How about new forums?

[kcole4001]

I tend to agree with this. Things work pretty well as is, but as Selector says, it can be undone if necessary, so why not try a weathering sub-forum?

 If we're voting for one more sub-forum on a trial basis, I say yes. If it works out, great, if not, back to the way it is now. As it is, most of the weathering discussion comes about in the general area, and most frequently in the WPF threads (some really nice work in those!).

As far as the current titles go for descriptive qualification, I had no trouble understanding that 'Electronics and DCC' means all things electrical relating to control of the trains, accessories, etc. and the 'Layout Building' section relates to structures, scenery, and includes wiring for lighting, and room preparation. Obviously there will be some subjects which could logically be placed in either section, but given a suitably descriptive thread title, it should be obvious what the thread refers to.

I do agree that it is extremely important for any forum poster to be sure that the title adequately reflects the subject, to save everyone time and frustration when searching later on, after the thread has migrated several pages down the list, but this is not the responsibility of the mods, people, it is our own responsibility to make sure we make it perfectly clear what we are posting about from the outset.

[Rotorranch]

Phoebe Vet

 One thing I WOULD be in favor of is putting this line on the bottom as well as the top of the page like it used to be before they redsigned it.

Trains.com Forums » Model Railroader Forums » General Discussion (Model Railroader) » How about new forums?

 

 

I totally agree with that suggestion. It's a pain to have to scroll back up to the top of the page.

Rotor

 

[duckdogger]

Can we break the weathering into sub-classes: chalk, gouache, oils, air brush?

 Just kidding!

[TMarsh]

Though I don't claim to be an expert or even an experienced forum user, I can say that the current choices seem fine to me. If however I could make it different, or as I see it better, remember just my opinion, I would add a painting, weathering, finishing category as dingySP suggested and a "crew lounge" type area as stein suggested. I feel there would be enough interest in the weathering thread that it could be very useful to have its own section to go to. I also think the crew lounge type category would also help keep the other categories clean for those who don't have any interest in that aspect of the community. It would keep the threads purely Train related unless you actually wanted to go there. Though I also think like chefs, too many threads spoil the stew.

[JSperan]

steinjr

Anyways - it would probably be a good idea for Kalmbach to get a user interface specialist to do a quick evaluation of their web pages and make recommendations for some changes.

 

I believe that was sort of one of Bergie's specialties.

Apparently he is with Readers Digest now?

 

[gregc]

 i like the activity on this forum, that when i look at one of the forums, there are quite a few postings that have changed.   The alternative, is that there are many separate forums, some with little activity.

However, i like the feature i've seen on other forums where the postings with changes i haven't looked at are highlighted.  for example: http://www.modelrailroadforums.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=57

[steinjr]

gregc

However, i like the feature i've seen on other forums where the postings with changes i haven't looked at are highlighted.

 

 Function is there, only implemented in a too subtle/non-obvious way.

 Threads you have read has an icon that is lighter colored/whiter than the icon for the threads which has content you haven't read yet (where the icon is darker gray).

 Maybe you could say that read threads are "low-lighted" rather than highlighted ...

 Smile,
 Stein

 

[gregc]

steinjr

gregc

However, i like the feature i've seen on other forums where the postings with changes i haven't looked at are highlighted.

 

Threads you have read has an icon that is lighter colored/whiter than the icon for the threads which has content you haven't read yet (where the icon is darker gray).

that's not what i had in mind, and i didn't explain is correctly.  On other forums, they keep track of my visits and highlight the postings that have changed since my last visit, whether i've looked at the posting or not.  I think they may keep unread postings lighlighted for 24 hours.

[steinjr]

gregc

steinjr

gregc

However, i like the feature i've seen on other forums where the postings with  changes i haven't looked at are highlighted.

 

Threads you have read has an icon that is lighter colored/whiter than the icon for the threads which has content you haven't read yet (where the icon is darker gray).

that's not what i had in mind, and i didn't explain is correctly.  On other forums, they keep track of my visits and highlight the postings that have changed since my last visit, whether i've looked at the posting or not.  I think they may keep unread postings lighlighted for 24 hours.

 Closest you get might be on the forums front page (http://cs.trains.com/trccs/forums/), left side of screen, link titled "Posts you have not read".

 That gives you a new page (http://cs.trains.com/trccs/forums/TopicsNotRead.aspx?ForumID=-1), where the default choice is to list threads that has new content (or has not been read ever) from all forums in all sections during the last three months.

 Drop down menu on top allows you to select e.g. "Model Railroader forums" only or "Model Railroader General forum" only, and how far back you want the list to go (including "new since last visit").

 Would have been smarter to have a couple of these standard searches in visible locations that are easy to find for a new user - e.g.having a "new since last visit in subscribed/watched forums only" very easily available for the users, and grouping the threads by forum or some such thing.

 Smile,
 Stein

 

[Medina1128]

I have to agree with cacole; I think those two subjects are well covered in the existing forums. When I've needed to research the subjects, I just do a search in the "search community" box. Just my . (Yep, four cents..)

[IRONROOSTER]

TA462

If you want a Weathering or Operations section then just start a thread like the "Diner" thread.  It seems that thread is one of the most popular even though it breaks the rules of the forum.  If it seems like it stays on the first couple pages consistently then maybe MR might look at making it permanent.   I think the weathering idea is a good one but not the operations idea.  

 

Ah, there's the real problem.  I'm not interested in weathering but am interested in operations.  So who decides? Maybe leaving a good thing alone is the best idea.

Enjoy

Paul

[wm3798]

 I'm surprised there isn't a separate forum for operations topics here.  MR seems to be at the forefront of supporting this type of model railroading, and there are many nuances to it...  I think it would be a valuable resource, and more readily accessible to newer people interested in what their trains can do other than rush around the table top...

