Railway Magazine : oh dear.....

[Justin Smith]

I have been a subscriber to the Railway Magazine for many many years and in fact have a (more or less) complete collection of bound copies stretching back to 1941, however I am losing enthusiasm for that particular publication.
Latest ? No calendar ! Even worse they never gave any notice they weren't doing them any more, I could have bought a nice 2026 calendar at Barrowhill had I known !
Other issues have included the changing size of the publication in May 2025 which is obviously problematic for those of us having our magazines bound. On the subject of which they have also stopped doing the printed yearly index (the last one was 2023's), another reason to make one think twice about bothering to bind ones copies..... Plus there's the lower quality paper leading to poorer picture quality.
One wonder what famous editors of the past would think ? I'd bet Nick Pigott (or any of editors past or present) is far from happy about it all......

 

[Llanigraham]

I have been a subscriber to the Railway Magazine for many many years and in fact have a (more or less) complete collection of bound copies stretching back to 1941, however I am losing enthusiasm for that particular publication.
Latest ? No calendar ! Even worse they never gave any notice they weren't doing them any more, I could have bought a nice 2026 calendar at Barrowhill had I known !
Other issues have included the changing size of the publication in May 2025 which is obviously problematic for those of us having our magazines bound. On the subject of which they have also stopped doing the printed yearly index, another reason to make one think twice about bothering to bind ones copies..... Plus there's the lower quality paper leading to poorer picture quality.
One wonder what famous editors of the past would think ? I'd bet Nick Pigott is far from happy about it all......

Have you written to the magasine editor or the publishers about this "problem"?

 

[Justin Smith]

Have you written to the magasine editor or the publishers about this "problem"?

Well it's certainly too late to change back to the old magazine size !
I am pretty sure they knew that axing the calendar and the lower quality paper would be unpopular but have decided the cost saving would be worthwhile.
The annual printed index is an obvious cost saving measure and I would accept that would be more missed by people binding their copies*. It is a pity because the RM used to be considered a journal of record, backed up by so many people binding their copies and complete sets being valuable, e.g. a £1000.

* I would accept they have (finally....) allowed free access to subscribers to the Online archive which means that, in theory, one can find still articles.

 

[Llanigraham]

One assumes from that that you haven't complained tto either of them.
I suspect that the choice by them reducing the size and quality was either keep it as it was and increasing the price considerably, or keeping the price down.
Ditto with providing the calender and index.

 

[DelW]

The November issue never appeared in my local  WHSmith TGJones, though whether that was the fault of publisher, wholesaler or shop I don't know. The remaining copies of October's issue were still on the shelves last Thursday. I will wait and see if December's appears this week.

 

[Darandio]

backed up by so many people binding their copies and complete sets being valuable, e.g. a £1000.

You say they're valuable but have any actually sold for a large amount? I could have a full set in my attic right now and list them for £50,000, doesn't mean they're worth it.

 

[Justin Smith]

You say they're valuable but have any actually sold for a large amount? I could have a full set in my attic right now and list them for £50,000, doesn't mean they're worth it.

£1,000 :
https://www.gwra.co.uk/auctions/fully-bound-volumes-railway-magazine-complete-run-2023may-0204.html

 

[Llanigraham]

£1,000 :
https://www.gwra.co.uk/auctions/fully-bound-volumes-railway-magazine-complete-run-2023may-0204.html

Yes, but that was for a complete bound set from 1897, not the short time your's is.
I doubt you'd get anything like that amount.

 

[thedbdiboy]

£1,000 :
https://www.gwra.co.uk/auctions/fully-bound-volumes-railway-magazine-complete-run-2023may-0204.html

The value in that set is in the early copies. Postwar magazines are essentially worthless in the vast majority of cases

 

[Justin Smith]

I was looking for the index for 2024 (which I have not had bound yet) and could not find it. Did they publish an index for 2024 or was that the year they stopped ?

 

[Justin Smith]

The value in that set is in the early copies. Postwar magazines are essentially worthless in the vast majority of cases

That's interesting, and I am not disputing it, but it goes against the trend for stuff from about 40 to 50 years ago being worth more. Examples are classic cars from the 70s are now worth the most, and diesel/elec nameplates are increasing in value compared to steam. Steam plate are still more expensive but the gap is narrowing a great deal.
I rarely read my older RWM volumes, it's the ones from my youth (i.e. the late 70s) I am particularly interested in !

 

[35B]

Not directly comparable, but I'm in the process of clearing a library. What makes books and magazines valuable vary hugely, and appear very random as an outsider.

 

[Justin Smith]

I was looking for the index for 2024 (which I have not had bound yet) and could not find it. Did they publish an index for 2024 or was that the year they stopped ?

I just phoned up the RWM and they did do a 2023 index (the last one they printed....) which I ordered for £3 incl P&P.
We all know what's going to happen now don't we ?
I'll find the old one !

 

[172007]

Must be a generational issue here. Having a calendar to me is anachronsitic. Recycling bin filler.

In my mid 30's

 

[Justin Smith]

Must be a generational issue here. Having a calendar to me is anachronsitic. Recycling bin filler.

In my mid 30's

Oh no, a calendar is an essential component of running our household. Once an event is written on that calendar nobody can then say "you never told me about that" !

 

[birchesgreen]

Indeed a printed calendar is highly useful, although we do have shared calendars on our phones its just something else to forget to look at, whilst a calendar hanging next to the fridge door is a lot harder to miss!

I make my own using my own pics, vistaprint do a good deal this time of year, handy pressie for a few awkward people.

 

[thedbdiboy]

That's interesting, and I am not disputing it, but it goes against the trend for stuff from about 40 to 50 years ago being worth more. Examples are classic cars from the 70s are now worth the most, and diesel/elec nameplates are increasing in value compared to steam. Steam plate are still more expensive but the gap is narrowing a great deal.
I rarely read my older RWM volumes, it's the ones from my youth (i.e. the late 70s) I am particularly interested in !

