While reading the post about the lack of an N gauge Wish list on RMWeb it did make me wonder how popular the various gauges are.
Im my mind I would say 00, then N, then 0, then maybe 009, with all the others as minnows. I've never seen it in any more detail, but the clear leader is 00. I'd say N has to be next due to what I see in model shops, at exhibition, and in magazines, with 0 as maybe half or a third of the popularity of N.
We moan about the perceived lack of attention being paid to our needs but how do the 0 and 009 guys feel. I suppose the latter are like pigs in clover at the moment, but the range of UK stock is small in real life so there's not a lot to do overall. Stuff is coming out in 0, and the new TT120, mainly because manufacturers see them as newish markets, but their ranges of RTR are a fraction of what we have in N.
I'm happy with what we have and am happy to build those things that are not likely to be made due to their limited range in time or place. There are still some gaps in the market, and if, as pointed out in the other Wishlist thread, 1948-1970's seems to account for 70% plus of modellers responses then mybe it's that era that needs attention. Revolution, Sonic and Rapido are doing their bit, so let's see what happens when Bachmann finally get their new designers working. I predict 2024 will be a year of feasting.......
Dave
There have been surveys in the past, yes generally here in the UK they come out as OO then N, then other stuff.
It does depend where in the world you are though. Japan I think N comes top above HO. In the old Eastern Bloc countries TT was more popular than N.
i think one reason 00 is more popular than N is the cost.
I worked for several seasons in the IW railway gift shop--it stocked a considerable range of 00 and N. 00 sales dominated by 10:1.
Quote from: Bigmac on December 05, 2022, 07:36:35 PM
i think one reason 00 is more popular than N is the cost.
I worked for several seasons in the IW railway gift shop--it stocked a considerable range of 00 and N. 00 sales dominated by 10:1.
Sorry but I don't think Cost has anything to do with it.
I think the the biggest reason why OO is more popular than N is one word, HORNBY!!!!
You mention Railway modelling to anyone outside of hobby and they will say "Oh like the stuff Hornby does??" Where has anyone seen any advertising, outside of the Modelling World, by Bachmann or Dapol etc. You can buy Hornby sets from the like of Toymaster, Argos, etc. but not any products by Bachmann or Dapol.
SO, love them or hate them, Hornby are pretty much the main reason why OO is more popular then any other Gauge/Scale at the moment and they've done it, or rather hoping to do it, again with TT120.
Cheers
Neal.
For a long time there seems to have been some agreement that 00 / 4mm scale accounts for about 75% of the overall market, with N at about 15% and the rest all squeezed into the remainder.
I suspect that recently 0 gauge has increased its share of the market, but where that share has been taken from; or if it is mainly "an extra interest" I know not.
Here in the states, the local hobby shops always stocked HO and N above everything else. The factors always seemed to boil down to the most ideal balance of detail and cost + many modelers not having as much room to excise on a layout. O still has its presence but it's nothing like what it used to be in the past. The days of every boy pining for an electric Lionel trainset are long gone.
In our interview with PECO for the virtual exhibition, they stated that N gauge was around 30% of OO volumes from their perspective
as i said earlier--cost is a major factor.
to the new entrant into the model railway hobby--seeing the vast choice of shiney plastic 00 locos and stock--then seeing the far fewer choice of tiny n gauge models--often at a higher price for what seems to be a similar model--its a no-brainer.
Surely a lot of the reason OO is more popular has to do with what we were exposed to in our early days. In the 50s when I was a kid, N gauge didn't exist. Us, old folks now continue to hanker after our youth so many of us go for the modern versions of Hornby Dublo, Triang, and Trix Twin.
Webbo
Quote from: Bigmac on December 07, 2022, 09:51:17 PM
as i said earlier--cost is a major factor.
to the new entrant into the model railway hobby--seeing the vast choice of shiney plastic 00 locos and stock--then seeing the far fewer choice of tiny n gauge models--often at a higher price for what seems to be a similar model--its a no-brainer.
