And I thought you were poking fun at the guys' discussion!
Quoting
"'A Premo' armprem2@... [STMFC]"
<STMFC@...>:
>
My apologies to the group.The previous email was intended for my
> Grand
daughter' A. Premo
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: MDelvec952@... [STMFC]
> To: STMFC@...
> Sent:
Friday, August 08, 2014 6:24 PM
> Subject: Re: [STMFC] Demise of
RMC?
>
>
>
>
> I know we're all risking the
gallows for talking about this, but
> since RMC is a magazine of choice
for most of the RPM community
> because of its steady flow of quality
STMFC content, I'd like to add
> a few thoughts. Ten years of my life
was spent with Carstens as a
> stafffer and three times that long as a
contributor, so I've got a
> lot of heart and soul in that place, and
many personal relationships.
>
> Rumors of its demise are
exagerated. Times have been tough and there
> are reorganization plans
in the works that could take on a few forms.
> Please be patient, but
the next few weeks are significant. The
> appreciation of the venerable
title of RMC is not lost in the
> reorganization.
>
> Yes,
there is more information flowing in far more outlets then ever
> in our
field, and yes that in every area the print media is evolving
> in the
world of electronic distribution. Wise business people are
> learning
how to comingle print and digital media rather than to
> compete against
digital.
>
> I've presided over an NRHS Chapter for 20 years, and
from that perch
> I'll also venture that the model railroad hobby is
still growing. The
> Thomas generation is getting old enough to buy
train sets and many of
> today's railroad buffs are getting some of
their jollies on line with
> hours of model railroad videos on youtube,
facebook and elsewhere.
> While the ranks of the traditional model
railroad clubs are thinning
> through attrition, there are other forms
that are popping up. One
> growing area is the Train Sim crowd, building
pikes and creating
> equipment in MicroSoft Train Simulator. A couple of
our members are
> quietly recreating long-lost and abandoned railroads
full size with
> actual scenery and grades, and designing proper
equipment for that
> territory and swapping files.
>
> Any
future venture of any kind in our field is going to need a
> digital
presence. While I wouldn't say our Chapter has the best web
> site in
the field, I do keep up a good facebook presence and through
> that
we've raised more than $40k in contributions and grants for
>
restoration projects, a great amount of excitement that gets the
>
computer crowd trackside when something unusual comes through, and
>
even the young kids (14 and up) are getting out to scrape paint and
>
learn about working on the real stuff, and riding the caboose, bunny
>
and Santa Trains. Our members are building a three-rail, two-level
>
pike in our Lackawanna baggage car, and a couple of the youngins are
>
helping with that. Granted, North Jersey is the mostly densely
>
populated part of America. But while the kids are coming out and
>
watching trains and looking at model railroad videos on their smart
>
phones, I'm not sure the NRHS Chapters and traditional model railroad
>
clubs are going to survive as the dues go up to keep up with rising
>
rents and insurance costs. The NRHS will be bankrupt in two years if
>
it doesn't make some radical changes soon. In our area the larger
>
private model railroads all need operators, and I'd guess that more
>
modelers are operating those than at model railroad clubs. Since
> those
are not open to the public, it requires a certain amount of
> social
interaction to be invited. On a personal side, many of the
> resin kits
I've built are running on private railroads. I don't
> expect to build
my own railroad until the Railroad Retirement Board
> sends along my
"cash for clunkers."
>
> The hobby is evolving. Without getting
into why RMC is reorganizing
> or what the employees are going through,
it does look like the
> magazine and its philosophy on content will
continue.
>
> ....Mike Del
Vecchio
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
-----Original Message-----
> From: Tom Baker bakert@... [STMFC]
> To: STMFC
> Sent: Fri, Aug 8, 2014 12:30 pm
>
Subject: Re: [STMFC] Demise of RMC?
>
>
>
> Tim and
Dave,
>
> Well, you are certainly right about change in delivery
of information
> media, but it does seem to me that fewer of us are out
there in all
> scales. I know of three railroad historical
societies--and there may be
> others I don't know of--that have gone to
the E-zine format, a very good
> idea, I think. I also know of several
societies that have experienced a
> drop in membership due to the
passing of their members.
>
> Then there is an interesting shift
among occurring among the hi-rail
> crowd, a push toward greater
prototype accuracy. I am no hi-railer, but
> I will have to admit that
even the 3-rail manufacturers have produced
> some great looking
prototype locomotives. Problem is these guys still
> are not at the
level of accuracy we scalers want, and that is true
> especially with
the freight cars that come off the line: They're better
> than those
truncated things, the 6464-series box cars for example, but
> have a
long way to go before the product would satisfy us even if we
> were in
O gauge.
>
> Another issue is that fewer and fewer scale modelers
are building cars.
> My HO modeling friend surmises that many of those
Sunshine kits sit on
> modelers shelves in the basement, attic, or
garage and there they stay.
> He is probably right.
> >
Tom
> >
> > I don't think it is demographics at all -- In
the 1960's when I was a
> > teenager, my Dad got Trains, Model
Railroader and RMC. And there were a
> > few hundred published books,
with some prototype railroads having 15 or
> > even 20 titles! My Dad
had maybe 30 or 40 books including Car
> Builder Cycs.
>
>
> > By the 1990's we also had Mainline Modeler, Model
Railroading, and
> Railmodel
> > Journal. And new publishers
cranking out new books every week.
> Usually more
> > than
several every week. Heck we're up to issue #28 of the RP Cyclopedia!
>
>
> > Now we have modeling ezines from historical societies, more
books
> than ever,
> > and tens of thousands of blogs, web
sites, photo sites, archival
> sites, etc.
> > People have
collections of hundreds of books and special publications.
>
>
> > I subscribe to RMC and I enjoy the magazine but really, in
this hurricane
> > of railroad and modeling information that we live
in, will we really feel
> > at all deprived without it? Some months I
have no time to read even one
> > article.
> >
> >
It's not demographics -- it's information overload!
> >
> >
Tim O'Connor
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
>> Although I had no idea of failed payments to authors and
photographers,
> >> I have wondered what is happening at RMC.
First we lose Mainline Modeler
> >> and now maybe RMC. I haven't
figured out what exactly causes the muted
> >> draw Model
Railroader has for me, but its draw is definitely muted. The
> >>
series of articles by Ted Culotta and Clark Probst were really a big
>
>> draw for me, and I don't even model in HO, but in S. I saw the
material
> >> on S in the June issue a bit in the way of filler
but still helpful. I
> >> hope we do not lose RMC, but I cannot
halt the forward and inexorable
> >> march of
demographics.
> >>
> >> Tom Baker
>
>>
> >
> >
> >
> >
------------------------------------
> > Posted by: Tim O'Connor
> >
------------------------------------
> >
> >
> >
------------------------------------
> >
> > Yahoo Groups
Links
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
>
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