From the Dome Car: Train 1 Track 4 (November-December 1990)

 

More challenges with issue number four! This time it’s the need to raise the price per issue and dealing with the implications of the new “Gouge and Screw Tax” (GST), as Morgan called it. There were also farewells and welcomes for new people to help keep the magazine running. 

Murphy's law! Needless to say, that old sidewinder has caught up with us lately and when he rears his ugly head, sometimes it's a battle controlling him. As predicted, he shows up at the most inappropriate times, especially when things are running on schedule, or so we thought! 

Despite the challenges from good old Murphy, Canadian Railway Modeller magazine goes out into the world, one issue at a time. 

Congratulations are in order to Ted Deller, who will become the new news anchor at CBC Saskatoon very soon. Ted has edited for us in fine fashion and will continue to produce material for CRM from time to time. 

In the next breath, we stumble at the loss of Laura Ayers to another publishing company (non-magazine) and welcome a new designer to the consist, Diane Woods. Diane anxiously prepares this issue as I write and from what I can see, it's top quality production. 

We also welcome Dan Kirlin and Paul Smith to the editorial team and greet Reid Bilodeau, our new and needed technical illustrator, with thankful praise. 

As you can see, a larger production crew is needed as we send this thing hurtling down the tracks. And if anybody sees old Murphy on their railfanning adventures, crack him over the head with a tie plate to slow him down for us. Better still, bury him in hard-shell sometime this winter while working on your layout! 

Now that we have successfully published four issues of Canadian Railway Modeller, we are more in tune with the costs of production. Getting the magazine started down the track was no easy feat, especially as the originator was not from the publishing industry. But that's all changed relative to the fact that CRM has been successful in producing a quality, Canadian content modelling magazine in a niche market while incurring large magazine type costs. Some mid-course corrections are necessary as we intend on publishing CRM for a long time. 

It doesn't give me pleasure to announce these changes, but they are necessary in order to continue. From letters received, it is evident that you would have it that way. Effective immediately, new and renewal subscriptions will be twenty-two dollars in Canada and twenty-eight dollars outside Canada. The January/February issue (Train 1 Track 5) will have a cover price of four dollars and thirty-five cents—higher outside Canada. The new pricing schedule will insure our future production and more closely resembles the industry standard for model magazines of this type. Contributor’s payments have also been adjusted and a new rate card for advertising is in effect. 

And one final note on the effect of the Canadian GST. We do not know the full implications of the Gouge and Screw Tax; a check with our accountant has yielded little information. He isn't even sure. 

One thing is certain. This tax, if implemented in its present form, will severely affect the publication industry, especially small publishers and businesses. There is very little information available at this time and we will deal with it when we understand it better. 

Can you imagine asking an American subscriber or advertiser to pay GST on a subscription or ad to a Canadian magazine? Not very likely! And that's only one implication.  

The response for particular article material has been very good and we have upcoming features that should interest everyone. How about a little teaser, you say? If you promise to keep it a secret, the E&N, NAR, ETR, L&PS, GO, and Devco, just to name a few, have made fine representations to CRM. Calls are still out for steam articles, both prototype and modelling, as well as items for the Hobby Shop Tunnel, Canadian Classic, rolling stock and structure articles. 

Keep up the fine work to those of you who have sent in contributions! And if you are thinking about doing an article, we will be happy to hear from you. It is due to the positive response from our readers that CRM has achieved the degree of success shown thus far. And without a doubt, the involvement of hobby shops across the country has contributed greatly to the fulfillment of being able to read a train magazine consisting of purely Canadian content. 

I need not go into the support that each and every one of them deserves from modellers. Our advertisers are also recognized as vital forces in producing your reading material. We all have a need or want for their products. 

As the winter presses on, many of us spend more time working on projects and involving ourselves in the hobby of railway modelling. Our new slogan around here is "Railway Modelling is Fun." And with that, we send out Seasons Greetings to all.

And as a consolation, just think that future railway modellers will be getting their 'starter kits' this year—that oval that runs around the Christmas tree! The future sure looks bright as we welcome them to the hobby of railway modeling.