After 90 Years, Kalmbach Media calls it QUITS!

Kalmbach who has been publishing Model Railroader and Trains Magazine has called it quits after 90 years! Let's look back to issue one from 1934, a perfect copy given to Jack Douglas by Al Kalmbach.
The good news is some of Kalmbach's magazines, including Trains and MR will continue in production under new ownership. Let's hope they continue for 90 more wonderful years.
And a quick note of thanks to Kalmbach, Jolly good show!

[@briansandberg4627]

I was absolutely devastated when Carsten’s went under, but I think you can make an argument that Railroad Model Craftsman and Railfan and Railroad are stronger than ever under White River Productions now. RMC and R&R are the last print magazines I subscribe to monthly in fact. So, I am cautiously optimistic about the fate of MR and Trains. Looking forward to seeing the new publisher’s vision and maybe I’ll even renew. I really appreciate the history of the hobby (magazines, manufactures, etc.) and love content on that. Hope you guys are doing well!

[@musicman8942]

RMC really struggled the last couple of years under Carstens - they couldn't get magazines out even close to cover date. I'm talking like 3 to 4 months towards the end. I liked them because I dumped MR and you want to know why? Every year they ran the same type articles like build a project layout, etc. I wonder if the new owner will still do paper magazines? Will they have fresh content? I'm a musician as well as model railroader and there used to be at least 3 drum magazines in print here in the US. Now there are none. Online presence only. I don't want to deal with a computer when I get the train or music muse.

[@toddw6716]

Yes that mag got way better. I stopped buying model railroader in favor of RMC.

[@toddw6716]

I subscribed to Model Railroader for 40 years. But about 4 years ago switched to RMC because it’s a way better publication. Kalmbach has been going down hill for the last 10 years. Less good readable content, more ads, uninteresting articles. Then they were late to the electronic copy and wanted the same price even though it should be half the cost because no paper. In fact I hate to say, if I were the new owners I would not retain any of the Kalmbach staff because they are one of the big reasons why the magazine was failing.

[@ToyManTelevision]

Hi again!!! Yea, all printed media is struggling. Even huge newspapers. And hobbies are all struggling. Trains more than most. So where to go from here? Well onwards. Always onwards. We can not fail because there is a bottom. There will always be model railroading. Not likely to be back to 1950’s. Or even 30’s. But there is a future. So… onward. Build. Share. Heck, start a KZbin channel. The Pizza Box program has gotten thousands of kids to build tinny layouts. Onward!

[@AlfredPeeler-yj6sw]

I feel like I'm losing a close friend. MR/Kalmbach has been a pleasant part of my life for 65 years. Hoping the Phoenix will rise from the ashes stronger than ever! No matter what the future holds, it's been a great experience.

[@ToyManTelevision]

Indeed. Good memories. Let’s hope for better times.

[@user-mr3ct1dm9p]

​@@ToyManTelevisionHopefully-- but as we go forward, do things ever get better??

[@danielwalton4563]

​@@ToyManTelevision And I wonder what will become of trains and model railroader magazine ?

[@user-mr3ct1dm9p]

Could see this coming for about the last 10 years .My brother in law got me my very first issue-- Dec.1968. Was a VERY well done mag, with maps, articles and drawings.

[@ToyManTelevision]

Great back then!

[@StillPlaysWithModelTrains1956]

Concur with your last. I saw this coming when Andy Sperandeo stepped down as editor in 2011. I've been a reader since 1963 and my mother gave me my first subscription for Christmas in 1966. Hopefully, things will get turned around under management and MR will be back on the tracks soon!

[@peteengard9966]

I was a subscriber to MR for many many years. Until they started giving great reviews to products that was complete rubbish. Imagine spending hard earned money on something that just refused to run. Only to send it back many times until you sold it at a loss. Honest reviews are essential.

[@railbaron9]

One of the reasons I quit Consumers Report.

[@BryanTorok]

@@railbaron9 What is wrong with Consumers Report? I have found that there were times when their priorities were different than mine, but haven't found them to be inaccurate.

[@brettbuck7362]

@@BryanTorok They are just as biased as any other reviewers, and many times, less competent.

[@seankolker]

I agree

[@MatecaCorp]

Hopefully the new owners bring Model Railroader back to some of their former glory. In their last years the magazine got very small and stagnant.

[@ToyManTelevision]

Sad but true

[@WAL_DC-6B]

"Small and stagnant" are indeed my thoughts on Model Railroader as well (and I have a subscription to MR).

[@billpihl1]

That is a sad day when Kalmbach Publications closes their doors. Back in the 1970s to 1981 I was on the board of directors for a model show . M.A.C.S. ( Model And Craft Show ) here in California. We were as big and even bigger than Toledo show. The people from Kalmbach Publications were such nice people and a joy to have in the show. R.I.P. Kalmbach!!!!!!!!

[@ToyManTelevision]

The M.A.C.S show! I entered my 1/8 scale tow truck in..?? 1975?? When I had the hobby shop. Don’t remember the year. But 1974 to 1980? Just don’t remember. And some A hole stole my trophy. But wow. What a GREAT SHOW! ❤❤

[@alanb287]

Sad day, but glad to see somebody is going to keep it going.

[@bobconrad5632]

Its good news! I saw a interview with Craig Fuller from Firecrown. I'm impressed with the interview and I'm looking forward to seeing the next chapter. Interesting video on Kalmbach and Jack Douglas. Thanks again.

[@kristoffermangila]

With this acquisition, Firecrown has achieved a quartet of magazines that covers land, air, sea and space. For land, they have Trains, for air, FLYING, for sea, Yachting, and for space, Astronomy.

[@everettthepetractionguy4222]

It breaks my heart that Kalmbach Media is closing it's doors after 90 years. I hope under new ownership, the current magazine staff continue to be employed with Model Railroader and Trains magazines. 📚 📖

[@ToyManTelevision]

Indeed !!! 😊🤞

[@JimAlderson-cn6ek]

Ya sure haven't got my copy this month and the lack of communication with subscribers very dirty I feel like I came home to an empty apartment and a note left by my wife saying she ran off with my brother Bob

[@ToyManTelevision]

@@JimAlderson-cn6ek yea. Frustrating. Could be worse. Could be raining. Sorry. I couldn’t resist. I’m sure this will work out. Well I’m mostly sure.

