RAIL vs Modern Railways

[daniel1234321]

Just started this thread to see what people's opinions are on the two main modern railway magazines and their content. Open to opinions on which you think is better and why and which ones your subscribe to. Is it worth subscribing to both?

 

[hexagon789]

Just started this thread to see what people's opinions are on the two main modern railway magazines and their content. Open to opinions on which you think is better and why and which ones your subscribe to. Is it worth subscribing to both?

I don't subscribe to either, but I would say Modern Railways is of better journalistic quality and just generally more interesting to read than RAIL.

 

[Condor7]

Rail is published twice a month whereas Modern Railways monthly. Rail is therefore approximately twice the price per year, but on the other hand you are getting much more up to date news.

 

[hexagon789]

Rail is published twice a month whereas Modern Railways monthly. Rail is therefore approximately twice the price per year, but on the other hand you are getting much more up to date news.

Possibly, but it feels as though they have to stretch each issue out with anything they can find sometimes.

 

[bspahh]

Cambridgeshire public libraries have a subscription to https://library.pressdisplay.com
If I type in the number of my library card into that and search for rail, I can read Rail online for free.

 

[daniel1234321]

Possibly, but it feels as though they have to stretch each issue out with anything they can find sometimes.

I'd agree with that, I've subscribed to both for the time being. While there is a lot of overlap I feel like Modern Railways is more concise and has better features than Rail, Rail also contains more opinions and less factual information.

 

[daniel1234321]

Cambridgeshire public libraries have a subscription to https://library.pressdisplay.com
If I type in the number of my library card into that and search for rail, I can read Rail online for free.

Wow you have a good library

 

[daniel1234321]

Does anyone read railways illustrated?

 

[Peter C]

Does anyone read railways illustrated?

I did for a couple of years as a family member bought me a subscription; very good magazine, but I thought that after 2 years of reading the same one every month I should try different ones. Some months I buy a few, some months I buy none, and some months I buy Modern Locomotives Illustrated.

-Peter

 

[hexagon789]

I'd agree with that, I've subscribed to both for the time being. While there is a lot of overlap I feel like Modern Railways is more concise and has better features than Rail, Rail also contains more opinions and less factual information.

Yes, I definitely feel RAIL is too opinionated. I'd much rather get the base facts and formulate an opinion myself.

 

[Tubeboy]

Modern Railways is far superior. Detailed articles written by respected railway journalists. I’ve read it for the last 25 years. Rail on the other hand....went downhill years ago when Nigel Harris took over. Too cosy to Daft for my liking.

 

[hexagon789]

Modern Railways is far superior. Detailed articles written by respected railway journalists. I’ve read it for the last 25 years. Rail on the other hand....went downhill years ago when Nigel Harris took over. Too cosy to Daft for my liking.

Indeed, the latest issue of RAIL has further cemented my opinion of its decline, the article on Polmont has a number of inaccuracies which suggests no one bothered to read the freely available accident report properly to fill themselves in on the technical facts.

 

[ComUtoR]

In an era of decline with traditional print and on a forum that specializes in all things rail and beyond; why do people still buy either publication ?

 

[Cowley]

In an era of decline with traditional print and on a forum that specializes in all things rail and beyond; why do people still buy either publication ?

Well there is that.
I must admit that I’ve very much drifted away from magazines this last few years.
I still buy the odd railway modelling magazine as I enjoy the photography etc, but I find it quite astonishing that so many of these general railway publications are still going in what must surely be a fairly small market these days?
The thing is that a fairly large chunk of each magazine is given over to news stories that they all share one way or another, and most of the other features unless they’re extremely well written and produced with previously unpublished photos and/or information can easily be researched online if you’re interested in a particular subject...

 

[xotGD]

Back in the day, I considered Modern Railways to be a 'serious' publication, while Rail, or Rail Enthusiast as it was originally, was aimed at cranks.

I haven't read either for years - is that distinction still valid?

 

[cactustwirly]

Just started this thread to see what people's opinions are on the two main modern railway magazines and their content. Open to opinions on which you think is better and why and which ones your subscribe to. Is it worth subscribing to both?

Neither!
Waste of money, mostly full of inaccurate wibble, and most of the time you can read the news on here anyway!

 

[ainsworth74]

In an era of decline with traditional print and on a forum that specializes in all things rail and beyond; why do people still buy either publication ?

I can't read Roger Ford's commentary or opinion on here

More seriously I don't read Modern Railways for news coverage as most of it I can get from the Forum. But I do still find the longer in depth articles on a specific topic or the columns by various contributors to still be worth the price of admission. Similarly with RAIL. Whilst I don't read it as often as there is a lot of dross contained within when I do its for longer a

 

[ComUtoR]

Okies, I get the some like print for X, Y, and Z reason. Are they available online ? (behind a paywall ?)

I never buy a newspaper or even read the free ones. I get all my news online from the same sources and additional ones I wouldn't have known existed until I moved to online. Print as a medium is dying and tbh rightly so.

Does Roger Ford have a blog/vlog or is he exclusively a Journalist for said magazine ?

As for small and niche markets; such as Modelling. Isn't that where forums can be superb. They have allowed people to share photos and stories alike.

 

[Cowley]

As for small and niche markets; such as Modelling. Isn't that where forums can be superb. They have allowed people to share photos and stories alike.

They are, but I feel like I spend too much time as it is on screens, and they give me something to read during a relaxing bath.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

In an era of decline with traditional print and on a forum that specializes in all things rail and beyond; why do people still buy either publication ?

I spend more than enough time staring at screens as it is without adding more time to read magazines on said screens... Apart from which it's much easier to refer to a paper copy or to read a bit in odd moments.

 

[43096]

I can't read Roger Ford's commentary or opinion on here

More seriously I don't read Modern Railways for news coverage as most of it I can get from the Forum. But I do still find the longer in depth articles on a specific topic or the columns by various contributors to still be worth the price of admission. Similarly with RAIL. Whilst I don't read it as often as there is a lot of dross contained within when I do its for longer a

RAIL needs to re-think what its purpose is. Being fortnightly was fine before the internet was widely used as it would be first with the news, but that now means the production feels rushed, with sloppy errors creeping in. It even feels like a low grade production - the paper quality is poor. I'm struggling to understand why anyone would buy Rail; it's not even as if they have any regular columnists that are a must read (Barry Doe is a crashing bore and Woemar is just a third rate hack).

Modern Railways, in contrast, has two columnists who are essential reading in Roger Ford and Ian Walmsley. Both engineers, both with the rare ability to explain technical ideas to non-technical people, which is a very rare skill. It also doesn't seek to be the fastest to get the news out, but offers a far better in-depth analysis of the railway.

 

[ainsworth74]

Yes that's spot on I think! I'll read RAIL (but don't pay for it) but the columnists aren't very good and the editor leaves a lot to be desired with their antics in RAIL's name on Twitter.

I will give them some credit as they do at least have platforms for those that disagree (such as Nigel Harris who is pro-privitisation verusu Wolmar who is anti).

 

[Highlandspring]

I haven’t bought a railway magazine of any sort for about 15 years. If I want news I can get that instantly for free on the internet. If I want to look at photos of today’s railway scene I can get them instantly for free on the internet. If I want to look at intereting historic photos I can get them instantly for free on the internet. If I wanted to read last month’s inaccurate news, look at badly reproduced photos printed on the thinnest paper the publisher thinks he can get away with and read boring press releases, paid for puff pieces and inane comment I could always spend a fiver on a magazine...