Japanese model railroad magazine

[Matteo_IT]

Hello guys,

As I read several model railroad magazines (from UK, France and USA) i was wondering if someone can suggest a japanese model railroad magazine (may be in english!). 

Its possible to subscribe? exist a web site, in english?

Regards, Matteo.

[VJM]

There won't be any in English.

 

RM Models is a really good intermediate-level monthly magazine that has a good balance of depth, custom and mass-market models; and while mainly N scale, does touch on other scales as well.  I get this whenever I can.

 

TMS, Tetsu Mokei Shumi is another monthly magazine that is close to what I describe as "hard core" with lots of extreme scratch-built models and dioramas, in-depth articles on kit-bashing/model modification and covering scales from Z all the way through to G and beyond.  Lots of eye-popping stuff in here, but a lot of text and not so much colour pictures, mainly black and white pictures.  You can tell what sort of readership this magazine targets when the prices for models in the advertisements have several more digits than what we are used to.  I occasionally get this.

 

N. or Nine Scale World, is bi-monthly (once every 2 months), and is somewhat more entry- to intermediate-level, but does a lot of tie-in with real world, ie N-scale consists/representations and talking about the real trains.  Lots of colour pictures, with lots of articles on beginner/intermediate level model modifications.  My favourite magazine, but a little difficult to get.

 

All are reasonably easy to get through HobbySearch or AmiAmi or others, but usually best to put in reservation.

 

I've tried to get subscription, but it doesn't appear to be easy outside of Japan short of going via an intermediary.

[velotrain]

Like Matteo, I wanted a copy of a Japanese model railroad magazine.

 

I found a copy of the June 1984 issue of TMS on eBay, so bought it.

 

I'm surprised to learn that the photos are still mostly B&W 31 years later.

 

One of the rare color features is a giant floor layout of the era - apparently in HO, with 1:1 scale controllers.

 

 

 

 

[IST]

I have some issues from RM Models and N magazines, those are available at Hobby Search in the magazine section, so you can buy from there. Please note these are quite heavy things, so postage to Europe won't be cheap.

It would be more interesting that are these available in digital version, do you know about it? For example in iTunes store or similar places.

[Carlos Filipe]

I'm enjoying to listen to you guys, as I also would like to  read some Japanese magazines. But aren't they all written in Japanese? 

Is there anything bilingual? 

[Matteo_IT]

Hello IST, can you share the link where to purchase or download the digital ones?

Thanks.

[ToniBabelony]

All Japanese model train magazines are naturally in Japanese. The foreign (English language market) is minimal and the only occasions I have seen Japanese layouts featured in non-Japanese magazines was in Continental Modeller. These were made by non-Japan based people though, so not 'genuine'. The best option is to import magazines yourself and/or get them in Japan and learn to read Japanese... Japan hardly does anything digital. ;)

[Robert46]

Like Matteo, I wanted a copy of a Japanese model railroad magazine.

 

I found a copy of the June 1984 issue of TMS on eBay, so bought it.

 

I'm surprised to learn that the photos are still mostly B&W 31 years later.

 

One of the rare color features is a giant floor layout of the era - apparently in HO, with 1:1 scale controllers.

 

 

 

 

 

Unbelievable in the past the size of controllers were just so big!! :D it must be felt like driving a real train with the real hands-on feeling... fantastic photos!!

[Ochanomizu]

All Japanese model train magazines are naturally in Japanese. The foreign (English language market) is minimal and the only occasions I have seen Japanese layouts featured in non-Japanese magazines was in Continental Modeller. These were made by non-Japan based people though, so not 'genuine'. The best option is to import magazines yourself and/or get them in Japan and learn to read Japanese... Japan hardly does anything digital. ;)

 

Hello,

 

My friend Mr Doug Coster will be interested to read that !!!

[Robert46]

All Japanese model train magazines are naturally in Japanese. The foreign (English language market) is minimal and the only occasions I have seen Japanese layouts featured in non-Japanese magazines was in Continental Modeller. These were made by non-Japan based people though, so not 'genuine'. The best option is to import magazines yourself and/or get them in Japan and learn to read Japanese... Japan hardly does anything digital. ;)

 

Is the Continental Modeller Magazine still actively producing their issues? where to get this magz if still available?

