About new forum members

[Jetrock]

It is interesting to see, having been on this forum for a year or two, the influx of new folks every holiday season.

Traditionally, new people get into model railroading around the holidays--the "model train as Christmas present" tradition is still around, and MR reflects this by having "new to the hobby" features in winter months.

I'm no exception--I got into the hobby as a kid, gave it up in college, and then rediscovered it when I borrowed one of my dad's old model-railroad books on a whim when visiting for the holidays a couple of years ago. I discovered this forum a while later.

Some of these new folks, it seems, are new to the hobby as a whole: either adults who got a trainset for their kids or discovered the hobby as an adult, or kids who got a trainset for Christmas. In either case it behooves us to show a little tolerance for people's lack of knowledge and resulting curiosity. I've been online since the early nineties, when the online community was a much wilder and woolier place, and sometimes have to resist the urge to flame people--I have to remind myself that this isn't the Old West of USENET, and, frankly, the MR forum is a lot nicer place to post than an old-fashioned board partially because the moderators encourage civility, and, frankly, model railroaders tend to be pretty good sorts.

Some, like me, are folks returning to the hobby after an absence of years or decades. They, like I was, may be amazed or confused by the big changes that have occurred in the hobby: I was pretty mind-boggled by DCC, laser-cut kits, home-laser-printed decals, and the much wider selection of high-quality RTR equipment available since my teens.

And some are folks who are old-hand model railroaders who may have got a computer or set-top box or other means of getting online for Christmas. They know the hobby, but might not know the Internet.

To those of you who are new: Please don't take offense if some of us bombard you with knowledge, tell you that you're doing something the wrong way, or ask you questions you don't understand. This is a hobby with a lot of rather fervent adherents--we are nuts about trains, and some of us spend a lot of time researching, discovering and figuring out how to do things that the rest of the world is generally totally unaware of. We LOVE to share that knowledge and sometimes get a bit too enthusiastic about it. We WANT more model railroaders--it means a bigger hobby, more community, more fun, and more people who know what we're talking about when we say "I'm a model railroader" to someone. If you can get around our little incongruities, you might discover to your joy that you are one of us.

To old-hand forum members: At first glance it's hard to tell from a posting whether a new member is a 10 year old with his first trainset or a 50 year old old-hand who just can't type very well. Try not to take offense when new folks might get confused or upset at your responses--they might not speak the language, or might just be a teenager who still knows everything (dang, how I miss those days!)

And yes, before anyone asks, this post is as much for myself as anyone else. I am particularly susceptible to foot-in-mouth disease at times, and definitely have to remember that, while not everyone has my level of experience in model railroading or typing, there are plenty of folks who have FAR MORE experience--and I have a lot to learn from them!--and these folks might have just recently discovered this forum...

[Fergmiester]

Well said Jet!

I've been here for just over a year and I've seen the surges and down swings , the highs and the lows. And like Jet has pointed out so well, we try to keep it civil as opposed to civil war.

Remember it just takes one nasty comment to send some poor sole packing!

From my point of view I've met some of the Forum members and it has been a very positive experience. The information that I have rec'd to date has been more than helpful (hasn't helped my grammar in the least, though I care Not!). But most importantly other members have kept me motivated when I thought all was lost.

Thanks guys

Fergie

[rlbeetle]

I am new to this forum (2 days) and it is great. I started into the hobby recently. I have a friend that has been a modeler for 30+ years. On the trains he is more interested in the history of the trains and detailing them. He just has a small layout. But he had some trains that would not run, lights burned out, etc and asked me to look at them. That got me hooked. I now have a simple oval layout and have been looking at other layouts. I would also like to get into DCC.

This is a great forum and have learned a lot just by reading. Also have has a lot of good advice with a problem I am having now.

Thanks
Beetle

[grayfox1119]

Jetrock and Ferggie, being new back into the hobby after 40+ years, I have been more than pleased by the responses from those more talented and experienced than I. I have read many threads that had subjects of great interest to me for my own knowledge, and I can certainly tell that most of the replies are courteous and express great patience for those of us who have many questions. That is certainly a credit to you guys for your professionalism and common courtesy, and also sets the tone for the rest of us to DO THE SAME as we gather knowledge and help new members down the track of time. Ohh, one more thing, please do not worry about giving too much info, speaking for myself, I like all the facts and story behind the story, you will not bore me.

Thanks again guys,

***

[twhite]

Well said, Jetrock--I've been on the forum since July, which I think still qualifies me as a sort of 'newbie', and I've been amazed and very pleased at the camaradarie on these posts. I think it's pretty clear to all of us that we enjoy--enjoy, Hell, we LOVE-- the hobby, and like sharing our knowledge. I've learned a lot from the rest of you, and I think I've been able to at least try and help some of the newer forum members. That's what we're all about, as far as I'm concerned. But I'm very pleased that you stated it so well.
Tom

[willy6]

I say WE ALL, new and old maintain this forum as it is meant to be, Informative and Friendly.So lets get rolling, we got layouts to build.[swg]

[JeremyB]

I've Noticed that too, lately there has been alot of action on the forum

Jeremy

[Anonymous]

This is very interesting to see. I posted an article about the model railroad population a few days ago and now I seem to be getting results. I try to promote the hobby and maybe I could use the holiday ru***o my advantage. I have been here since april (I didn't find out until then) and it seems that the population has gone up considerably. This is a good sign for the hobby.

Cheers,
Dalton

[Paul W. Beverung]

Jet; WELL SAID.

