In 1973 Robin Bromby established the Dunedin office, and the printing was transferred to Allied Press (owner of the Otago Daily Times newspaper).
New Zealand Railways was eager to see the magazine continue and committed to regular advertising, the revenue from that making it possible for Rails to survive.
The rescue was very much at quarter to midnight; the next edition was about to go to print and the inside cover contained the closure announcement.
The economics of the magazine were further underpinned by the decision by Stott and Bromby to begin publishing rail books and this ancillary business enabled the company to turn the corner.
[6] Rails and editor Bob Stott were often cited as authorities on rail-related subjects in the general news media.