There is a gigantic fun loving hobby still here to enjoy. Hard to find the way to keep any comradery when so many aspects of life have lost all forms of decorum and courtesy. The jackals who contribute NOTHING drive good people away.
This happens on forums all over... especially the larger ones with larger audiences... The smaller private groups get rid of the posers and cleverly snide members as it is not hard to identify who brings something (other than large posting numbers) to a site and who do not. This is a phenomenon of the times.
I am a model maker by profession and I still have a passion for it all. If you see any posts from me, please feel free to ask any question, I will try and answer as best I can. I remember having so many questions as a kid but back then there was no tool like the internet. This should be a community of modelers all sharing a similar passion and simply enjoying the excellent examples of our work. Instead the anonymity of the internet creates a place where the jealous and the narrow minded, selfish and hurtful can thrive.
For many of the best contributors it is more of a task than it is worth to stay with a group when a few of the less than generous, more or less take over.
If I can ever help someone with a modeling question...please look me up I will help the best I can. I don't have all the answers but after 50 years of model building I know a lot of shortcuts, tricks and ways around a problem. I don't know how to fix this problem, but I can tell you it is not unique to this site.
Randy
https://www.facebook.com/Great-Divide-Lines-423511918192732/?modal=admin_todo_tour
The old thread issue is an interesting double edged sword.
I agree, a thread totally untouched for years should likely be left that way.
On the other hand, the tractor forum I participate in has threads that have actually remained current for a decade or more, never dropping more than a page or two off the front page.
Sheldon
SeeYou190 richhotrain There are a few members who seem to want to reply to every thread without having anything to say, such as, I cannot be of any help, but someone will come along that can. I do this under two circumstances. 1) If it is a new poster, I always welcome them to the forum with a friendly hello. 2) If the question is about to go "under the fold" on the page, and has received no replies. I will bump it to to the top so hopefully the poster will get the help he is looking for. -Kevin
richhotrain There are a few members who seem to want to reply to every thread without having anything to say, such as, I cannot be of any help, but someone will come along that can.
I do this under two circumstances.
1) If it is a new poster, I always welcome them to the forum with a friendly hello.
2) If the question is about to go "under the fold" on the page, and has received no replies. I will bump it to to the top so hopefully the poster will get the help he is looking for.
-Kevin
To read: There are a few members who seem to want to reply to every thread without having anything to say.
Rich
Alton Junction
richhotrainThere are a few members who seem to want to reply to every thread without having anything to say, such as, I cannot be of any help, but someone will come along that can.
Living the dream.
As a long time member of the forum, 17 years and 21,000+ posts, I have followed this thread with interest. There seems to be a prevailing thought, at least among some, that the forum is doomed. Dunno. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. But who knows? No one from Kalmbach has ever even hinted at it to my knowledge.
But I do see signs of neglect. The disintegration of the forum software is one such sign. The decreased level of moderation is another sign. The level and quality of forum participation is another sign.
Now, there is no denying that some very influential members of the forum have either passed away or moved on to other forums. Those losses hurt. The most recent loss that comes to mind is Randy Rinker, whose extensive electronics knowledge could be relied upon to solve any electronics problem. Once it becomes "the blind leading the blind", so to speak, forum problems become more of a guessing game than a solutions-based process of replies.
Historically, trolls and flame throwers have been significant in driving well intentioned members away from the forum. I recall one recent troll who started posting replies to each and every thread with replies filled with misinformation and photos of products as if they were his own to further mislead forum members. Fortunately, he was quickly banned. I do not detect any outright trolls on the forum today, but there are a few members whose posts resemble trolling, whether intended or not.
I will speak in the plural to avoid any appearance of trying to single out any one member. There are a few who seem to want to reply to every thread whether they know what they are talking about or not. There are a few who want to reply to every thread and who seem to know what they are talking about, but I for one have no idea what they are talking about. There are a few members who seem to want to reply to every thread without having anything to say, such as, I cannot be of any help, but someone will come along that can. There are few members who seem to relish making glib remarks for no apparent reason. How does any of this help to promote the hobby of model railroading?
