Carstens Publications Ceases Operations

Very sad news. Hopefully someone will take over. RMC is one of my favorites.

Bob

definitely disappointing, but i don't understand the comment about current economic conditions. i thought the economy was doing fine according to the media. seriously hope they find a buyer.   

It is sad to see a veteran railroad publishing business stop.  A very similar feeling to seeing a local hobby shop close.

Art

There is no media, only propaganda networks now.

That's really a shame.

Now I've got a twinge of guilt, for I dropped this subscription, and several club

memberships some time ago.  But it just seemed like I was getting a bill every day.

I have back issues held out, of RMC, with plans I want to build.  The other major

model railroad magazine publisher bombards me with other publications they want to

sell, to my considerable annoyance, so I am guessing the purported economic boom is a political fantasy.

Wow! I always enjoyed reading a few of these.

A real loss for rail fans and model railroaders. Being an avid reader I enjoyed the more historical back stories in their modelling magazine and their rail fan publication wasn't simply "a picture book" with text as an afterthought. Many a fine essay that I learned from was there. A real shame..their editorial purview was right up there with the best.

It pertains specifically to their conditions.  Low cash flow in and higher out -- Sandy hurt them and then their printer did a re-org that basically crippled them on getting issues out the door.

People are not getting rich off of print media and do it making a slim profit as a rule, and when it comes to this sector, there's also an element of doing it out of love for the hobby that keeps it going until one ceases to break even.  Operational costs just could not be met.

2 companies are bidding to buy RMC & Railfan.  What that means and what they will become in the future is an unknown.  Hopefully, RMC which really was hanging on as a real craftsman and builders publication will retain that identity and content.  Otherwise, this will be a serious loss as the numbers of such publications decreases.

Too true.

This is sad news to me.  Back in my N scale days, RMC was the only hobby magazine I bought, and I learned many useful things from its pages.

I hope Carstens continues and it looks like there will be a future, if two paeties are interested.

So sad to see.

Printed media readership is down everywhere. Lots of magazines and newspapers have shut their doors in recent years. Not enough subscriptions. Lots of bookstores have shut their doors as well. Many publishers have attempted to go digital, but that's a big undertaking.

Magazines are slowly passing. Readership is down as are subscribers. Many magazines are trying to stay afloat with reduced subcription prices, as low as 6.00 a year, and depending on their advertiser to continue advertising. 6.00 doesn't even pay the postage.

The other Model Railroader is also feeling a pinch in subcription, yet have been able to maintain and raise their subcription prices.

As a Boat owner, I receive several monthly magazines free, advertisers are picking up the costs completely to hit consumers in the boating industries.

Going to miss Carsten magazines. Good product, great articles which could be used in many scales.

Also one less item to catch the eyes of kids, and adults stirring interest into Model Railroading. 

Sorry to see posting after the demise, rather then during in which increase in interest would maybe have a benefit for everyone. Like a large increase in subcriptions? Or advertisers taking notice?

I learned my lesson the hard way in terms of the internet and computers in general when it comes to media. I saved a lot of resources, essays, and historical information and then my hard drive died and nothing could be recovered. If RR ever comes back, Ill subscribe and keep the useful hard copies where they are safe, on a shelf versus a hard drive.

I am very sorry to lose Carstens.  Over the years, they have put out a lot of publications that I enjoyed and many I came to treasure.  One thing I liked about RMC is that each issue did not appear to come out of the same "cookie cutter."  It was not "formulaic;" they were less about having an established formula for every issue.  Rather, each issue had more of a unique framework with subjects ranging from the basics to the esoteric and exotic.  They weren't afraid to do articles that were primarily based on the prototype, including many unusual subjects.

I will especially miss Keith Wills' "Collector Consist" and the "Perspective" column and photos by a different author each month.  They provided a wealth of information on subjects that were rarely covered anywhere else.

It would be nice if RMC re-appeared in some guise but I doubt it will be the same.

I think if there is a moral to this story it is that those of us who enjoy the publications that allow us to more fully enjoy our hobby need to support the companies and people that publish them.   

I suppose I am nearly alone in thinking this is inevitable and just part of how it should be.  I'm a big believer in a Darwinian world: survival of the fittest in everything.  Whatever the reason, Carstens wasn't.  Other RR magazines like OGR and others do survive, even prevail, no doubt because they adapt and grow a bit more than Carstens did. 

well I for one have stopped buying magazines. I used wait each month for delivery of a magazine; hopeful that there would be an article or two with info I could use.

