Hi!
I've been active on this Forum for 12 years or more, and it is one of my top two most popular sites (Ebay is the other).
Four times in the last couple of years I "lost" the link/address to the Forum and tried my darndest to get back to it - but could not do it on my own. I checked out the Kalmbach site, searched on trains and model railroader, etc., etc. and could not find the Forum.
Finally, hat and hand, I emailed a good email friend (Richhotrain) for the link, which he graciously provided. Earlier this week he did it for the 4th time, and I thank him.
The address begins with "cs.trains.........". I can understand the first letters being "trains" or "kalmbach" or the like, but what's with the "cs"???
Then it hit me......... if I couldn't find the access to the Site - after all the years I've utilized it - how could a newbie find it? How would a person even know we exist?
I believe it would help if the Forum was a more prominent part of the Kalmbach home page, or the various train oriented mags home pages, which would help get those newbies or casual MRs more involved in the Hobby....
For what its worth.....................
ENJOY !
Mobilman44
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central
What I have done in the past is to Google "trains forum" and up pops this URL.
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/default.aspx
My shortcut method of reaching my personal site is this URL.
http://cs.trains.com/p/discussions.aspx
I cannot say for sure, but my guess is that cs stands for customer service?
Rich
Alton Junction
I don't log-off and it's on My Bookmarks Toolbar anyway. One click away. Along with any other site, I want access to instantly, like my Bank statement.
Frank
It's on the MR menu bar under Community.
It's also on the little menu bar under Resources>Community
The Kalmbach page has a link to MR.
Enjoy
Paul
I'm in the same camp as Rich and Frank and save the link to my favorites bar althoug it appears to be a different link. The link I use is :
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/88/t/228824.aspx
One thing I've noticed is that my avatar never shows when I'm on line and that must be true with many others. If I go first to Trains. com and use the community link to get here the avatar shows up.
It amazes me how the MRR software affects different computers in different ways. This is particulary appearant whan MRR does a major software up date . Some have no problems while others have differnt problems.
Bob
Don't Ever Give Up
Bob,
My avatar only shows when I post, but that is how I have it set up.
You may have to reset your settings, if you are having trouble.
Frank, AKA, The Shadow.
I usually never have any problems entering this forum - only when the Kalmbach IT folks work on the system. I have bookmarked the page, but you can also enter easily via modelrailroader.com or trains.com.
I first found this forum by using google. I don't remember what I was looking for specifically, but I was trying find information that was model railroading related and a thread on this forum came up. I'm sure that is how many have come across this site.
Mike
zstripe Bob, My avatar only shows when I post, but that is how I have it set up. You may have to reset your settings, if you are having trouble. Frank, AKA, The Shadow.
Hi Frank,
I checked my settings and I have checked every box there is to ckeck. Besides myself I've noticed that most of the regulars on the forum don't show as being on line either. The ones that do mostly don't post on the MRR forum.
Well, it's no big deal
Thanks for the suggestion.
Hi again............
To clarify a bit, my point was that this Forum could be more prominent on the Kalmbach/MR/Trains/Classic Trains/Classic Toy Trains sites, so that newcomers would see it more easily. As previously mentioned, I too stumbled upon this Forum by accident.
When I am searching out (how to) things on the WWW it often brings me to this forum, in fact I do believe this is how I found the forum in the first place, all those years ago. However since the new software, everything about this forum has been acting funny. I rarely get PMs anymore whereas I use to get several a week, maybe I smell funny.
None of the colour changing features work, like when I get PMs or if I have read a thread or not. Oh well it's free and I still manage.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
You got a point there. Google gets you to the Kalmbach website for the obvious search object of "Model Trains". But I was unable to navigate from there to here. You can get to the Kalmbach magazines, MR, Trains and such, but you can't get to here even from the MR page. Kalmbach might want to rethink that. This site draws a lot of eyeballs, clicks, repeat visits, and the content doesn't cost Kalmbach a thing to provide.
David Starr www.newsnorthwoods.blogspot.com
I originally found this forum when I checked out MR.com for first time. I'm thinking that a lot of people find it this way. I booked marked MR and that's how I get here.
Mike.
My You Tube
Dunno if it'll help, but one of the first things Mongo do when computer no work right is hit "Restart". I know it's the idiots first choice, but when all else fails sometimes it does do the trick. Especially if your computer is set to mess up (I mean "update") its software on a regular schedule. Also, occasionally clearing your cache and getting rid of "stale" cookies can help. You have to re-enter passwords and other bothersome details but for some browsers it's the pause that refreshes.
Lou
dstarr but you can't get to here even from the MR page.
Not so. It is under "Community" and "Popular Topics" on the MR page
As noted in this post above yours
IRONROOSTERIt's on the MR menu bar under Community. It's also on the little menu bar under Resources>Community The Kalmbach page has a link to MR.
Cheers, the Bear.
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
Back when I joined, I was already familiar with MR magazine. I just did a search for "Model Railroader" and up comes the link "mrr.trains.com/"
Form there I foudn the forum and "lurked" for a few months before I timidly posted the first time. They weren't much int he way of posts, just some answers to Qs I could answer or comments on some AWESOME work others had psoted pics of. Then I got into a groove of posting.
What the "cs.trains" part is for I have no clue, but I think the "cs." was added after one of the venerable upgrades. I thought to distinguish it from the previous version forum's designation "trains.com" or something to that effect.
Now when I am out and on a different computer, I just search for "trains.com" and can get to the MR section and the forums from there.
"trains" and ".com" are easy enough to remember! even for my aging mind!
I have not tried to access from say a tablet or smart phone {don't own those}, so I have no idea how to find it there. If it has intrenet connections, I imagine the same way?
Ah, the "miracles of modern tech"!!
-G .
Just my thoughts, ideas, opinions and experiences. Others may vary.
HO and N Scale.
After long and careful thought, they have convinced me. I have come to the conclusion that they are right. The aliens did it.
superbeI'm in the same camp as Rich and Frank and save the link to my favorites bar althoug it appears to be a different link. The link I use is : http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/88/t/228824.aspx
Unlikely that you have used it before today, since that is the link _to this specific thread_, not the overall site.
superbeSome have no problems while others have differnt problems.
And many problems are attributable to the user lacking basic understanding of computers, browsers, and the internet.
Hello alco_fan,
U R correct that I posted the wrong link....it should have been:
Thanks for pointing out my error. This makes us even.
I don;t even have the site bookmarked. I clearly spend more time in the Electronics and DCC section - thus it is always on my recently visted sites list.
But if you google Model Railroader, you get mrr.trains.com. Which is the main page and has links to the news, track plan database, reader videos, reviews, MRVP, and, of course, the forums.
The cs is probbaly community server
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
galaxyNow when I am out and on a different computer, I just search for "trains.com" and can get to the MR section and the forums from there.
I agree that it might be difficult to find the forum if one doesn't realize that it is listed under Community on the home page.
But I don't understand all this searching and googling that seems to be necessary to get to the homepage. How difficult can it possibly be to remember to type in www.modelrailroader.com?