[Guest]

Comments and discussion in a recent thread where I asked about the existence of g-scale magazines other than Garden Railways prompted me to create this poll to see what people actually enjoy about the magazine.  Vote for your favorite feature!  Sorry you can't select more than one.

 

[Bruce Chandler]

Actually, you CAN select more than one...

 

[markoles]

Ed,

Good poll.  Over the years, Garden Railways has changed and evolved.  It has to do a lot with the growth of the hobby.  One thing that has always remained fairly consistent is the featured layout.  I like to look back through all my back issues and see how far we've come in this hobby!! I still remember reading about the Aristo Heavyweights when they first came out.  I was amazed that they needed 8' minimum diameter curves.  At the time, all I had were starter sets and extra straight tracks.  

Mark

 

[toddalin]

Posted By Ed Harvey on 03/12/2008 9:11 AM
Comments and discussion in a recent thread where I asked about the existence of g-scale magazines other than Garden Railways prompted me to create this poll to see what people actually enjoy about the magazine.  Vote for your favorite feature!  Sorry you can't select more than one.



I like the featured layout.  It gives me a chance to see what others have done and what ideas I can steal... er..., borrow.

 

[East Broad Top]

Well, I'm particularly fond of the "Garden Railways Basics" column. But then I may be a touch biased...

Seriously, it's hard for me to nail down a particular "favorite" as it changes based on where my energies lie at the time I'm looking through the magazine. For instance, I pay more attention to the gardening columns in the spring and summer, and modeling features in the fall and winter. The featured railroads really depend on how close they come to what I'm trying to accomplish in the garden.

Later,

K

 

[Dougald]

As a "model railroader" I prefer the modelling and layout ideas in Model Railroader magazine. My primary interest in reading GR is to see the integration of garden and railroad ... and I am one of those in the minority who would like to see much more on gardening.

Regards ... Doug

 

[Guest]

Kevin, I too find that as old man winter goes away, I begin to look more at the Green apsect of the mag...with that said...

I would LOVE to see the fine retailers who advertise in GR Freshen their ads!  St Aubin has of late, or they have at least added a new "Cover" shot to their ads....TrainWorld seems just to swap prices and pictures (like St Aubin)  those are the two biggest ads, that is why I called them out...

I'd personally like an add to draw me in, not just allow a gloss over because it's the same for the last 12 months...shake things up, get spicey, c-mon we need some variety!  How long can one look at an ad for a 38 Ton Shay that is the wrong Class?  Unless they have been eluding for years that Bmann will build a Class A?  I can forgive one printing with a wrong photo, but awrong pic for 3+ years and we still can't get it right?  Again, I don't mean to pick on just one or two companies, but they catch the eye more (more pages+more spent (should)=better ads...

cale

 

[Del Tapparo]

I have always read Garden Railways from cover to cover. (And I hate it when someone posts reference to articles prior to my reading them! Since, I now receive advertiser's copies early, that is no longer a problem.) As my years in the hobby pile up, I now spend less time in awe of the feature article, although there are still some amazing layouts out there! I guess I have always been of the mindset, that Garden Railways is where I am going to find out what products are available to my hobby, and where do I get them. Hence, I like the Ads, Note & News, and Product Reviews. I also think that Kevin does a great job with the "Basics" column. I am guessing it usually benefits most of us, not just the new guys.

That thingy at the end of the magazine is called the "Market Place", which is where I advertise. There is also a new deal, which personaly I don't care for, called the "Web Site Directory". Nearly every ad in the magazine has a web site, so why do we need a web site directory? (with ads that all look identical. I'm staring at them right now writing this, and I still haven't read them).

 

[Semper Vaporo]

I voted for:

"All of the above"

and

"None of the above"

Each section CAN be wonderful and CAN also be absolutely useless. I do say that most of them are useless most of the time. I wish I knew what it is that causes a section to be interesting one time and not other times. It is probably "me", but I can't pin it down as to why or what.

 

[cjwalas]

After they got rid of the pull-out plans, the only reason I still get the magazine is for Peter Jones and Vance Bass' columns. It's a good magazine for beginner's. I only wish it had more variety and more scratchbuilding articles.
Chris

 

[OzarkRR]

I get Garden Railways Magazine each month because it is the only choice.  Over all I am left with a feeling of "that's all there is"?  30 minutes cover to cover and into the trash can.  Oh Well.