Someone mentioned the revival of old threads. I readily admit that I for one detest this practice. How often have I started to read a thread by clicking on the most recent reply only to realize that the thread is from 2005 or 2008 or 2011. Why not just start a new thread and link to the old thread in the initial post? A lot of these revivals are to provide an answer or comment to a thread last posted over 10 years ago. I think by now that the OP has had his answer.
So, I don't know if the forum will be shut down tomorrow, sometime in 2021, or maybe never. But the forum today is a shadow of itself from yesterday.
dknelson It would be hard for some of you to believe the intensity of the forum posting back then; the whole idea was fresh and new and if you turned your back for a moment after posting something it might now be on page 3! A week or so I posted a modest little reply to something on the prototype information section and it stayed the second thing on the list for maybe an entire week. That would have been unimaginable just a few years ago. Dave Nelson
It would be hard for some of you to believe the intensity of the forum posting back then; the whole idea was fresh and new and if you turned your back for a moment after posting something it might now be on page 3! A week or so I posted a modest little reply to something on the prototype information section and it stayed the second thing on the list for maybe an entire week. That would have been unimaginable just a few years ago.
Dave Nelson
I agree with you Dave.
It was a similar situation for myself on a Forum over here in the U.K.. Miss a day or two and I had to go back a few pages to find something a day old.
Times they are a'changing.
David
To the world you are someone. To someone you are the world
I cannot afford the luxury of a negative thought
dknelsonThey have some shareholders whose only interest is in dividend income for themselves, because they live on it, not the long range survival much less growth of the business. So that's where the money is going. That is their full right as shareholders, since that is the only legal reason corporations exist is to benefit them, but it does not bode well for the rest of us who are mere customers, nor for the hobby as a whole.
Hi Dave,
I agree that the whole Model Railroader empire is under stress. I hope they find a solution that will allow them to survive, and just as importantly, keep the forums going. Personally, the forums have become an important part of my social life espescially during the Covid 19 crisis. If they go by the way of the Dodo bird, then I will be really disappointed.
Cheers!!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
Speaking as a very early member of these Forums (from back when we had actual "Forum Member" T shirts, and would gather at Galesburg RR Days, Trainfest in Milwaukee , and the Madison WI train show wearing our T shirts for group photos and chat) I offer some random and unconnected reactions.
Some very fine advanced modelers from those early days stopped posting not due to the trolls but because I think the caliber of conversation seemed increasingly beginner oriented. Bob Grech and Bob Boudreau come to mind. And ironically the seemingly built-in bias against reviving older threads meant that some rather tiresome beginner topics get brought up "new" repeatedly. THere seems to be no happy medium on that.
One other observation. One reason I used to visit the Forums every single day is because I was an early Model Railroader Video Plus subscriber and wanted to keep track of new videos before they got buried deeply by still newer videos. Coming to the Forums first was a convenient way to bop over to MRVP every day, maybe twice a day. Then MRVP lost its spine and became very tiresome, particularly the toy train stuff which had this seemingly deliberately infantile persona, and other videos which just did not interest me at all, although that might just be me in an increasingly "get off my lawn" geezer mentality. Plus no more Drew's Trackside Adventures, or Jim Hediger stories or projects, or MR Roundtable. I have now cut the cord and dropped MRVP, since as a MR subscriber (for the time being) I seem to have access to most of the videos I was watching anyway.
So without MRVP as an incentive I for one let many days go by in the row without visiting or, obviously, commenting, and it is surprising how little "behind" I've gotten when I do drop in!
The MR/MRVP/Forum problems (and that includes the pamphlet size of the magazines, the photo hosting issue which has made many great old postings useless, and the failure or inability to keep the "all magazine" index alive) are, in my opinion, Kalmbach corporate problems. They have some shareholders whose only interest is in dividend income for themselves, because they live on it, not the long range survival much less growth of the business. So that's where the money is going. That is their full right as shareholders, since that is the only legal reason corporations exist is to benefit them, but it does not bode well for the rest of us who are mere customers, nor for the hobby as a whole.
