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Guys, This morning I got sad news from Don Heimburger, the publisher and editor of the S Gaugian magazine.  He is retiring and the magazine's last issue will be November/December 2019. 

I think this is a real tragedy for the S Gauge hobby.  He had written, edited, and published the magazine for 57 years.  Now we will have so place to check for articles, products, books, layout examples, and new ideas that are particular to our gauge. 

I have written for the magazine for 10 years and will miss the relationship I have with Don and the people who work with him at the magazine.  It has been fun.

I can only wish someone would get the magazine from him and continue to publish it??

Amen   

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I was wondering when this was going to happen.  None of us are getting any younger.

Regardless of people's opinions about the magazine, the S Gaugian has survived all the up and downs of S Gauge/Scale over the past 30+ years (that I have been in S) where others have tried and failed.

Are we to assume Scenery Unlimited will also be shutting down?

Best of luck to Don in retirement.

Rusty

I've enjoyed his books about AC Gilbert and the company he founded, although I've never owned anything S gauge. Here's a not terribly important question but I'm curious. Intelius lists Don as 72 years old.  If that's correct, he started the magazine at age 15? 

Thanks to Don and his family/staff for their contributions and wishing him a healthy and long, enjoyable retirement.

Landsteiner posted:

I've enjoyed his books about AC Gilbert and the company he founded, although I've never owned anything S gauge. Here's a not terribly important question but I'm curious. Intelius lists Don as 72 years old.  If that's correct, he started the magazine at age 15? 

Thanks to Don and his family/staff for their contributions and wishing him a healthy and long, enjoyable retirement.

As I vaguely recall, (someone can correct me) Don started the S Gaugian as a mimeographed newsletter for a club in Tolono, Illinois when he was a teenager.

Rusty

Last edited by Rusty Traque

I am not an S gauge hobbyist. Truth be told, S probably is the only major model railroading scale I have not been involved with, even though I consider it as something of an "ideal" modeling scale. That said, I really am sorry to see that magazine go. I do read it when I can get my hands on it because I believe ALL of our hobby publications, regardless of selected scale of coverage, provide very useful information. Don has done a great job with that magazine and his other publishing activities over a good many years, and I wish him nothing but the very best in his retirement. Like others here, I also hope that some other entity will pick up the baton and continue the fine publication Don created.

 

I guess I also am not surprised but it is sad in a way. Nobody is getting younger and I suspect they were seeing diminishing subscription numbers like most magazines. I know Don has done articles on how he started it all. I believe Rusty was right it was a newsletter started when he was a teen. I think he did show some examples in the magazine.

I do know I've been getting more Scenery Unlimited emails lately and it looks like Don is getting rid of at least some of his collection.

I wish him all the best in retirement.

If S scale modeling is to survive, we ought put away differences between toy/high-rail/prototypical scale and farm/train camps to figure out how best to cooperate and encourage manufacturers to continue to provide products in the scale we all share.

Don Heimburger, Ron Bashista, Don Thompson, Mike Ferraro, and Ron Sebastian have all kept S scale railroading afloat for a number of years; but those years do pile up. Maybe someone might develop a "1/64 scale" publication that combines S, Sn3, cars, trucks, and agricultural equipment to address a much larger market than any of the individual segments alone. 

Last edited by OGR CEO-PUBLISHER
Roundhouse Bill posted:

Neither of the alternatives is very complete and NASG is not worth the money for me.  I dropped them years ago.

You might wish give the NASG another try, Bill. The NASG publication, The Dispatch, has improved considerably in the last year or so. The NASG is composed of a large number of local clubs which, in turn, host annual conventions. The recent convention in Cincinnati was an enjoyable  success. There are not too many alternatives for the strictly-S community.

Have fun.

Bob

Last edited by OGR CEO-PUBLISHER

I agree with Bob.  The NASG Dispatch is really excellent under the direction of its new editor, Bill Pyper.  If you have any interest in 1/64th modeling, or American Flyer toy trains, it is mandatory reading!

Best wishes to Don Heimburger on his retirement.  I hope we will see him for many years at S gauge events!

