it. I don't buy it for the reviews - and I never have - I buy and enjoy MR for the fine photographs of fine model railroads.
I have to agree with rob on this, i always buy MR without opening it. I enjoy the articles and also the advertisements I read it from cover to cover. I read the reviews but don't treat it as gospel. It is up to the individual but I will always buy MR. sometimes reading an article will motivate me to getting back into my layout.
<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by Colonel: sometimes reading an article will motivate me to getting back into my layout.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> Ain't it the truth!
I subscribed to MR for 12 years up until 1999, when I got started on planning My N scale layout. the magazine was nearly useless (nearly) and I needed the extra money to help with the new layout ($4.50 is getting expensive!!)I most likely won't resubscribe. MAYBE SOMEONE SHOULD SUGGEST TRAINBOARD TO ModelRailroader (to put in magazine) ??
Alan - That's a good idea. Maybe Paul, Gary and I need to form an MR co-op. A&A - Every once in a while I pay only 4.50 South Pacific Peso's (AKA the Australian "Dollar") if the kid at the newsagent doesn't notice that it's an American magazine. But the last issue was just over $10.00 The price we pay to live in paradise
Odd.....I was just reading the April issue of MR, and went over the reviews on Athearn's Genesis F-unit, Stewart's Baldwin VO-1000, and the new Kadee #58 prototype-sized coupler. The Baldwin and coupler reviews excited me- if these models are even 1/2 of what MR claims they are, they'll do well! And since Frisco had VO1000s since the early 1940s, they oughta fit in well on my roster. OK, that aside, I don't read every review in every magazine, but if something catches my eye, I'm gonna go check it out for myself. If not here in Junction, then a trip to Caboose Hobbies in Denver will do the trick. I've made several purchases this way, and turned down quite a few other models by the same method. Of course, asking my fellow model rails about something helps too You all have, to you, justifiable reasons for not liking Kalmbach, Carstens, NMRA, whatever. That's fine- I can live with that. But to be honest, some of y'all's posts were starting to get hot- I half-expected the America Offline logo to pop up any second You remember AOL- where you go to a flamewar, and a railroading discussion breaks out. I appreciate the fact you gotta blow off steam, and I'm happy none of the posts were abusive toward fellow posters. No offense given, none taken- I like that!! One question I do have- in a recent post, EM1_7600 (sorry if I misspelled it) menitons "junk" products offered by manufacturers. That's a pretty broad, if not vauge, statement, and a little clarification is needed here. So I guess my question is, what do you guys classify as junk? My personal un-favorites would be Tyco, pre-Proto LifeLess (oops, I mean LifeLike), and non-Spectrum Bachmann. What are yours? And, if you were to get a newbie to the hobby started out, what would you recommend? Or is this better served under another thread? Have a good one, fellas!
FriscoBob, What I meant by "junk" is exactly what you've just stated. Pre-Spectrum, Bachmann, Pre-Proto, Life-less junk (opps is right we both meant Life-Like! You's all know the basic toy stuff. Now for Athearn basics I can't say much though I got some of the first Athearn loco's and they are still going strong today, and believe it or not they aren't noisy! I have thrown a few old drive lines out of them and broke a few but thats from my own dumb fault from over loading the loco with cars that it did pull till the drive lines broke and I made brass drive line couplings and they are stronger and run like scared jack rabbits!!! But the great part about Athearn is they don't use rubber traction bands on the wheels as Watash will agree they are junk.
Oh and FriscoBob, don't worry about the misspelling my friend! It all means the same loco classification of the same railroad so...... EM-1_7600 or 7600EM_1 its all the same to me just another way of saying it and thats all good. I like the EM-1_7600 name better but I don't know how to change it I even like just the name of "EM-1" for that matter, but I guess i'm stuck with what I have so....