[@Lilfarmrboy]

My magazine (MRR) was in my mailbox today. As far as communication the sale of both Trains & MRR was announced a month or two ago.

[@bryonmorgan5208]

The new owners have a lot of other magazines in the transportation category already, so I think we'll see a noticeable improvement in the magazines going forward. Magazine publishing has had a lot of troubles over the past twenty years and you really need an owner who values the contents, and isn't just looking for the short term profits. Have high quality content and the profits will follow.

[@robertporterfield9578]

Bought my first copy of Model Railroader in 1953. Kalmbach was a great asset to the model railroad community. Certainly an end of an era.

[@ToyManTelevision]

Yup. Oh the early years. Smaller but better.

[@knuckledragger9322]

Model Railroader had been spiraling toward its death for decades, due to a long series of stupid decisions by the editors. I had grown tired of leafing through the new issues at the book store, to see if, per chance, they had put together an issue with something for a more seasoned modeler, Unfortunately, they seem to have decided long, long ago that EVERY issue would cater to the beginner, and one couldn't help but think that the magazine was being produced by a bunch of professionals who had zero interest in the hobby itself. They NEVER printed anything designed to take those beginners beyond the beginner stage. I therefore look forward to the direction the new owners will take the magazine.

[@22BOZIDAR]

The problem I have with magazines is, they controlled the market and catered to there advertisers. They also became repetitive. Now with the internet everyone can show their skills and ideas without going through a publisher.

[@oliverheidelberg]

I agree. Back in the early 90s that magazine had a lot of pages and great stories. Now it became a 32 page magazine with crap reviews. I stopped subscribing years ago.

[@badboy10350]

Maybe they are chasing the beginners because this hobby is dying! It only got a shot of rejuvenation with DCC. Today, railroad is dead. It is old technology, hence why none of the passenger services make any profit. So, they need to chase new blood, because what's out there are 55+ year old men. Today's kids are into video games. They don't want to be electricians, carpenters, computer programmers, modelers, or historians, easier to play a video game, ie. NEW TECHNOLOGY! Not to mention the cost has gotten out of control! $100 for a passenger car, and you need about TEN of them, not to mention $350+++ for a locomotive(s). How many kids can afford $2,000 for a full consist???

[@bryantsemenza38]

Very sad. I have been a subscriber to Classic Toy Trains for so many years. Plus on occasions would by their other train magazines. I don’t like looking at my computer to read articles, I do wait for the magazine to come and love holding it and studying the pages. I just hope they keep the spirit of Kalmbach going. Always said to hear these long institutions going away. Great job with the your show on Kalmbach. Thanks to both of you.

[@ToyManTelevision]

Thanks!!!!

[@N-Scale]

Lets hope it is not the end of an era !!

[@jamesklekowski1824]

Thanks to EVERYONE who participated in making Kalmbach the BEST in train magazines... hope to see you all down the line!

[@The_Fat_Controller.]

I quit reading _Model Railroader_ back in the 1990s. Seemed there were too many elitists coming off with the attitude that if you weren't modeling prototype railroading 110%, you were just playing with toy trains. And then there were the rivet counters who would pore over every blueprint to find an error so they could write in and show how lousy the blueprint drawing was. "Hey! The conductor's side door on that Milwaukee Road SDL39 is 1/4 of an inch too narrow. This drawing is worthless!"

[@garydaniels5495]

Ah, the curse of being "Prototypically Correct."

[@tombirkland]

This was a wonderful episode! It's of course sad that Kalmbach is closing its doors, but good news that the titles will continue. I was a voracious reader of both Model Railroader and Railroad Model Craftsman in my youth, but my ambition was bigger than my execution! But as retirement nears I am thinking of getting back into modeling, so it's good that MR and related titles will continue. And the tour through Vol. 1 of MR was such a treat! Thanks for doing this. This is one of your best videos ever!

[@ToyManTelevision]

Thanks!!!!’ Wow! Kind words.

[@how_to_hallagon1]

My issue with Model Railroader magazine is More Ads and less pictures. They cut way down on pictures of layouts and cut back on kit bashing articles with pictures to show how to do it. My grandpa gave me his stack of mags from the 50s and 60s you can see the difference. As far as digital goes. Kalmbach used to send me emails almost every day begging me to go digital with the mags and like your wife said, who wants to wait for a computer to boot up to sit for an hour. At least with a mag you can lay down on the couch or any position you want. Laptops get to hot. I to will miss the magazines. I had subscriptions to model railroader, classic trains, trains and garden railroader. I don't know if Live steam magazine was with them but I had that one too.

[@davidbrinkmoeller8465]

I wrote a number of letters to them saying the exact same thing. I started reading MR around 1960 and have all the issues until I canceled my subscription about 5 years ago.

[@ToyManTelevision]

@@davidbrinkmoeller8465 yup. Slow slide. Let’s hope for a good return!

[@steveg3981]

I realised things weren't going well when I tried to purchase a couple of binders for Model Railroader in December 2023 and found they no longer existed. They only offered blank generic binders with no name on the binder spine. I wrote to query this but didn't get the courtesy of a reply. I had previously collected 25 years of bound copies. This obviously did not make me happy. I wont shed any tears.

[@ToyManTelevision]

Yup. Let’s hope they come Bach to what they were years ago.

[@amyreynolds3619]

I have been reading this magazine since 1969

[@shannonnewman3091]

Yaa

[@jockellis]

‘64

[@larrydee8859]

Reading since 1964, too.

[@ToyManTelevision]

About 61.

[@vitale6633]

What a fantastic review of Kalmbach and Model Railroading over the past 90 years. I learned so much history. Thank You for putting this presentation together.

[@ToyManTelevision]

Thanks for your comment! And for watching!!

[@tomklock568]

My brother used to get Model Railroader magazine. Sad era in which we live...I guess adapt or stagnate. Prefer hard copies to digital any day.