[ToniBabelony]

My friend Mr Doug Coster will be interested to read that !!!

 

I think he was already in one issue: https://www.exacteditions.com/read/continentalmodeller/june-2015-42780/51/2/

[Matteo_IT]

 

 

Is the Continental Modeller Magazine 

Yes, I receive it monthly... This is the link:

http://www.pecopublications.co.uk

 

[cteno4]

Actually I think doug has been in three, I think there were two articles and one I think was split into two issues if memory serves me right... Doug's work was authentic enough to be invited to JAM and the layout almost made it, but logistics got too much.

 

Jeff

[cteno4]

So I've not mentioned before, I think, that JRM is sitting on a treasure trove of old Japanese rail fan and model railroading magazines. These were in a collection of a local U.S. government transportation official who was interested in anything transportation and did a lot with japan over the years. When he passed away his housefull of magazines and memobelia was donated to the Baltimore tram society. They contacted us about all the Japanese stuff if we wanted it as they were not interested and probably no other group in the area would be. We ended up with about 10 boxes full of stuff. We sorted thru and got rid of a pile of old tourist maps and junk stuff and his extensive notes. We have a nice pile of maps, time tables (some going back to 1915), tickets and interesting tourist info going back to the early 50s.

 

With the magazines we have a treasure from the 50s-60s. Many have great foldout dimensioned plans of cars and locos. Not a lot of shinkansen, but some early series 0 in some. Lots of steam as well.

 

We have collections of pst all the issues of

 

Hobby of Model Railroading (some amazing stuff in these and kinda put old us model rail

#1 1950 - #247 jan 1969

 

Railroad Pictorial

#1 July 1951 - #205 jan 1968

 

Japan Railfan Magazine

1963 - 1968

 

The Magazine of Japan Railfan Club

#1 July 1961 - #18 December 1962

 

We keep wondering what to do with them. There are a lot and some of us have paroused them some. They currently live here. Would love to scan them but that task would take a week or two! Should look into the Google scan to see if there is a local archiving station and if they are at all interested in that. I'm pretty sure they are all still under copyright but that has not seemed to prevent Google in the past... If anyone knows a particular issue from these they want I can scan one for you for private use. I'm sure our sister club in Iwate would love them, but shipping even by sea would be quite expensive as there is probably 100kg plus there!

 

If anyone has any good ideas of something useful to do with these (not send them to me!) please send them on to me. They are really interesting even if you don't read Japanese!

 

Cheers

 

Jeff

[E6系]

Actually I think doug has been in three, I think there were two articles and one I think was split into two issues if memory serves me right... Doug's work was authentic enough to be invited to JAM and the layout almost made it, but logistics got too much.

 

Jeff

 

Hello Mr Jeff,

 

I think you mean that Tanoden is the third layout Mr Doug has had published.  He had articles published in June 2011, July 2011, 2 articles in May 2012 and, I believe, June 2012.

 

Sadly, as Mr Doug has recently moved to Hong Kong, his japanese-trains.com website has been taken down.  :(

[cteno4]

E6,

 

Wow did not realize it was that many articles, I lost track there!

 

Yes Doug is off in a new life adventure! But I don't think he has totally abandoned Japanese model trains and will be back at some point.

 

Jeff

[dabsan]

I sometimes buy N and RM Models magazines from Hobby Search. Also I buy Railfan and Railway Pictorial magazines every month from Hobby Search.

I can read a fair amount of Japanese so the native language of these magazines is not a problem. And the magazines are always packed with wonderful photographs so anybody can enjoy them without reading a single word I think.

[yakumo381]

Do not forget EBay! I have used both of the below sellers to send me rail mags from Japan at reasonable prices and, as no duty on books, without the import taxes we suffer on everything else from outside of the UK...

 

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/BOOKBIRD-STORE-from-JAPAN/CAR-TRAIN-/_i.html?_fsub=21024266&_sid=168836313&_trksid=p4634.c0.m322

 

http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Akihabara-Outlet-Books-JAPAN?_trksid=p4340.l2563

[Densha]

Sadly, as Mr Doug has recently moved to Hong Kong, his japanese-trains.com website has been taken down.   :(

You can still find it here though: http://web.archive.org/web/20140517095506/http://japanese-trains.com/

[E6系]

Thank you Mr Densha.

