Forum policies

[Bob Keller]

If you are new to our forums, welcome! Below is an outline of our general forum rules. 

If you ever see any of these being violated, please use the “Report Abuse” link that’s found in the lower left of every single post in our forum. (It looks like a little yellow triangle with an exclamation point.) An automated message will be sent to our moderators and the infraction will be dealt with.

Thanks for participating in our forums. Your contributions make our forum a great resource for train enthusiasts from around the world. Your assistance policing our forums helps keep the environment positive and enjoyable for people of all ages.

Now, to the rules:

- Please keep discussions on topic (that is, railroad-related). 

- Your forum signature should not be used as a place to express your personal beliefs (religion, politics, marital status, sexual preference, etc.). Remember, this is a forum tied to our common bond of railroading; don’t let your personal viewpoints on unrelated topics interfere with the common reason we’re all here.

- No buying and selling via the Forums. Our forums should not be used as an advertising medium for companies who want to promote their business or products, or by individuals who want to promote their items for sale or their eBay auctions. Our users are the drivers behind this policy. They don’t want the useful information in our forums watered down with advertisements or solicitations to buy something. If you’d like to advertise on our site, scroll to the bottom of this page and click the “Advertise” link. Show promoters, check out our Coming Events section. You can post your events free; click “Add My Event” in the left column.

- No swearing or foul language. And we don’t care if you use symbols to mask the words. The meaning is still conveyed and we don’t want it in our forum. Please keep in mind that we have readers of all ages. This isn’t a tavern.

- No personal attacks or name-calling. Please keep conversations cordial. We understand that there will be differences of opinion. Please don’t let those differences turn ugly. Accept that others might not have your same point of view, don’t sink to personal attacks. Nothing is gained by doing so.

- No political discussions or signature messages. We know, railroads are sometimes affected by politics. However, we’ve found that political discussions almost always turn into arguments. We have a common thread of being interested in railroads. Don’t let that common bond be destroyed by political differences.

- No inherently divisive discussions or signature messages. Hot-button topics like guns, abortion, religion, immigration, and crime aren't welcome, for the same reasons as political discussions and signatures. We all have our own views, and this isn’t the place to share them. Remember, this is a railroading forum.

- No inappropriate images or videos. If you choose to post photos or links to videos, please keep them railroad-related and use your best judgment. Someone getting hit by a train or using poor judgment around a train (e.g. playing “chicken” with a train) isn’t welcome.

- Don’t use our forum as a means of promoting another forum (or discussion group, Facebook page, online magazine, contest, etc.). Within your forum profile, you’re allowed to share your own Web site and blog URL. Leave it at that. (To update your forum profile, log into the forums, then click your username where it says “Welcome back so-and-so” near the top of the forum.)

- Please respect copyright material. If you want to share copyright material with our users, please link to it. Don’t take a story from another Web site and post it in our forum. Don’t take a photo that you don’t own the rights to and use it in our forum.

- No discussions about graffiti. We understand that it’s a part of modern railroading and in turn something that the modelers on this forum may want to replicate. However, we’ve found that every time the topic comes up, an argument ensues because of the strong viewpoints against it. Plus, it’s vandalism and not something we want to glorify.

- No discussions about hobos or the hobo lifestyle. It’s trespassing and sets a poor example for the youth that visit this forum. Plus, like graffiti discussions, it usually leads to arguments.