[@CycolacFan]

I bought every issue of Scale Auto magazine for 15 years, although it was difficult to find in the UK where I live. I even subscribed for a few years when they offered foreign subscriptions. When they shut Scale Auto they said don’t worry all the car and truck content will be moving to Fine Scale and it’ll be just as good. Every issue of Find Scale I’ve seen is about 60 pages long with maybe four pages of car stuff in it. It also costs £11.99 - a little over $15 per issue. I can’t justify that expense. Pity, I’d really like to support the print industry.

[@ToyManTelevision]

I hear you. I loved SAE. Well they covered two of my models so of course I had to love them! And Mark Gustafson and I did an April Fools article that was so funny. I built a 1:87 version of my 1:8 scale tow truck and we took wide photos of the 1:87’and close ups of the 1:8 scale telling that these were close ups of the 1:87. Oh my. Some people got mad. Really mad. I have a half eaten donut on the dash of the 1:8 scale an a pack of smokes. You can read the label on the cigarettes. In 1:87 that pack would be about .005” on the long side. Oh and there are cigarettes inside. So yea. Most people saw it must be fake. A joke. But I was shocked that so many got real really mad.

[@CycolacFan]

@ToyManTelevision I don't remember that tow truck feature. Sounds great. Which issue was it?

[@crazypainter56]

there is a new model car magazine coming out this summer-check with spotlight hobbies

[@Jimthechevywheelman]

This 66 yr old shed a tear when SCALE AUTO was put out to pasture! I had advertised through out the years.. but in the last issue I was the only one advertising a kit for sale in the plastic for sale section in the back pages ( 1911 smp Chevrolet ) ( I guess everyone else was adv in headbook n the ‘bay ) .. I use to read n reread those mags .. now my grands leaf through my old ones. ( and encourage us all to build) ‘ The times are a changing’

[@CycolacFan]

@@Jimthechevywheelman did you ever sell that ‘11 Chevy ?

[@nathancorcoran5347]

This is really sad news to hear about, I used to look into these kinds of magazines of trains ever since when I was a child back around the 2000s and 2010s. And even continued recently in the early 2020s up to today. But now after 90 years Kalmbach Media has closed it’s doors and no longer does these anymore. But I sure hope this new ownership will keep continuing these train magazines for a very long time to be honest.

[@kristoffermangila]

They probably will. After all, they are the present publisher of one of the oldest enthusiast mags around - Yachting Magazine, which dates back to 1903.

[@whiterose7055]

Noooooooo ............... I've been reading every TRAINS and MR ever since 1962. I'm hopeful that the new owners keep up the same quality ...

[@ToyManTelevision]

And improve too!

[@MarkWick]

This is interesting to me as a model railroader, a former subscriber to several of these magazines, and as someone who worked in the print publication business for most of my working life. Thank you for producing this.

[@ToyManTelevision]

Thank you for taking the time to watch. ❤❤

[@stevenbittinger5128]

Excellent presentation. Thanks for taking the time and production effort to put all of this together. Keep up the good work.

[@ToyManTelevision]

Thanks!!!

[@Peter_Morris]

I never really could afford to get into the model railroading hobby, but I LOVED looking through Model Railroad magazines my friends had, and their accompanying catalogues of model railroad models. Thankfully there’s plenty of model railroaders on KZbin. But nothing beats holding a printed magazine in your hands, especially if it has beautiful photography to go with it.

[@ToyManTelevision]

You and me both!

[@ivertranes2516]

Your opening phrase says it all. Back in the 80's, I could afford to collect HO trains on a paper route budget. Mid 90's, I complicated my life and gave little thought to the hobby. About a decade or so ago, I began to rekindle my childhood hobby, only to find it's now a hobby for the rich. Even on an adult income, I'm totally priced out of the modern hobby. And here is the conundrum, who is going to read a magazine about a hobby they can't even dream of participating in? It's no wonder MR has struggled. I suspect what's keeping MRC alive is its sister mags TRP and Railfan and Railroad.

[@oldhick9047]

A huge loss, Kalmbach, like for so many others, has been a significant part of my life for years. Sixty of them in my case. I shed a tear for my fellow modelers as well as myself. Goodbye to a fine friend.

[@ToyManTelevision]

Yup. The early years! We were all younger. And it was all so much fun!!!

[@AndrewJohnson-ur3lw]

Similar has happened in the UK where a business has decided to sell up to another and the magazines they sold seem to be flourishing. There are some titles that have changed hands many times in the past and they evolve. Railway Magazine has been going since 1897 and has similarly changed ownership a few times.

[@kristoffermangila]

So true. Yachting magazine, one of Trains magazine's new sister magazines in the Firecrown Media Group, had seen several ownership changes, and its still around since 1903.

[@ToyManTelevision]

@@kristoffermangila I’m hoping they rebuild this great magazine. Well these great magazines.

[@thomasboese3793]

As a kid, I rode my bike to various hobby shops in Milwaukee and the Kalmbach building. Today 545 S. 84th Street is a Scrub-a-Dub car Wash & Oil Change and my beloved C&NW yard transfer track near the building has become the Hank Aaron State Trail. (A biking trail.) It saddens me to know that the once great MILW shops area where I once worked, is now a Potawatomi Casino & Hotel with the Harley-Davidson Museum nearby.

[@azmike1]

I really liked this one you guys! Thanks!🤓

[@kjdickson]

Many of their books were compilations of series they ran in the magazines put into a book format with more images. So instead of buying a back issue or having a subscription you can start to finish follow a long term project and follow along or modify to your needs. Such good stuff.

[@al1467]

Started my subscription to MR in 1966 and left plenty of nose prints foaming over Jack's trains at his store in downtown SLC. Good times!

[@harryedwards2444]

Thanks for this article, I stil remember my first. Model Railroader. The summer of 1954, as I recall. Thanks for the memories.

