Western Railroad Discussion > Trains Magazine drops two print editions

Went to the PO this morning and received the July issue of Trains. On the front was a letter entitled "Dear Subscriber." What they are doing is dropping two print editions annually starting with this September's issue and continuing with next February's print issue. They say that there will still be twelve issues annually, but the February and September issues will only be available digitally for subscribers by downloading a new Trains app. Financial issues are driving the change and as costs for printed editions rise they are cutting costs by eliminating two printed issues. Meanwhile, Railfan and Railroad so far continues with a vibrant monthly printed issue with more features than the current Trains content provides.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/04/26 12:58 by Cumbresfan.

Ive been a subscriber to "Trains" since the '60's.
Not sure when my subscription runs out, but I do not plan to renew it.
zr190

https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?1,6189708,6191194#msg-6191194

Posted from iPhone

they screwed up my renewal , lost me in the process

Been a subscriber since 1972; not sure at all if I will continue.  True be told, TRAINS is a shell of what it once was.   RAILFAN has really begun to surpass them in quality of the magazine.

Marty Harrison
Knob Noster, MO

Spoony81 Wrote:
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> https://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?1,
> 6189708,6191194#msg-6191194
>
> Posted from iPhone

Thanks, didn't catch that.

dan Wrote:
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> they screwed up my renewal , lost me in the
> process

Same here.  It was around the time Kalmbach sold it - they "lost" my renewal - but still charged my credit card.  I was able to contest it with Chase and get my money back.  I was done after that.

who knows maybe my payment via mail never reached them?   But i don't read it much the just accumulate around the house like  my twice weekly physical newspaper i still get, spend all my time online it seems

The same thing has happened to Astronomy mag.  I have been a subscriber since the first edition of Astronomy magazine..

Been a subscriber since 1952, except for a month laspe.  Usually they give fair warning of expiration, but didn't.  I'm missing the July issue and sent email to customer service two weeks ago.  No reply other than automated one stating please don't duplicate the request.  Now I see why.  Totally disgusted with the organization!

Mexrail

When they, so called combining Classic Trains with Trains. They lost me, and this new wrinkle time to give up! Steve

Not a problem. I dropped them 4 years ago due to lack of quality material. That, combined with paper quality being barely above newspaper quality, severed our relationship after 46 years. Railfan and Railroad, after many years as a lower quality publication, has become the superior magazine under White River Productions. Sad, as Trains had a long run as a top quality publication.

Baltimore

I dropped Trains about 4 or 5 years ago, hated to but it wasn't close to what it used to be. I know things change but the newer issues were lacking a lot. Classic Trains was more money for rehashed stories. Sorry, no more of that.

Posted from Android

I won't be reading the online editions, but I'm not dropping my subsciption because of it - unless they go all digital.

I'm paid up for about the next 3 years.  I hope to see some positive momentum by then.  With all the grumpy posts here about the magazine, it is a little concerning.  The new owners just got a hold of the magazine, so I'm interested to see how they perform in the next year or so.  

Access to the Trains archive is fantastic.
Stay onboard.

When my subscription runs out sometime in 2027 I'm done. Have subscribed since July,1967 but I've had enough. The quality has decreased (although I have noticed an uptick since the new editor has taken over), they cancelled Classic Trains which I really enjoyed, they screwed up News Wire into something that I can't figure out plus it is full of modeling stuff that I don't care about and now they are going digital for a couple of issues. Probably next will be one digital issue per quarter and fully digital after that. I'm going to take the money I save and subscribe to Passenger Train Journal and maybe another of White River Productions magazines to go with R. & R. which I really enjoy reading every month. We are witnessing the fall, and possible death, of a once great magazine.

I finally let my subscription lapse at the end of last year. It's sad because the magazine (understandably shrinking given financial realities in the printed magazine business) was still a good and pleasurable to read source of opinion, articles, and photographs.

But they lost me well before the Firecrown takeover, they never were able to master e-commerce subscriptions at all. I never was able to solve problems with authenticating into their rinky-dink budget/incompetent website, my credentials would sometimes work, but more often not. It didn't get better under Firecrown (I had some hope). On top of all of that, I engage with railroad and freight logistics/supply chain content on Linked In, and it's shocking how little respect (often veering into contempt) professionals, academics, and journalists who cover the field have for Firecrown/Freightwaves empresario Craig Fuller.

I frankly don't know how White River/Railfan and Railroad does it. Trains I'd expect was coming from a much larger subscription base. Sounds maybe like an analogy for railroading itself: the "PSR" cut costs to stay alive in a shrinking pie short-term shareholder-return-only world versus growing the business with a higher OR and proving there's a market out there for quality service.

pbouzide Wrote:

> I frankly don't know how White River/Railfan and
> Railroad does it. Trains I'd expect was coming
> from a much larger subscription base. Sounds maybe
> like an analogy for railroading itself: the "PSR"
> cut costs to stay alive in a shrinking pie
> short-term shareholder-return-only world versus
> growing the business with a higher OR and proving
> there's a market out there for quality service.

Funny you should mention PSR, as I was reading yours and earlier comments I started thinking to myself "Trains has become the PSR of magazines." Lol...

JG

I let my subscription lapse a few years back. There was less business-oriented content than in the past, even with the good articles by Bill Stephens. Being taken over by Freightwaves can only make things worse.