Railbricks

[Chorduroy]

Anyone know if there is a new issue on the horizon? Seems like it's been forever ...

[LEGO Guy Bri]

I can't really help you as it's quite difficult to tell. Looking through my PDF's, issue 12 says summer 2012, and is still "new" on their website. It seams they may have typos on the release times (i.e. Issue 8 was winter 2011; issue 9 summer 2011). Then issue 10 is fall 2011 and 11 is winter 2012. Issue 12 is summer 2012, but released late Sept. 2012... so yeah there are some congruity issues with release times. I'd say grab a large calendar, a dart, close your eyes, and throw. That'll probably be the next release

[Steinkopf]

The next issue is in the editorial stage and will hopefully be out soon, all of the team at Railbricks volunteer our time to the magazine and sometimes the demands of life can mean that some things get put on the back burner, but don't worry a new one is on the horizon and will be worth the wait.

Edited June 28, 2013 by Steinkopf

[TaltosVT]

I'd say grab a large calendar, a dart, close your eyes, and throw. That'll probably be the next release

That's not far off.

As editor of RAILBRICKS, I take full responsibility. As Steinkopf mentioned, the magazine is put together by volunteers during whatever time we have available. As such, there's really no set schedule. Ideally I'd love to be able to release an issue every quarter. Realistically, it's very difficult to do without it being a full time job for someone with a paid staff.

For a little more detail, our process goes something like this:

1) Gather/write articles - This is what the majority of our volunteers do. Once we have enough articles to fill an issue, we go into the editing phase. Sometimes we get a lot of article submissions, and sometimes we're out begging people to write something. This step sometimes takes months.

2) Edit articles - This is one of my main jobs. Editing includes selecting the articles for publication, correcting spelling/grammar, rewording unclear portions, and generally working with the article authors to make sure that we present the best article possible. I try to do this step as articles come in, but that's not always possible. Once the article is edited, we move into layout.

3) Layout articles - This is my other major job. Right now, I do all the physical layout of the pages. This is pretty time intensive. It's also, however, the most fun part. It can also be the most frustrating part as you need to make sure you can fit everything into an even number of pages, not have any hanging words on paragraphs, get the the best photos possibles, etc.

4) Proofing - Once layout is finished, we go into proofing. An initial copy of the magazine is sent to our volunteers, and they come back with any mistakes that I've made in editing and/or layout. Steve J. is our main proofing guy right now, but everyone lends a hand if they are available.

5) Fixing errors - This is a lighter version of step 3.

6) Release - Once we're happy with the magazine, it gets sent to MagCloud for the print version, and posted to the website for the PDF version. This is where everyone cheers and we start the process over again.

There's also upkeep of the website and Facebook page that goes on outside of production of the magazine.

So, after that long-winded answer, I can tell you that Issue 13 is at step 2. I have enough articles to fill an issue. I'm in the process of editing and laying them out. I know that it's been awhile since the last release, so I've asked for some help since I haven't been able to dedicate the time that I would like to it.

My hope is to release the next issue this Summer. To LEGO Guy Bri's point, "Summer" could end up being "Fall" depending on time available. I'd love to give a definitive answer on an actual date, but short of quitting my day job and selling my children, my time available for working on the magazine is limited. The other volunteers are in the same situation.

Rest assured, however, we are still working on the magazine and website. We're also working on organizing a container swap (check out http://railbricks.com/forums/general-discussion/general/railbricks-organized-container-swap/ for more information), so the group is still active, we're just quietly plugging away at things at the moment.

Apologies for the long-winded answer, but I believe in being as transparent as possible. Hopefully information on the behind-the-scenes helps a little.

-Elroy

RAILBRICK Editor

[ronenson]

Thanks for the thorough explanation. I appreciate any time spend on this, and I look forward to the next issue, summer or fall.

Thanks for all the volunteering on a great magazine.

[Duq]

Speaking of volunteers, Elroy, do you need more help?

[eurotrash]

Thanks for all the volunteering on a great magazine.

I completely agree. Looking forward to the next edition.

Thanks

[Hey Joe]

Hey! Don't sell the children! I'm waiting patiently for the next issue. There are still some of the older ones I've not yet caught up on anyway.

Thanks, Joe

[kieran]

I also like reading the publication, when I got into trains it was a great fine, lost of info, thanks for all your hard work and looking forward to the next issue when ever its ready.

[legoboy3998]

I'd like to add my thanks and appreciation to all those who work so hard on Railbricks, it is a great resource.

To LEGO Guy Bri, Here in the states at least, since winter starts in mid December, a lot of catalogues from the first few months of the year are considered winter catalogues. I believe even LEGO does this, so it is not unusual that they would be listed winter 2011, summer 2011, fall 2011, etc.

One suggestion would be to post on the Railbricks site when the magazine goes into the various stages. I realize that may not be very easy if you try to do a lot of the editing as the articles come in.

Thanks again for all your work.

Sal

WFB, WI

[loveflying]

you are right,don't worry a new one is on the horizon and will be worth the wait.

Edited July 5, 2013 by loveflying