[@ToyManTelevision]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@user-tr3py5nz2j]

I was shocked to see your video that Kalmbach was going out of business, but after the initial shock wore off I guess I could see it coming maybe 15 years ago as the computer/internet age was growing by leaps and bounds and the brick and mortar hobby shops started closing. I used to buy Model Railroader magazine when I visited the hobby shops. My work had me traveling all over southeast and central Michigan so I visited plenty of shops. But, one by one they closed and it became easier to get a subscription to MR each month. I’d pick up the occasional other train-related magazines from a bookstore or hobby shop, but mainly I stayed with MR. Then I started to notice more and more articles in MR were computer related and much more advanced subjects than what interested me. Bigger basement layouts, mostly modern locos and cars, graffiti paint schemes, electronics projects I couldn’t begin to understand. Athearn and Roundhouse models was bought out by Horizon Hobbies. Prices rose dramatically. Stores kept closing. I lost interest in the hobby that was leaving me behind. The hobby was too damned advanced and modern for me. I liked my hobby on the simple and old fashioned side. So there I stayed. Keep your $400-500 locos operated by a computer. Keep your $100 railcars with ultra detailing, ugly graffiti paint jobs, code 83 handlaid track work, and your basement empires that require 5to 10 of your buddies to maintain and operate it. Model trains just got too complicated and too sophisticated for me. Good bye, Kalmback, Walthers, and all the rest of the so-called world’s greatest hobby. I don’t need you and you certainly don’t need me.

[@ToyManTelevision]

I like some of the “modern” stuff. Most leaves me cold. 🥶

[@steveamurray59]

Kalmbach hasn't quit they have been sold. Kalmbach is American Publishing Royalty and I hope the new owners treat those Titles with just respect and encourage their growth well into the decades ahead. I have been a subscriber for decades. Steve from Sydney.

[@ToyManTelevision]

The new publishing company is called fire crown. They have taken over several magazines and they are now going to be continuing with a few of Kalmbach’s publications. They say they’re going to attempt to keep the magazine basically the same for the next year as they figure out exactly where they want to take it. The goal band to make it much better, more digital more media and a super high-quality print version.

[@lthdean]

I have been a subscriber to MR & Trains for over 35 years and will continue to do so as long as they keep it a PHYSICAL/PAPER magazine that comes in the mail every month. That is what I pay for and want. The day the new owners take it digital as you mentioned in your video is the day I will CANCEL my subscription to both.

[@BarefootCuer]

THe disadvantage of needing a lot of space for a collection of printed magazines is more than outweighed by the fact that if you are looking for a certain issue, you can find it right away and not have to search in your computer/laptop. Also, if you are interrupted while reading, you can simply put it down and pick it up later. You might not want to leave your laptop/PC on for hours on end.

[@suppylarue220]

the twenty somethings wouldn't agree with you. paper is for use in the toilet. trains go "toot toot".

[@BarefootCuer]

@@suppylarue220 You may be right. But when I started as an under 20 something, I only had 2-3 years of magazines to go through to look for a certain article. And my model train collection was also only about "twenty-something" (now over 300 locomotives alone)

[@ToyManTelevision]

I prefer a digital searchable database. Most of these magazines are online if you know where to look, and many of them have created elaborate indexes to find anything you might be looking for, and you can use any particular terms that you want. However, there’s something nice about the printed magazine too. I think there’s a place in the world for both.

[@daviddykes3026]

Personally, I'm not going to sweat it. They stopped publishing Scale Auto (the car modelers bible), a few years-ago right after I'd resubscribed for another year. They repaid my loyalty of being a Scale Auto subscriber for years by finishing out my subscription by sending me Fine Scale Modeler, which was essentially useless to me. To heck with them.....

[@ToyManTelevision]

Losing scale auto was a tragedy

[@garyacker7388]

I remember Douglas train store! I live in Ogden and up here it was Peck's model's. I bought both model RR and model airplane model's flying and static. I bought everything from there. Sad to say that the printed word is going into the "memory hole ". 😢 Thanks again guys 😊😊😊

[@ToyManTelevision]

Hi!!

[@dannyhonn973]

MR was much better when Jim Hediger and Gordon Odegard were on the staff. I saw a big decline in quality the last few years. And, it just got too expensive

[@ToyManTelevision]

Yup. 😢

[@frankschultz4170]

Another passing of an era. I was associated with Bobbye Hall's Hobby House and Hallmark Models in Dallas doing her print advertising during much of the 1980s. While there were quite a few railroad magazine publishers back then, the biggest product quality publisher was Kalmbach - the niche magazines aside. Well, I guess this is all consistent with the times, with the disappearances of household railroad names - most recently, the Kansas City Southern - through consolidation or abandonment and the development of boring, unremarkable and downright ugly passenger equipment without character by unimaginative and tasteless manufacturers and freight locomotives that all pretty-much look alike. So, I suppose it is not surprising that Kalmbach has "caught the westbound" (hobo parlance for when a member of that society dies) along with much of the railroad industry, itself. Move along, nothing left to see here. Innovation, creativity, optimism and the wonderment of railroads themselves have been catching the westbound for quite a while.

[@ToyManTelevision]

Beautifully said

[@DJPLAST2]

I have had the pleasure of visiting both Athearn manufacturing facilities. When I visited the first plant I was still in high school. My friend and I just showed up one day. Explained that we were both model railroaders and would like to check out the place. Irv was not there that day, but his wife let us into the manufacturing area to walk around and check things out. No tour, just able to wander around on our own. I saw a lot of interesting things. I met Irv when I visited the new plant later on. I spent my career building injection molds for all kinds of products, no model railroad part though. Personal care products(Gillette, Bic) and lots of irrigation products over the years.

[@Buxter16]

My first copy of trains was printed in 1963 when GP-30's were new and I was one years old😊

[@ToyManTelevision]

I like first generation diesels. Generally speaking, I don’t care much for diesels, but all those early ones are nice.

[@SMichaelDeHart]

I started getting my Model Railroader magazine at age 10...50 years ago. Wow, the great editors will be missed. My layout, Coal River & Horse Creek Railroad (based on the southern West Virginia Coal Fields in Kanawha, Boone and Logan Counties. I've taken many, many, many ideas out of MRR.

[@ToyManTelevision]

The publishing company that has purchased publishing rights operates out of Texas. They say they’re going to continue printing MR and trains out of a small office in Milwaukee using the same people, no doubt, a downsized crew, trying to put out basically the same magazine for the next year while they try to figure out what they’re going to do with it

[@ericreither3666]

Wonderful video. Many thanks!

