A Trains issue made for me!

[Ralph]

I haven't often bought copies of Trains magazine in the past but I subscribed recently when a neighbor kid was selling magazine subscriptions as a school fund raiser. My subscription started with the Jan 2004 issue. At my local hobby shop yesterday I saw back issues including the Dec. 2003 which features a multi-page detailed description of virtually ALL railroading in the Twin Cities (four Class 1 roads and short lines including the MN Commercial which runs within half a mile of my house.) It mentions operations, traffic, interesting locales online...etc. Great maps too! As an added bonus the last page, "30 years ago in Trains" , featured a large color pic of Penn Central E7s on a TrailVan train! Cool! :thumb:
I haven't seen mention of this magazine in posts here. Any fans?
Ralph

 

[Dave Flinn]

Trains Magazine

Ralph:

I used to subscribe to Trains, many years ago, and then let my subscription drop. In recent years, I have taken it up again and find it to be one of the best magazines out there. It has lots of good pictures and maps; and, if you're interested in the "business" of real railroading, the columns are interesting, too. I don't know why there hasn't been mention of it here on The Gauge, but perhaps it's just because the emphasis seems to be more on modeling (which ain't bad).

 

[trainworm]

I have had a subscription for a couple of years now. i really like the articles on what the different railroads are doing, and the pictures definately help with modeling.

those trackside guides they have been doing are pretty neat. i think they have done Minneapolis/St Paul, Omaha/Council Bluffs, Detroit, and Cincinatti so far.

 

[ceebeenq]

Trains

" i think they have done Minneapolis/St Paul, Omaha/Council Bluffs, Detroit, and Cincinatti so far."
Trainworm....they also have done Chicago. (Yes!)
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Re: Trains......I've been subscribing since 1989 or so. And I try to locate older issues when I can find them at swap meets, ebay, etc.
The current magazine is excellent I think. The map items knock my socks off. Some of my very hardcore railfan friends prefer CTC Board, Diesel Era, and a few others.
I think they look down their noses at Trains after a while but I still think it's super.
For those that like to read the older magazines, the era when David P Morgan was editor was terrific. (the 50's thru the 70's roughly) In fact, I like his editorials as much as anything in the older issues. He did not mince words. :thumb:
cbnq

 

[RailRon]

I was a subscriber to Trains from 1971 to some time in the middle '80s.

cbnq, you're right with David P Morgan - under his editorship the magazine was great. But then it somehow changed. Oh well, in the eighties there were some big mergers of railroads all over the USA - and they were discussed quite a lot in Trains, of course.

For months the contents of Trains could have been printed without change in an economy magazine.
That's why I dropped my subscription. After all, I wanted to get technical information about American railroading, not economy news.

I admit that I missed lots of infos about modern railroading, and I understand that the quality of Trains has risen to new heights. Perhaps I'll give it a try in the near future again...

Ron

PS: I got myself a few issues of Classic Trains - these are fantastic for oldies like me!

 

[Fred_M]

Since we are hawking our favorite mags, here's mine.