Model Railroader Magazine

Pros: Articles, reviews, products
Cons: Advertisements

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. ...

Pros: Excellent standards for content
Cons: a few too many ads

A quality product from beginning to end, Model Railroader always delivers excellent reading material for both the model railroad hobbyist and the casual lover of model trains. I've been buying this magazine since the mid 1970's and find it to be an...

Pros: News, information, tips, tricks and how-to on everything model railroad
Cons: subscription price

Looking to get the lowdown on the Model Railroading world? Model Railroader is the preeminent magazine for Model Railroaders everywhere. Have you progressed to a model railroad beyond the little train that goes around the Christmas Tree? If ...

Pros: inspiring,informative,helpful
Cons: lots of ads

I must admit I don't regularly read this magazine. Not because it isn't a good publication, but because I don't have the room or time to pursue this hobby. I love trains, I still have the sets I got as a child, and use them occasionally. Let me tell...

Pros: good quality magazines with lots of pictures
Cons: too many advertisements

Try this --- Buy a copy of this magazine. Then go through it and tear out all of the advertisements. Look at the stack of advertisements compared to the amount of information and see which stack is larger. It will be the advertisement stack!

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Pros: Educational, well-written articles, practical, expert tips/advice, step-by-step instructions, new products, gorgeous layouts, creativity, photography
Cons: Expensive, half the magazine is ads, not enough for experienced hobbyists, little Z scale content

If you enjoy watching model trains running on elaborate layouts, (is there anyone who isn't mesmerized by them?) then Model Railroader magazine (MR) just might motivate you to build your own layout. That's just what happened to my husband.

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Pros: Complete Coverage of field
Cons: Insufficient space for task

Model Railroader and Railroad Model Craftsman are the two basic North American magazines dealing with the hobby. They also are where the largest discount sellers of Model and Toy trains place their advertizements. Both also publish advanced...

Pros: good articles, great pictures, great columnists
Cons: hard to trust reviews, lots of ads.

Model Railroader is the magazine for those just getting started into the model railroading hobby. The other magazines out there, like Railway Model Craftsman and Model Railroading are too advanced, and dare I say, too pretentious for the beginner....

Pros: There are the best reviews of model trains in the country.
Cons: Some issues are shorter then others. Some are 200 pages and some are 90. 

Model Railroader is one of my favorite model railroad magazines to read. In every issue there is a ton of information. There are product reviews (usually about 5 per issue). In every issue there are at least 2 Layout visits. There is a Hobby Shop index in back. There is a photo section. There are modeling tip and ideas. Usually there is a plan for kit-bashing something. One there was how take one boxcar and make it into a flatcar and shed. Also Starting in the january issue and usually lasting till at least April,  there is a how to layout where the modelrailroad staff show you how to build a project model railroad.