Discussion on Magazine Format and Content

I agree.

I would prefer each month to focus on only one (maybe two) layout, that shows the  various stages of progress to the present day ( I would still like to see the finished photo's), lessons learned during construction, control panel construction, layout wiring/management, grade considerations, track center spacing based on actual equipment to be run.

This is not a cheap hobby, especially when delving in to the scenery aspect, any money/time saving tips for using more ordinary house hold products to produce convincing scenery would be appreciated.

I do not wish to play pile on, but I will share a beef that I have with the "other"magazine that is of very, very, long standing duration.

 

As much as I admire Roger Carp and his writing, there is a regular "quirk" that occurs in his articles when describing layouts. He will go on and on in depth about some particularly amazing feature that the layout builder has incorporated but every time, yes, EVERY TIME, the photo accompanying the text just misses actually showing the feature so glowingly described!!! You can see a tantalizing glimmer or a suggestion of the proffered gem,but never the actual thing being described. It is just stupifying to me how many years they have carried on this extremely annoying editorial practice, but there it is...Thanks for letting me get this off my chest!

Regards, John

 

The basic problem is getting authors to write the articles. Any editor of any type of publication knows that getting people to write is the toughest part.

 

Most of the layout articles (am I spelling this right?) are written after the layout is finished. Most layout builders don't document the construction phases of the layout.

 

The problem of lack of variety lies not with the magazine editors, but rather with the magazine contributors.

The other magazine has been delving more than in the past into pre and postwar as well as other makes other than Lionel which I appreciate but I think both OGR and the other address different audiences. After fifty years, I have seen enough layout pictorials of large layouts I am surprised I have brain cells left...they all seem to morph into a blur when it comes to Hirail...as nice as they are. I agree more detail over just providing a general outline would be more interesting...I guess I can find enough layout pictures, videos on Youtube or the internet to satisfy that need, which no longer floats my boat in of itself anyway. None of that expands my knowledge base as they say.  More focused and detailed articles would be appreciated...by yours truly. A lot of the content seems generic to me..kind of a picture book that has no long lasting learning curve to it.

I basically agree with your opinions and I am considering whether to continue to spend my money on the magazines. Plus some of the writing seems sophomoric to me. Last year  bought a pile of RR modeling magazines at a train show and noticed a big difference in content and style. I would like to see fewer reviews of new engines that sell for over $1,000 too.

One thing about G gauge forums I frequent versus O is that there are a ton of step by step pictorials and great tips. O gauge...not so much ....if at all.

I remember Myron commenting on this time and time again.Gotta have the authors.

Although Model Railroader focuses on HO and other smaller scale sizes, it does give the detailed info some have suggested, a lot of which carries over to other scales. There are occasional articles about O and S gauge, along with new rolling stock scenery and layouts. 

Don

I agree with a lot of PJB's complaints.  I like "how to" articles if what is made is anything I would care to do on my layout.  There have been some in the past.  About needing authors:  I wrote a "how to" article that was published in the OGR magazine several years ago but at that time an assistant editor completely rewrote it and botched it up badly. He made it kind of a "cute" article but I wasn't amused and he got the instructions wrong.

 

Usually I find only one or two things in the magazine I am interested in reading beyond the picture captions. I am a fan of Jim Barrett and always read his stuff and copy a lot of it on my layout.

.....

Dennis

Good forum based how to example here..there are more in G magazines etc.

http://www.largescalecentral.c...building-using-plans

Holy mackerel, electroliner, you aren't kidding.  That is some detailed "how to".

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Dennis

 

Ok so is OGR lacking content submissions?

Or do they have to choose what goes in each month based on a huge pile of submitted content?

I know that Model RRer gets a ton of submissions, but the rate of rejection is rather high... either poorly written articles/bad pictures, or "not the type of content we are looking for at this time"

I stopped my sub on the other magazine a long time ago, and only pay for digital here. Pretty much for the same reason... lack of content or content that is of no interest to me.

