From the Dome Car: Train 10 Track 6 (June, 2001) 10th anniversary issue!



 










Morgan is chuffed with this tenth anniversary issue—as he should be! Running any small business is hard, and CRM was no exception. Between dealing with the post office, the printer and recalcitrant advertisers who didn’t pay on time, he had lots to keep him going and cause him anxiety. But he believed in it, and he stuck with it—and subscribers stuck with him. And the magazine made a difference for Canadian model railroaders, as he noted. At the very end of this Dome Car, he wonders what he will write for the twentieth anniversary; unfortunately, CRM never made it that far. But we have some great memories! 

If you're like me, maybe you looked at this issue's cover and said: "Has it really been ten full years since this magazine started?" Boy, how time flies when you're havin' fun, eh? 

Yes, this is the tenth anniversary issue of Canada's model train magazine. And, despite the usual trials and tribulations of running a small business, it has been fun. 

We've enjoyed bringing you, the reader, a selection of advertisements, departments and articles that have been specifically designed with you, a modeller of Canadian roads, in mind. 

From the beginning, we wanted to keep Canadian Railway Modeller a Canadian magazine with the emphasis on Canadian modelling and things that are associated with it. We think we've been successful in reaching that goal; the cover of this tenth anniversary issue reflects that success. 

We think we've achieved another kind of success, too. Compared to the U.S. model train market, our Canadian model railway market is quite small. But it's an important market, as we have proved over the past ten years. Just look at all the products decorated for Canadian rail ways that are available today not to mention the many Canadian model railway-related businesses that have begun in this time period. 

Ten years ago, it was quite a different story; the range of items available in Canadian road names was quite a bit smaller. We think we have played a small, but important role in helping the major manufacturers realize that there was a market for quality products for Canadian modellers, and we've offered encouragement and a medium where new Canadian businesses can get a decent start in regards to marketing their products to prospective customers. 

Of course, we couldn't have done it without you, our loyal readers and customers. And you have all been very loyal to us. There have been times over the past ten years when, as with any business, it was touch and go. But you stuck with us. You've been patient with us. You knew that the next issue would arrive—and it did. And many of you provided excellent articles and photos so we would have something worthwhile to publish! 

In reality, this magazine has been a reflection of you: the reader, the advertiser, the contributor. Everyone has played an important part in the success of this magazine. And for that, everyone can take a bow, knowing that our success is your success. 

Together, we have made this magazine possible. And together, we'll continue to make it happen. It's a sense of accomplishment we all can be very proud of. 

So: where do we go from here? That's easy: On to the next issue! The first issue of Train 11 is being produced as you read this. So, keep the material rolling in to us, and we'll continue to make Canadian Railway Modeller magazine happen. I'm very thankful to you all for supporting our efforts and I look forward to many more years of the same. 

Now, what'll we do for our 20th anniversary?



 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

From the Dome Car: Train 3 Track 3 (February-March 1993)

Image
    A price increase! And not the last time. Prices for everything kept going up; finding a way to balance costs and revenue was an ongoing challenge for Morgan. And we get a report about his plan to give a train set for Christmas to some neighbour boys. New collector cards are coming, and we hear the common refrain again for more articles. Journalism, it is said, is either an act of commission—going to get articles—or collection—waiting for them to come in. The latter approach is less expensive but riskier; that’s the approach Morgan took. Later, when I became involved, I would search out articles and work with authors, trying to keep the hopper full. It was always a challenge. With Groundhog Day behind us, it's only a matter of time now before the snow will be gone and I can drag the BBQ out of the shed and burn up a steak or two! We've had our share of the white stuff this year. On the plus side, the railfanning in the snow and cold was great! Our plans this year in...
Read more

From the Dome Car: Train 7 Track 4 (August-September 1997)

Image
Remember when collecting  President’s Choice trainsets was all the craze? Maybe some of you still have them in your basements or attics! When we cleaned out Morgan’s basement after his death, I think he had two of each set there. (Sold to support his widow, along with the rest of his model railroad collection.) Morgan was a big booster of Boris Polakow and his trainsets for Loblaws, seeing them as a way to introduce kids to the hobby.   When we think of manufacturers of model railway products, names like Walthers, Model Die Casting and Athearn quickly come to mind. Chances are you wouldn't include Loblaws in that group, but since 1992 the grocery chain-giant has been one of the largest retailers of model trains in Canada, selling 60,000 specially-produced train sets.   It all started with an idea by Boris Polakow, Vice President of Canadian Sales Development for Lob law's Private Label. As a kid, Boris was fascinated by trains, building three HO scale layouts with his...
Read more

From the Dome Car: Train 5 Track 5 (November-December, 1995)

Image
  "Weekend Warriors”—there’s a term I haven’t heard for a long time! Weekend Warriors is what we used to call people who operated hobby shops out of their homes, selling new products at weekend train shows across the country. Hobby shops disliked them for cutting into their sales since they could sell items so much cheaper due to not paying rent, salaries and taxes. Morgan took the topic head on in this Dome Car, and in a special investigative report in the magazine written by yours truly. (I think this was my first byline in the magazine.)   The ongoing controversy between hobby shops and the so-called 'weekend warriors'—people working out of their homes who sell new model railroad products at weekend shows—was recently brought to our attention here at CRM. It's our policy at CRM not to mention swap meets in Subdivision Footnotes. The column is intended to provide free space to clubs which want to promote their shows.   But a hobby shop owner in southern Ontario i...
Read more