PS the "w**k" versus "work" element reminded me of the old Dobie Gillis TV show. Anyone else remember Maynard G Krebs, one of the all-time great character creations of television, ranking right up there with Eddie Haskell?
This forum in no different than any other forum. People come and go, but there are always a few regulars that frequent everyday. I don't have that kind of time.
This is just a hobby. Not a lot of people have a ton of time to dedicate to hobbies. Between family, work, taking care of things around the house, and other hobbies, I don't have time to visit here often. I generally visit here when I'm looking for a solution to a modeling problem or I have a question. I don't feel qualified to give much advice
Semi newbie HO scale modeler coming from the O scale world
xboxtravis7992Huh look, that's my profile picture.
BNSF UP and others modelerI see I made enough of an impact here to make it on to Kevin's list
Thanks to both you guys for checking in.
My list was mainly people whose posts I enjoyed reading, but had not seen lately.
Your inclusion on the list was based on nothing more.
Hope to see more of you.
Facebook problems
Perhaps I am just 'old school', but I have a number of problems using Facebbok. Maybe someone can educate me?
Facebook bounces one around so much I have a hard time following it?
Facebook is CONSTANTLY sending me multitutes of stuff (sometimes unrelated crap) that just fills up my email box !!
Why is there at least 6-7 diiferent HO for sale list on FB. One or 2 isn't enough??
just a few questions of mine. I'm off to a WWll aircraft show
Brian
My Layout Plan
Interesting new Plan Consideration
SeeYou190 I am sure there are more. These are just some people that I usually conversed with when they posted, that I have not seen for a while. I figured the MIA dates using the forum search function, sometimes I know it is not completely accurate. -Kevin
I am sure there are more.
These are just some people that I usually conversed with when they posted, that I have not seen for a while.
I figured the MIA dates using the forum search function, sometimes I know it is not completely accurate.
I see I made enough of an impact here to make it on to Kevin's list. I was waffling on whether to comment here, but seeing as I have been considered of value, I think its only fair to explain...
For me personally it was not intentional. Once I hit college classes and picked up significant work hours, this completely fell off the radar. I'm still into the hobby, still trying to get models out of my 3d printer (latest model would be 3d printed wheels, hopefully I can print the trucks too at some point)
The upside of the job hours is I have more money for hobbies. The downside is I have more hobbies I can afford now that all want my money...
I'll try and get back on here, most of my use will be from the technological and 3d design side, as I spend a lot of time on the computer and that is what I am most familiar with as well
I for one, am not yet lost. Hopefully that gives a ray of hope.
I'm beginning to realize that Windows 10 and sound decoders have a lot in common. There are so many things you have to change in order to get them to work the way you want.
The Facebook thing sounds all fine and dandy, but what about those of us that don't use it? It's nice to have a forum like this where the conversations are normally cordial and the atmosphere is inviting. I believe the trouble makers of the past have moved on and that makes me check in here more often.
Chuck - Modeling in HO scale and anything narrow gauge
Geared Steam The huge advantage to FB is you can simply block a user you dont want to see, read and hear.
The info on FB is amazing, however, if I could not block the friend's things I would not go near it. I participate a little on FB but under an alias and I thoroughly enjoy it. I mostly just soak in the photos and learning.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
Continuously being shouted down by a know-it-all who can't even figure out how to wire or operate an Atlas Controller, but constantly tells the experienced helpful people they are wrong, has taken a brutal hit to the helpful advice provided here.
Yup, listening to one guy lobby his views constantly and downplay anything outside his comfort zone got old, and I suspect ran many off to greener pastures. I hardly come here at all anymore as it seems stale. I spent time on other forums and Facebook. The huge advantage to FB is you can simply block a user you dont want to see, read and hear.
"The true sign of intelligence is not knowledge but imagination."-Albert Einstein
http://gearedsteam.blogspot.com/
SeeYou190
Heartland Division CB&QNow, I am remembering another member who has not been in the forum for a long time. ... Tom White (twhite) if my memory is correct.
It looks like he went missing a couple of years ago.
Heartland Division CB&QKevin ..... Now, I am remembering another member who has not been in the forum for a long time. ... Tom White (twhite) if my memory is correct.