In fairness, I don't have any interest in being a publisher. I would compare that position to being the head cook in a nursing home, (bear with me, I promise you'll understand the analogy).

In the nursing home, you have a bunch of "customers". Each one has a specific food preference, Coffee & Tea likes, as well as nutritional requirements. Don't even bring the dietary restrictions in of diabetics or crazy folks that take supplements. What I am saying, everyone has different tastes, and a lot of them are not even in the same ballpark, so there is no way to produce a cookie that fits everyone's needs. So publishing a magazine for folks that have different interests in the same hobby? Take your best shot.

So, there you have it. Rich, you are officially a chef!

The whole issue just made me think of the old chicken or the egg question. Is the trend toward out of the box stuff due to a lack of how to articles? Or is the lack of articles due to a lack of interest? Is the lack of interest due to a lack of spare time or is it instant gratification at play? Heaven knows..I agree trying to sort all this out would give anyone a headache. Even in that podcast, Richard K said they guessed at what the customers might like from Lionel...Still my personal needs in the hobby publications are due to the time spent in it...and expanding skills seems more interesting to me than picture books..more thsan in the recent past. But..learning new skills was part of the fun of being started back in the hobby back in the day. Now everything is push button this or that for kids.I love the Superstreets posts by you know who and Steve at Tinplate has provided some great ideas. Pictures of 1,000 engines is sort of a nutritiousness voyeurism for this kid. 

Interesting thread. I hadn't really thought about the magazines' contents too much. I look at the layout pictures more for ideas than anything else; although there are some how-to's here and there that are very useful. For detailed information, I tend to buy the books that discuss the different aspects: bench work, wiring, scenery, etc. But, having said that, those books become outdated very quickly. How many buildings that Art Curren kitbashed are no longer available? That book is useful for techniques, but that's all it's good for now. What are the new quirks and kinks in DCS or Legacy that aren't explained in the manuals? For example, the revised DCS Companion is two years old and MTH has made several modifications since then that aren't discussed in the Companion or the other command control books. To me, that's where the both magazines could fill a niche; write about updates and modifications in order to span the gap between the various editions and revisions of the how-to books.

I'll be honest. I enjoy the magazines & don't over analize them.

Magazines are expensive and they are competing with my monthly RR  budget-and losing. The new "books" that come out on different aspects of the hobby are next to worthless.  I have bought a bunch of old magazines at train shows for a quarter a piece and enjoyed them as much. Currently have been reading through my 80+  Narrow Gauge & Shortline Gazettes and enjoying them. The current writing is really poor and a lot of the articles are too "cutesy".  I am interested in all aspects of model railroading  although I mainly run Lionel post war now but have a pre war collection and a lot of LGB so  I look at it all.  It is frustrating an annoying to spend good money on a magazine and feel cheated when you are finished. Yes, it is a tugh business but aren't they all??  Glad to see RMC is back.

Rather interesting topic!

And comments.

 

I would like to see more detailed how to articles. Lets seem something on how to light your passenger cars with LED lighting to cut your power draw. Some great info. on the OGR forum on this topic but a real mix of ideas and concepts!

 

And how about how to repair your .......... there have been a few of these but need more.

 

Overall love OGR great mix of stuff, good reading and informative. Like to see pics of the overall shot of the layout and layout room!

 

One thing that I really wish would change is the other O Gauge magazine most articles by a certain writer I find really hard to read just amazing how much wind it takes, so many useless words seems like he is trying to show off how many big useless words in and article could be used  and poor use of words to say so much of nothing at all. I really hate reading that stuff and rarely get through a layout article without putting it down after a page. A whole article on a layout and there is perhaps 1 paragraph of interesting and informative information.

 

What I would like to see is more of the layout owners writing or having family write articles on their layouts. Great variety then and lots of different ways of writing.

 

Overall love getting a new magazine to see so many great layout ideas and information.

