Oldest OGR run magazine?

My layout was first in run 120.  That was a few days ago.  OGR rules as the standard in the hobby.  A train magazine run by train guys.  what is better than that?  Answer is nothing. 

OGR was originally OSR, or O Scale Railroading.  It was primarily a 2 rail scale magazine in its early years, with some 3 rail.  First issue was in 1969.  I have the first issue, along with a bunch from the 70s and 80's, and every issue since the name change to O Gauge Railroading.

So Marty, run 120 was the kickoff magazine.

John I knew about OSR but did not connect it became OGR,  if I  understand you and Marty.

Myron Biggar bought OSR from the previous owner and soon changed the name to better reflect his interest in 3 rail.  The "Run" designation was around long before it became OGR.  I'm working away from home or I would look at that 1969 issue to see if it had Run 1 on it - I think it did.  I know that I have Runs in the 40s through 100s.

I don't know if you could consider #120 as the "kick off" issue, as Myron did several issues under the OSR name, but with the familiar red and white graphics that are still used.

I wonder if MB is still with us?

Sam, that was my first time my layout was in OGR.  I do not remember the exact issue when Myron took over.  I do know that when OGR had Jim Barrett start doing articles it was a whole new world.  How great that was to have a modern guy talking our language about modern trains.   Before that it was pages out of old postwar repair documents.  That was about as refreshing as nothing.  OGR has stayed with the trends in the hobby and I have referred to OGR many times as the standard in the hobby.   

I read only OGR today.  I gave up buying another magazine years ago as all it turned out to be was many pages out of old Lionel repair manuals.  It still is today.

I feel by OGR bringing Alan Arnold onboard has created something new.  Everyone involved in the hobby business wants to be part of the OGR world thanks to the great work Alan has done.  Every member of the OGR staff brings great things to the hobby.  You can ask anyone of the guys/gals any train question and you will get an accurate answer.  Allan Miller as Editor has done a fantastic job.

John, I did not say run 120 was a kick off.  I stated it was my first time in OGR.  I would always start my York in the Yellow hall by shaking Myrons hand and a greeting from Barbara and Nancy. 

Okay!!!  I found that I had the OGR Digital Archive #1 in my computer bag.   Anyway, the first issue was June 1969, had 27 pages, and it cost 50 cents.  Vane Jones was the owner/publisher.  It did NOT have the run number on the cover.  Run 37, April 1975, was the first to do so.  Earlier issues had the issue number on the table of contents page. The Archives refer to all of them as Runs though.  I don't have any more of these so can't tell you when the name change happened until I get home...in three months.

There was actually a lot of Hi-rail train articles in these old issues.  Some neat stuff. Mostly do-it-yourself conversions and upgrades, but some of the manufacturers of the time offered 3 rail versions of their wares.

i can remember when Myron convinced me to get an OSR subscription......Yellow Hall, late 80s. I bought Run 98 and started with Run 99. Soon after that OSR became OGR.......but the Run #s stayed in sequence.

Peter

I also remember talking with Myron (phone - land line too!) and had never heard of Nazareth PA.  I started carrying trains in our hobby shop around 1988 or so. It was OSR for about a year and then changed the name. We sold a few from the shop. Very informative and that's probably where I first saw Marty's amazing layout with the beautiful colorful backdrops!

Wow, very interesting history here for us "newbies" (though I had my first Lionel 2055 when I was 6 yr old)!  Thanks.

For those of you interested in the old magazines, the OGR Digital Archive contains EVERY ISSUE of OSR/OGR from Run #1 of June 1969 through Run #238, October/November 2009.

Issues from December 2009 to the present are in the OGR Digital Library, an on-line library available to OGR Digital Subscribers.

A friend gave our club and the museum some old OSR magazines very interesting. I could tell it was what became OGR as the logo is the same.

i for one miss the way it was when it wasn't a catalog and when it had a 2 rail content. that's when O scale was 2 rail and 3 rail scaled layouts were o gauge or hi rail not the misnomer 3 rail scale.

A year or so ago I bought some earlier OGR magazines and rally enjoyed them. Didn't save them,though. They were thicker than the current ones but I find the old model magazines very enjoyable. Things have changed, some better, some not-like everything else we know. Old Lionel steamers still rule !!

Myron lost most of his 2 rail subscribers when he turned the mag into OGR but us 3 railers eager to have something besides MR or RMC quickly took up the slack. It was not an overnight change he slowly inserted 3r articles into the mag.

theres a few magazines that did not have the #1 issue on the cover, not knowing if there would be a #2 or 3. T.I. and CTT come to mind.-Jim

I was leaving the diner when I saw Myron, his wife and daughter having dinner a few months ago at the 248 Diner in Lower Nazareth. He looked good. 

 Marty Marty    Dr. Tinker was the article guy about fixing stuff.  I  wonder if  he could take Jim Barrett in a  Post War    modified engine race  .....  50 straight sections on each  side  and 031 curves.  I'd pay admission to see that .

Still remember meeting Myron in the 1990's at a train show at Yonkers (NY) Raceway. I still have and constantly use my OGR small screwdriver set. Still have the two pens he gave me also, but the ink is long gone. It was nice to meet him.

  Tom

I was a subscriber to Vane Jones "Traction and Models" when he first started publishing OSR as a section of that magazine.  That continued for a year or so until it started being published as a separate publication.  So, if being in on the beginning of the magazine means anything...I think I would certainly quality as a charter subscriber...as I did continue both the T&M and OSR subscription when they began separate publication.  I have every issue, though for a few years I did not subscribe, but purchased at my local hobby shop.  It makes quite a stack.  The Traction & Models are all bound.  O Scale Railroading and O Gauge Railroading are in magazine shelf boxes by year.  It won't be that long until the magazine's Golden anniversary.  Congratulations to all the publishers and staff...and all who have contributed to make it the leading publication that it is.

