Carstens Publishing and RMC

[trailrider]

Sadly, I have to agree with most of the points about printed media. I, too, like to read the morning paper with breakfast, and I don't have a laptop that allows me to read in "the throne room"! Unfortunately, the Denver Post looks like hardly enough to line the bottom of a bird cage, or for the paper-trained pup! (Don't know what we will do if they stop the printed edition! ) The Cowboy Chronicle, house organ of the Single Action Shooting Society has gone almost exclusively on-line (unless you want to pay a large fee for a printed edition).

I have to especially agree with the statement about "how-to" articles appealing to fewer and fewer model railroaders. Kits are getting harder to find in HO. Can't imagine what it's like in the other scales. I'm sure RMC suspending publication will affect advertisers, especially if they paid ahead. (On a personal note, I just renewed my subscription. Probably outta luck on that, too, unless whoever picks up RMC will honor renewals, which they may NOT be obligated to do.) Too bad...

 

[Boris]

Their problem was cash flow. Their printer had them on a pay as you go basis for a number of years. Your sales can be great but if the cash flow doesn't cooperate, you're sunk.

Heh, heh, you're right about that Alan. But they were based in Jersey. I think everyone in Jersey has a cash flow problem........ Back - gosh has it been that long ago -in 2006, when the NMRA Convention and National Train show was last held in Philadelphia, the wife and I went down on a train for the show. Carstens were already operating on a cash only basis with their printer.

Among the exhibitors were the Kalmbach/Model Railroader Staff. Tommy Thompson was still Senior editor, and all the then current staff were there, with promotional material, doing the meet and great. Over in another corner, was the Carstens Booth, manned only by the Colonel, himself. He was sitting there taking a nap....... This was maybe shortly after lunch. I was struck by how "old" he appeared to be, and suddenly understood why my MRC subscription copy was always late, while MR almost always showed up on the last day of the preceding month. This has been a real long time coming, and they did well to last as long as they did.

Joe

 

[Bruette]

Louis, the difference between the Sun Papers and a model magazine is that the news carried by the Sun is time sensitive, and can be obtained in almost real time from TV, or the Internet, instead of reading the paper. The Model Railroad Hobby is recreational, not time sensitive, so if OGR, for instance, has an article concerning a better way to wire Lionel switches, it can be read at leisure, without the urgency of a stock quote. It's also easier to read a "hard print" how to article from a magazine, than from an I-pad or my BlackBerry.

One paradigm change in our hobby, that has affected model magazines, is the demise of the "Craftsman", who actually builds models. There are some people out there who don't build layouts, can't assemble rail car or structure kits, and don't really want to be bothered trying. They just hire a vendor to build their layout, scenic it and fill it full of structures. Then they take their R-T-R engines and cars and run them around. These people do not need magazine "How to" articles.

Joe

You make a very good point Joe, I had not thought of it that way. Thanks for enlightening me.

I have to confess I am one of those who prefer RTR equipment although I would never pay anyone to touch my layout!

Even as kid I did not like putting together models of any kind. I did however recently buy a Bowser #56830 PRR hopper kit on eBay. I could not resist this beautiful hopper and I am actually looking for ward to putting it together. Maybe I will find I enjoy it. That would make perfect sense, when I become interested in something it is becoming extinct.

 

[Boris]

I have to confess I am one of those who prefer RTR equipment although I would never pay anyone to touch my layout!

Even as kid I did not like putting together models of any kind. I did however recently buy a Bowser #56830 PRR hopper kit on eBay. I could not resist this beautiful hopper and I am actually looking for ward to putting it together. Maybe I will find I enjoy it. That would make perfect sense, when I become interested in something it is becoming extinct.

For what is worth, Louis, most of my recent purchases have been RTR, in fact, I actually built a kit this weekend, a Walthers 40' steel side ice refrigerator car, I bought back in the late 1980s, or very early 1990s. I cannot remember the last time I took the time to assemble a kit. I replaced the original wheels with Kadee 33" metal wheels, the x-2-f couplers with Kadee # 148s and added a ½ oz of weight to bring it up to NMRA recommended practice weight. It was fun, although I smeared some glue in places I shouldn't have. Dullcote and weathering powders will fix that.

My thought was that there are more people in the hobby, that are not interested in scratch building, or craftsman type modeling than there were before, and RMC, did not appeal to these people.

The fact is that Carstens is a failed business, and most businesses fail because of bad business decisions, not outside factors. While we will miss their publication, there is always something to fill the void.

Joe

 

[FCL2117]

If they were on pay to play, I expect they didn't have enough of a line of credit, probably the banks wanted personal guarantees.

Sent from my Vic20 using Java Moose

 

[Charles Smiley]

trailrider... "They" may honor old remaining subs because circulation figures are what drives the prices of the ads they need to sell. But you never know.