Over the last 20 plus years, pretty much everything that could be said as far as historical info and how-to info has been done and re-done.  No more trolley notes or Dr. Tinker.  No more scrounger or pop-offs.  I don't consider an engine made in 2014 a 'classic'.  Joe's layout?  Nice to look at, but was there anything unique in the the building of the layout?  If we want better mags, we have to submit articles.  I bet there is a ton of interesting info out there if folks would give it a try.

Model Train magazines are a different breed. I cant think of other magazines largely written by readers and or subscribers. Always struck me as an odd thing. Makes for a real hit or miss deal in O gauge. I agree MR has a lot of great ideas I "borrowed." even though its HO.

I'm pretty happy with both of the O-Gauge Railroading ones.  I like the layout reviews.  Making them more complex and in-depth would, among other things, reduce the number of people who would be able to do a layout.  I recently completed work with a RR mag providing them with photos, answers to questions, etc., on my layout.  I was surprised how exhausting it was, and how long it took to take the photos.  Had they also wanted photos on when it was being built, etc., I could not have complied.  I don't even know if they will ever run the article on my layout, but I can understand the work behind the two major mags.  

 

What I do find interesting is the differences between the editorial and presentation styel of the two.  There are features of each i like best and I'm glad there are the two.  Sort wish there was a third on O-Gauge besides the two-Rail one or Hornby one.

Mmm interesting. Just a few observations. Magazines are businesses so presumably they are filled with what sells. In the UK reviews of products tend to be punchier and shorter.

 

As to the detailed how to - isn't that what happens on here? Thus the magazine is more of a "showcase"?

 

MIKE

 

 

 

Lately magazines are using their pages more for showcasing collections and layouts, rather then how-to or how-I-did it ideas or articles. Rarely if any repair or fix-it articles. I grew up on Popular Science and Mechanix Illustrated, that were filled with how-to articles saved for decades. Sadly our hobby has little of this in their magazines, rather filled with ads(needed I know). coming soon, 1 or 2 reviews of a product, then just showcasing of layouts, and pics.

Over the past 5 years, I've not renewed over a dozen monthlies because, plainly, "boring".

Be the change. You want "different" content, submit it.

• More detailed articles? Write them.
• Lighting? Document your own project.
• Repair of engines and rolling stock? Pull out your camera and start taking pictures the next time you're working on the bench.
• Train room construction? Do a step-by-step.
• Great layouts? Scout them out in your area.
• Think you can do a better job at writing? Give it a shot.

 

As has been noted in numerous posts, O Gauge is a limited market. Like it, or not. There are only so many of us doing this. I would encourage each and every one of you to develop and submit articles to OGR that you think would be fresh, interesting and original. There is no guarantee that it will be published. But, I guarantee it won't get published if you don't submit it!

 

Don't sit back and wait for someone else to do it. Give it a shot.

 

Just my $0.02 and I'm off the soap box for now....

 

Gilly

 

 

 

 

 

Last year I bought some older OGRs at a train show and read through them. Thicker, more ads, much better  writing and cheaper. As for MR-forget it. Their How-to articles are a joke.  A lot of the writing smacks of "Ladies Home Journal" and that is the editor's fault.  I have a friend who writes magazine articles, not RR ones, and she tells me that today a lot of magazines have a standard format and style they follow. Any aricle submitted will be  reworked after editing, that is a given.

Well said Gilly.  

This bugs me too, and, said mag is not alone in doing this.

Although I haven't saved entire issues, cutting out what I wanted to save and tossing the rest, it seems to me that the "Myron" years were much different than today. I know that I don't save as much from the magazine now as I used to. 

I have tons of pictures of my layout in progress spread over 10 years.  Problem is, it still isn't magazine ready.  I am still soldering wires and adding scenery.  Everything on it is only partially done.  I can run a lot of trains though.

 

Problem is a lot of what would have gone in a magazine is shown here on the forum.  Case in point is the current construction of Charlie's (MichRR714) layout. He has an excellent "how to" going on the construction of his layout.

.....

Dennis

Since getting back into 3-rail several years ago I've subscribed to both. I look forward to them and enjoy reading both, particularly layout photos.

