I see on the TRAINS Magazine website that Jim Wrinn has been named the new Editor of TRAINS Magazine.

Congratulations. Couldn’t think of a more able person.

Wow. This is just fantastic news in more ways than I have fingers to count.

Kalmbach gets an able newspaperman at the helm; we get a noted preservationist and notorious gearhead as our Man at the Ministry. And to think Don Phillips was worried that the new guy might not "get" steam.

Three cheers for Jim!

Indeed - and should Jim see fit to return the magazine to its pre-Modern Photography-clone days I might actually have to subscribe. Best wishes.

dave

I'm actually a big fan of the Mark Hemphill Trains; I think it represents a return to the roots, when the mag covered railroading as an important, vital, living industry. Poor Jim--he's not even in the job yet and he's getting 180 degree conflicting advice from us armchair quarterbacks.

Well, I'm certainly glad they picked somebody that has a 'clue', so to speak, and can understand both the modern industry and how we all got here. The worst of all worlds would be to have a well-meaning but non-rail editor from journalism ranks that didn't share the passion.

I personally like TRAINS on the tack that its taken, which is to make sure that somebody out there puts a well-distributed magazine on a rack to explain the business of railroading to civilians, with a healthy dose of history and art. I didn't really care for it when it was a Railfan-magazine lookalike - nothing against that, but Railfan and TRAINS operated like the other one didn't exist for a while. Railway Age tends to be a somewhat sanitized view of the industry without any warts or problems, a 'rah-rah' inside industry rag, though well done and doesn't ever acknowledge that history ever existed (uh, what's that smoky black thing on the front??). And, the general public is not going to read a feature article on the annual railroad tie life issue! Steel vs. Plastic, a 15-year study, sixth of a series!!

TRAINS, historically, has taken on some pretty hot topics on labor, technology, business, etc. because it wasn't owned by the advertisers that were selling to the market it criticized, a nice mix. Other industry mags are afraid to touch those issues. It's been a participant in the evolution of the industry by that educational process.

It's not an easy job and I certainly wish Jim the best.

I wouldn't worry about the conflicting advice. Kalmbach's biggest challenge in filling this job was finding the right combination of encyclopedic knowledge of railroading, enough enthusiasm and talent in writing and editing, and someone equally adept at balancing the demands of the "corporate" world of Kalmbach (for which see the "Dilbert" comic strip for the role model) and the enthusiast's magazine.

All I can say is, it's bloody nice to have a "Southern gentleman" back at the Trains helm.

Don't be a stranger here, y'hear, Jim?

Well this is certianly good news. Having not been a subscriber for over 8 years now, I may just have to check out what used to be my favorite rag back in the old days before Elenor P (L&RP).

Well deserved Jim... look forward to the Crystal Ball...
Jeff

It has? And who is Mark Hemphill? Probably showing how long it has ben since I did subscribe. Definitely need to have another look - it was the coverage of the business end of the industry and Knieling, etc that I liked about the TRAINS I remember before the format changed.

dave

I add my contrats too! A long time since I first saw Jim's by-line in RAILS SOUTH! -- Ray

Hemphill is the outgoing editor. Over the last three years he overhauled the editorial copy pretty radically--no one would mistake Hemphill's Trains for R&R.

If you liked the Knieling/Morgan era Trains you might have liked Mark's version; I did, a lot. Others felt differently about it, and about Mark as an editor. He seemed to be a pretty polarizing guy.

Erik, don't get me started on R&R. It lost its soul when Freeman Hubbard went to slick paper, sort of like what happened to baseball when the Trolley Dodgers left Brooklyn.

dave

I have a couple of significant concerns….

What is Jim going to eat up North? Good hill county barbeque is hard to find in Wisconsin. And what are the local restaurants down south going to do for business with him gone? At least they know how to brew beer up there.

On the other hand you would have a long way to go to find a better choice… an old line newspaper man, loves trains (steam or otherwise), loves preservation and knows how to write….

Excellent German food and fine assortment of fresh cheese - remember, Blessed are the Cheesemakers.

Jim will be just fine if he gets together with Steven Butler who knows all the finest places to eat in the area, as well as the best used machinery dealers.

dave

I share the congratulations to Jim, along with a little envy (I applied at MR about a year ago without success). Strangely enough, there are a number of ties to Milwaukee at SCRM -- I could provide some introductions to mutual friends.

*MY* concern is what's going to happen up at Spencer. That's going to be a bit of a void up there.