I think that N is not the dearer cousin you suggest it is. Many OO coaches cost more than their N gauge equivalents. OO class 47s are over £200 now. While OO gets better discounts for stock clearance items at the box shifters, in the high street model shops you refer to, I'd suggest N is not the expensive hobby it once was.
Bob
The unit price of N gauge rolling stock may be similar to that of OO gauge but I imagine most N gauge modellers buy more stock than OO gaugers so the total cost is more ?
Quote from: Bob G on December 08, 2022, 11:08:36 AM
Quote from: Bigmac on December 07, 2022, 09:51:17 PM
as i said earlier--cost is a major factor.
to the new entrant into the model railway hobby--seeing the vast choice of shiney plastic 00 locos and stock--then seeing the far fewer choice of tiny n gauge models--often at a higher price for what seems to be a similar model--its a no-brainer.
I think that N is not the dearer cousin you suggest it is. Many OO coaches cost more than their N gauge equivalents. OO class 47s are over £200 now. While OO gets better discounts for stock clearance items at the box shifters, in the high street model shops you refer to, I'd suggest N is not the expensive hobby it once was.
Bob
high street model shop ?? wheres that then ?
Given Webbo's comments I'd be interested in seeing an age profile of this forum. I'm nearly 66 and have been modelling in N since 1972 after starting with Lone Star pushalong when I was 4 but moving onto Triang, until it all got sold for N. I certainly don't hanker after 00, but can see Webbo's point that if you are over 70, say, you wouldn't have really seen N as an option when a youngster.
Dave
Over the last few years at the BMRG n gauge has moved from there being perhaps 2 members to now being the major scale/gauge modelled over 50% of the members actively model in n. that is in a membership of over 30. :claphappy: :claphappy:
Quote from: joe cassidy on December 08, 2022, 11:17:04 AM
The unit price of N gauge rolling stock may be similar to that of OO gauge but I imagine most N gauge modellers buy more stock than OO gaugers so the total cost is more ?
I totally agree. In OO I have 4 coach trains. Short goods trains no more than 7 wagons long. Mostly 1 loco per class (apart from 33/42/71/73).
In N I run more prototypical rakes up to 8 coaches (my Fiddle Yard Capacity). I have multiple versions of individual loco classes. Goods trains 16 - 30 wagons long.
Generally more of everything :bounce:
Storage volume is a huge issue for me. You can store 8 times as much N as OO in the same space.
N gauge is happily in drawers in the model room. OO in crates in the garage or in display cases.
I have spent less than £6k on what looks like a substantial collection in OO, and dare not say how much on my N collection.
Bob
As someone who only started modelling railways last year, the immediate attraction of N was the prototype HST. However the secondary aspect was space and the third aspect was cost.
I would hate to think how much assembling a full OO gauge HST would cost and indeed how much room it would take up. I've found the Dapol Mark III's reasonably priced in comparison when I look at the cost of OO gauge coaches, and 5 foot or so for a realistic set is far more managable. I still haven't built a big layout yet, but I can run reasonably sized realistic trains on Shipcombe which is 1.5m x 0.6m. I've also found the N gauge Class 33s reasonably priced too, so have started building up a decent selection of stock over the past year.
The only real gripe I have with N is the availablity of coaches - but I have no idea what the OO situation is like for that either.
O gauge meanwhile looks like something either for the millionaire or more suited to club layouts.
I was an 00 guy from my very early years in the early 1960s right through to the mid 1990s . I decided to take a sabbatical and sold all my 00. Around about 2000 I started G scale on the garden which I still have. After about ten years I realised that it gets cold in the winter and being outside wasn't much fun so I looked to go back indoors in a smaller scale. Back in the days of Poole Graham Farish there is no way I would have given N a second thought; it was just too crude. When looking at the standard of N gauge models around in 2010/2012 it was an easy decision to choose N rather than 00. The N gauge stock was well detailed and realistic. N is the way to go if you live in a normal size house and want to run realistic length trains. All of us here know that but I think the message needs to be passed on to more people. In my view N deserves to be more popular and is a logical choice compared to 00. I think 00 remains still popular because so many people already have a good collection of 00 and would find it hard to change. I guess I was lucky in that by taking a break and selling everything I was able to make a clean start.