Kirk Lindvig, USA Track LLC

Last edited by OGR CEO-PUBLISHER

I think all subscription based magazines are feeling the strain. Especially with the advent of the “free” publications such as S Scale Resource and Model Railroad Hobbyist. Those are my 2 favorite magazines. Dan Dawdy runs the SSR as well as the O Scale Resource and the Indy O and S show.  He is always looking for articles and contributors. And as was mentioned above is looking to broaden the appeal by reaching out to modelers in the farm community.

I will tell you that 1/3 to 1/2 of our  ~1600 members on the S Scale Facebook page are farming enthusiasts that are looking to broaden out to include railroading. 

 

tncentrr posted:

It sounds like a good opportunity for someone, perhaps White River Productions that now publishes Railfan among others.

I wouldn't be shocked to find this out, as they bought the other O scale magazine after it 'went under'.

Allan (as usual) makes an excellent point, in that there's always something to learn from any hobby magazines, even if you don't model in that scale. Heck, I often buy the HOn3 Annuals from White River as a lot of their info is transferrable to On30 (or any other scale/gauge).

I am not an S scale person by any means but I have to agree with the comments above. I have been an NASG MEMBER now for a number of years and I see the Dispatch as a good resource. I had subscribed to Don's magazine also but in the last few years I had let that subscription lapse, a good source but I didn't utilize it enough.

Ray

p51 posted:
tncentrr posted:

It sounds like a good opportunity for someone, perhaps White River Productions that now publishes Railfan among others.

I wouldn't be shocked to find this out, as they bought the other O scale magazine after it 'went under'.

 

Does White River have anyone versed in S that would be willing to take the helm?  White River (or anyone else for that matter) certainly wouldn't buy the magazine just to preserve the title. 

The NASG Dispatch and S Scale Resource are always begging for folks to supply content.  Without content, any reboot would be doomed to failure.  I'm sure Don had to scrape around occasionally for content to fill the Gaugian.  Then of course, there would be the complaints of "too much Flyer" or "too much Scale" to deal with.

Rusty

Rusty Traque posted:
p51 posted:
tncentrr posted:

It sounds like a good opportunity for someone, perhaps White River Productions that now publishes Railfan among others.

I wouldn't be shocked to find this out, as they bought the other O scale magazine after it 'went under'.

 

Does White River have anyone versed in S that would be willing to take the helm?  White River (or anyone else for that matter) certainly wouldn't buy the magazine just to preserve the title. 

The NASG Dispatch and S Scale Resource are always begging for folks to supply content.  Without content, any reboot would be doomed to failure.  I'm sure Don had to scrape around occasionally for content to fill the Gaugian.  Then of course, there would be the complaints of "too much Flyer" or "too much Scale" to deal with.

Rusty

Could not have said it better!

Ray

I just called Don and we discussed some of this.  The issue coming out soon will have a lot of information on his plans for Heimburger House Publications (His book business), Scenery Unlimited, and the S Gaugian.  He will be opening up his 7000 Sq/Ft building/warehouse in Forest Park Illinois to sell the books, trains, office equipment, ETC. He plans to continue, in a limited way, Scenery Unlimited.  He would sell the magazine and its resources if someone wanted to continue the publication.  

Look for the September/October issue for complete information.

TOKELLY posted:

If S scale modeling is to survive, we ought put away differences between toy/high-rail/prototypical scale and farm/train camps to figure out how best to cooperate and encourage manufacturers to continue to provide products in the scale we all share.

...

To a certain extent, that's what happened with O, and despite some scale snobbery, it seems to be going well. 

Mallard4468 posted:
TOKELLY posted:

If S scale modeling is to survive, we ought put away differences between toy/high-rail/prototypical scale and farm/train camps to figure out how best to cooperate and encourage manufacturers to continue to provide products in the scale we all share.

...

To a certain extent, that's what happened with O, and despite some scale snobbery, it seems to be going well. 

American Models and the late S Helper Service figured it out.  It seems everyone else wants to march to their own drum.

Rusty

One of the problems I see when the S Gaugian ends is that there will not be a great place for the people who make S Gauge products to advertise their stuff.  Some people complained about the ads, but in reality these ads showed readers what was new and what was available.  Also, the ads are what pays to publish and print a magazine.  Subscriptions pay for but a portion of the cost.