However, Forums that are up 24/7 solve the problem of waiting and hoping. Here we can access a far greater range of ideas and useful information that you can find in a magazine. You can ask questions and sometimes even get knowledgeable  answers to the questions posed without waiting.

That's why sellers should be grateful to Alan Arnold for selling them space in the header line of this forum; where one thread can garner thousands of lookers!

Some day, people will look at a paper book and magazine in awe...."wow, is that real paper"?

Everything is moving to digital....last time I went into Barnes and Noble, the book sections have shrunk, while the stationary, games, and coffee shop got larger.

I cannot even find certain books i want anymore in paper form, only digital.

I want my magazines in print.  I am not interested in digital versions, for I already

spend too much time on the computer wading through the auction site, and even

reading this, until I am bleery-eyed.  No work is done on trains, for I can't multitask

the two interests.  Magazines can be read while I am watching the TV news, with

long periods of nothing of merit being broadcast.

I gotta say, A Darwinian world looks pretty darn ugly to me. I would not want to live in such a place. What distinguishes us from other species is our ability to adapt away from Darwinism to a more just existence, and if we don't use that opportunity, shame on us.

Now, back to model railroading.

Thanks, David, for posting Chris Lane's comments.

Having been directly involved in four publication sales or consolidations over the years, I don't hold out much hope that you'll see any of these fine magazines continue in anything like their present form, but it would be nice to be proven wrong about that.

Thanks for the news. It is sad to see one of the long-time hobby institutions pack up. I've just recently been going through and culling my collections of old hobby magazines back to 1970. I have to admit I have only a few RMC magazines in my collection.

I really hope you're wrong, but I'm really afraid that you're right....

Jeff C

This is a true shame and loss.

George

Its like loosing an old friend......

Carstens Publications Ceases Operations

I find this news to be disappointing.

The Hobby Needs Professional Journalist, Photographers & Writers.

You Tube is not the end all……

I hope some company acquires these titles.

I will really miss Carstens various book titles.  My favorite is "The Circus Moves by Rail" by Tom Parkinson and Charles Fox.  

Carstens was the only publisher that I am aware of that printed these unique railroad books.

I think that we will continue to see readership of printed material continue to decline.  Today's readers, especially the youngsters, almost all use digital devices exclusively.  My wife moved most of her reading to the Barnes and Noble Kindle when the nearby Borders closed.  (We don't have a nearby Barnes and Noble.)

I prefer printed magazines.  This is the reason I subscribe to the printed version of OGR and a few other magazines.  I do realize that in a few years the only way I may be able to get OGR is by a digital subscription.  Hopefully, it will be available on a device similar to a Kindle.  

Joe

I think Gregg  summed it up, "Its like loosing an old friend......"

I can't really add much, except to say that Carstens Publications has given me many happy hours over a lifetime.

I have to agree with all of the above, it is like loosing a friend we knew for years.

Jack

i bought RMC and the On30 annuals often. RMC on and off for 30+ years. Sad to see them go....but I have said it before....change is the only constant.

Maybe OGR folks would do a On30 type annual???

I find this very unfortunate.  I really hope RMC continues on in the same format as before under new ownership.  I also am hoping I can pick up a copy of the traction handbook at some point, my old copy is about worn out.

To this day I always felt that RMC was the better magazine for "real modelers", when compared to Model Railroader. The problem now is, the "real modelers" are rapidly disappearing, even in the HO market. Everything is about Ready to Run, and model kits, no matter whether HO, S, or O scale, are no longer popular for the masses. Thus we see the demise of "Scale Modeling Magazines" like RMC.

The reality is that Hobby Magazines are thriving. This article was previously posted on the forums and it is about Hobby Magazines.  No likes to see the failure of any business, but it happens all the time.  It may be completely out of the hands of the employees and Editor but life is not easy.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12...?pagewanted=all&_r=0

The Hobbyist is a loyal reader and subscriber.  I personally have cancelled most of my "General" news type publications but OGR and Classic Toy Trains are two magazines I'll read as long as I am in the hobby.  They produce valuable content and can charge almost anything they want.  I still subscribe to Business Week at $18.00 per year for 52 weeks, but I'll pay gladly $35.00 for OGR and read all 7 issues cover to cover.

Just saw the June issue at my book store. Sad. I remember going through every issue when I was a kid with only a 4x8 Lionel layout. It was inspiring but way over my head to really build what I saw. Don

RMC was my favorite model magazine when I was much younger.  I bought my first issue in 1969.  I really liked their articles on the Maine 2 foot railroads.  Sad to see them go.