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I have found a "letters to the editor" entry in a 1954 Model Railroader the other day that further bolstered the feeling of growing necessity by serious hobbyists to forever separate themselves from their growing tin-plate counterparts of that era. It referred to the expanding efforts of c...

Troubled by the odd discrepancy between Allen and my own literature search numbers concerning what I had long believed in the way of Model Railroader's post-war circulation figures up to 1960 (when they became yearly public record), this morning I reviewed my copies of the magazine from 1950 to '58....

In response to Allen's interesting post, let me offer the following. Prior to 1960, apparently the first year when MR officially began publishing yearly circulation figures following USPS regulations, specific circulation numbers are pretty scarce. Although I've admittedly found a few scattered cont...

In regard to Allen's comment upstream that he seemed to recall an MR published graph, circa 1984, indicating an ebb in MR's circulation at some point during the 1950's, I'm afraid that this cannot be confirmed by the published figures. In fact, MR's circulation grew steadily from its inception right...

Otto, I understand that you desire to promote the hobby, not reveal its current serious flaws. But let's take a moment to be downright honest about how things have evolved over the past dozen, or so, years. Today there is only just the illusion of a wider diversity of products available. A more crit...

While I would agree that the recent WSJ article lacks needed citation of facts, it nevertheless voices the present state of the hobby quite accurately. For anyone thinking that our hobby is healthy and doing very well these days I suggest reading the thread further down this page concerning model ra...

Gonna pass on the Amherst Show this year, my age no longer favors all the extensive walking and crowd fighting (especially with the very favorable warm weather predicted for this weekend) it would require. I did formerly attend these shows and found them quite enjoyable, particularly for the presenc...

Thanks, Marty, that info was enough for me to locate an announcement for the show on the Internet that included the show's location and time (10am-4pm). I find it kinda odd that I haven't even heard a rumor about the show, given that it's location is not even a score of miles from my residence. CNJ999

I lately have noted a small yellow roadside sigh in the Poughkeepsie, NY, area advertising a model train show to be held on February 14, 2016 , but I'm forced each time to pass the sign at speed and cannot safely read any venue. Nothing seems posted on the Internet regarding this. Anyone know locati...

More-or-less tying into the theme of this thread is the publication of 2015 end-of-year circulation stats for Model Railroader Magazine, appearing on the last page of the January 2016 issue. These indicate that the magazine's printed circulation has declined significantly for the 22nd consecutive ye...

Hi Jerry, Your post omits some necessary details regarding just how much effort you want to put into the project, what actual track dimensions you are planning on and how handy you are with tools. First of all, avoid raising the track in your room on separate individual supports. Sooner or later one...

Indeed, that "certain magazine" has had a number of specific agendas over the years that it has attempted to impose upon the hobby, some dating back to a surprisingly early era. From the late 1940's the senior editors apparently believed that "operations" should be the be-all end...

Indeed, Bob, the hobby today is dramatically different from what it was two, three, or four decades ago. The distinct shift that you note in your post is nothing new to us old-timers. I and others have remarked on it at various times over the years on this and other forums. In point of fact, the cha...

It is interesting to see Rapido offering the FL9's at this late date and I'm sure that New Haven enthusiasts will be doing cartwheels over it. However, the days of real fame for the FL9 are today long behind us, as I anticipate the engine's appeal to general hobbyists across the board and sale poten...

CNJ, I think the survey results you allude to are quite telling. As the average age of model railroaders increases in close proportion to the dates indicated, do you supposed the individuals polled are in fact the same people? I think this is highly likely, as people who get into the hobby as young...