Gents: With regard to the discussion of TRAINS magazine's price, allow me to say that I do not subscribe to that publication, but I believe they are reasonably priced for those seeking the information there. It is also, strikes me as somewhat beside the point, since the copies I see at the BBB all contain cards offering subscriptions at less than half price. The magazines bundled and sent to hobby shop dealers of Kalmbach publications do not have these cards. In my area where local hobby shops have taken a beating; two of the three survivors have not sold monthly CARSTENS or KALMBACH magazines for at least a decade, because of those many paged advertisements from giant discount train dealers. They carry some of their how to do-it books, but only periodicals (like Hundman's and Brown's), which refused to carry such adverts were stocked. All of which was understandable, since firms such as TRAINWORLD, CHEAP HOBBIES, and so forth - were selling merchandise for less than a local hobby shop could get it from WALTHERS' or some other 'wholesaler' . I buy Railroad & Railfan with some regularity at the local BBB, and most of Kalmbach's history related pubs (as well as occassional copies of Trains). Except for RMC,NGSL, various historical sociey journals, and the recently aborted subscription I had with Hundman's MAINLINE MODELER, the rest of my reading is at libraries or of periodicals obtained for me to read by my better half, from her work. These others are considered professional rail publications, and it is worth mentioning there is a growing online presence in them. The BLE''s LOCOMOTIVE ENGINEERS JOURNAL is one such, that has information of interest to modern railfans. Also SIMMONS_BOARDMAN has an electronic edition online that presents the prior months edition of RAILWAY AGE. This could be a mistake, as if there was ever an outfit with bucks on their mind they are one of them. That is of course their purpose so I assume they keep stockholders happy. S-B's big 3 (railroad wise) are: RAILWAY AGE ($16.50 a copy, $72. a year); INTERNATIONAL RAILWAY JOURNAL($21. a copy,$186. a year); EUROPEAN RAIL($21. a copy, $62. a year). PROGRESSIVE RAILROADING from Trade Press Publications (located in MIlwaukee incidentally, but started when old A.C. Kalmbach was in short pants), is the most useful, to followers of North American rail equipment and goes for $68. a year in the USA, and $95. in Canada or elsewhere. PROGRESSIVE RAILROADING also knocks out a $50 book- CAR & LOCOMOTIVE YEARBOOK that is well known to the freight car 'experts' and kit making companies. If you are a modern rail buff, this is pretty much a 'must' read. Now, PROGRESSIVE RAILROADING, and the 3 Simmons - Boardman mags are available free to people on: the railroads and rail equipment makers; as well as to users of rail service and related transport industries (e.g.marine,air, express, forwarders, etc.); as well as any factors in the siting of industrial/commercial activity; the financing of any/all activities related to physical distribution from the creating or to final sale of any physical good; and all peripheral activity relating in any way to distributing physical artifacts. Unfortunately, it ain't as easy to get free magazines as it once was. Today, if you are on the railroad you have to have some kind of traffic related, engineering, or other managerial position to get same. When I was a young man my neighbor who was a NYC conductor on the("sugar house run", Hudson Div) subscribed himself to all available industry mags (there were more of them then, than now) for my benefit. As a teenager, I got all of them to read, and only regret that my mother forced them to be discarded because of the space eaten up by those slick papered heavyweights. That doesn't mean that you should not explore trying to get freebies. If you are in the right sourt of company and know a railroad traffic person, he can put you on the list, and if you are a person somehow related to physically distributing some products, you probably can get it yourself at work. If you are a conductor/ engineman today, you probably can get some management person you know to put you in the freebie loop. It might make you look like you want to get ahead, but on some places and carriers that may not be considered a good thing. However, you know that already if you are working on the job. Regardless, exploring the websites (just GoogleUp title, or publisher), will get you plenty of free information. The paper magazine (or printed on plastic) will continue, because it allows a portability lacking in alternatives, and it also does not require you to be limited to facing a bloody computer screen. One can interact with people around you, read it in a parking lot or standing on line without suffering eye strain, and most of all it is not directly associated with employment places. It may be a professional journal, but it is not the same as sitting at some office desk and making a living, while trying to deal with interruptions, and eye strain. Periodicals are not going away. Almost all electronic versions of periodicals have parts of interest printed out for further utility and ease of absorption, by their users. People simply do not want to have to study on a monitor what can be seen on a paper edition, under better conditions. So explore the net, and con your way into free railroad magazines as needed or able, but TRAINS magazine is not overpriced for what is presented. Whether it survives is as much a function of the numbers of people who consider watching the current railroad scene a justifiable avocation, as the 7 buck price tag. Good-Luck, Peter Boylan them for
