Leaving train magazines for public

When my club has an open house we give the magazines away to children as they exit. 

We give ours away to visitors as well.

the train museum in town gets boxes of MR, MRC and Trains dropped off all the time.  when i was associated when them, i used to routinely take a box of magazines to the Senior Center every other month or so.  from the reports i got on those drops, "Trains" was by far the most popular with most issues gone after the first few days.  the modeling magazines sometimes lasted a week or two.

Our local library has a drop off bin for magazines for others to take.  My wife will drop them off when she goes to the library to get a new book to read.  She's told me that many times, as she has walked past the bin on her way out she has noticed that most the trains magazines have already been taken.

One of our much loved members (Rich Myers, National Capital Trackers) passed away in July after a long battle with cancer. This week is the show at the COllege Park MD Aviation Museum, a museum he loved dearly and a show he organized and ran from the beginning. His widow contacted the trackmaster and we put them out for the public with a "free" sign on them. Many have gone to happy visitors. I took a few, with one being a special on modular layouts with a special photo of Rich at a Tracker show in it. 

I leave my copies at the various waiting rooms I visit especially at my neurosurgeon and cardiologist offices..I figured it adds some variety beyond the golf and car and driver magazines..might pick up a convert or three.

Tex Steve that is a good idea. I was thinking about also droping off some at a children's doctor's office and maybe a dentaL office. A childrens's day care might also be a place to consider.

At the TTOS layouts at the mall, we have a table stacked with train, toy train magazines and toy train catalogs. They are free to the public and are quite popular with the crowds.

Left some at Kaiser for patients to look through; they got thrown out because they were not "Home Beautiful" or "Senior Travel" or the ilk.

 

Last batch we took to the annual TCA/TTOS banquet and they were all taken.

 

 

I drop mine at the exchange bin at the local Library.

They are usually gone by the time I leave.

we have a FREE magazine give away table

at our local library. I drop off magazines and

they are usually gone that same day.

 

side note of funny interest:

Lady lives next to my parents, works at the library.

I dropped off some magazines, unknowing to her.

She came in and found them, knowing I was a train guy

she grabbed them and gave them to my parents to give to me.

The circle is complete.

I took them back to the library and told her thanks, but leave them there

for the next guy.

We have a bin at our modular display with old mags and catalogs to distribute.

 

Peter

I put them in the lunchroom at work. It's always great to go in there and see someone looking through one.

I used to save magazines but realized that I NEVER go back and Reread them, so no point.

Steve:

 

This is an excellent subject. So many of us have our magazines just stored that could be put to good use. I also like the thought of leaving them in doctor's offices as they usually have very little that is appealing to read and we all know there is nothing like an issue of OGR.

Dang, wish I'd seen this a week ago.....I needed to make room and clean up, and I hauled grocery bags full of them to the recycling center today, earlier.  I have seen them left in train shows to be taken for free, and I have picked up some with construction  articles of interest, but don't see as many of those in MR, etc., as I used to., so I pitched a lot of those issues from the last several years.  I hate to, but I think they mulitply on the shelves

 

Many good ideas on how to pass the great OGR magazine on for others to enjoy.  The reason I leave it at the Post Office rather than a physician's office or such is a person is more likely to take the magazine home to look through more thoroughly and possibly contact merchants or even join the OGR forum or subscribe to the magazine.

 

TEX

Steve

The last few months, I have been taking issues of various "train" magazines to the local library and various waiting rooms throughout town.  The Scout organization also appreciate their free copies!

 

This is a great thread so lets see those of you that have stated your like for this idea to act upon it and do it!!!...perhaps you can help spread the joy of this hobby to others and touch them in a positive way!

 

Alan

 

 

 

I keep them. 

We have magazine racks at our club. They are labeled "FREE".

A secretary in my office volunteers at Arkansas Children's Hospital and takes my train and hobby related magazines for their waiting rooms.  The distraction from their woes is greatly appreciated. As Alan suggested, passing the magazines on to the scouts is also a great idea, especially to a counselor for the Railroading merit badge.  Pat B.

At the end of each year I give them away to someone here on the Forum.    It would be a shame to throw them in the recycling.

 

- Mike

Not mentioned yet is the barber shop. Men, time to read etc...

 

Great idea's from all!!!!

When I worked in automotive service I took my magazines in to place in the customer waiting area.  Now that I'm retired and have grandchildren locally, they get them.  I agree that it does seem a shame to just send them off to the recycler.

I used to take my name and address off of them and place them on the magazine rack at the high school were I taught. I asked the librarian to keep not of how much they were read. Sadly, I have to tell you that 99.5% of high school kids seemed to have no interest.

I tried to give my OGR's away on this Forum including mint MTH & Lionel catalogs just for the price of postage and they all ended up in my church's recycling dumpster.

Our public library had carried Model Railroader magazine for decades and just dropped the subscription. The orphaned issues disappeared quickly from the sale room at 25 cents a copy.

 

I Leave mine at the doctor's office. They never last long there either. Not sure who takes them but they don't throw them out.

Ron

I leave mine in the ladies room.  They must be popular since they are gone when I go back to check.

So many great ideas on how to pass on to others O gauge train magazines.  I was inspired by forum posters to try someplace different, so I left a couple of older OGR  magazines at my barber shop today. 

 

TEX

Steve

I've kept all copies of OGR and CTT since subscribing about ten years ago. I'd love to think I could go back and refer to articles, tips, etc. from the past....but the pile is getting a bit thick. I am hoping some day there will be offered for sale an article reference index. Such a publication would turn reading the mags from a passtime to a real 'library.'