Paul

[Anonymous]

I've been on the fringes of this hobby for years. As a boy, we had original Lionel stuff, and some of the GOOD stuff too! After I went into the Military, that stuff got spread out and I never saw it again. Having limited means as an Enlisted man meant that I could not ship as much as I wanted to, so trains were out of the question.

After returning home and settling down, I wanted a layout, but my children had no real interest in it.

Now my Grand Son on the other hand live eats and breathes trains at 13 months old! It's quite funny!

So, I am a seasonal modeler. Can't do much in the yard with either 6 inches of snow on the ground or sub-zero temps. So I pick up a Model Railroader from time to time and I get wacked with the yearly changes in the Hobby. 5 years ago DCC was a very expensive add-on and one that I would not consider. Now, it's a real option to folks enetering into the hobby, or just coming back to the hobby.

I've been wanting sound, but knew it was out of my budget, or so I thought! I've not picked up a Model Railroad Magazine now in 2 years, and I picked one up and read it this last month and was amazed at what can be done in Sound HO! And I DON'T have to convert to DCC! I'm on board with that!

And this Forum certianly has the right stuff going on. Questions being asked, good well thought out answers with different opinions and options for folks to try.

Thnak you all for being here for the newbies and the not so new!

Chris

[Anonymous]

Great introduction posting! Well said.
Jennifer

[Anonymous]

You put that very well Jetrock. [:)]

I am 14 years old (Live in Alaska), and I am just getting into the hobby. I started getting more and more into it in mid December of this year, some what near Christmas. My layout table should be ready by tommorow. It's just a regular 4x8, but modified to look like this shape: /__\

Anyway, back on subject, you gave some good advice in your post, and I also want more railroaders. ;)

- Daniel J.

[SpaceMouse]

Hi all.

Thanks for the message. I am new to model trains--well I set up a 4x8 set for my youngest back in the 70's and was strickly clueless and just plodded through. But then again, I didn't have the Internet resources back then. Starting over, I see that model railroads are more than just loops on a 4x8 sheet of ply.

I appreciate the knowledge that this board has. It has opened up a new world of possibilities.

I am a moderator of another board about Cowboy Action Shooting. We have a constant influx of newbees and they use the forum to learn about the sport. Sometimes is seems like you are saying the same things over and over again. But to the person who is new, the old hand sage advise is invaluable. Writing and composing an answer is hard work, but it is a gift that is greatly appreciated.

Thank you to everyone that lends a hand to the newcomers.

[Jetrock]

CAS, eh? I've always had an interest in that but never made the plunge--quite frankly I still want to get into it, ideally with a railroad conductor's outfit rather than the cowboy traditional one sees so often (the idea would be to be a conductor of the "You ain't robbing MY train!!" variety.)

see, that's the other thing--you never know what sort of interesting things the new members are into besides train!

[SpaceMouse]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Jetrock

CAS, eh? I've always had an interest in that but never made the plunge--quite frankly I still want to get into it, ideally with a railroad conductor's outfit rather than the cowboy traditional one sees so often (the idea would be to be a conductor of the "You ain't robbing MY train!!" variety.)

see, that's the other thing--you never know what sort of interesting things the new members are into besides train!

You wouldn't be the first conductor, although they are rare. There are a few engineers. It is sort of like the modeling fantasy--coboys just get to blast stuff. (It also kind of explains why I lean towards the 1880's.)

[easyaces]

We all have questions, and there is always someone here in the forum who might have a good answer to help with a problem. I don't remember having to go anywhere else to look if I had one and theres been someone that I found the answer from here. The forum is really great, and has a high degree of combined knowledge from all levels in the model railroad world!!! We as a group who use this forum should be proud of what we can pass on collectively!!!

[wesleyl849]

Good Job Jetrock!

My father (64 years old) has been in model railroading since he was a kid. He got me into it when I lived at home. College and starting my own family got me away from it for many years.

On a whim is went to a train show and felt the hobby was still coursing through my veins. I am amazed at what is currently available for model railroading and the new techniques for practicing the hobby.

I read with interest all of the advice the veterans of the hobby give in hopes of trying to get caught up. Thanks for the kind advice. We are reading and learning.

[Anonymous]

Very well said. I too am a newbie and took a break from trains only to get back into them for the past ten years, real seriosly the last 1 year. I have learned tons here.

[Virginian]

Still, when someone posts "My trane doan wok. wats rong", I remember with fondness some old flame wars.
I am afraid I have no tolerance for people who hurriedly set something up, push a button, and don't get instant gratification. And then they immediately want someone else to make it all better. They make no attempt to learn anything that might assist them to solve their own problem(s). And for those who think email is the same as real mail. It's free, and you get what you pay for. If you are SERIOUS, write a real letter or pick up the phone.
There, I feel better now. I can return to a calm and politically correct tolerant demeanor... on the outside.

[Anonymous]

Well said Jet.....

[Jetrock]

Virginian: Believe me, I feel your pain...sometimes I must stifle the urge to break out my Mk-IV USENET-Strength flamethrower and strap on my abestos bodysuit, the way I used to on BBS's and in various newsgroups...

[NZRMac]

Thanks Jetrock you've made us newbies (I havn't been here that long) feel very welcome

Cheers Ken.

[Anonymous]

I too have been on the fringes of the hobby for a while - had a tabletop in highschool but then college and military have intervened. I look forward to returning to it when I get 'settled down' someday, in the meantime enjoying the view from the "armchair!"
My arrival to the board was really precipitated by finally getting some time over Christmas break to come in and look around, decided I liked it and aim to stick around!!