 

[blackburn49]

I'm in it for the ads--to see what products are currently being offered. Of course, I enjoy reading the reviews on these same products. Some of the featured garden railways aren't bad, either, but they tend to look a lot alike after the first few dozen of them.

 

[tacfoley]

Dear Mr 49 - I tend to agree with you - once you've seen one layout that's about 200 feet by 70 feet with mountains, rivers, volcanoes, a selection of small townships with busy industries, computer-controlled airwire and forty trains you've really seen them all....

I favour the desert, open-country Colorado look that all too rarely appears, as well as Mr Bass's excellent articles - along with anything else on F-scale rolling stockbuilding.

Sadly, Gauge 1, as a matter of course, gets ignored for the most part, although I have been getting the magazine since the early 1990's, the sight of an Aster anything is something I not not yet managed to find...

Best

tac
www.ovgrs.org

  

 

[vsmith]

I've been enjoying the "Looking Back" section, mostly because I recently aquired several Gazette issues from the 1980's, pre GR, that feature Marc Horowitzs original garden railroading articles, wow has the hobby come a hellova long way since then!

I agree with Chris about the lack of scratchbuilding or kitbash articles, if I wasnt so busy and have to steal time as it is to work on my own stuff, I would like to try an article building another Mack based Whadahellizit project, but I feel like the days of that kind of project in the magazine when the way the way of the dodo and awnuts. The magazine seems aimed much more at mainstream modelers now and less so at the individual kitbashers work, the only such examples I see there now are in the readers letters with tiny tiny pics.

 

[John J]

I read it cover to cover   many times.   Then it goes on the shelf   Some times  I go  pull a  part of the pile off the shelf and  re read some of it.   Especially the featured layouts.  

 

[Fred]

I read it cover to cover but my favorite part is the featured layout, always nice to see what someone else has done & how. The Product review is my 2nd favorite. I keep all my issues in boxes and when we go on vacation I bring a box to re-read.

 

[MarkLewis]

My disappointment with GR has grown with each issue. There's far too much repetition (how many covers have not featured a bridge). The sameness of the content is a source of much boredom. I used to like their featured layout stories, but they are mostly pictorials and the  track plans have become increasingly useless. Compared to the track plans published in MR, often for club sized layouts, the ones in GR are jokes. Try tracing a line in any of them you'll have instant confusion. Try constructing a schematic so you can check operations capability, and you will quickly abandon the task. I am beginning to think it needs an editor with much wider interests than Marc Horowitz.

Mark

 

[jebouck]

I have every issue, back to when it was a little pamphlet.
But, now I have dropped my subscription. I'll just pick it up down at the train store from time to time.
It is very boring and does not cover enough technical things.
Most of the layouts look the same to me.
There's only so much info that can be covered over the years.
Narrow Gauge & Short-line Gazette is now my favorite.
jb

 

[Del Tapparo]

I would suggest that you are not really getting bored with the magazine, but in fact, you are getting "bored" with the hobby. Not that this hobby is really boring. It's not. But you, as a garden railroader, have advanced up the learning curve to the point where everything you see is repetitious. It is hard to find new and exciting things for you. And, lets face it. The magazine targets the beginners in the hobby. They have to stick to the basics. If they make it real technical and advanced, they blow away all those entering the hobby! Not a great business decision.

And then there is the other side of the coin ... The majority of the content in the magazine is submitted by the readers. If you don't like what you see, change it by submitting your own advanced, non-repetitious articles.

 

[Guest]

/DesktopModules/NTForums/themes/mls/emoticons/sad.gifAs the original author of this thread, let me remind everyone that the purpose of my post, and my poll was not to slam Garden Railways, nor its editor, nor even to tell me (us) what you don't like about the magazine.  Frankly, I don't care.  If you don't subscribe, read, or like the magazine, go read another thread and complain there. That's not to say readers shouldn't post their suggestions, or comments on how to improve the publication.  But the personal assaults and complaining need to stop.  Understand, that improvement was not my initial intent (I don't work for the publisher).  I'm simply trying to get a feel for what those who do like and read the magazine prefer to see - just for fun, and just because I was curious. I for one love the magazine for many reasons and look forward to getting each new issue.  As a beginner, I find it fascinating and very informative.  I'd love to see an entire issue dedicated to just layouts.  So, please keep your posts positive and tell me (us) about what you like about the magazine, or would like to see added or changed to improve it.  Again, there's no need, and no reason to bash the magazine or its editorial staff.  If this continues, I'll ask Shad to lock the thread. thank you for your cooperation and civility.