It's supply and demand. Sadly, many people passing on now have magazine collections from the post-war period, they are heavy and take up room. For a modern generation access to digital archives means far fewer people want to own the magazines than there are copies available. The survival rate of wartime and pre-war copies is much lower so they have more of a value - quite considerably so for Victorian/Edwardian copies

 

[35B]

It's supply and demand. Sadly, many people passing on now have magazine collections from the post-war period, they are heavy and take up room. For a modern generation access to digital archives means far fewer people want to own the magazines than there are copies available. The survival rate of wartime and pre-war copies is much lower so they have more of a value - quite considerably so for Victorian/Edwardian copies

Absolutely. I'm selling off some inherited antiquarian books, and rarity is absolutely the driver of price. More parochially, see the discussion on Col Cobb's atlas - and think about what those prices would be if there was a greater supply.

 

[Merthyr Imp]

One wonder what famous editors of the past would think ? I'd bet Nick Pigott is far from happy about it all......

Nick Pigott is still listed as Consultant Editor so perhaps he was consulted for his opinion.

 

[Ralph Ayres]

I've only just noticed that there was a change of owner earlier in the year, which may explain at least some of the changes. The front cover now refers to Kelsey Media, though email addresses are all still @mortons.co.uk. Here's hoping they don't interfere with the publication date; one of Mortons' best changes when they bought the RM from one of the big publishers was to drop the misleading trick of dating each month's mag for the following month to give it an artificially long shelf life.

Calendar-wise, I kept this year's as it seemed a shame just to recycle it, but only used it once when I wanted to check a past date's day of the week and wasn't near a phone or PC.

 

[Justin Smith]

Nick Pigott is still listed as Consultant Editor so perhaps he was consulted for his opinion.

Obviously we can only speculate, but I would be surprised if Nick Pigott approved of most of the changes. TBH I can't imagine the present editor is that happy about them either, the bean counters at work....

 

[Tubeboy]

I’m a long time subscriber to the RM. I must admit I had forgotten about the calendar that comes with the December issue each year, until you mentioned it, same for the index. Definitely cost cutting. But on a personal level, I’m not that fussed.

What I don’t like though, as the OP states, is the cheap nasty paper it’s printed on. It’s low quality. Also, the news section would be a good 10-12 pages, now it’s a third of that at best. I appreciate by the time the magazine is out, the stories have appeared on online fora, including RUK, but I do feel a bit short changed. The news section is one of my favourite parts of the magazine.

 

[Big Jumby 74]

Indeed a printed calendar is highly useful, although we do have shared calendars on our phones its just something else to forget to look at, whilst a calendar hanging next to the fridge door is a lot harder to miss!

As a retired old fxxt, couldn't agree more. The younger one's on here will in time come to realise that 'ones' memory will usually start to fade in small ways - not necessarily dementia etc - in later years, and so a written record of appointments (often medical, lol!) but other hobby stuff to boot is all kept on an old school calendar, ditto, in the kitchen, the first second place one goes after getting up, to put the kettle on!

 

[DelW]

The November issue never appeared in my local  WHSmith TGJones, though whether that was the fault of publisher, wholesaler or shop I don't know. The remaining copies of October's issue were still on the shelves last Thursday. I will wait and see if December's appears this week.

December's RM has failed to appear in WHS/TGJ as well, though the October issues seem to have gone. December issues of other magazines (Modern Railways, Steam Railway, etc.) are there though, so it's a little odd that RM is not.

I'll have to remember to try Sainsbury's magazine section on my next visit.

 

[Falcon1200]

I’m a long time subscriber to the RM. I must admit I had forgotten about the calendar that comes with the December issue each year,

Same here! Although I buy a cheap diary from The Works every year and use that to record both future and past events.

Disappointed with the low value of old magazines however, having told my son that my legacy to him is my collection of Railway Magazines and other titles......

 

[Chriso]

Kelsey have bought Morton’s which included Railway mag, rail express and railways illustrated.

Horrible little outfit downsized everything to p**s poor paper and mini sizes from day one. Don’t expect any freebies ever again.

I would recommend Todays railways by platform 5 or Modern railways by Key publishing

 

[Justin Smith]

Kelsey have bought Morton’s which included Railway mag, rail express and railways illustrated.

Horrible little outfit downsized everything to p**s poor paper and mini sizes from day one. Don’t expect any freebies ever again.

I would recommend Todays railways by platform 5 or Modern railways by Key publishing

The advantage of RM is one publication covers the whole gamut : history, steam, preservation, modern, foreign (a bit), light rail etc etc

 

[Taunton]

Other issues have included the changing size of the publication in May 2025 which is obviously problematic for those of us having our magazines bound.

However they did exactly the same ... in 1963, changing size at the November issue so the last two of the year were different.

 

[jfollows]

I gave up with Railway Magazine when they published a completely incorrect article. The subject doesn’t matter, but I sent them a polite email and attached an article from Rail Engineer (or something) explaining the reality. No response. No acknowledgment in a later edition.
I also liked the calendar and used it.
I would recommend other publications for truthful rather than invented reporting, and RM has never been good on current events anyway.

 

[Baxenden Bank]

Kelsey have bought Morton’s which included Railway mag, rail express and railways illustrated.

Horrible little outfit downsized everything to p**s poor paper and mini sizes from day one. Don’t expect any freebies ever again.

I would recommend Todays railways by platform 5 or Modern railways by Key publishing

The tone on their 'invite to renew subscription' correspondence leaves a lot to be desired. Rather abrupt, written by a very pushy salesperson.