The problem I have with Great Model Railroads is that they seem to focus specifically on model railroads instead of all types of model railroads. I've not seen a three-rail O gauge, American Flyer (S scale) or Garden Railroad in an issue of Great Model Railroads. I feel that they (Kalmbach) could reach a wider audience of readers by not just featuring layouts that would appear in Model Railroader, but instead create one magazine that features railroads that would appear only in Model Railroader, but also Classic Toy Trains and Garden Railroads. I know that there are other magazines that feature three-rail layouts or garden railroads, but Classic Toy Trains and Garden Railroads are made by Kalmbach, along with Model Railroader. By combining layouts that could be found in each magazine into one special edition magazine, this would provide a larger variety of model railroads featured and may also provide the readers minds to not think that all great model railroads have to be indoors or the trains run on only two rails.
EDIT 11/25/2015:
As with Model Railroader, Classic Toy Trains and Garden Railroads would have to come up with individual parameters that a railroad would have to meet in order to appear in this special edition magazine. If this was to become reality, there would need to be a 'balance' of railroads from each magazine. One reason I say this is to prevent one magazine to have a greater 'influence' on a model railroad being built by a reader of the magazine. There are several things that all model railroads, whether or not indoors or outdoors, have in common. This means that a model railroader might learn something from Classic Toy Trains or Garden Railroads that he can implement into his model railroad that might appear in Model Railroader. For example, a guy modeling three-rail O scale might use a technique to make the scenery on his layout that a guy modeling in HO scale could implement on his model railroad. Or a guy modeling in three-rail O scale could learn a technique how to weather a structure used by a guy on his garden railroad. Or a guy modeling in HO scale might learn a new way to weather track that a guy used on his Garden Railroad. However, there may not be as many garden railroads as there are indoor railroads, so it may not be possible to have a 'balance' between railroads found in each magazine.
EDIT 11/25/2015:
As with Model Railroader, Classic Toy Trains and Garden Railroads would have to come up with individual parameters that a railroad would have to meet in order to appear in this special edition magazine. If this was to become reality, there would need to be a 'balance' of railroads from each magazine. One reason I say this is to prevent one magazine to have a greater 'influence' on a model railroad being built by a reader of the magazine. There are several things that all model railroads, whether or not indoors or outdoors, have in common. This means that a model railroader might learn something from Classic Toy Trains or Garden Railroads that he can implement into his model railroad that might appear in Model Railroader. For example, a guy modeling three-rail O scale might use a technique to make the scenery on his layout that a guy modeling in HO scale could implement on his model railroad. Or a guy modeling in three-rail O scale could learn a technique how to weather a structure used by a guy on his garden railroad. Or a guy modeling in HO scale might learn a new way to weather track that a guy used on his Garden Railroad. However, there may not be as many garden railroads as there are indoor railroads, so it may not be possible to have a 'balance' between railroads found in each magazine.
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