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"Kids" on the forums

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Posted by Anonymous on Friday, August 19, 2005 6:05 AM
When I was I teen [way before the Internet even existed on paper I might add![:D]], I didn't catch much flak from the 40+ crowd - they tolerated my youthful energy quite well and were very supportive. It was the early twentysomethings who abused me the most - maybe because they had just been thru it themselves and thought they had "earned" the privilege to pass it on! (Sort of like college fraternity hazing)
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Posted by CBQ_Guy on Friday, August 19, 2005 12:39 AM
QUOTE: Originally posted by Leon Silverman

Just a reminder to any of us old geezers who might still look down on these kids. They can assemble a kit with available light. They do not need the aid of an illuminated magnifying glass to see their work clearly.

In the words of Maurice Chevalier, "Ah yes, I remember it well . . .) [X-)]
"Paul [Kossart] - The CB&Q Guy" [In Illinois] ~ Modeling the CB&Q and its fictional 'Illiniwek River-Subdivision-Branch Line' in the 1960's. ~
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Posted by JohnT14808 on Wednesday, August 17, 2005 11:12 PM
I'm with most everyone else. The teenagers and young folks are important to the hobby and having them here on the forum just makes it better. Some of these teens have what I don't have...that's a layout at home. Either they built it themselves, or they helped their dad build it. No matter, they have done more than I.
I too have a problem with immature postings in the threads, but hey, forums are for giving and taking of information. I have a tendancy to read alot, as opposed to posting. I am trying to contribute more, but my not having a layout close at hand to work on does prevent me from doing a lot. So when I read the troll comments, or smell the burning lubrication, I generally click on to the next thread. Too many things to read and learn....not enough time for reading of rants.....
You young folk keep up the effort. Use common sense in your postings and hope that others do as well.
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Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, August 16, 2005 10:05 PM
kids don't feel bad. sometimes you are treated without respect when you are very new to hobby, and and found a love for something that keeps you awake at nights, when you are 65. i asked a question, dumb or not, part of my answer was "its called research". i really didn't want to ask a question without being on computer for 2 weeks trying to find answers for myself.
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Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, August 16, 2005 9:51 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by bostonsrock

A long time ago teens were considered children.

A longer time ago, 13 was when you became a man.
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Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, August 16, 2005 8:51 PM
I personally welcome young people to the forum-as long as they don't act silly and waste my time. I'll go out of my way to help them as much as I can if they're serious about learning about the hobby. Like someone said. They're our future...

trainluver1
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Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, August 16, 2005 8:45 PM
I am pushing 40. Climbing the mountain as they say.

I think sometimes I am a very big kid who wont grow up. But advancing age and needing a magnifying glass to install parts on a Blue Box kit kinds of reminds me of how far I have gotten.

I appreciate the courage of many of the younger folks who come on to these forums to "Play with the big boys"

I think back to my younger days which was mostly "Dont touch this" "Dont reach for the train" or.. "Dont bump the models" and train running was with the father who hooked up the track, transformer and did a few test runs before letting me have the throttle. Of course I would open it up full bore and stand on that lionel whistle until one of the parents expressed "That whistle is enough to last a week."

If the internet was around back then... who knows what could have happened? But it was a different time and place.

I think because of the internet and the particpation of all ages, the hobby has benefited greatly. However on the flip side of the coin we have seen some of the worst in folks. Usually we either settled it ourselves or Bergie settled it for all.

Because of that I think there will be more young people involved in the hobby due to the technology involved (QSI, DCC, TMCC etc etc etc) which will probably get deeper and deeper in the really thick wiring under the layout or... wireless frequency bands.. who knows?