I do tear out articles I wish to keep and they are primarily on building, repairing or maintainence. This month I onlly saved two pages for the files. Really would like to see more on "doing" as opposed to "buying" in our hobby.

Scotie

I agree but with several qualifiers. Having written essays for magazines as well as some for anthologies on non hobby subjects, there are two schools of formal writing styles, technical writing and generically speaking, creative writing. So, in thinking about the readers being the authors for example, "how to" projects...You have to have the modeling or technical skills, add to that writing skills, add to that..photography skills, add to that the possibility it will never be published. No one makes any money in this, even professionally, a lot of popular authors moonlight as ghost writers. You have to have the desire of being self motivated on top of everything else. Add to that a subject that has mass appeal. I would say that being an editor and being a writer are equally very demanding jobs. Add the two of them together with being dependent on what readers submit just compounds the difficulty and challenge of a deadline. I'm sure Allan would vouch for that.

My way of thinking of a possible solution is to have an in house staff with not so much a team of technical folks but a reporter to follow up on leads, or enough so that there's more management of a article upfront but then nobody will take that on due to travel expense, a salary , benefits etc that add to the cost of publishing a monthly based on the circulation and specialty nature of the magazine. That would be an impractical financial risk ( I would think so)

Theres no perfect solution unless you have deep pockets, deeper than most and then guess what? theres no guarantee it will boost sales. Still I wish it were otherwise. Growing the hobby seems to be the only bottom up solution I can think of to  add more money to the equation..and in this economy..good luck with that.

My comments were more of a "wish list" nature not a criticism and I should have clarified them better. I think OGR and the other does a very commendable job considering the challenges they both face.

If all that were not enough of a daily challenge, then you have the sky rocketing costs that have a negative impact toward growing the base of participants in a minority scale. 

Let me begin by stating this topic is slightly off color to me.  It's akin to discussing the tastefulness of a homeowner's decor while chatting with his friends in his living room as he runs to get more coffee.  

 

However, since I have seen more constructive comments, I'll pop in and say that I have a unique perspective on the publishing business.  I have worked in publishing, advertising and marketing for almost 25 years.  In this time I have been on numerous press checks, editorial meetings, sales team meetings and advertising production manager meetings.  I have also been an avid consumer of a few magazines.

 

Publishers are fighting a constant battle out there.  The postal regs are always changing, and rates are on a steady rise.  The cost of paper and ink hasn't exactly fallen either.  This means a publisher needs to work harder to maintain the margin.  Sometimes that means changing to another (lighter) paper.  Or a different printer.  Sometimes that means doing more with less staff... including the editorial staff.  I know some pubs that forego the editorial staff altogether and outsource it all. The result is a plain, unexciting magazine.

 

The ad guys will always do their best to generate the revenue needed for the quarter and the issues, but since 2008 it has been a serious uphill struggle for many of them.  It's a good thing the online banners supplement the print sales.  

 

Add in a dwindling market, (although our demographic generally likes print as a medium) and we get even more market pressure.

 

So this is why the editorial is sometimes light in publications.

 

Gone are the days when a publication sends out a photographer and reporter to gather the story, write it, and shepherd it though to the art staff.  There just isn't the revenue to support that in many cases, unless it is a large trade show or major industry event. 

 

But, the editor's job is to fill in the space between the ads with content that matters to his/her readership, else it will fold by lack of a subscriber base.  And if the web has taught us anything, it's that CONTENT IS KING.  Readership and ad click throughs go up when good content is presented.  Some books are moving to online subscriptions ONLY to avoid the production, printing and mailing costs.  But the content is fantastic.  Some are straddling the fence.  

 

The bottom line is this:  If you are passionate about a subject, write or email the editor.  Make suggestions!  Editors LOVE feedback from their readers!  After all, they are in the business of supporting the consumers of their product and strive to make their books better every day even in the face of a tough business environment.

 

###030###

Chipset, I remember the long 150-200 page Model Train/Hobby magazines and large Wednesday & Sunday edition newspapers. The Digital age has taken its toll on Magazines and Newspapers across the board.