As I mentioned in a different topic N gauge layouts have shown themselves to be popular with visitor votes at exhibitions this year which is very encouraging. Where people have made good looking N gauge layouts I think they should contact the magazines to see if they are interested in featuring them. The more N gauge layouts there are in magazines the greater the chance of increasing the number of N gauge modellers.
I've put it in another thread on the Forum somewhere, but for me the beauty of N is, as others have said, the ability to run scale, or near scale, length trains in a reasonable space. For me that means loco plus 8-10 coaches, and up to about 35 SWB wagons.
Cost?.........can't, better not, say, but I think I'm now needing a bit of a thinning out!
Martyn
Unfortunately however, for good reasons N Gauge has plastered over the boxes for Adult Collectors Only and not for Children U14 due to small parts. How much affect has this statement got on the younger element not taking up N and starting in OO and staying with it.
Quote from: Nbodger on December 08, 2022, 03:51:17 PM
Unfortunately however, for good reasons N Gauge has plastered over the boxes for Adult Collectors Only and not for Children U14 due to small parts. How much affect has this statement got on the younger element not taking up N and starting in OO and staying with it.
Sometimes I still want to chew my models when they stop working...
With regard to Chris's comment about getting N gauge layouts into magazines, Steve Flint from RM was virtually begging for more to be sent in when he did an interview (was it for last years Virtual Show?). I think the problem is that there are less N gauge layouts around, and therefore less good ones (or ones that their owners feel are good enough) to go into magazines compared to OO.
Dave
Quote from: Nbodger on December 08, 2022, 03:51:17 PM
Unfortunately however, for good reasons N Gauge has plastered over the boxes for Adult Collectors Only and not for Children U14 due to small parts. How much affect has this statement got on the younger element not taking up N and starting in OO and staying with it.
I would have thought that detailed OO models have just as many, if not more, small parts, both metal and plastic, shouldn't they also have the same warning?
Regards,
John P
Quote from: Chris Morris on December 08, 2022, 02:43:18 PM
I was an 00 guy from my very early years in the early 1960s right through to the mid 1990s . I decided to take a sabbatical and sold all my 00. Around about 2000 I started G scale on the garden which I still have. After about ten years I realised that it gets cold in the winter and being outside wasn't much fun so I looked to go back indoors in a smaller scale. Back in the days of Poole Graham Farish there is no way I would have given N a second thought; it was just too crude. When looking at the standard of N gauge models around in 2010/2012 it was an easy decision to choose N rather than 00. The N gauge stock was well detailed and realistic. N is the way to go if you live in a normal size house and want to run realistic length trains. All of us here know that but I think the message needs to be passed on to more people. In my view N deserves to be more popular and is a logical choice compared to 00. I think 00 remains still popular because so many people already have a good collection of 00 and would find it hard to change. I guess I was lucky in that by taking a break and selling everything I was able to make a clean start.
As I mentioned in a different topic N gauge layouts have shown themselves to be popular with visitor votes at exhibitions this year which is very encouraging. Where people have made good looking N gauge layouts I think they should contact the magazines to see if they are interested in featuring them. The more N gauge layouts there are in magazines the greater the chance of increasing the number of N gauge modellers.
i was thinking earlier about the popularity at shows. Mega layouts like James street are great entertainment---but, there is a but. How many potential newcomers to the hobby are, in reality, a bit discouraged by the big layouts, simply because they only have a small amount of room for this hobby--if they were to take the plunge. The real beauty of n gauge is creating a work of art in a small space--so exhibitions could do well to book several small layouts that most people could have at home.