Good luck y'all.
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Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, August 16, 2005 7:57 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by dthurman

That reminds me of a story when I was 14 and into model railroading, I remember my grandfather worked as a traffic manager at TP&W, he got a magizine called Traffic Managment, a trade mag, I was able to subscribe by saying I was the President of a railroad called Pacific & Western. They gave me my subscription for free cause I was in the industry [;)]

Well I carried it a little further, I was 14 and didn't know that what I was doing would end up costing someone money and probably embarresment, but I filled out a reader card because I wanted to know about Freuhauf trailers or containers, can't remember for sure. I got the lit in the mail. About a month later our phone rings at home, my mom answers and a gentleman asked for me, and added I believe he is the president of P&W. Well my mom had to tell him it was a model railroad in the basement and I was a 14 year old kid. I was in some deep do do for a few days, not model trains for a week. I never sent a request card after that [:D]

So I guess the moral is we all have been there, done that, just I didn't have the Internet to learn.


That's funny! Great story!


m
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Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, August 16, 2005 7:55 PM
A long time ago teens were considered children. I was a teen in the late 50s. (The 1950s). The young people who contribute on here TODAY are generally well read and well informed, albeit mostly via internet resources, I think. I do think though, that local model clubs and librarys are a vital part in gathering personal knowledge about anything, specifically about railroads. I personally have perhaps a thousand historical resources in my library of railroad facts and I take out railroad specific VCR titles regularly from my library. If you are a teen, I would suggest you consider your words carefully and treat all of us on this and anyother forum with a certain level of civility and respect. That way, your contributions are better received and you gain the admiration and envy of all the others who try really hard to add to the knowledge base. You will be the adults designing the models we will be buying down the road. For this time, I suggest you go build something neat for your layout. Best, don
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Posted by dave9999 on Tuesday, August 16, 2005 7:46 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by wctransfer

Well thank god someone stands up for us. Over on my other forum(my home you might say) we all get called "kiddies", and i sware it takes sooo much not to reply and yell at them for that, but you all have to remember that how would you feel? No one ever cares if they make fun of somebody, because they arent on the receiving end. Before people start posting about us Kids, take a look back at your child hood.

Alec


Alec,
One day you will be wishing someone would call you a "kiddie".[:)]
Getting older might sound good to you right now, but it's not all it's
hyped up to be. That reminds me, I got a ton of bills due... that doesn't
sound fun, does it?[8D] Enjoy yourself, Dave
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Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, August 16, 2005 7:31 PM
As a grumpy ole fart, and geezer(55) I can only say I envy the young. It agravates me when I see some young person's ability to see, and to work with that tiny little part. I wish I could crawl around on my knees to work on something like they do. I wish I still had the exuberance of youth. I admit that being around the youth sometimes annoys me, but remember ,"you dang young whippersnappers", my grumpyness is caused by envy. I wish it was "me" being the young, exuberant, irriatating kid. You young'uns give us old geezers a break, and remember that alot of our grumpiness is envy of you.
I know I would give everything I have to be in your place. Never let some grumpy ole fart drive you from the hobby, or anything else you want to do. You're the future. Run with it!!
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Posted by Pruitt on Tuesday, August 16, 2005 7:27 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by dthurman


Well I carried it a little further, I was 14 and didn't know that what I was doing would end up costing someone money and probably embarresment, but I filled out a reader card because I wanted to know about Freuhauf trailers or containers, can't remember for sure. I got the lit in the mail. About a month later our phone rings at home, my mom answers and a gentleman asked for me, and added I believe he is the president of P&W. Well my mom had to tell him it was a model railroad in the basement and I was a 14 year old kid. I was in some deep do do for a few days, not model trains for a week. I never sent a request card after that [:D]

OOPS!