[@bernardc2553]

Oh Man Dale! Talk about reminding my Childhood memories !! I'd clean & mow lawns ALL summer just for the 1 trip to SLC to buy school clothes & MY TRIP to Douglas Models , Id bought my trains & planes @Jacks I too have GOBS of DNA on that Brass showcase I'd stand & dream someday I'd have some of those..B r a s s Beauties I don't have many ,those I do I cherish thanks SOOoo much for this much needed trip❤

[@ToyManTelevision]

Oh the fond memories. Sigh. Worth more than gold.

[@robertweldon7909]

Way back in the late 1950's I got my first subscription to Model Railroader, and one of the first issues I got had John Allen's famous Railroad featured. Another featured a (Diorama?) layout of the Chama yard, built (as I discovered later) completely from Campbell Wood kits. One of the last featured "The Franklin and South Manchester". In the 1970's, after a 4 year layoff due to my being in the Navy, I tried to get back into the hobby, but had little space, and money, to do so, That being what it was I lived waiting for my next issue of MR. You spoke of their books. I had a copy of The Virginian RR and the story about The McCloud River railroad. I loaned (Gave them really) them to a friend, and have never seen them again. Oh well. Dale, today you have given us a wonderful history lesson about our hobby (AS "The History Guy" says; history worth being remembered) That "first hard bound" copy of MR had line drawings of locomotives. Imagine sitting at a drawing board making those drawings, for the magazine. Kalmbach Publishing will be missed. After 90 years, 90 years. ;-)

[@azmike1]

John Allen. What an artist!

[@user-ii1ep1xr2y]

I hope that the printed page NEVER disappears!! Digital media is inherently unreliable. You can always turn a page, never having to rely upon an OS.

[@user-ff2iz5qc6l]

Agree 100%

[@suppylarue220]

the most serious problem with digital media is the revisionist who can and does alter the past. something can be changed or completely pulled from the web whereas a printed publication remains under your contol. an entire website can vanish in the blink of an eye, leaving no recourse to the user. much of what you find on the internet is frequently inaccurate or outright lies. photos are doctored and content can be changed from moment to moment.

[@ToyManTelevision]

I sort of doubt that things will ever disappear once they’re on the Internet. They can certainly get modified, or once obliterated, some restored version of it not exactly the same or not even vaguely the same. There’s something really wonderful about the ephemeral nature of magazines. Particularly the ads I think . I love looking through the old railroad magazines, real slices of history, which at that time were taken for granted.

[@suppylarue220]

@@ToyManTelevision you sound politically correct. You are wrong. the change from print to electronic media already is altering the viewer's perceptions of the past . if you can't see that you are blind. a printed book from the past is an anchor to that time. an electronic version of today is a facsimile, not in your hands, but in cyberspace, can't you comprehend that?

[@davevan8864]

There is a youtube interview with the new owner. Hw plans LOTS of changes for the good. He is a transportation expert and will understand these magazines. Cost will go up.....but more of a art level of mag.

[@azmike1]

MR is an art. A huge art space.

[@davevan8864]

@@azmike1 Plans are larger format, heavy paper.....like many art mag. MR has gone cheap in those areas. thx

[@kristoffermangila]

@@davevan8864 the plan for Firecrown Media is to put the Kalmbach titles on the same quality as their other tiltles, like FLYING, Yachting and Astronomy.

[@jerryconnors8663]

Saddened to hear Kalmbach Media will be shutting down their operation. Great staff and all best wishes to everyone. Over the many years got my copies of Model Railroader and Trains at several local hobby stores. Hopefully it will be a smooth transition for all.

[@ToyManTelevision]

The new publishing company is planning to continue operation of two of these magazines out of Milwaukee in the small office and then close that and move to Texas in about one year. I doubt any of the staff will follow them there but maybe some. I’ll be interesting to see what they do with this magazine going forward.

[@ATSFVentaSpurNscaler]

The demise of Kalmbach Media sadly heralds the end of an era for all of us model railroaders. In America, we all grew up with Kalmbach’s flagship magazine, Model Railroader. Thank you for sharing the backstory of Jack Douglas in Salt Lake City and his vintage Model Railroader collection, especially the first issues published in 1934. Jack stood among the 20th century’s crucial influencers to market our hobby, especially in your intermountain region. In my own region of Southern California, the hobby benefited greatly from Frank Santangelo, another of our hobby’s regional movers and shakers. He owned Frank’s Hobby Shop in Orange, California, from the 1970s through the 1990s. Frank’s influence popularized the hobby in my area, always advertising his hobby shop in Model Railroader. I spent many hours of my youth shopping for N scale model trains inside his store. He became a key supporter behind the development of N-trak, which marked the beginning of modular model railroading in USA. But perhaps Frank remains most fondly remembered for teaming up with Ward Kimball of Disney fame in Model Railroader magazine’s light-hearted film, Model Railroading Unlimited. This comedy short promoted our hobby in the 1970s. In his typical fashion, Frank stayed behind the scenes while allowing his hobby shop to take center stage in part of the cinematic production. This zany film, although somewhat dated now, still gives viewers wholesome belly laughs. It reminds us how far-reaching Kalmbach Media’s impact was on our hobby. Here’s a link to that original, uncut, 26-minute comedy on KZbin: kzbin.info/www/bejne/a2e2apuDZ7V1jZIsi=fGdI0LPEBckjl_1r -from Tom Pilling

[@ToyManTelevision]

Hi tom. Thanks for the awesome comment! I agree totally. 👍 oh to time travel. I guess that’s what I enjoy most about model railroading. But Ward… the films… the models. But mostly the people.

[@lorenwillis425]

I once visited their old building and got a tour of the in house layout by a couple of the editors that I had been reading for years.

[@ToyManTelevision]

Yep, that building has been sold and there’s a big question. What’s going to happen with that model railroad?

[@fafnir-fasolt]

In the sixties "Amerika Haus" existed in Stuttgart with a big library. For a young man it was a revelation to get "Popular Mechanics" and" Model Railroader". It improved my knowledge of English language and helped during my future career. Thank you for that.

[@ToyManTelevision]

I’ve always thought that that’s one of the best ways to learn a language. It’s much easier to figure out the language from text as a jumping off point. And then you become more efficient in that language written text allows you to interface with that language and anon-pressured format without time constraints. At any rate, I’m glad you enjoyed reading these magazines!

[@brianentwistle145]

Small tear here. My father was / is a long time Kalmbach subscriber. I know his Trains subscription he went digital years ago. Even digitized his physical archive of Trains magazines.