I see Tom popping up elsewhere, every once in a while.
Kevin ..... Now, I am remembering another member who has not been in the forum for a long time. ... Tom White (twhite) if my memory is correct.
GARRY
HEARTLAND DIVISION, CB&Q RR
EVERYWHERE LOST; WE HUSTLE OUR CABOOSE FOR YOU
Water Level RouteThat's good to hear Mike. I always enjoy your photos and posts. Very neat railroad you have.
Thanks Mike!
And Kevin, too!
I'll likely have a pic for WPF this week, after investing in my only "fancy" car this year.
I'll also work on ideas on how to depict some of the less photogenic things I tend to do, like operations and maintenance in pics. I've been doing a lot of video work lately and shifting my old brain cells to it leaves only so much for anything else. It's heck getting old, but as this thread shows, it beats the alternative.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
railandsail When I first got back into the hobby about 10 years ago I looked around for forums where I could ask questions about building a new train layout. I found a number of them, and a number of them offered a variety of contributors and ease of use. This forum was one of the top choices of some of those I visited, and I got a lot of interesting advice here. BUT there were a few items that discouraged me, and finally ended up in my withdrawing from participation. The primary problem I had with this forum was their insistence on their singularity,...NO references allowed to other forums or discussions on those forums. It not as if all the definitive discussions/opinions would occur ONLY on this forum. Rather there was a wealth of info to be gathered from other forums, and thus brought into any discussions of any subjects, regardless of the forum they were occurring on. I did not appreciate this one sided view. The second problem I had with this forum was that they refused to host the photos of subjects under discussion. This made it necessary to go to a third party to host the photos, then link them to this forum. Of course many recall the incident with the very popular site that decided to change their rules,...and subsequently ruin a lot of history of subjects on this forum,...and others. Most of the other model railroad forums host the photos of members,...and I feel that photos are a VERY IMPORTANT element of forum discussions. Less important, but still a factor was their software problem that use to notify a poster if a new posting was added to a discussion he/she had contributed to. That disappeared. Then there was the lack of a manner in which to make reference to a particular posting as opposed to having to reference the entire thread. I finally had to retreat to other forums.
When I first got back into the hobby about 10 years ago I looked around for forums where I could ask questions about building a new train layout. I found a number of them, and a number of them offered a variety of contributors and ease of use.
This forum was one of the top choices of some of those I visited, and I got a lot of interesting advice here. BUT there were a few items that discouraged me, and finally ended up in my withdrawing from participation.
The primary problem I had with this forum was their insistence on their singularity,...NO references allowed to other forums or discussions on those forums. It not as if all the definitive discussions/opinions would occur ONLY on this forum. Rather there was a wealth of info to be gathered from other forums, and thus brought into any discussions of any subjects, regardless of the forum they were occurring on. I did not appreciate this one sided view.
The second problem I had with this forum was that they refused to host the photos of subjects under discussion. This made it necessary to go to a third party to host the photos, then link them to this forum. Of course many recall the incident with the very popular site that decided to change their rules,...and subsequently ruin a lot of history of subjects on this forum,...and others. Most of the other model railroad forums host the photos of members,...and I feel that photos are a VERY IMPORTANT element of forum discussions.
Less important, but still a factor was their software problem that use to notify a poster if a new posting was added to a discussion he/she had contributed to. That disappeared.
Then there was the lack of a manner in which to make reference to a particular posting as opposed to having to reference the entire thread.
I finally had to retreat to other forums.
Brian, I understand your frustration with all these items, but...
Bringing info from other sources is one thing, linking large discussions directly is another......
I know I hold the unpopular view about Photobucket, but eventually everything on the web is becoming fully monetized, look at youtube? NOTHING is free.
I still have Photobucket, they backed off the high price, every picture I have ever posted is still here.......
I pay to be on a user owned forum for tractors, yes they host pictures, but they did not at first. I still have photobucket pictures there too.
We all find what works for us, we all make choices. While I am still here, I post in dramaticly fewer threads these days........
Brian,
I have missed your contributions.