As one of the James Street team it's not the first time I've hear comments like that above. If it's true that big layouts like JS scare people off, and the only solution is small, then no-one would ever try to make anything just that little bit different and special. I'm not just thinking about JS, but about anything in life. Why should the Beatles bother with Sergeant Pepper, because the average musician couldn't record music like it? Or why try to go to the Moon, when you could just sit at home and look at it through the window? Sadly, I think the truth is that many people out there see something like JS and miss the fact that it's lots of little ideas for a layout put into one model. I apppreciate that a lot of people don't have space or vision, but does that mean that everyone should therefore act the same.
Vive la difference as those pesky French say!
Dave
By the same logic, I wouldn't go to a show and see, eg, 'Gresley beat' or Stoke Bank and think there's no point me beginning in 4mm.
For each large layout, in any scale, there are far more smaller layouts in those scales at a show that would give me, as a beginner, ideas to go ahead and build.
Martyn
I really don't think JS will have put anyone off modelling in N. I think most of us would describe it as inspirational even if we feel no need to make something so big. The question of what does inspire folk is a good question. If all layouts at a show are very high quality many folk may decide they could never get near to that and decide to give up. On the other hand some folk might find lower quality layouts a turn off while others looking at the same layout might think "I could do that" and be inspired.
It remains up to is to act as ambassadors for N gauge in whatever' way we can.
Many is the time I've wondered how many people start off in N as they think they can get a lot in a small space but they purchase set track points so as to create more space then wonder why the locos they want won't traverse the points or 9" curves. Then they become disillusioned and it's probably packed away in the attic/sold on Fleabay.
The issue is they are not warned the locos they want maybe have'Minimum radius 2' on the box until they get it, and do they understand what that means anyway?
Likewise, Peco don't warn folks about that possibility and perhaps retailers don't warn people as they want the sale.
I think much reading/education is needed before anyone jumps into N gauge.
Apologies if this is considered controversial but they're just my thoughts.
I think one of the best arguments for N is the 'railway in a landscape' one.
Plus, as I have said many times on this forum, OO models look like plastic toys to me.
QuoteO gauge meanwhile looks like something either for the millionaire or more suited to club layouts.
I model in both O and N, and I can assure you that neither is true. As others have noted, items in the bigger scales cost more but you need less of them in a given space. So the cost per square meter of layout is not that much different.
Quote from: Newportnobby on December 08, 2022, 09:56:35 PM
Many is the time I've wondered how many people start off in N as they think they can get a lot in a small space but they purchase set track points so as to create more space then wonder why the locos they want won't traverse the points or 9" curves. Then they become disillusioned and it's probably packed away in the attic/sold on Fleabay.
The issue is they are not warned the locos they want maybe have'Minimum radius 2' on the box until they get it, and do they understand what that means anyway?
Likewise, Peco don't warn folks about that possibility and perhaps retailers don't warn people as they want the sale.
I think much reading/education is needed before anyone jumps into N gauge.
Apologies if this is considered controversial but they're just my thoughts.
I would agree. The basic set track point should be at least R2 so it is compatible with larger locos. R1 track packs should have a clear warning panel stating they are not suitable for all locos. The Peco set track point was almost certainly brought to the market place many years ago, probably in the days of GF from Poole. Things have moved on but the Peco set track point hasn't. The set track curved point which is more modern is also an issue for some larger steam outline locos. I have huge respect for Peco and believe they have been brilliant servants to our hobby over the years but that set track point with it's compatibility problems should have been replaced with a bigger one many years ago.
Once again, my own personal opinion, but Peco setrack is only good for off scene fiddle yards.
Quote from: Chris Morris on December 09, 2022, 08:11:23 AM
I have huge respect for Peco and believe they have been brilliant servants to our hobby over the years but that set track point with it's compatibility problems should have been replaced with a bigger one many years ago.
It's not Peco's fault that British N manufacturers have decided they can't make their larger locos able to negotiate 9" radius. The quality Continental brands have always managed it, indeed they can go down to 8" because that is the minimum radius people have on their existing layouts using Fleischmann, Minitrix, Arnold etc. track systems.
