Re: Model Railroad magazines

John,
As Gary says, it depends on what you're modeling. The Gazette is good, but I have been told that some think that it has lost something and become too "Formulaic" over the past few years.
The Light Iron Digest is good, but you have to be interested in their subject matter. They come up with some really obscure stuff and seem to be anoutlet for those who have information but aren't as "polished" in their writing skills to satisfy Irene Brown at the Gazette.
Model Railroading covers the more modern equipment, and if you are modeling diesels, modern rolling stock, containers, their multi-part series on various models (as in F-7, SD-60, GP-'s, etc) can't be beat.
Mainline Modeler is one of the smaller circulations, but for the actual model builder, it is invaluable.
Railroad Model Craftsman has kept its same format for many years, and I find that there are proportionately more craftsman types that read RMC judging bu ad response.
Model Railroader is, of course, the largest and least "exclusive" as to marketing. My main complaint is that they lean more toward the Ready-to-Run crowd and leave many of the model builders out in the cold. As a part of the "Milwaukee Mafia", I haven't seen any bad reviews of Walther's products.
Gary mentioned Finescale Railroader's Annuals. These are great sources of information. The problem with Finescale is that it was originally Outdoor Railroader and many of the articles tend to lean in that direction. But for the Model Builder, plans is plans, and you can shrink or enlarge to your heart's content.
Model Railroad News is in newspaper format and is an excellent overview on what's new and what's coming. Their reviews seem thorough and well balanced.
7+ Narrow Gauger was started for the live steam crowd, but they run many good construction articles and plans and is well worth a look if you haven't seen it.
Yes, there are many magazines. You can specialize in your chosen railroad (D&RGW, etc.) but even then there are many other roads to interchange with, and each of them was unique. Magazines can give you a good overview and plans when buying the book would be overkill.
Rick Steele