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MR Revised Website Appearance

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  • Member since
    January 2010
  • 2,616 posts
MR Revised Website Appearance
Posted by peahrens on Wednesday, March 17, 2021 3:57 PM

The new look is not working correctly when I view on Edge or Chrome.  The 6 main links (trains.com to Garden Railways) are all squashed in a vertical stack the the top left.  I downloaded Firefox (which I usually do not use) and it nicely displays the 6 banners across the top, left to right.

Not a big deal, but is there a setting in Edge (or Chrome) that will let the new look display correctly with those browsers?

Paul

Modeling HO with a transition era UP bent

  • Member since
    December 2004
  • From: Bedford, MA, USA
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Posted by MisterBeasley on Wednesday, March 17, 2021 4:05 PM

I have a tablet with Chrome and I have the same disappointing look as you do.  St. Patrick's Day so I'm blaming it on Leprechauns.

It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse. 

  • Member since
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  • From: Collinwood, Ohio, USA
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Posted by gmpullman on Wednesday, March 17, 2021 4:05 PM

This is going to take some time to correct, I believe.

Do not attempt to adjust your TV.

I saw the gradual progression at the Classic Trains forum. The forums may never completely get fully integrated into the new Trains.com format.

It may remain an orphan.

Good Luck, Ed

  • Member since
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  • From: Shenandoah Valley
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Posted by BigDaddy on Wednesday, March 17, 2021 5:19 PM

peahrens
I downloaded Firefox (which I usually do not use) and it nicely displays the 6 banners across the top, left to right.

It does so on the Trains landing page, but not on this forum page, they are all scrunched up at the left like your Chrome. 

It's not a setting you can change, it's the programming

Henry

COB Potomac & Northern

Shenandoah Valley

  • Member since
    January 2010
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Posted by peahrens on Wednesday, March 17, 2021 5:23 PM

Thanks, all.  It's not really a problem for me, as 99% of the time I just go here to the Forum, occasionally to the MR News & Reviews tab.  

Paul

Modeling HO with a transition era UP bent

  • Member since
    January 2017
  • From: Southern Florida Gulf Coast
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Posted by SeeYou190 on Wednesday, March 17, 2021 5:30 PM

I am sure this is not the final design, and the familiar banner (or something better) will be there soon.

-Kevin

Living the dream.

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  • From: Shenandoah Valley
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Posted by BigDaddy on Wednesday, March 17, 2021 5:33 PM

SeeYou190
I am sure this is not the final design, and the familiar banner (or something better) will be there soon.

Don't forget the ads! Devil

Henry

COB Potomac & Northern

Shenandoah Valley

Moderator
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Posted by tstage on Wednesday, March 17, 2021 6:52 PM

As I stated in another thread recently, I think this upgrade is going to be a work-in-progress for the Kalmbach IT department and will neither be an overnight nor an over-the-weekend transition.  In the past we were usually given a posted sticky "heads-up" from one of the forum admins on what to expect with the new upgrade.  This no longer is the norm anymore so we are left to speculate on when the upgrade will be completed and what exactly it will all entail.

Other than the new header, the forum is still glitchy with the same 'ol problems as before.  Whether some or all of those issues get addressed is still an unknown.  We can only hope that - at some point - most of them are addressed and we can again enjoy the forum without the annoying headaches and workarounds that we've grown accustom to over the years.

Tom

https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling

Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.

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Posted by NVSRR on Wednesday, March 17, 2021 6:59 PM

Might need to make sure you have the latest version of the browser. 

 

There have been a lot of changes in the browser world with adobe flash and java.  Java might be the cause

 

Shane

A pessimist sees a dark tunnel

An optimist sees the light at the end of the tunnel

A realist sees a frieght train

An engineer sees three idiots standing on the tracks stairing blankly in space

  • Member since
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Posted by PM Railfan on Wednesday, March 17, 2021 10:16 PM

peahrens

.... is there a setting in Edge (or Chrome) that will let the new look display correctly with those browsers?

 

Yes, its called "UnInstall". And i wouldnt stoop down to firefox either. Im prolly the only one still using it, but with IE11 under Win7 - i have zero problems.

 

Futile Resistance!

PMR 

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Posted by JohnWPowell on Wednesday, March 17, 2021 10:20 PM

I couldn't get on the layout plans

  • Member since
    December 2010
  • 2 posts
Posted by ssoysal on Thursday, March 18, 2021 2:00 AM

JohnWPowell

I couldn't get on the layout plans

 

they are still there, but really hard to get to. Do this:

  1. Go to the "How to" page. How To - Trains
  2. Click the "Show Filters" button on the upper left
  3. Expand "Categories"
  4. Select "Track plan database"

In all honesty though, this new website design is awful. All the images are gigantic on high resolution displays. Usability is sub-par. Frankly when I first got on the site, I thought it was hacked or maybe the domain was hijacked and I ended up on a malicious site.

Also, I don't know if it's related, but none of the images in the MRR newsletters work now.

  • Member since
    December 2010
  • 2 posts
Posted by ssoysal on Thursday, March 18, 2021 2:11 AM

More weirdness: many of the PDF links in the track database are messed up and do not match the track plan you are reviewing. 

I also keep getting warnings from trains.com whenever I click on something that I guess I'm not supposed to click on. 

In all honesty, I've been a MRR subscriber for many years, and finally about 5 years ago I gave up because there was just as good, if not better, information readily available elsewhere on the interwebs. After a 3 year hiatus, I decided to give it another go - I really wanted to support the folks at Kalmbach - and I missed how well organized the track plan database was. 

Two months into the membership this happens. I don't appreciate being told by trains.com that I'm not a member and I have X views remaining when I'm on mrr website. I have not subscribed to trains.com. I do not want to subscribe to trains.com. All I want is mrr, without being pestered by trains.com. 

  • Member since
    June 2007
  • 8,892 posts
Posted by riogrande5761 on Thursday, March 18, 2021 6:34 AM

BigDaddy
 
 on this forum page, they are all scrunched up at the left like your Chrome. 

Same here.  On the upside, the old forum page, there were popdowns that would get in the way when you hovered the cursor to close to them.  Thats gone and no longer an annoyance!

Rio Grande.  The Action Road  - Focus 1977-1983

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Posted by rrinker on Thursday, March 18, 2021 9:21 AM

 Ads? WHat ads? Use ad blockers, people. For your own protection - ads are a common source of malware as it appears even giants liek Google do little to police what ads they run through their services, I guess as long as they get paid...  

Apart from the messed up and missing top banner, the forums are still working fine for me. Always have. It's 2 steps to get here now though, the old link just goes to the main Trains.com page so I have to select Communities,Forum to get here. At least it opens in a new tab, which makes it easy to cross reference something from the forum to somewhere else.

Yes, it's all large - welcome to the moder design esthetic, where all screens are made of oversize buttons and hot spots so they can work on mobile without actually creating two sets of content. Never say never, but I have no desirte to get a touch screen computer any time int he near future. Touch is fine for a small device you hold close, like a phone or tablet, but I sit more than a comfortable arm's reach from my displays. 

                                      --Randy

 


Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's

 

Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.

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