 

BTW, has anyone here thought of starting a Japanese Model Railroad magazine in English?

[cteno4]

E6,

 

Yes the original team that started JNS were looking at it for a while. I think it turned out way to much work with little hope of any profit or any real returns. E publishing works, but usually has to be free subscriptions, which then means it needs to be all ad based. I think there are only a few retailers that would probably be game for ads in a Japanese focused, English (i.e. mainly outside japan audience) magazine so it would be even tougher. 

 

publishing is really tough and even tougher when you have to do it on a fixed schedule as well! Ive done a lot of it over the years and its a lot of work to do well, usually much more a labor of love than something to make very much money on!

 

I looked at doing a jrm newsletter that would be mostly sort of japanese model train news and it was just too much to handle. its enough work trying to get a new article every month or two up on the jrm site! getting help for cheap or free is also tough.

 

Doug coster did quite a bit of news stuff in his emails and some on the site when he was really into the business side of his trains, but i know the newsletters were eating up a huge amount of his time and he finally let that go.

 

model rr hobbit seems to have been doing well here with free all electronic distribution as a pdf. but its a broad audience so can get a broad advertiser base as well. while e stuff is cheaper and more convenient, its not as nice as having the mag in your hand and just flipping pages. i find with the e mags i just find useful little bits, cut out that bit of the pdf for future ref and then never look at the issue again...

 

jeff

[Densha]

I don't really see a point in doing a Japanese model train magazine or newsletter in English. There's a whole section on JNS for product announcements and most non-Japanese people modelling Japanese railways already are either a member of JNS or have already somehow or the other become known over here because they have a website that was linked to on JNS. There may be a few exceptions of layouts and projects that didn't end up here or for example the JRM website, but there's a small chance those people would be interested in placing their stuff in a magazine or newsletter anyway. As for product announcements, covering this makes more sense for businesses and while I know some modelling magazines have such a section I think there's already plenty of English coverage of this on JNS and for example on the blog on the Modeltrainplus website.

 

Printing on paper has become expensive nowadays and you can reach a much larger audience on the internet so I'm sure it has to be digital which means you will basically reach the same audience as all current web sources are already doing now.

 

If someone would want to spend their time on it, sure go ahead, but I view it as wasting your time. Sorry to sound harsh, but I think this is the truth.

 

I however very much like the approach JRM did on their website: http://www.japanrailmodelers.org/pages/otherlayouts.html

Just adding a date to the articles posted would in my eyes create something resembling a magazine but be much easier accessible and cheaper to maintain than a magazine could ever be.

[kvp]

Articles with dates on a website are called a blog, which would be great (imho).

[cteno4]

Yes unfortunately it would be a labor of love. Even doing the JRM newsletter has not gotten going where it was going to be small and mainly pointing to the website, ins etc for the full content! I hope to get something going this summer for a format and setup and then try to get it out quarterly.

 

on the site thats exactly what i was trying to do with the content there. mimic a hobby magazine with layout articles, technique section and product review section. been hard to get folks to do product reviews and modeling techniques though. its like pulling nails to get members of the club to do stuff. best results are with folks layouts where they are proud to show off what they did.

 

the advantage also of doing it as sort of on ongoing layout like this is that things don't get so buried the way the do with old issues of any pub print or electronic. great to do down the list of things in each section to find the thing you want. i need to redo the site to fit doing content like this better, site was done for the more basic club stuff to start out with but this stuff came along later to keep the site growing.

 

i have not done dates as it was pretty jumpy in the frequency of posts on these and some folks get into ignoring anything thats not done in the last year, even though the content is pretty evergreen!

 

cheers

 

jeff

[Densha]

I actually just thought that it maybe could be interesting to add such a function to JNS... I think the forum software somewhere has a feature that could work for this.

Rmweb uses the same forum software as we do and I think we can make this work on JNS as well: http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/page/index.html/_/articles/