I have absolutely no problems running my stuff over Setrack points. I agree they don't look good for scenic trackwork and I only use them in fiddleyards.
Quote from: Bealman on December 09, 2022, 08:19:04 AM
Once again, my own personal opinion, but Peco setrack is only good for off scene fiddle yards.
Still no use if your lovely loco derails each time it enters/leaves the fiddle yard or your swish little pannier tank has to do so at 200mph so it doesn't stall on the point.
Yeah - I know some don't have that problem but there's a helluva lot who do.
Quote from: Chris Morris on December 09, 2022, 08:11:23 AM
I would agree. The basic set track point should be at least R2 so it is compatible with larger locos. R1 track packs should have a clear warning panel stating they are not suitable for all locos. The Peco set track point was almost certainly brought to the market place many years ago, probably in the days of GF from Poole. Things have moved on but the Peco set track point hasn't. The set track curved point which is more modern is also an issue for some larger steam outline locos. I have huge respect for Peco and believe they have been brilliant servants to our hobby over the years but that set track point with it's compatibility problems should have been replaced with a bigger one many years ago.
This is where I take issue with UK modellers in all scales. UK Setrack Radius 1 corresponds to Continental
Radius 2.Yet I can propel a double-deck push-pull train round a Continental radius 1 (hidden) curve on a 1 in 25 bank - less steep than the prototype Hollentalbahn which is 1 in 17.8 and do so repeatedly for two days with Bregenbach in Schwarzwald at shows. These coaches are close coupled so on the straight there isn't a gap between them- closer coupling than ANY UK outline stock I have.
The fact that British N can't do small radii is a function of us accepting inadequate design by the manufacturers. My BR44 2-10-0 can cope with Continental Radius 1, as can my BR01 4-6-2 and my BR23 2-6-2, the latter having no visible gap between loco and tender exactly as the prototype. So why do my BRITISH locos require Continental Radius 3 or larger?
Les
now in the process of getting completely out of UK N after selling Croft Spa.
We seem to have gone a lot off topic! In terms of my initial posting, I think I was about right with my ratio of gauges.
Dave
Well some numbers have been thrown around by similarly uneducated people, but if that's the takeaway then great!
It's going to depend on how you measure it - units sold in each scale, money spent, unique purchasers etc.
In units sold then N will of course outstrip O. But it wouldn't entirely surprise me if the number of unique buyers was similar. I have two O gauge locos, a couple of wagons (which I made, so not sure they count) and 3 yards of track. Does that make me an O gauge and an N gauge modeller? I've ordered an Accurascale 92, but I have no track whatsoever, it's for display only. Do I count as a OO gauge modeller?
Is it purely how people self-identify?
Your numbers seem reasonable as vague approximations of course, but it's hard to get much beyond that level of accuracy.
While Continental N gauge locos can go round sharp radius curves, the set-track points are larger radius than Peco Setrack — Fleischmann points are 430mm for example.
I find set-track points a significant issue in British N. I have to use set-track since I can't manage to fit rail joiners on to track (with the exception of Kato): if I hold them tight enough I can't see where they are. I often wonder how people do this — I've seen innumerable videos about track laying, they all show how to hammer in track pins but NEVER show rail joiners being fitted. Perhaps everybody has difficulty, and don't like to advertise the fact...
Fleischmann points are OK for Continental stock (although not as reliable as they should be) but some British stock takes exception to them, and most jolts on going through them. Kato #4 points can cause derailments with some stock, while the #6 points simply take up too much room, they're longer than most OO set-track points at 186mm long.
I don't know why radius 2 of Peco Setrack is chosen anyway. Perhaps the manufacturers think set-track points are radius 2, as they are in OO!
I wouldn't hold your breath waiting for the range to be revised though — it took 25 years from it's introduction for there to BE a radius 2...