[@ToyManTelevision]

A new company has taken over these titles. It will be interesting to see where this goes.

[@everettrailfan]

"The song is ending, but the story never ends..." It's the end of an era, but the beginning of another (even better?) era. As a gen Z railroader, the hobby is certainly not dying. In fact, the train hobby in general seems to be exploding in popularity especially after Covid. There are entire communities (we're talking hundreds of thousands of people) built around virtual train games, from games built in Roblox to train simulator modders who are teaching themselves how to make digital models, repaint rolling stock, and even coding to make engines that not only look like the real thing but operate like it too. A lot of that love for virtual trains stems from going out and watching trains, and of course it leads people to start collecting models and building a layout, whether they are just running trains in a circle or making a complex switching layout. It's really cool to see the growth in the hobby!

[@TopHotDog]

Very funny

[@ToyManTelevision]

I agree! And this may seem a bit strange but railroad is exploding globally. One of the hottest new markets is China. OK they’re mostly interested in their own railroads, but they’re also quite interested in US Western railroads! Particularly narrow! I suppose it’s because they’ve been manufacturing the equipment for decades, and therefore they’ve seen it, and some of the people working in the factories want to build a railroad and actually run the trains that they’ve been making. And with 1.3 billion people there, if only 1 in a million takes up model railroading that’s a lot of people. Futurism is a fool’s game. the hobby will never enjoy the popularity in the 1950s, but that doesn’t mean it will go completely away. And the people who engage in it are likely to be much more interested in it than the casual hobbyist of the 1950s.

[@markevans8262]

Thanks for the history of Douglas Models. I started visiting the store in 1973. I don't believe I ever met Jack Douglas. There was another guy that was a fixture in the store from 73-76. I can't remember his name. I made a pilgrimage to Douglas Models and Kieth's Hobby House every Saturday morning. I was in middle school at the time. I financed my hobby addiction by saving my lunch money each week. I rode the UTA bus to SLC for 10 cents each way, spent about $4 at one of the stores, and had lunch at Taco Time on 800 south for $1.00. Those where good times. 🙂

[@toddw6716]

And it’s the same issue with Trains magazine, lousy articles, cheap paper, too many ads, uninteresting at best. Again, I would tell the new owners to get rid of the existing staff! They were responsible for its failure. If your expecting different results using the same people, we’ll that’s the definition of insanity.

[@user-mr3ct1dm9p]

Used to be a GREAT magazine, same with MR. Used to have a few issues that were perfect cover to cover. Unfortantly-- cannot say that about the mags for the last 10--15 years. Nothing great lasts forever.

[@toddw6716]

@@user-mr3ct1dm9p agreed

[@maxsmodels]

Sadness.

[@johnniewelbornjr.8940]

This is sad news indeed... I miss my huge collection (lost in an apartment fire years ago) of MR and Trains, as well as RMC and many other publications. I am 57 now and my original issue was one my dad bought back in 1972. I even wrote a little during the 80s and placed third in a track planning contest back in 1984. Fun times and none of us would have imagined the demise of print. Personally, I would love to have the print copies instead of the digital versions (and I truly have embraced modern tech, especially with my photography work). So many great authors and photographers over the years, my connection with some superb modelers. It's bittersweet but I hope that the new ownership will continue these publications in similar fashion. Thank you much for sharing this episode, for I'm certainly glad this popped up for the first time in my feed.

[@ebf82234]

I just happened to see this video posted in a "sidebar" beside another (unrelated) video I watching. I couldn't believe what I was reading...Kalmbach "closing its doors"?? I'm 73...my Dad -- an avid scale modeler -- got me interested in (model) trains when I was very young. He introduced me to an amazing model store -- Lee's Hobbies -- where we lived in Long Island (NY), and -- while he would pick up the latest edition of "Model Railroader", I opted for "Trains Magazine". Between the two publications, I learned more than I could ever imagine. Editor David P. Morgan was an enormous influence...so much of what he wrote about (and photographed) continues to inspire me to this very day. Kalmbach "set the bar" so high, nobody -- digital, or otherwise -- will never be able to reach, much less surmount. Thank you for presenting this important story to us...👍👍

[@ToyManTelevision]

In the hay day they were really part of the era. Burned into the collective consciousness of a generation. We were blessed to live that. Truly blessed.

[@andrewh.8403]

I work for the local commuter line. One day I noticed a bloke with a young fella miss a couple of trains. Maybe they're lost or something, I'll wander over and offer assistance. All good, it's a dad with his son who loves trains and is just beginning his layout. AHA! I have 30 years of MR taking up space and I've been thinking of the best way to clear it out but not recycle. Here is my answer. The next day was my day off but I loaded up my car to meet them at the station. I hope the young fella has been getting just as much inspiration and ideas as I had from them. Just keeping the dream alive.

[@Railfan-uf9mw]

I do have a lot of train’s magazines from kamblach publishing but I do want to say thank you so much for the memories from 2004

[@robertsiebenrock3997]

Keep the printed additions. Don't like digital!

[@steveashcraft718]

I hope we don't end up losing these magazines. I don't like reading a magazine on a computer.

[@markfryer9880]

I hear you! I used to subscribe to both MR and Trains, then I dropped back to just Trains. It was getting harder to get a print copy here in Australia and then they converted me over to digital. Well digital may work on a tablet or a computer but on the phone it was just too much shuffling and loosing pages. Finally, I just told Dad to stop giving me the subscription for my birthday as I just wasn't enjoying reading the digital copy. The funny thing is that I still have the old print copies from pre 2022 in a drawer. I nearly recycled them last week. How many of us will or are able to go back and reread digital copies? I first started reading MR at school in the early 80s. Mark from Melbourne Australia 🇦🇺

[@ToyManTelevision]

The magazines have been sold to a new publishing company called fire crown. Fire crown is going to attempt to keep the magazines on the market for the next year is basically the same magazines that they’ve been. I’ll be really surprised if they don’t go even further downhill. But hopefully the new company will roll out a new version of both of these magazines in about a year and hopefully the new version will be better.