Myron was smart - he converted a 2- rail magazine with a subscription base of about 3,000 into a 3-rail magazine with a subscription base of 20,000 overnight.

There really isn't much of a market for 2- rail anything, in comparison to 3-rail, and if you compare both to HO it looks like the same comparison.  It is ok with me; I like the feeling of being in an obscure branch of a fairly obscure hobby.  How many 2-rail 17/64 scale modelers do you know?

Great history lesson on OGR. 

Love it

I just tried to come up with the answer to your question but have failed for the present.

Here is what I have been told and researched.

As stated above Myron took over O scale railroading from Vane Jones when it was a failing mag.

Myron over time changed O scale from a basic two rail publication to a three rail publication to save the mag. The hobby was being transformed at the time with both toy train lay-outs and the introduction by Lionel in the late 80's to scale model engines and generic rolling stock. K-Line was making very prototypical passenger cars at this time also. What we now call highrail was also coming about through the 1980's decade. Myron in time reflected this in the name change of the mag. The first mag that I can get to at the moment is run 140, April 1995 OGR. I remember Myron's Publishers column at the time talking about the name change and I do have that mag in a storage space I can't get to right now; I'm sure someone will come up with the run and date. Myron must be credited with saving the mag, without his effort I don't we would have the mag today. Myron also tried to get the "O scale" people to be more accepting of the three Railers but failed. One thing I personally don't like about Myron was he felt when he talked he was the final answer on anything you couldn't have a different point of view.

The mag binding changed from stapled to perfect binding run 160, August 1998.

The current publishers took over with run 189, October 2002.

Several of the current publishers were editors of LOTS Switcher.

While I have just about every issue of CTT from the first to present, and most OSR/OGR from sometime before the name change I like OGR best. They both cover the O guage hobby but with different angles. CTT is more history related and all articles seem to be written by one person, OGR more so our mag with yes a history column but the rest more operating by us the readers.

Dr. Tinker was a former Lionel employee, and that column is now the Back Shop column. OSR and early OGR carried a traction (trolley) column.

Nice to learn some of the history associated with the magazines gentlemen.  Thanks for the lessons!

The term "Run"

I remember my father used it when referring to a particular press run at his magazine company.  They printed five magazines and each issue's printing was a "run".

The percentage of ads in the magazine today is actually smaller than it was back in the late 90's and early 2000's. We run about 35-40% advertising, which is well BELOW where it should be to make a profit. In order to put that advertising percentage where it should be (50-55%) I should have dropped the size of the magazine to 84 pages a long time ago. However, I was not willing to go below a 100 page book because I felt that would be shortchanging you folks, our subscribers. We would also lose the perfect binding if we went below 100 pages.

We are a small, lean company and have been able to get by with the lower ad percentage. It's not ideal, but it has worked.

Absolutely true. Myron was a subscriber to Vane Jones' early OSR magazine. When Vane fell behind on publishing dates due to his failing health, Myron struck a deal to buy the magazine from Vane. Because Vane had been late so many times, Myron's "Prime Directive" was never to miss a publishing date and be late with the magazine. He kept that promise and delivered every issue of OSR/OGR on time. We have carried on that tradition.

For those of you interested in the old magazines, they are available from our web store in the OGR Digital Archives.

Rich & Everyone,

One's memory is a terrible thing to lose. I vaguely recall the events and dates anymore. I owe everyone who has posted a very special, Thank you.

Webmaster Rich...you are absolutely right about your holding the 100 page line...and it has not gone unnoticed.  We appreciate it, too.  (Even Model Railroader has dropped well below 100 pages in some issues).  (How the mighty have fallen).

  We've also noticed the retention of perfect binding, and a clear envelope to protect our magazines.  We, too, have noticed the reduction in the number of advertisers, and are happy to see it begin to recover.  I hope the forum advertisers help on the corporate bottom line.

   You guys at OGR are a class act...and holding the line (I think) is a sign of good solid business sense...Better Times a'comin' (I hope).  Then it'll pay off.

         Thanks for a quality magazine,

          Logan

2-rail O did not have to become marginalized as it now is, and it's largely a self-inflicted wound.

I would prefer 2-rail, but I do not have the barn in which to run it, have no interest in streetcars, and "clubs" cannot a viable scale/gauge make.

The uncompromising (only a good thing when it's a called for) nature of and atmosphere

around many - I'll even say "most" - 2-railers is self-defeating in a profound way.

If you want your format to blossom - and I do not think most 2-railers do - then "allow"

blind drivers on steamers and flexible pilots or couplers on diesels and electrics - and rolling stock couplers.

At the prices asked, any and every 2-rail locomotive could and should come with optional

center drivers and a simple bolt-on/take off pilot/coupler option. In the box. For $2000.00.

A Talgo coupler - where necessary - could be applied to rolling stock (see Atlas).

There are other issues, but a Gigantic-Radius layout is like the unicorn - fantasy

(for all but a few).

Flexibility would have changed so much; if you had the room, you could have used the

flanged drivers and fixed pilots/couplers. But, Lionel and the rest were allowed to eat your lunch. I'll run my 072 Lionel AC-9 2-8-8-4 and ignore the center rail, thank you - but

I would have preferred no center rail at all.

i worked with Myron this past July when my club the Black Diamond Society of Model Engineers (BDSME) and his Nazereth Society of Model Engineers (NASME) did joint advertising for the open houses the last weekend of the TCA convention in NJ.

Northeast Pennsylvania is lucky to have two great clubs separated by about 20 miles if that. It was a pleasure working with Myron.

JohnB