Category Archives: Magazines

Mainline Modeler Magazine on DVD

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I was reading Trevor Marshall’s Port Rowan in 1:64 site about a week ago. He had a post talking about how the Complete Collection of Mainline Modeler was being released on DVD through the C&O Historical Society.

This is great news. I’ve always liked Mainline Modeler and really miss it since it stopped production. My collection was missing about 40 issues, mostly from the late 80’s. It is the last magazine that I have been keeping, both my MR’s and RMC issues have been cut and I’m just saving some articles and drawings. But this will free up almost nine feet of shelf space taken up by the back issues. I had to order the DVD.

It came in this past Friday and I think it’s great. The scans are much better than other magazines that have been digitized in the past and the files are PDF’s so they are very easy to read.

My only real complaint is that the center spread drawings are done as multiple page scans. Which is not the best to try to print out and use to build something from. So on potential projects where I have the back issue, I’ll save the printed version of the drawings.

It’s a little pricey at $249 for non C&O Historical Society members, but the information is priceless. And it’s so much easier to store than all the old magazines.

C&O Historical Society’s Mainline Modeler order page.

 

 

Image from the C&O Historical Society page.

Back from the Dead

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june2014-RMC

Yesterday, while driving around, I stopped into a Barnes & Noble to see if the last issue of RMC was on their shelf. It was, so a copy came home with me.

I read through the issue when I got home. There is a very nice article on Great Northern’s Plywood boxcars in there and some good coverage of the Spring Prototype Modelers meet in Malvern, PA.

I had an email waiting for me that sent along a copy of a press release from White River Productions and Carsten Publications. Railroad Model Craftsman and Railfan & Railroad were sold to White River Publications and will continue to be published.

No More Rumors

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This first time my name appeared in RMC

This first time my name appeared in an issue of RMC

Yesterday, August 22, 2014 the rumors were put to rest with a post of the Railroad Model Craftsmen’s Facebook page.

It is with regret that Carstens Publicatons, Inc. will be closing permanently at close of business on Friday, August 22, 2014. Carstens Publications, Inc. has been a leading publisher of leading hobby magazines for over 50 years. Unfortunately the current economic climate has placed us in this position. Discussion is continuing with several parties who expressed desire to take on the continuance of the magazines. At this point there is still hope that all three titles will remain in existence. But I can offer no guarantees. We thank you for your patronage over the years, and wish you the best of luck in
your endeavors.
 
Henry R. Carstens, President
Carstens Publications, Inc.

 

The cover above is from the February 1983 issue of RMC. It was the first time my name appeared inside an issue. I supplied photos for Eric Neubauer’s article on the PRR G32c gondolas. That started my relationship with RMC. They later published modeling articles, prototype drawings and illustrations of mine for other people’s articles over the next few years. They really helped me when I was fresh out of art school.

One of the things I liked most when doing the illustrations was taking the ride up to Newton, NJ to drop off some drawings. I’d meet and have lunch with Bill Schaumburg. He would talk about all kinds of stuff, not just what was happening in the hobby but that always came up. When I first read the news that is what came to my mind.

I will miss the magazine, but I will miss the people and the conversations more.