I am not one to ooze with enthusiasm, but Northwoods AF Illustrated Prewar History, Becky's Disneyland Project and Darth's Restoration series have taken threads on any forum I have read to a new level of contributing that ranks them as articles in of themselves. I just want to thank all three for making mornings with coffee in retirement a pleasure at the CTT Forum along with Sunday Photofun..Thanks guys and gal !
IMHO...CTT should make an honorable mention in the next issue of these contributors and their informative series. Anyone second that?
Nothing is more fairly distributed than common sense: no one thinks he needs more of it than he already has.
wallyworld,
Thanks for your kind words. Part of the fun of having a hobby is being able to share it with others. The Pre War American Flyer thread has been a great deal of fun to host and create. I'm glad that it has brought you some enjoyment over that morning coffee. I actually do some of my research and posting over my morning coffee too. Unfortunately I am not retired yet so pardon me if I am a bit envious. I never intended to convert anyone to Pre War American Flyer equipment (that isn't entirely true - I've been working on Sturgeon-Phish for years) but its nice to know that you have expanded your train interests as a result of the thread.
I have followed Becky's project and Darth's Restoration with interest too. We have some very talented people here on the forum. There are so many aspects of this hobby to enjoy. I may not ever do those types of projects, but I feel like I have been able to participate vicariously through their postings. And I have learned a great deal about other manufacturers, building techniques, scenery, and train equipment from every era. I wish I could gather all of the information about electricity that Bob Nelson (lionelsoni) has posted. If I had known him when I was in high school I might have done much better in electric shop.
There is a wealth of knowledge about the toy train hobby here among the posters and the "lurkers". I'd like to add my thanks to everyone who shares their enthusiasm and knowledge with others. It truely feels like a community. That's why I stop by the Coffee Pot every morning to start my day. What would I do without Jack's Summaries!
Enjoying the World's Greatest Hobby
Northwoods Flyer
The Northwoods Flyer Collection
of
American Flyer Trains
"The Toy For the Boy"
Thanks!
One of the best parts of this hobby is the sharing! And the net makes it possible to it in a way and at a speed not previously possible. You can post a picture in the morning to a forum like this and in the evening post another showing the progress you made that day. That's truly amazing, even to a kid born after Apollo 11!
Concurrent to the advent of net forums has been the sudden proliferation of download and print paper models. Since I started into the hobby in 2006, I've been able to build a lot of models that once seemed impossible to me. And these Disney models were topping my list! I distinctly remember visiting WDW in 1979 and seeing a paper model kit of Cinderella Castle. We didn't buy it then but that didn't stop me from looking for it on every subsequent visit. Thanks to the paper modelling community, I now know exactly what it looked like and how it was packaged. One of these days I'll get one, but until then, there's this:
The paper model I've been working on for 5 years. Due to a loss of software, I'm currently dead in the water and can't make any progress. But one day...
Anyhoo. Without the net and giving people to make it function, I wouldn't have gained the knowledge and experience neccessary to accomplish a project like the one I'm working on today. If there weren't free versions of 3D modelling software like Metasequoia and Blender and the free version of Pepakura 3 out there to be downloaded by anyone, I couldn't do it at all nevermind the progress I've made in the last 3 1/2 months!
So my thanks go to the staff at CTT and the members of this forum that constantly give me ideas and inspiration (even if you don't know you're doing it), to talented paper model designers like Robert Nava at the Disney Experience and Ray Keim at Haunted Dimensions, and to the creators of the software I constantly use! Without them, I am nothing!
Becky
Trains, trains, wonderful trains. The more you get, the more you toot!
Yep, some very interesting and informative threads on the CTT Forum. And as an added plus none of the bickering that occurs on other forums.
Bill T.
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