       
       

And they will pay you for your efforts…Doesn’t get any better then that!!

K.C

I like OGR and I am not trying to brown nose. Its a great magazine that I think it fills the "O" niche nicely. It has more bite to it then CTT which tends to be more on the whimsical and PW/Prewar. I still subscribe to both.

As for the kit bashing articles how many people these days besides a few hardcore modelers actually kit bash or even build kits. I am on the younger end of the baby boom generation and today like it or not most people do not have the time to build a model kit, just my opinion, and look at the plethora of nicely pre built buildings.

I think of putting out a magazine like serving a meal in a restaurant. You serve an appetizer, entrée, side dishes and dessert and hope your guests enjoy something enough to return every month.

 

While some may find the stories on $1,500 locomotives unappealing because they are financially out of reach, others like me enjoy them, even though I can't afford them. It is like reading a story on the latest Ferrari. Some of us have a keen interest in the cutting edge of the field even if it will never be on our layouts.

 

I enjoy the layout stories and photos and the holiday themed layouts. I'm not interested in a detailed article on building a tiny railside shed. In fact, I found the layout construction and scenery articles in CTT more annoying than helpful. For a while it seemed that magazine was going to have to change its name to Classic Model Craftsman. I get that they are trying to entice newcomers into the hobby by providing basic techniques, but for those of us on their second or third layout, much of the basics don't apply. I do enjoy articles on more advanced scenery techniques.

 

When I pick up OGR or CTT, (and I read both) I don't expect every article to be aligned with my tastes. I enjoy each magazine for several articles each month and that is enough to keep me reading. Every now and then, an issue is great cover to cover and that is a bonus, but it isn't fair to expect that each month.

 

I also enjoy the product reviews, but after pointing out the features and explaining how and whether they work and what distinguishes that particular model, really, what is left? I don't envy George Brown or Bob Keller having to try to come up with imaginative reviews every month. I like the reviews of locomotives I'm considering buying, or engines that are at the high end of the scale and do amazing things.

 

While step by step layout construction photos would be interesting once or twice, would they hold their allure after that? I know I haven't taken lots of photos of my layout under construction and I'll bet many others haven't either. So finding a layout worthy of publication with those photos may be a challenge.

 

So, other than the occasional interviews with industry principals there isn't a lot of new ground to plow and I believe both magazines do a pretty fair job of trying to appeal to a broad spectrum of readers.

 

Another challenge print magazines face is that online videos can often show techniques that would take pages of photographs in a magazine. OGR is wisely adapting to this by providing extra content to premium forum members and CTT has online extras for its subscribers.

 

It is a very challenging environment for print media. I applaud everyone above for making constructive suggestions.

 

    

Peter (PJB), very interesting that you bring this up.  Product reviews have always been one of my favorite sections of both magazines...I have always flipped to that section first before anything else.

I was catching up on some reading over the weekend--including recent issues of CTT and OGR--and had some of the exact same thoughts that you shared.  I couldn't agree more with your assessment of the product reviews, especially CTT's.  You said it in a much nicer way than this, but I think they stink.  Period. 

There's no substance anymore.  It's almost like they're holding a competition to see how short and meaningless they can make them, but still be able to say they do product reviews.  So disappointing!

My 2 cents...

 

Definitely agree that there's too much "I got my first set when I was 5...", especially in CTT.  Unless it's an unusual story, it would be better to leave it out.

 

My pet peeve is the repair column in CTT where the answer is "gee, we don't know".

 

As others have noted, I too would like to see more technical details regarding layout construction - type of benchwork, wiring, special removable sections, etc.  The point about people not taking pictures during construction is well made; I intend to try to document the construction of my next layout.  OGR is currently running a series on benchwork - hope they keep it coming.

 

BTW, I subscribe to both CTT and OGR.  Right now, I think that OGR is doing a better job, but I've been with CTT since the first issue, so I can't bring myself to drop it.