UtahRails.net Copyright 2000-2008 Don Strack

Western Railfan Publications

This page was last updated on July 19, 2008.

Killed by the internet; may they rest in peace...

Each of these publications were labors of love by each of their publishers. They were all essentially intended to get the news out as soon as possible, based on telephone communication and early dialup email communication. By the late 1990s, several web sites were established that allowed "bulletin board" communications among railfans, including such email discussion groups like OneList, which became eGroups, then YahooGroups. As the on-line readership of "the boards" increased, the subscriber base for the "railfan rags" decreased. The biggest complaint was usually given as a lack of current news in the printed-to-paper publications. Some took longer than others to pass away, but all have fallen by the way side, casualties of the internet age.

"I don't think the problem can be completely blamed on the Internet, but more of a problem of the aging railfan population. If the magazines don't do more to pickup younger subscribers then we might see some magazine thinning in the coming decade. I believe Trainorders.com represents a younger audience than the magazines. Of concern to me is less than 20% of our membership subscribe to either of the two largest rail magazines. In the past before the internet, new fans were introduced to the hobby through train magazines found at local hobby shops. The magazines were sort of an ambassador for the hobby. Now there are signifcantly less model train shops than 10 or 15 years ago, thus fewer outlets for distribution. The internet is the new ambassador for the hobby. I am not speaking nessarily of this site, but the hundreds of personal web sites on the net built by railfans showing off their photos and railfan adventures." (Todd Clark, Trainorders.com, July 20, 2005)

Volunteer Publications

Presented in no particular order:

Everywhere West

The Lark

Shasta Rail Group

SP Review

Flimsies West

Flimsies Northwest

The Overland (UP)

Green and Silver Review (BNSF)

The Mixed Train

Locomotive Notes II (LNII)

Western Railroader

Colorado Time Table (http://www.coloradotimetable.com/)

Western Rail Gazette

Rumormill

Mainstream Magazines

CTC-Board (CTC)

Pacific News/Pacific Rail News (PN/PRN)

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