Peco probably have the best data for market share of the various scales in terms of sales of track.
However, as mentioned earlier sales of rolling stock are unlikely to be directly proportional to track sales, so Peco's data for market share of N based on track sales is likely to be less than the total market share for N.
I would like to know what share N gauge represents for Metcalfe Models building kits ?
I would guess that N gauge's market share for kits is greater than for RTR.
Even with track how are you measuring? Same metrics still apply. I doubt many people buy O gauge track in 25 yard boxes, given it lends itself to shunting and depot layouts, but I suspect lots of people buy multiple boxes for N.
Quote from: D9020 Nimbus on December 09, 2022, 03:55:19 PM
... I can't manage to fit rail joiners on to track (with the exception of Kato): if I hold them tight enough I can't see where they are. I often wonder how people do this..
Wandering off topic here of course, but personally I just hold the rail joiner in the end of snipe-nose pliers and slide it on. Easy and works first time every time.
Whatever numbers we come up with are about to be thrown into turmoil with the advent of TT:120, which as stated above is Hornby.
The numbers joining the TT:120 club have exceeded expectations to the extent that the group producing the welcome packs has been totally snowed under. An awful lot of sets have been ordered. How many of those are for novelty only is impossible to judge just yet. We might know a lot more in two years time.
On a personal note, I started in TT (Triang TT3) in 1963 and only really moved on when it became impossible to get hold of as a twenty-some year old modeller in the mid-seventies. My next layout will be TT, using Peco track. Whether it will be British or German outline depends on what comes available suitable for my ideas. I only need half a dozen locos whichever way I jump. The reason for the move is that my arthritis isn't improving. I don't have room for a roundy-roundy in OO and my shunting plank NO PLACE hasn't any play value at home.
That of course means following the sale of Croft Spa I have enough surplus UK outline N-gauge stock to more than fund the layout and a 2-week cruise.....
Les
Will you be selling your surplus n gauge stuff on the N'porium ?
I got into N gauge because of my Dad and Grandad, it's what they had. Why they had N gauge I have no idea, but I guess space was a big factor. The same applies for me now, OO gauge ok a layout of my size would be a bit cramped and relatively boring to operate (12ftx2ft6) compared to what I've got now.
Most people I know that have anything to do with model railways (which isn't many) have OO, mainly all have kids and because of Hornby. Only one person I know had N gauge but he donated a lot of his spare track to me!
Quote from: Southerngooner on December 08, 2022, 04:48:48 PM
With regard to Chris's comment about getting N gauge layouts into magazines, Steve Flint from RM was virtually begging for more to be sent in when he did an interview (was it for last years Virtual Show?). I think the problem is that there are less N gauge layouts around, and therefore less good ones (or ones that their owners feel are good enough) to go into magazines compared to OO.
Dave
Personally I'd never of thought of approaching a magazine, always thought it'd be a case of they'd approach whoever they want in their magazine...I wouldn't say no if I was contacted because then I'd think well maybe my layout is good enough!
No, contact the magazines. Give a resume or even completed article, preferably with photos. There are usually contact addresses or email addresses for articles in the magazine.
If they are interested or not, they will let you know, and be prepared to re-write the piece.
Editors can't get around to every exhibition to see what's on the circuit, and they certainly can't see 'stay at home' layouts.
This also applies to articles on stock, scenery, electrics or other area of modelling.
It may be some months before an accepted article actually gets into print, and most magazines won't accept an article which has appeared in similar form in another trade magazine.
Martyn
If you don't send stuff about your layout to a magazine, how are they going to know about it? ???
Quote from: Bealman on December 09, 2022, 10:10:10 PM
If you don't send stuff about your layout to a magazine, how are they going to know about it? ???
Forums like this one, Facebook groups etc? I just thought there must be people from magazines who look through forums etc for content? If they're struggling for content then you'd go looking for it kinda thing?
