From the Dome Car: Train 6 Track 4 (September-October, 1996)












“If you have Internet access, take a look at our site and let us know what you think.” That’s what Morgan wrote in 1996 when CRM’s new website was created. Do you remember a time when most people didn’t have access? It wasn’t that long ago—just 29 years. The world sure is a different place today! Morgan also pays tribute to Jack Work, a Canadian who was considered by many to have been a pioneer in the hobby of model railroading. This issue contained an article about Jack by Stafford Swain, himself accomplished model railroader. And Morgan notes the closing of Canada’s other model railroad magazine that year. Yes, there once were two in this country! 

In this issue, we pay tribute to one of Canada's exquisite modellers: Jack Work. Jack, who passed away this summer, was well known for his fine modelling skills. His numerous scratchbuilding projects appeared in Model Railroader magazine during the 1950s and '60s long before anybody was producing any models that resembled Canadian structures. Many of Jack's models were eventually turned into kits and sold around the world. Stafford Swain remembers Jack in his article on page 19. 

Something else was lost over the summer too. After two-and-a-half years of publishing Trackside railways out of Meaford, Ontario, editor and publisher Bryan Rogers chose to discontinue his magazine for personal reasons. That's sad ; we both felt there was room in Canada for two model train magazines, given the size and range of modelling skills that we have in this country. 

As I've said before in this column, publishing a magazine in Canada is no easy task—especially if it's a small specialty publication such as ours is and his was. We produce a small publication with very limited readership (when compared to other Canadian large circulation magazines), but we still must bear the same costs related to publishing for design, layout, printing, binding, postage, administration (and tax collecting), just to name a few. 

I've talked with Bryan about serving some of his readers through CRM in an effort to keep them interested in our great hobby. We are currently working on an arrangement that we hope will see readers of his magazine able to continue getting a model train magazine that's published in Canada. We should have more on this by the next issue, so please stay tuned. 

Here's the good news of the day. CRM is now in CYBER SPACE! We've created a site on the World Wide Web. You can access our home page to see lots of 'stuff' (as they say in cyber space) as well as get information on a number of items available through the magazine and North Kildonan Publications. 

We are also looking at having another logo pin made (like the one offered with our premier issue) with our web site address engraved under the logo. It will be offered to the first 500 new subscribers that use the web to access a subscription. We'll do something for renewals too. Maybe a gold pin for subscribers, a silver one for renewals. More on that later. 

So, as the count-down begins toward another winter season, the work begins on preparing the next issue of CRM. Don't hesitate to give us a call or drop us an e-mail with your ideas for articles—we are always looking for material to present to our readers. If you have Internet access, take a look at our site and let us know what you think. And with all that, we'll catch you next time.





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