Those of us who wrote for the magazine received no pay for our efforts, by the way.  People who contribute to Classic Toy Trains do get paid.

I hope a format develops so we know what is being made and how to buy it.  

Roundhouse Bill posted:

One of the problems I see when the S Gaugian ends is that there will not be a great place for the people who make S Gauge products to advertise their stuff.  Some people complained about the ads, but in reality these ads showed readers what was new and what was available.  Also, the ads are what pays to publish and print a magazine.  Subscriptions pay for but a portion of the cost.

Those of us who wrote for the magazine received no pay for our efforts, by the way.  People who contribute to Classic Toy Trains do get paid.

I hope a format develops so we know what is being made and how to buy it.  

Umm....

The S Scale Resource Magazine

Another, more immediate option to find out what's available in S scale is the NASG website's News/New S-Scale Products: http://www.nasg.org/News/Products.php

Peter Vanvliet keeps the listing as up to date as possible. New listings can appear as often as day-to-day, so one does not have to wait every other month for a magazine issue--online or otherwise--to be published. This resource is available to anyone interested in S Scale products, not just to NASG members. The NASG website has so much more information there that it feels like being a kid in a candy store, or, even better, a kid in a hobby shop devoted entirely to S-scale trains, parts, and accessories.

TOKELLY posted:

Another, more immediate option to find out what's available in S scale is the NASG website's News/New S-Scale Products: http://www.nasg.org/News/Products.php

Peter Vanvliet keeps the listing as up to date as possible. New listings can appear as often as day-to-day, so one does not have to wait every other month for a magazine issue--online or otherwise--to be published. This resource is available to anyone interested in S Scale products, not just to NASG members. The NASG website has so much more information there that it feels like being a kid in a candy store, or, even better, a kid in a hobby shop devoted entirely to S-scale trains, parts, and accessories.

Completely agree. It is always worth a weekly browse.

Not an active  "S" gauge participant here either, but yes a critical loss to the model railroading community.

And I like others fill that printed publications are seeing a slow decline, which myself can remark on since my youngest son being a free-lancer for newspapers, has seen his work decline to near nothing.

 It' s a real shame because it is a generational trend that's taking over with digital media. I'm a paper type person myself and see this as a threat to my kind.

 It would be an asset to the hobby to see an "O" gauge publication to combine with the "S Gaugian" to continue the knowledge and archives to share with future hobbyist.

 Maybe the rights of the archives and previously published articles could be bought for reprint.

 Just like printed pictures, magazines to me are always handy and  more accessible to MY generation 

mackb4 posted:

 

 Just like printed pictures, magazines to me are always handy and  more accessible to MY generation 

I have recently leaned heavily on digital subscriptions lately unless the paper option is cheaper.  Also, many magazines that I would never have been able to afford to subscribe to, ie British model railway mags, are now accessible for the same cost as US publications.  

Brendan

@Chuck Ward posted:

Hello! I'm new to this forum and planning finally (at age 68) to build a simple American Flyer S-gauge layout.  I'm not familiar with NASG or S-Scale forum.   I do have back issues given to me on S-Gaugian and wonder if they're going to come back?  Thanks!  

To the best of my knowledge, the S Gaugian is gone for good.

The Gaugian had longevity on it side, but the market is too small for someone to take a chance on reviving it.  There were actually three other S related magazines that came and went during the Gaugian's run.

I suggest going to nasg.org and look around.  The NASG covers Flyer, HiRail and Scale.  Click on the scrolling images to enter the site.

There's also the S Scale Resource online magazine, but it concerns itself with the Scale side.

Rusty

Thank you all for the response!  I'll check them out and I did receive a response from Don Heimburger today that he had retired the publication but still has a few back copies of S Gaugian and Sn3 magazines, and some AF books and trains. My dad started me on AF as he said he never saw a train with 3 tracks (we lived in Detroit and not in NYC where you can see 3 tracks for the electrics with "shoes"!)  Oh well, thanks again! - chuck  

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