What a great story, dthurman!!
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Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, August 16, 2005 7:20 PM
That reminds me of a story when I was 14 and into model railroading, I remember my grandfather worked as a traffic manager at TP&W, he got a magizine called Traffic Managment, a trade mag, I was able to subscribe by saying I was the President of a railroad called Pacific & Western. They gave me my subscription for free cause I was in the industry [;)]

Well I carried it a little further, I was 14 and didn't know that what I was doing would end up costing someone money and probably embarresment, but I filled out a reader card because I wanted to know about Freuhauf trailers or containers, can't remember for sure. I got the lit in the mail. About a month later our phone rings at home, my mom answers and a gentleman asked for me, and added I believe he is the president of P&W. Well my mom had to tell him it was a model railroad in the basement and I was a 14 year old kid. I was in some deep do do for a few days, not model trains for a week. I never sent a request card after that [:D]

So I guess the moral is we all have been there, done that, just I didn't have the Internet to learn.
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Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, August 16, 2005 6:59 PM
I got to thinking about the perception that young people are "immature" when posting on forums vs. how things were when we were young and how we had to gain information in our childhood. In the "old days", if communication wasn't on the telephone or in writing, it was all face-to-face. When someone was talking to you, he really knew who you were. Chances are, if he talked to you on the phone, or even read a letter, he could still tell who you were, cuz if you wanted help you needed to give him you phone number or have your return address on the letter. Nowdays, with the computer, we don't really know who we are communicating with! Look at the thread a couple of days ago whether or not someone was a kid like he said he was, or a troll pretending to be a kid, or the "E-bay cancelled my account" fiasco. That couldn't have happend any time before the early nineties or whenever people started forums on the internet, or buying on ebay So to my way of thinking, if you young folks go out and meet people in the hobby shop, all of us can figure out who you are, and maybe be better able to help you, because you ARE the future of our hobby. .

I'm still not convinced that this big plastic thing on my desk is the ultimate in communication.

I guess what I'm trying to say to the young guys, go out, MEET some of the old guys, let us know who you are and how much you love this hobby. And old guys, realize this is our future. If you see a kid at the hobby shop, treat him like a peer. There are a bunch of things young guys can do besides model railroading or railfanning, and we need to be glad there ARE young people interested in continuing our hobbies. For the most part, young guys, you make great posts, ask good questions, and us old guys need to be glad to have you.


mike
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Posted by davekelly on Tuesday, August 16, 2005 6:30 PM
Alec,

Y'all don't need anyone to stand up for you. Your actions are what will gain you acceptance into any group.

Don't get upset about being called "kiddies." Our neighbors call us that and we're in our 40's!
If you ain't having fun, you're not doing it right and if you are having fun, don't let anyone tell you you're doing it wrong.
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Posted by wctransfer on Tuesday, August 16, 2005 4:34 PM
Well thank god someone stands up for us. Over on my other forum(my home you might say) we all get called "kiddies", and i sware it takes sooo much not to reply and yell at them for that, but you all have to remember that how would you feel? No one ever cares if they make fun of somebody, because they arent on the receiving end. Before people start posting about us Kids, take a look back at your child hood.

Alec
Check out my pics! [url="http://wctransfer.rrpicturearchives.net/"] http://www.railpictures.net/showphotos.php?userid=8714
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Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, August 16, 2005 4:09 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by Brunton

Over in another thread, a few folks are talking about how the forums will get better when the "immature members" go back to school, or the "one or two immature teens" who will calm down or go away "and then we can get back to trains."

Well, I can usually tell within a few posts if someone is not yet legally an adult - although I can't really put my finger on it, something about how their messages are composed gives me a strong clue. They also tend to display a certain "youthful exuberance" that at times can, quite frankly, be a little tiresome.

But immature? Some of the adults on this forum are a lot more immature than any of the teens, I think.

I'd venture to guess that this forum presents the first opportunity a lot of young folks have to converse with adults as peers, rather than as a child talking to an adult. So lets cut these younger members some slack, and not slap them across the face for that. They're not "immature members" so much as they are simply "life-experience challenged." By definition, that changes as we age.

Sometimes I read a few posts and think, "Geez, kid!" Sometimes that even lasts for two or three seconds before I remember that I was a kid once, too. Besides, maybe their newer view of the world will show me something I can't see through all the layers of experience I've accumulated.

So, for all you kids who are going back to school soon, don't be strangers - I for one hope you'll remember to drop in here often!

