toiletoctopus's Full Review: Model Railroader Magazine
Some of my fondest memories from my childhood, seem to revolve around trains. There was the time that my mother got hit by a train, while visiting my dad at the jail. There was the house we lived in, that was situated on the wrong side of the tracks. There was the grumpy old neighbor, who wore a conductor style hat, while whistling for the Union Pacific locomotive. These are all jokes, but when you are fascinated by both real trains and models, you need to have a sense of humor. You also need to understand why half of your bank account seems to be swallowed by this hobby, of which some goes towards your Model Railroader magazine.
My father and I used to build and run model train sets, and it is something that I intend to pass on down to my children. Although it is not as popular as it used to be, there are worst ways to waste time on a day off. I grew up with HO and Lionel sets, but in the past few years I've started to build a N scale collection. My current set up is small, but I am planning on building a new set devoted completely to the realistic and tiny N scale items that I have. My HO(That's pronounced "H" then "O") scale trains include the standard fare: Burlington Northern and Santa Fe locomotives. The N scale is completely devoted to Norfolk Southern.
The reason why I like Model Railroader so much, is that each issue of this magazine is loaded with new ideas. These include how to build new layouts of ridiculous size and more reasonable, as well as detailing tips for trains and scenery. Usually each issue has two large feature articles, that are between 5-7 pages long, that cover these aspects. The pictures are incredible, and make me realize that my layout is not a shiny Lexus, but rather a beat up old Dodge. Along with the pictures are usually detailed diagrams of how the railroad was set up, and how many materials and hours would be needed to construct such a set.
These feature articles are well written, and easy to understand for most. I really like how they describe the dedication and skill of the person who's railroad is being featured, and tips for how to get the wife to like the work being done. Right after these articles are the Product Reviews, which are fairly split between the different scales. Although there seem to be an incredible amount of advertising in each issue, I've found these to be fair and balanced, much like the Fox News slogan.
Other than the main articles in each issue, my favorite part of Model Railroader is the News and Products Section. Here you can learn about new technologies in radio control packages, or what new engines are being designed for model railroads. There is a negative to this section as well, in the fact that I have purchased many items I've seen here. For some reason they always put the best toys in here, so if you want to save your mortgage and car from being taken away, look elsewhere in each issue!
The pictures are incredible in each issue, and every once in awhile, they include a small poster that can be put on display. The photographs are helpful for step by step instructions required by more difficult layouts and models, which can save you a lot of aggravation and cut down on your drinking drastically. The advertisements also have good pictures as well, and here you can learn about new products directly from the manufacturers. To be honest I could do well with a little bit less of this, but some of the advertisements are quite useful for learning new places to shop from on the internet.
My subscription rate is $32.95, which includes twelve issues of this magazine. It has always been delivered at the same time each month, and with no issues of damage, ripped pages, etc. I have to admit that I'm a small kid waiting for it when it is supposed to arrive, and each issue provides at a minimum two to three hours of solid reading. I will continue to order this when my subscription runs out, and look forward to looking at new toys in the next issue.
12 issues - Since 1934, Model Railroader has been providing its readers with authoritative tips, projects, and detailed photographs to help readers im...More at SuperMagDeals.com
12 issues - Since 1934, Model Railroader has been providing its readers with authoritative tips, projects, and detailed photographs to help readers im...More at Subscription Addiction
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.