Talk:The Railway Magazine

Fiction
The article says "A very small amount of fiction was included in the magazine’s earliest days", as if it never happens any more. I read the magazine only very occasionally, so I can't say to what extent that's wrong, but there's a fiction item in the January 2008 issue: a one-page "ghost story". So something needs to be changed. --207.176.159.90 (talk) 06:50, 31 January 2008 (UTC)
 * During the 1980s, the April issue would sometimes include a work of pure fiction purporting to be a real article. For example, this one: --Redrose64 (talk) 13:50, 27 October 2009 (UTC)

Online Working Relationships
The Railway magazine has a working relationship in the form of a presence on the National Preservation forums. Members and Readers are able to talk and comment directly to members of the editorial staff. Providing both feedback and constructive criticism, a valuable source of information for the magazine. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 80.89.94.28 (talk) 12:45, 16 February 2009 (UTC)


 * Material updated and added by Bluebellnutter (talk) 12:51, 16 February 2009 (UTC)

Page size
The page size has varied considerably over the years. I possess sufficient issues to provide a complete breakdown from 1897 to date. Is there scope for that? --Redrose64 (talk) 13:53, 27 October 2009 (UTC)
 * That might be useful in the context of a general discussion of the magazine's format. Btw, if you have a decent copy of one of the first issues, an image of the front cover (now out of copyright) would go well on this page. Lamberhurst (talk) 16:41, 27 October 2009 (UTC)
 * Judging by this chart, section "Works First Published Outside the U.S. by Foreign Nationals or U.S. Citizens Living Abroad", I need one either unpublished in the USA, but published in the UK before 1923 ie from December 1922 or earlier or one published in the USA at least 95 years ago, ie from October 1914 or earlier. Best I have that match both (just in case!) is October 1901; I think 108 years is enough? --Redrose64 (talk) 13:50, 17 November 2009 (UTC)
 * Scan of cover added. --Redrose64 (talk) 00:49, 20 November 2009 (UTC)

Editors
What is the source of the list of editors? B W C Cooke seems to have been editor 1940-1970. Johnragla (talk) 11:07, 18 September 2015 (UTC)


 * The table was added by with . Note that it indicates that Vallance and Court were "nominally Deputy Editor"; presumably they did the actual work whilst Cooke, who is named as editor on the contents page of issues for that period, took the credit. Since that table was added in August 2007 - the 110th anniversary year of the RM - there may be something in the actual 110th anniversary issue (July 2007) which lists the editors. -- Red rose64 (talk) 11:36, 18 September 2015 (UTC)


 * I can't immediately find 2007, but I've found a spare copy of July 1997 (pp. 13-19 100 Not Out!). It confirms the dates in the article up to 1949, but then it gets more complex.

It says, "On the sudden death of John Kay, Basil W. Clifton Cooke, the editor of Railway Gazette, became editor-in-chief of both it and The Railway Magazine. . . The deputy editor, who was effectively in charge of the RM, was Hugh Aymer Vallance . . . In 1963, Vallance retired because of ill-health and was succeeded as deputy editor by John H. Court . . . until November 1966, when there was a monumental row about his failure to return transparencies, photographs and articles to contributors, causing one of them to serve Basil Cooke with a writ. . . . After Court had departed, the job of running The RM was taken over by John Slater and Gordon Flower, as joint assistant editors. Neither of their names appeared on the masthead, but those of Basil Cooke and Henry Dannatt did, although they primarily concerned themselves with the weekly issues of the Gazette. In 1970 . . . Dannatt . . . left the company. . . John Slater became became editor of Railway Magazine in 1970 with Gordon Flower as his assistant. The previous long editorial hierarchy was then simplified, with Basil Cooke's name appearing under theirs on the masthead as 'publishing director.' John Ninis Slater. . . Railway Gazette, which he joined as editorial assistant in 1964. . . . In 1989 John Slater took early retirement, but continues on a part-time basis as editorial consultant. . . He was succeeded by Peter Kelly. . . At the beginning of September 1994, Peter Kelly left and was succeeded as editor by Nicolas Hugh Pigott".

So I'm not sure whether to leave the simple table as it is with a few extra names and dates, or whether to put it into a few sentences, explaining more of the complexity. What do you think?

After John Francis Gairns died in 1930, "J. K. Taylor acted as assistant editor in charge of production, The Railway Magazine by then having become part of John Kay's Tothill Press. Then in 1932 . . . William Arthur Willox (1891-1970) became editor". Also Charles E. Lee was an assistant editor in 1939.

The price changes are listed, as are the page sizes - Johnragla (talk) 14:44, 18 September 2015 (UTC)
 * 1897 9½ x 6½
 * Jan 1941 9 x 6
 * Nov 1963 9½ x 7¼
 * Jan 1982 10⅞ x 8¼
 * Jan 1986 11¾ x 8⅜
 * Jun 1995 11+7/16 x 8¼