Okay, I was the one who started the post, but I had no intention of it becoming all about the kids. Most of the immature members are not, I repeat, NOT kids. A lot of them are either upwards of a high-school/college age person, or an adult. There are several people all over the forums on trains.com that act immature on 85% of their posts. They flame, troll, and post for no reason. Most of the ones who are very mature and handle their posts well are kids of 17 and older. I have had almost no problems with that age group. Let's get back to Model Railraoding and trains, and get off the darn subject."

uspscsx
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Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, August 16, 2005 4:01 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by twhite

I like their exhuberance and their enthusiasm. And when they post pictures, I really like what they're doing--some of the modeling efforts of these 'teens' are just terrific. I hope that if some of us old farts just take a moment and stand back and remember when we were their age and how amazing it was to discover this hobby--well, perhaps we can change our outlook and keep these younger people welcome not only on the forum, but in the hobby itself.
And remember, most of these youngsters are coming into the hobby more technologically advanced than some of us will EVER be--with myself at the top of the list, LOL!
Tom [:D][:D]

Speaking of pictuers I'll just put my [2c] in.

1:I'm ten and I love trains.


2:I'll try to get some pictures of my layout on midweek madness.


Well look at that,two things make[2c]!
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Posted by SpaceMouse on Tuesday, August 16, 2005 3:55 PM
One thing that has not been mentioned and it is not age specific. But words on a screen don't always contain the emotional charge that YOU think was writtten. Humor may be misunderstood as anger or an attack. An inside joke with another member, may be taken personally by someone "outside the know."

The point is posts are just words in cybersapce and there is no earthly reason to get worked up about what anyone says. Respect other people's space and ideas, but don't sweat it if some person old or young loses it for a second or two.

In real life, if someone gets mad and yells, it is gone as soon as it happens. If someone yells in cyberspace, the yell lingers. Realize that the author probably let go of the emotion and cut them some slack.

Being a moderator in a, shall we say, a much more dynamic board than this one, I found that if people have an argument, usually they are not trying to change anyone's mind, they are just trying to be heard. Acknowledge what they have said as valid, and the 'argument" looses steam.

Each of us can let the water roll off our backs.

Chip

Building the Rock Ridge Railroad with the slowest construction crew west of the Pecos.

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Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, August 16, 2005 3:00 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by rick bonfiglio

QUOTE: Originally posted by Brunton

Over in another thread, a few folks are talking about how the forums will get better when the "immature members" go back to school, or the "one or two immature teens" who will calm down or go away "and then we can get back to trains."


after we get back in school; what makes him think we won't still have our computers, and our immature attitudes, or the time to waste to disrupt his train thoughts??


I think the premise behind kids going back to school is they will be to consumed with going to school, doing homework, going to school activities, girls or guys depending?

I know when I had a web hosting company, the hackers and "bad guys" usually came out of the woodwork during school vacation time, and summer breaks, not sure what the correlation was, since I would imagine they would still be doing the same thing even while in school. We still had breakin attempts, just not as rabid when school was in. I think kids focus (not all so don't say not me) changes when there are other activities to divert them. With adults, we sort of have the same day in and out all year long.

I do see some younger ones posting here and at the trains forum that I am amased at the knowledge and respect they carry, same for the adults, I also see some adults (I am guilty) getting a little hyped up when things get hot, as do the "kids".

I think much ado about nothing is happening here though, like someone else stated, this forum is calm compared to some others out in Internet land.
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Posted by FCnota on Tuesday, August 16, 2005 2:58 PM
How easy we forget where we come from! How else do you learn, get ideas, and give advice to others? Yes, the young are excited about the hobby, aren't we all? I wish I didn't have work getting in the way of my layout! The entire reason for my layout is my son anyway! Let them ask any question they want and let them learn from my mistakes. Keep the kids on and interested.
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Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, August 16, 2005 2:18 PM
QUOTE: Originally posted by Brunton

Over in another thread, a few folks are talking about how the forums will get better when the "immature members" go back to school, or the "one or two immature teens" who will calm down or go away "and then we can get back to trains."