[@glengreen362]

I have a particular loathing for digital magazine subscriptions. Call me old fashioned but for the amount of money I have to put out to be able to access a magazine online, and then not being able to actually print off any section I want to refer to later, I would rather have a hard paper printed magazine. And it is a shame to see Kalmbach go down the drain, but it is great to see that their iconic magazines will continue to set the standard for those of us who are Railfan hobbyists.

[@ToyManTelevision]

Yup!!

[@TristanMorrow]

19:00 iirc that's the track planning contest that a teen Linn Westcott responded to (his track plan was the sole entry, apparently) - somehow it led to a job as a draftsman(?) and moved thus beginning his association with Kalmbach and Model Railroader.

[@theubaum]

Definitely the end of an era and a magical experience with media you can touch……progress is not always good…..

[@ToyManTelevision]

I think we’re going to see a rebirth of something good! Fingers crossed

[@louGriggs1944]

Really sad to see Kalmbach go away. I have a complete set of 1936, 1937 and 1938 Model Railroad magazines that I was able to get at an estate sale about 40 years ago. Also got Walther's first O Gauge catalog, from about the same era as I remember. Thanks for a great and informative video.

[@ToyManTelevision]

I think the ads were the best part of the old magazines. We’ve always sort of pain, but when you look back, they are such a wonderful bit of ephemera.

[@user-rk5db6ss6k]

Thank you for a very interesting video. Sad to see that Kalmbach is calling it quits. They will be missed by many. I also like the paper version.

[@johnbanicki7232]

Sad to see the change, but hoping it means a better magazine in the future. Thanks for sharing.

[@ToyManTelevision]

I hope so too

[@tankwright5489]

Sad, we are sure gonna miss these magazines.

[@ToyManTelevision]

Well, a new company has purchased the rights of these magazines at least trains and model. Railroader will continue. They’re moving the operation to Texas and say they’re going to greatly improve the magazine. It certainly will be different, so we shall see.

[@loispadgett6306]

Thank you for that history on M.R. I did not know it had been around that long. I enjoy getting it in the mail and being able to read it off the paper easier on the eyes the screen on phones and computers tires my eyes out after a bit. See you Tuesday. GOD BLESS 🚂💖🚂💖🚂💖🚂💖

[@love4uand4me]

I've had the pleasure of going in the Kalmbach Media in 2018. We were joined by Cate Kratville-Wrinn, Jim Wrinn's widow. Jim was on an assignment that day, meaning that I've never met him, but it was a blessing to visit their office in Wisconsin. I guess that was history for me, Susan, and the late Mary Stahl. Still, I have a thrill for meeting you two in Promontory, as I credit you for giving me ideas through KZbin of how to plan our trip for the 150th Golden Spike Celebrations in 2019 prior to our last pandemic. Glad that has passed us. Perhaps our paths will cross again. Time will tell. Leandras Jones Jr.

[@ToyManTelevision]

Hi Leandras! Big Boy is headed back here.. anyway hi again!!! Thanks for the kind words!

[@105C09]

I bet we;ll see a difference. Kalmbach has set a very high standard. There still is a market for hard copy. I keep all my issues and buy even more older ones. The reason? Once it's gone, it's gone forever. I'm attempting to keep reference library of these magazines that will be available for folks to examine at ethe Pittsburgher S Gauagers Club.

[@anb7408]

Wasn’t aware that Kalmbach was closing for good. Only that they had sold off their railroad and space-themed magazines off to another company. It still publishes one remaining magazine.

[@1_lens_view]

My understanding as well, but it seems unlikely they can sustain themselves with only Discover. I doubt it will be long before we see the sale of Discover and true end of Kalmbach, or we see Kalmbach take the sale earnings and build a new business (with or without Discover).

[@ToyManTelevision]

A publishing company called fire crown has purchased the Kalmbach titles. And they are planning on rolling out new versions of. Trains, model, railroader, and classic toy trains in about a year. In the meantime, they are going to try to keep the magazines on the market out of a small office in Milwaukee using much of the original staff. Let’s hope the new versions are even better!and let’s hope that they survive another 90 years

[@williamschlenger1518]

What a shame.I still have many of the train magazines and I use them to paint oil paintings from.At 80yrs old,every day another part of my world is gone.

[@ToyManTelevision]

Everything has evolved into something else

[@jeffbangkok]

Another interesting end to my evening. Good night

[@ToyManTelevision]

Hi again. Sleep well!😀🚀😀

[@geomodelrailroader]

While the big 4 magazines will continue under the Firecrown banner two magazines will not continue and have been shut down Bead and Button has been shut down and Garden Railway has been shut down. Garden Railway has been sold to MR and will be continued under the Firecrown banner.

[@rockingtr1]

MR & CTT were my connection to the hobby when the holiday trains were packed away. Dreams like a Sears catalog. Still photos & diagrams are more powerful and inspirational than all the wobbly production KZbins that replaced the hobby for me in my poor health. Dead as old time rock n roll. Who remembers the old railroad ring? Good times.

[@ToyManTelevision]

Well, I hope our videos are of some help

[@jackdeville7890]

I had been getting Model Railroader since the 1950's and they were stuffed full of layouts, drawings, electronic ideas, landscaping ideas and most anything that you needed to start the railroading hobby. But when the 1990's came along the magazine became mostly advertisement and hardly anything for the newbies or even the ones that were oldtimers in the hobby. The magazine focused around one modeler and the magazine became the "____ _____" show and nothing was explained how to build these landscapes and layouts. After weighing the cost of the magazine and just 3-4 pages were of any use and the rest of the mag was of no use and adds I discontinued my subscription. Unfortunately the demise of the mag is not a shock, only how long it continued until the end . I enjoyed the original mag !

[@suppylarue220]

the fifties through the seventies were the heyday of MRR and RMC. by the 70s TRAINS already began to slip, if it were not for Hubbard and later Carstens, RAILROAD would have vanished. since the 90s, all of these publications have become become salary sources for some people with 6 figure income and an advertising medium for certain manufacturers who cater to model collectors who accumulate locos like stamp collectors save expensive stamps. kids have been long priced out of the hobby.

