Help Save Student Fare!

[TAMR159]

I've decided to take this petition business for Student Fare straight to the
source-Model Railroader's website. I've created a topic in their forum with
a poll asking whether or not you want Student Fare to return to the pages of
Model Railroader. Please go on over there and vote yes (link is below)!

http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=9222

Thanks for reading and happy railroading!

 

[Ralph]

Welcome aboard!
I remember Student Fare back in the 70's when I was a teen getting into model railroading. I appreciated having a regular feature devoted to younger modelers who might not have as much expertise. Reading the the link you posted I see there is some controversy about the mission of MR; should it give us ideals to strive for or be more about introducing folks to the hobby and describing the basics? Seems to me in the past it offered fine work that inspired (I think of pics of the V&O among some of the other famous layouts) but sometimes also intimidated when I was looking at a 4X8 on a 15 year old's budget. Student Fare helped in that regard to let me know that the magazine was aware of its younger modelers and wanted to reach out to them. I have two large boxes full of articles and pictures taken from 30 years of back issues of MR so for me those inspirational articles are still....inspirational! I tend not to buy the magazine any more unless I see something that really interests me. I guess that's a testimonial to my perception that there is a lot of repetition of basic "how to's" from issue to issue. I guess I agree with the writer over there who believes that the magazine should return to promoting finer modeling but also recognise that many of us, especially many younger modelers, benefit from a regular feature intended for less experienced or practiced modelers.
Best of luck!
Ralph

 

[n_gineer]

I'm not up to date on this, but you mean to tell me MR is doing away with student fare? If so, isn't that sort of shooting themselves in the foot. Here they are trying to promote the Worlds Greatest Hobby and they cut out the part of the mag. devoted to students.

As for young people not getting into model railroading. I'm 60 yrs. old and when I was a kid there was a railroad going through almost every little village in the country. Now days the railroads have left the smaller towns and a lot of todays kids are not exposed to trains. Add to that, video games, paintball etc. and there aren't too many of todays kids interested in trains.

 

[TAMR159]

Originally posted by n_gineer
I'm not up to date on this, but you mean to tell me MR is doing away with student fare? If so, isn't that sort of shooting themselves in the foot. Here they are trying to promote the Worlds Greatest Hobby and they cut out the part of the mag. devoted to students.

As for young people not getting into model railroading. I'm 60 yrs. old and when I was a kid there was a railroad going through almost every little village in the country. Now days the railroads have left the smaller towns and a lot of todays kids are not exposed to trains. Add to that, video games, paintball etc. and there aren't too many of todays kids interested in trains.

MR already did away with Student Fare. We're trying to bring it back.