If I remember correctly, Steve O made explanations for the reasons the forum operates like it does for all the concerns you listed.
Hopefully, you will share more updates of your interesting layout and projects with us.
I'm still around. I'm not on here much during the summer season, too much going on out side, with building projects and such.
I scroll through here a few times a week.
No particular posts or threads have jumped out me, to point that I need to respond, or give my thoughts.
Wishing a safe and fun 4th of July to all!
Mike.
My You Tube
TheFlyingScotsmanI can help here! Although I must admit reading this sent a shiver through my spine I am Flying Scotaman.
Glad to hear all is well.
I am Flying Scotaman. I have had 5 or 6 profiles on this forum since the very early 2000's.
What always happens is that I lose the ability to post pics. Tried all the clearing cookies and what have you (actually workwise that doesn't really suit me TBH) and I am no slouch on cross platform working which I have to be as a consultant with plenty of overseas contracts. This one has me foxed though!
I ought not to be too bullish though - I'm in my mid 50's so let's be honest anything could happen at any minute.
One thing I would say is that I found a post of mine when searching for something recently, from 2005 or 2006 maybe, and I do think the interaction / comments back then were kinder between members.
I cannot post pics now BTW so I will probably re-incarnate myself sometime soon.
One reason for me to be an on / off contributor is that I often work in the Middle East or Asia for a few months or a year or two at a time and so other than what I take with me to keep me occupied - a couple of years ago I was in Kuala Lumpur for a few months and i took some Walthers passenger cars to detail a little as an example - it's all a bit out of sight out of mind.
In the event I do pass on I will try and let you all know in the form of an un-tracable short circuit, or an unfathomable intermittent de-railing passenger car.........
Nice to be missed though. Seriously.
ricktrains4824" a full "railfan send-off"
You just gave me another idea! This is the Royal Hudson running up the coast walking distance from the Point Atkinson Lighthouse. If I could get my ashes blown out of the smokestack of the Hudson with a slight Easterly I would still land in the chuck. What a sendoff that would be!
tstage York1 Should I tell my wife to post something? Should I assume I won't even be missed until eight years later? Should I write my obituary now so that I know it contains what I want, and have it somehow linked to my forum info? John, I think the new forum software upgrade is supposed to included all those features... Tom
York1 Should I tell my wife to post something? Should I assume I won't even be missed until eight years later? Should I write my obituary now so that I know it contains what I want, and have it somehow linked to my forum info?
John,
I think the new forum software upgrade is supposed to included all those features...
Tom
Cool!!!
I will definitely be having my written "forum obit" a full "railfan send-off" then! Only proper y'all remember fellow Forumites (or is it Forites?) that way.
Ricky W.
HO scale Proto-freelancer.
My Railroad rules:
1: It's my railroad, my rules.
2: It's for having fun and enjoyment.
3: Any objections, consult above rules.
ucf_knight BATMAN That being said I really value my privacy. If I type my name in Google absolutely nothing comes up and I would like to keep it that way. If I find my days on this planet are coming to an end, I will most likely be one of those that has slipped off in the night. If you go missing, should we start looking in Abbotsford, South Surrey, or Tsawwassen?
BATMAN That being said I really value my privacy. If I type my name in Google absolutely nothing comes up and I would like to keep it that way. If I find my days on this planet are coming to an end, I will most likely be one of those that has slipped off in the night.
If you go missing, should we start looking in Abbotsford, South Surrey, or Tsawwassen?
Well, if I am not seen at Costco in Abbotsford or at PWRS in South Surrey or catching the ferry in Tsawwassen, you can check the greek restaurant or the Boathouse in White Rock.
If you cannot find me, then I will be here. This is where I told the wife and kids to dump the ashes on the outgoing tide so I can continue to see more of the world. My wife and kids loved it as I spent a lot of time sailing off the point or walking the dogs in the park in my first 40 years.
A good place to rest my weary bones. So come on by and set a spell.
York1Should I tell my wife to post something? Should I assume I won't even be missed until eight years later? Should I write my obituary now so that I know it contains what I want, and have it somehow linked to my forum info?
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.