 

Lee

[R. T. POTEET]

I have some mixed feelings about this idea; this is the only forum I participate in because, even if the majority of the members here model in HO-Scale, it is really not scale specific. I do look in on Atlas N-Scale, and, on occasion, the N-Scale sub-forum of idiotboreddotcom; I find this latter to be quite cliquish and myopic and I have to be really interested in exploring just where senselessness is going these days to get me to look in on it.

Be that as it may I would have nothing against a sub-forum dealing with weathering or operations. At the current time I am not really interested in electronics or DCC so I have only looked in on that sub-forum a couple of times; neither, at the present time also, is shoving cars around my forte but I am always interested in reading about how others go about weathering their models and I would probably become an active participant in a sub-forum dealing with weathering topics.

[TMarsh]

Hm. I see why a forum owner would have a tough time. Trying to make us all happy with so many varying opinions would be a nightmare.

[Robt. Livingston]

I started a thread on passenger cars (with that wording in the title) and it has slipped off the front pages into oblivion.  It was intended not only to show my own work, but to elicit the work of others.  And so it did, until it got buried.  I get the feeling that few visitors to this forum scroll back through the pages.  Things happen fast on this forum, due to the high traffic, so things get lost easily, and quickly.  I think breaking the forum up into a handful of subsections would be an improvement, and I second the motion that there be separate, titled sections for weathering and operations.

While one could argue that too many subfora are a bad thing, one could also argue that too few subfora are as bad.  One could even say "too few fora are the quickest way to kill a forum; I have seen it happen."  Setting aside the boxcar-spotting section (as it is really just an advert. for the magazine company, and they are entitled to it), we really only have four sections.  I think one or two more would be good.  

Just for the record, I have a high level of interest in weathering, and a low level of interest in operations. 

On further thought, probably "paint, decals, and weathering" should be the name of a subsection, so it would include the related arts.   

 

 

 

[vsmith]

There are too many now as it is IMHO, they did this on the Trains magazine forum, split it into 6 sub-forums, killed alot of interchange on it in doing so.

[Geared Steam]

 

Robt. Livingston

And so it did, until it got buried. 

 

I have to disagree, in my case, I read the new posts and messages of interest to me since my last visit, Page 1, 2 or 3, however far back they go.. To be honest, if the subject is interesting to members here, your post would stay on the front page longer, but they all eventually cycle to the back pages, more people need to learn to search.

I dislike those other forums that have 339 categories from N Scale to Nn3 to Nn3 steam to Nn3 frog switches to Nn3 stub switches to Nn3 stubs switches painted black.

I like the current forum but agree that a "Ops" and "Weathering" category would be okay with me. As long as it didn't attract the socially challenged and immature posts we have seen in the past on that weathering thread. I get enough of that watching politics.

[grayfox1119]

 There are always those who will resist change, Change is very hard for some people, they just never see the need. I feel it is a GOOD idea. DCC was resisted got many moons, then we finally convinced the power to be to add the forum. If for no other reason, it makes it much easier to just enter THAT forum which is dedicated to a given part of the hobby.

[nucat78]

Ummm, how about upgrading the forum software? dancepartnersonline has a better user interface than Kalmbach. Ok, so I'm just a rabble rouser...

[R. T. POTEET]

Robt. Livingston

I started a thread on passenger cars (with that wording in the title) and it has slipped off the front pages into oblivion.  It was intended not only to show my own work, but to elicit the work of others.  And so it did, until it got buried.  I get the feeling that few visitors to this forum scroll back through the pages.  Things happen fast on this forum, due to the high traffic, so things get lost easily, and quickly.  I think breaking the forum up into a handful of subsections would be an improvement, and I second the motion that there be separate, titled sections for weathering and operations.

While one could argue that too many subfora are a bad thing, one could also argue that too few subfora are as bad.  One could even say "too few fora are the quickest way to kill a forum; I have seen it happen."  Setting aside the boxcar-spotting section (as it is really just an advert. for the magazine company, and they are entitled to it), we really only have four sections.  I think one or two more would be good.  

Just for the record, I have a high level of interest in weathering, and a low level of interest in operations. 

On further thought, probably "paint, decals, and weathering" should be the name of a subsection, so it would include the related arts.   

Some years ago there was a topic here on the forum titled "The 'N' Crowd" which, as you may perceive, was oriented around N-Scale; I went looking for it on one occasion and had to go clear back onto page 15 to find it. One thing I wish they would do is come up with some sort of a "GOTO" instruction as in GOTO Page 47, or GOTO Page 102. As it stands now you can go to Page 5 and from there you must work backwards in two page increments. Let me assure you at that rate it would take two birthdays to "GOTO Page 102!

If you want to resurrect a topic go over to the right hand margin where you will find "My Profile"; click on your forum name and then select "Search for posts by . . . . .". It'll bring up everything you ever initiated or responded to.

[blownout cylinder]

nucat78

Ummm, how about upgrading the forum software? dancepartnersonline has a better user interface than Kalmbach. Ok, so I'm just a rabble rouser...

How about a more powerful server? All the software upgrades have done is taken up more memory--and not necessarily for the bet------OK---I'll shut up now

[trainlover38]

I do think that model railroader would fare well with some new forums. in addition to your idea, I think a " Layout pictures and Comments" forum would be very good. The general discussion forum has a ton of threads concerning personal layout updates and photographs. I think a forum dedicated to layout updates would be used well.

[BRAKIE]

It would be nice to have a N Scale forum..As it stands now one needs to read between the lines if the op doesn't specify what scale the question is about...