Railfan and Railroad, The Magazine For Railfans

Railfan and Railroad, the magazine is similar in nature to Trains in regards to the content the magazine covers. A younger publication, it has been printed monthly for the last thirty years by Carstens Publications, which along with Railfan & Railroad also publishes two other hobby magazines, Railroad Model Crafstman and Flying Models, for the aviation modeling enthusiasts.

While the magazine does not carry quite the number of subscribers as Kalmbach Publishing’s Trains Magazine, it nonetheless has a very loyal following with those who do. Railfan and Railroad tends to gear its magazine more to the railfan then taking a “50-50” approach like Trains. For instance many folks who subscribe to it enjoy the several classic photos found in the magazine. Similar in nature to Trains, Railfan & Railroad also tends to cover a wide range of different topics, such as current news and feature articles.

However, the magazines differ in their approach, where again Railfan and Railroad focuses more on the railfan and Trains covers the industry in general. Some of the topics the Railfan & Railroad cover include things like timetables and guides for those interested in photographing trains, featured books, featured “railroadiana” (general railroading-related products) items for sale, anecdotal stories, and tips and ideas on photography by renowned photographer Jim Boyd (who has published a number of his own books with amazing classic photographs of several fallen flag railroads).

Another draw to Railfan and Railroad is the price. If one is interested in purchasing an annual subscription of the magazine, it is currently about $10 cheaper than Trains (or about $35 annually).

I myself have never purchased Railfan and Railroad or subscribed to it. However, that’s not because I think it is second-rate to Trains or inferior in some way and I have nothing against the magazine (I just choose to only subscriber to one magazine, which has been Trains for the past several years). Actually, I have heard many very good reviews about the magazine and have perused through it while at newsstands or bookstores when I have the chance many times.

In all, if you are a railfan or interested more in the hobby side of railroading than the magazine would very likely interest you (the pictures especially are very interesting to look at), I have very much enjoyed looking through the magazine myself.

So if you after a magazine that is more railfan oriented in nature you won't be disappointed in Railfan and Railroad (the magazine does indeed have excellent photography featured throughout). If you are interested in purchasing a subscription to the magazine please click on the link below which will take you to ordering information (by clicking on the link you can also learn more about the magazine from Amazon.com and what subscribers, or those who have purchased a copy of the magazine, think of the publication).