Yes, I see your point, and as far as I'm aware, this forum is known to magazines such as Railway Modeller. However, they will rarely contact a person asking for a submission. Nemo of this parish, and editor of the NGS Journal asks for submissions in his editorials in the mag itself.
My own layout has been published by RM a number of times, and I just bundled it up with some piccies and sent it off to them.
But that was before the days of Facebook and forums! :beers:
Quote from: joe cassidy on December 09, 2022, 08:30:04 PM
Will you be selling your surplus n gauge stuff on the N'porium ?
some to Bingham club members, some through the NGS, and some on eBay at the moment. No hurry as there's not a lot out there to buy at the moment.
Les
Quote from: ste234 on December 09, 2022, 10:50:47 PM
Quote from: Bealman on December 09, 2022, 10:10:10 PM
If you don't send stuff about your layout to a magazine, how are they going to know about it? ???
Forums like this one, Facebook groups etc? I just thought there must be people from magazines who look through forums etc for content? If they're struggling for content then you'd go looking for it kinda thing?
I think that Railway Modeller picked up James St at Warley, and asked for an article.
But all the subsequent articles on stock written by myself or Southerngooner, either as a joint article or individually, have been by submission. Not all have been about James St, indeed some of Dave's have been about his own layout.
This was the same some twenty five years ago when Dave and I did a series of articles which were published in the Journal and also the Modeller.
So if you have ideas, or a full article, write it, photograph it, and submit it. And has has been suggested, if you are a Society member, send it to the Journal editor as well. The trade magazines will accept such a pre-published article, but not something that has already been in another trade magazine.
Good luck.
Martyn
I'd already spoken to the Modeller about JS before Warley 2017, and they put on a taster article using photos taken at Basildon show in the edition that was out at Warley. I contacted them with a draft article initially, so they could get a feel of the layout and decide if they wanted to publish it, they didn't contact us. However, BRM and Model Rail both contacted us at shows. The difference is that RM articles are mainly author led, while the other mags use their own staffers to write them.
Dave
Quote from: Southerngooner on December 10, 2022, 11:18:18 AM
I'd already spoken to the Modeller about JS before Warley 2017, and they put on a taster article using photos taken at Basildon show in the edition that was out at Warley. I contacted them with a draft article initially, so they could get a feel of the layout and decide if they wanted to publish it, they didn't contact us. However, BRM and Model Rail both contacted us at shows. The difference is that RM articles are mainly author led, while the other mags use their own staffers to write them.
Dave
I know we'd thought about an article, but couldn't remember the details!
Martyn
I think my advice to anyone who wants to get an article into any publication, be it the Modeller or the Journal, is firstly is it newsworthy? It's better to have something a bit original to publish rather than something similar to other recent articles. Secondly, take a good hard look at some photos of whatever you want your article to be about and be self critical about what you see. Measure your work against other things you can see, and be prepared to be honest with yourself if it's not up to scratch. Thirdly, make your article interesting and concise. Too many articles ramble, or aren't clearly understood. If you can, get it proof read by someone who knows what you are doing, and be prepared to take comments on board. Don't just do it to get your name in print, make sure strangers will appreciate what you have taken the time to write about.
I personally just start typing on the PC when I think I have something that might make a good article, and spend time (often over weeks) adding, re-reading and modifying, etc before I get something that I think is OK. After sending it to whoever (in my case only the Journal and the Modeller) be prepared to chop it about if they ask you to. Usually it's to fit a certain number of pages. I think the guide is 500 words a page. If you can take your own photos then do so. I've done all of mine for recent articles (the J50 for example) on my iPhone. If you supply pictures the Modeller pays more than if you don't. Oh yes, that's the small payback for getting into the Modeller, who pay £35 a page I think without photos or £40 with. I know the J50 article ended up paying for the loco.
I'm always ready to help someone get things published do if you want any more help PM me.
Dave
Day 11 of Rails Advent Calendar 2022 and there's only been one N gauge item. Just saying.
Sounds like N gauge is more popular than all these esoteric OO models that no one wants.