[@Gargraves100]

Most of us who build things like model railroads, boats and planes started our hobbies decades ago when entertainment choices were limited. Today most (but thankfully not all) young people are too busy with social media to bother to read, build, paint, draw, practice a musical instrument or do anything else that takes effort. As a result all forms of print media are suffering, particularly those that cater to the old fogeys who still like to build stuff. The old offer from publishers that says "we'll give your product a great review if your company buys an ad" is nothing new and no surprise. Any reviewer who criticizes a major advertiser's product, even if the criticism is justified, is sabotaging his or her career.

[@Cape_Cod_Steve]

👍👍 Tender trip down memory lane with wonderful music . . .👏👏

[@1stjohnrocklin]

Love the background music! Lulled me right away into a little nap

[@johnr4898]

Love klambach. I was aware that it was cutting cost the number of pages in Model Railroader have been getting fewer.

[@ToyManTelevision]

Yup. Back slide. Sad.

[@mattomon1045]

I'm sorry to see them go . and I'm waiting to see that I still have my subscription to M R ?

[@davidkoehler136]

Great video!

[@raymondleggs5508]

RIP Kalmbach

[@philipwilliams6270]

No I still want my paper magazine to store for my library

[@toddw6716]

Model railroader has been in decline for a long time. Poor execution by its publisher, editors, and writers. Late to the electronic subscription and they wanted the same price even though they were saving all that money on paper. The stories were lousy lacked good content and uninteresting. In fact the publication went in the toilet about the time David Popp and Cody Grivno showed up. I have stopped buying it after 50 years and have switched to Railroad model Craftsman which is a far superior publication in every way. Everything Kalmbach publishes I used to subscribe to MR, Trains, Fine Scale Modeler, Garden Railroad. But every one of those publications isn’t worth the cost. The articles couldn’t even hold my attention during a short visit to the bathroom. Today people don’t want to hear the truth, but my advise to the new publisher is, Get rid of the entire staffs and bring in new people!

[@suppylarue220]

you missed the real issue, PURE PROFIT MOTIVE .

[@angelgabriella7974]

Loved the show and the history, I sorta thought after going quarterly with Classic Toy Trains they may loose subs, especially at the same price. (I still have all the copies including the first one with Dick Kuhnn on the cover) I never thought that the publishing would be sold. You're right being overwhelmed with the quantity now, I may just donate them to a MR club. I am hopeful the new publisher will continue with the same quality. Lost a brick and mortar store here . H&R Trains in Pinellas Park, Florida. Closed after 46 years. I am grateful we get to see you twice a week!! Have a great week.

[@ToyManTelevision]

Hi and thank you for watching! We have some fun stuff coming up. Least I hope it’s fun for everybody else. I know it will be for us! We really enjoyed doing the show.

[@terryfromsouthcarolina4601]

I love to hold a book or magazine many times over a lit screen. A sad day indeed.

[@ebf82234]

So true, and well said. Nothing beats holding a book or magazine in your hands, especially when it comes from the "likes" of Kalmbach Publishing. They inspired me to love trains at an early age, and my passion continues, unabated, at age 73.

[@xray606]

I loved getting every MR copy when I was a kid. But let's be honest, it hasn't been at that level for a long time. It seemed the last 20 years or so, most articles were kind of just fluff aimed at less serious people. The super in depth articles were much less. Other mags still do in depth stuff, so there must be a market for it. Hopefully they'll be able to turn it around. I think it's always a bad sign when a business looks for excuses to NOT do stuff. I asked them once if they could bring back some of their older videos on a new format, since some of them were very good. The woman said they had a lot of requests to do that, but they weren't going to. So yeah... When you have people wanting stuff and they refuse to give it to them, that's not a great sign.

[@RobertMcCracken-vj3he]

Sad day for me! Had Model Rr mag, and later Garden RR mag to read each month. Now both gone and a sad gap in my hobby life as I turned 83 this year and my RR hobby is gone-very, very sad😢

[@ToyManTelevision]

It’s truly sad that we’ve lost so many of these great magazines. Some have gone completely away and others have just sort of degraded.

[@gravelydon7072]

Orange Blossom Hobbies was the same way in Miami. OBH opened in 1947 in a former bowling alley. It was a sad day when it closed.

[@flyboyu777]

Very sad to hear this news. I had maintained off and on over the years a subscription to Model Railroader in bought several how-to books from them over the years. Also an Astronomy subscriber

[@ToyManTelevision]

Yup. Sad

[@aaronposcovsky9645]

I lost interest in Kalmbach Model Railroad magazine about two or three years. Was a big lover of the publication since the 70s. But, the publication started talking more and more about layouts only a super rich person could build. Layout needed 40 x 40 room give are take and digital control systems. The magazine lost what the everyday modeler wanted in knowledge. A new modeler would feel unloved, with their 3x9 or 4x8 layout. The publication leadership lost the fact to show how a new modeler could make their small layout a great layout.

[@ToyManTelevision]

They went through a phase about 10 years ago, where all they wanted to talk about where the newcomers to the railroad hobby, and that cost them a lot of subscribers, who didn’t find that sort of thing interesting. It seems that no matter what they do they just can’t find balance! Hopefully the new publishers will bring it around.

[@ThatBIGTRAINGuy]

Ah, I used to get Model Railroader magazine in my local branch of W.H. Smith. I was barely a teenager and used to buy a British publication called Continental Modeler for the rare look at an American layout, (most were continental European), until I was amazed they started stocking an actual American magazine! I bought Model Railroader regularly for a while until they stopped stocking. (I must have been the only one buying it! So then I subscribed direct from the USA for a number of years. Actually, the N Scale layout I built as a teen was based on a plan I saw in the first issue I bought. Great magazine. So sad for Kalmbach but hopefully the legacy continues.

[@williamedwards1528]

Such a fascinating hobby for those of us who love trains and railroading. Many areas to pursue like operation, scratch building, of rolling stock and structures, electronics and automation, layout construction, etc., depending on your skills and interests.

[@ToyManTelevision]

Well said!

[@rayrussell6258]

I will not support a "digital magazine". Computer services are too slow and unreliable. Ads on computer drag them down, and often violate your privacy by tracking your on-line movement. For someone who only reads headlines, maybe they go for digital stuff, but to someone like me who reads cover-to-cover, digital is a waste of time.

[@ToyManTelevision]

I think there will always be print magazines. But few and far between.