Railway Modeller

[The Q]

Was a subscriber to RM for some years then in the military around 1980, they ( and other magazines)started going astray so I stopped subscribing just buying the odd copy, but there was no Smiths in the Hebrides..

I restarted about 2005 with buying occasional copies of MRJ.

I've dropped other magazines, sailing, electronics, computers, they stopped being relevant, RM for the moment is still of interest, but gradually being less so..

[Trainfish]

Thankfully RM have brought back the 'free' calendar for 2026 so yesterday's post was a good reminder to add it to Mrs Trainfish's shopping list which she duly bought for me

[cmason]

Being space constrained here I switched to the electronic version of RM a few years back, getting rid of most of my back copies, except for a very few I hung on to that I felt a bit special. And I do really like having the searchable archive!

However last week, as always when I am back on a UK visit, since I do enjoy the paper copy I bought the latest printed RM (*) and so also got the calendar for next year (* also bought Model Rail, Hornby Magazine and BRM - excessive one might think, but its only the once, or maybe twice, a year that I get the chance to do that  ),

Colin.

[thebrighton]

The downside of the electronic version and the excellent searchable archive is when you end your subscription for financial (lack of) reasons you've suddenly lost them all including the electronic copies you paid for 

[Southerngooner]

Not if you take a screenshot of the relevant pages.....I know it's a bit naughty but how can you stop anyone doing it.

Dave

[thebrighton]

Not if you take a screenshot of the relevant pages.....I know it's a bit naughty but how can you stop anyone doing it.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing but frustrating when you have paid for something but can no longer see it and who knows what may be relevant in the future 

[Southerngooner]

I'm really torn about digital content. The ability to screen shot anything is OK at times but for commercial magazines it's a real risk. I am an almost permanent free user of Readly, as they keep offering me free two month subscriptions, which I close just before the end. Normally I get another offer within a month. That gives me access to the vast bulk of model and real railway magazines. However, so much is duplicated in all these mags that it is only the rare article that appeals, which is why I gave up buying RM and Railway Magazine in the 2000s. I've built up a small but useful library of photos from screen shots, not for commercial use but to aid my modelling. I used to buy old mags wherever possible so also have a good hard copy archive of useful stuff.

I don't know what the answer is as I cannot be the only person doing this. Isn't the modern world wonderfully frustrating.

Dave