"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
I get answers to my questions.
When I can, I provide answers to others with their questions.
Rich
P.S. Don't ya love Ja Bear with these thought provoking threads?
Alton Junction
richhotrain replied: I get answers to my questions. When I can, I provide answers to others with their questions.
Yeah, what he said. But wait! There's more!
I get ideas. I get inspiration, particularly from WPF and Show Me. And, I get companionship over in the Diner. Back in days of olde, in the early days of the Internet, some pundit spoke of the development of "Virtual Communities." I didn't quite understand what he was predicting, and I'm not sure he did, either, but now I know.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Lurkers won't reply?
I get out of this forum....
Great pics, lots of inspiration,knowledge,history and oh yea LAUGHS.
Wish I had the talent of just a few of you guy's. The more I LURK the better I get.
Keep up the good work!
Jerry
Inspiration to try things I wound not otherwise have considered possible at my experience level. Encouragement from others. Confidence I won't get stuck without some advice on what direction to take on an issue; reduces blind trial and error (guesswork) experimentation. Also satisfaction when I can share something that will help another (as I have been helped).
Paul
Modeling HO with a transition era UP bent
Knowledge.
Inspiration.
A little insecurity that so many others' skills are so superior to mine.
Dave
Lackawanna Route of the Phoebe Snow
JaBear,
“You only get out what you put in”
I base My Life on that statement. So when it comes to the forums or really most anything for that matter, it becomes second nature.
Sort of like '' Do onto other's as you would have them do onto you''.
But I will freely admit, I do bite my tongue, or at least try to, a lot of times. I try to remember, they say ''patience, is a virtue''.
Take Care!
Frank
Consolation in knowing I am not the only person spending piles of money and countless hours of my life on something that won't put food on the table, just a smile on my face. Thats enough...
Modeling B&O in the early 50's.
Bear,
Great topic.
For me, the forum still holds the cachet of that special something I felt when I'd crack open that fresh edition of MR when it arrived on store shelves more than 4 decades ago. Learning from others here is important, but so is being able to give back what I can. This builds a community of interest that we all share, whatever our prototype, era, or particular skill set. It shows that we all can participate, no matter our level of expertise, finding enjoyment as we develop our own expression of this art.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
The pictures of the work of others have made me a better modeler. I was doing "good enough" work until I started looking at the stuff we see here every day. That raised the bar, and made me push myself harder. My own layout now has to meet higher standards to be "good enough."
I enjoy reading about the unavailability of Atlas track and people's fondness for Athearn blue-box kits. Can't get enough of either topic!
some great modeling, tips and hints, and the hot topics.
SP&S modeler, 1960's give or take a decade or two for some equipment.
http://www.youtube.com/user/SGTDUPREY?feature=guide
Gary DuPrey
N scale model railroader
Milepost 266.2 I enjoy reading about the unavailability of Atlas track and people's fondness for Athearn blue-box kits. Can't get enough of either topic! Same here.
I enjoy reading about the unavailability of Atlas track and people's fondness for Athearn blue-box kits. Can't get enough of either topic! Same here.
Russell
As someone who lives across " the pond" in UK I suppose you could call me a "lurcker" because although I go onto the forum I don't actually contribute. This is because I am using the forum to advance my knowledge of a system that I find interesting and hope eventually to have a layout to operate. In answer to your question I use the forum to garner as much information as I can. I look at all the pictures to gather a feel for a railroad system that I have only seen briefly in fleeting visits. I hope that I will be soon able to contribute but until then I will still be logging in. Like your modelling JaBear.
you can learn from both listening and explaining to others
greg - Philadelphia & Reading / Reading
....what do you get out of this forum???
Lotsa stuff: opportunities to learn and see new things, to enjoy the work and thoughts of others, and to share the knowledge that I've gained from almost 60 years in this hobby.
I'd guess that the majority of "lurkers" are here to gain knowledge and to see what others are doing. Perhaps they're not yet confident enough of their skills or knowledge to join in or even to ask questions, but in time they'll realise that all of us started from a similar position.
Wayne
... what do you get out of this forum???
A place to lurk, to learn, and to laugh!
-Ken in Maryland (B&O modeler, former CSX modeler)
Milepost 266.2Can't get enough of either topic!
You only get out what you put in Lurkers wont reply what do you get out of this forum?
Lurkers wont reply
what do you get out of this forum?
It does seem like the majority of posts come from the same core of people. So, I suppose that makes the rest of us, lurkers . So as a rare poster, I'll chime in. What I get out of this forum is the same as I get from other forums: information and conversation. I mostly like to see what everyone else is doing and how they do it, especially the build threads. Its interesting that build threads are popular on automotive forums, and even MRR magazine features building things, but there are not that many self contained build threads here.
Since I like to see how people do things I decided to share my own work and started my own thread. I try to write like a MRR magazine article because I enjoy that (and who wouldnt want to be in MRR magazine). Even though sort of self publishing here, I feel I am contributing something to the forum although at an intermediate level. My thread gives me a chance to share, and some motivation to keep moving foward.
It's a chance to talk about my favorite hobby.
Enjoy
I have learned a ton of useful information, and I have had a bunch of questions answered - even the stupid ones!