after we get back in school; what makes him think we won't still have our computers, and our immature attitudes, or the time to waste to disrupt his train thoughts??
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Posted by ARTHILL on Tuesday, August 16, 2005 2:12 PM
I enjoy the teenagers and preteens(That is when I started though there were no forums). It gives them a chance to learn adult ways and they may help us learn the same.
If you think you have it right, your standards are too low. my photos http://s12.photobucket.com/albums/a235/ARTHILL/ Art
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Posted by selector on Tuesday, August 16, 2005 1:54 PM
I enjoy seeing the exuberance of our more youthful members (that last word is important..at least, to me.)

I can think of all sorts of things that make me cringe now, things I did in my youth, but exuberance never seems to come up. Laziness, irresponsibility, contempt, arrogance, and other unseemly characteristics come to mind, but never exuberance.

And, since I am inexorably aging, I will become a diminishing minority eventually, and will be very happy when the vast majority of more youthful members continue to put up with my staid, old-fasioned views when I post them...as a member.

Young guys, take it away...!
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Posted by Big_Boy_4005 on Tuesday, August 16, 2005 1:50 PM
Hey guys, for the record, it was I that advanced the notion of kids going back to school, in that other topic. I only mentioned it as one possible and partial explanation as to the source of material bugging the other guy.

Personally, I have no problem with teens using these forums. I see them as being this hobby's future, and think that it is wonderful that they come here to learn about trains from those of us willing to share their knowledge and experience. (geezers as we seem to be known)

I think it has been very helpful having that "show yourself" topic. Putting faces with names makes the internet much less cold, and gives the forum a sense of community.

OK, I'll admit that some of the "me too" posts and other silly stuff gets a bit annoying, but Mark has the right idea. When you see something that bugs you, stop and take a deep breath, and remember that we were all young once.

It could be worse. They could be out putting graffiti on railroad cars.[swg]
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Posted by IRONROOSTER on Tuesday, August 16, 2005 1:44 PM
One of the refreshing characteristics of this forum is the range of age and experience that is present. It would not be the same with out our younger members or our older members. The sharing that occurs here from all of us is what keeps me tuning in.
Enjoy
Paul
If you're having fun, you're doing it the right way.
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Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, August 16, 2005 1:27 PM
I'd have to agree - in my experience there's often little difference in the quality of posts between young and old, and if this forum encourages the younger modellers to keep going then it's doing a sterling job. Slightly off topic observation here (in that it's not MRR related) but I've done a fair amount of amateur theatre work both in school and with a local group. I found the school shows a whole lot less stressful to work on because we didn't have the huge and easily bruised egos exhibited by the "adult" members of the other group. I'm not trying to draw any parallels whatsoever with this forum here (I don't believe we have any egomaniacs here - they don't last long in MRR), just saying that in my experience younger people can often be far more mature than some 50 year olds I know...
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Posted by Rotorranch on Tuesday, August 16, 2005 1:21 PM
As with any hobby, kids are the FUTURE of the hobby! Without the kids, this hobby would eventually die. The older hobbyists are slowly going the way of the dinosaurs, and without new blood, where would the hobby be?

Many of the younger generation are wise beyond their years, and contribute to the hobby, and this forum, with a fresh outlook.

BTW...rockythegoat...nice icon! [;)]

Rotor

 Jake: How often does the train go by? Elwood: So often you won't even notice ...

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Posted by twhite on Tuesday, August 16, 2005 1:17 PM
I like their exhuberance and their enthusiasm. And when they post pictures, I really like what they're doing--some of the modeling efforts of these 'teens' are just terrific. I hope that if some of us old farts just take a moment and stand back and remember when we were their age and how amazing it was to discover this hobby--well, perhaps we can change our outlook and keep these younger people welcome not only on the forum, but in the hobby itself.
And remember, most of these youngsters are coming into the hobby more technologically advanced than some of us will EVER be--with myself at the top of the list, LOL!
Tom [:D][:D]

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