I also enjoy trying to help others, and I enjoy the opportunity to put my two cents worth into a topic despite putting my foot in my mouth from time to time.
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
I used to have the chance to show off once in a while with what I was proud of on my layout.
And writing about ideas and projects helped me clarify projects to myself.
That is pretty much gone since about the first of the year or so when forum changed to a different provider or program or something. Now 4 times out of 5, when I attempt to post a comment or response, the picture link does not come up. I can't reliably post pictures or participate in "show me something."
I don't come on this forum nearly as often as I used to.
All tolled, I've been in the hobby for 20+ years. Until about 7 years ago (when I joined the forums), the hobby lacked any real social component. I was OK with that, but I was spending a lot of time without much human interaction. The forums fill that space. They make the hobby a little more social and (for me) a little more perfect.
Phil, I'm not a rocket scientist; they are my students.
I enjoy the images of other's work and the crosstalk in hearing the opinions and thoughts of others on topics that interest me. I try to contribute when I think I can.
Richard
If I can't fix it, I can fix it so it can't be fixed
leighant:
Have you tried using a different browser?
I had the same problems after MR messed with the forum. Lots of people did apparently. Somebody suggested switching from Internet Explorer to Firefox. That solved all of the problems, for me anyhow.
Dave,
Maybe when they do the site maintenance this weekend they will finally put in the up-dates they are missing. I know Java script could use some help....But who know's?
Some where in the mix of subjects and techniques, what always comes through is the great delight of sharing within the broader base of the hobby, questions, ideas, and solutions to things that we are all passionate about. Some of us have layouts that only exist as ideas, some of us havefully featured layouts that are large enough to require the recruitment of small armies of people to properly operate. The rest of us are at various stages in between those two extremes. All facets contribute to the betterment of the hobby as a whole.
This means that the real value of the forums is in the sharing. Personally, I tend to chime in if I have done something just a bit differently, or if I see that a question has been left virtually unanswered. The rest of the time, I learn more about the how's and why's of techniques, materials and equipment that I have yet to use on my own layout. Sooner or later that information helps with choices and projects that I have yet to undertake.
Don H.
What I used to get was good and useful information! What I gave was the same from my experience or relaying the words that had been imparted to me for the same Q!
I would be one you "lurkers" might have been "laughing at", I guess.
Now I lurk a lot, though I do frequent the diner.
I used to post a lot..bboth some Qs and some answers, perhaps my answers weren't all Relevant to you oldtimer lurkers, but since I returned back to the hobby in '06, I could answer the newbie's Q's formt eh point of a 'learned the hard way" newbie.
I could also regurgitate what was previously said to me and others by both oldies and lurkers alike {to offer a distinct diffrentiate between the two.}
I liked both giving/getting "imparted wisdom". I felt usefull when I gave, and humble learned after asking, Qs.
But, I also got tired, as many of you older lurkers do, of answering the same "what track should I used on my 4x8??" or "will my MTH Big Boy go around a 15R curve"? AND answering the "keep your wallet in your pants until you READ" -type questions, and answers. {that last one deffinitely came from my personal experience of buying too much "cute" stuff I "liked" {rather than NEEDED} on the spot when I restarted in '06 in a totally new scale}
Now it seems boring here most of the time... I mean how many times can I add my meager input on the Q of "what basic DCC system should I use"? Before I want to vomit???
{Since I use the Bachmann many here would say I should keep my mouth shut as it is "not a real DCC system" {it IS a real system} I guess, but the EZ C is easy to use, basic entry level and works for everything from a 4x8 plywood prairie [and under] to a 2 train 5x9-10} and I usually offer that when I trade "up" WHat system I will then get that is a Real sytstem}
Sometimes I got 'lambasted' by older lurkers who thought my experiences in my answer "didn't count as relevant" {really? perhaps since they offered little or no input, except to belittle mine, they were the "irrelevant" ones}
So i don't post so much anymore.
Except in the diner..i like the comraderie there {again lurkers will lurk there, and laugh at us all, and NOT post as single thing and claim the diner thread is "not a real thread"!!LOL}
so, as I usually say always say in life: "laugh if you must, cry if you like, that is me/mine" {copywrite -me}
Make it a GREAT Day!
-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.
What do I get out of this forum?
First and foremost - friendship. I have meet some fine folks in the Diner, and it is a joy to exchange views and opinions as well as share the day with them. I would not want to miss that!
Second - tons of inspiration, in terms of planning, building and operating my layout. In fact, without this forum, I probably would not have started building a layout following US narrow gauge prototype.
Like many others, I am little bit weary of those typical beginner´s questions, like "what is the best (fill in as you like)", "which DCC system should I buy", or the seemingly endless rants about the hobby getting expensive or even dying. But let´s be patient and support the beginners! When I started out some 50 years ago, I wish I had had someone answering my often silly questions. Instead, I had to learn the hard way by making sometimes quite costly mistakes. After all, sharing is part of the fun.
I have got a lot of information an inspiration throught this Forum. It helped me to go farther in the hobby and to try new techniques. But the best is probably that it gived me the motivation and the necessary information to go to DCC.
I try to contribute whenever I can even if my knowledge and experience are far from what others contributors have.
Guy
Modeling CNR in the 50's