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The Internet: a vast wasteland of railroad information?

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  • Member since
    April 2007
  • From: Iowa
  • 3,293 posts
Posted by Semper Vaporo on Friday, September 26, 2014 7:28 PM

I think it is more a matter of information overload or dilution... too much stuff that matches the few words you used to search.

Here are some things you might try to get better results:

1) Try different search engines.  Google is probably the best, but there are others; Bing and DuckDuckGo (yes that is a silly name, but it is a good search engine... and they claim they do not remember what you searched for or sell that info to advertisers).

2) Try rewording your search phrase.  Not only different words, but different order to the words.

3) Try putting some of the search phrase in quotes... like "WHEEL CARS".

4) Try adding a Plus sign ("+") in front of some of the words and a Minus sign ("-") in front of words that you found in previous searches that diluted the results... as in:

+"railroad wheel car" -hotwheels -"hot wheels"

Which will limit the search to only those sites that include Railroad and wheel and Cars in that sequence and without any intervening words and it will eliminate any sites that include "Hotwheels" or "hot wheels" in the site.  Do note that you might miss some sites that might be all about the subject you are searching for, but happen to mention "Hotwheels" as an aside or in reference to maybe a toy replica of what you are seeking.  (I've been bit by that more than once!)

Also note that most search engines ignore the case of the letters that you type in and will find "Wheels" or "wHeElS" when searching for "WhEeLs".

 

 

Semper Vaporo

Pkgs.

  • Member since
    February 2005
  • From: Vancouver Island, BC
  • 23,330 posts
Posted by selector on Friday, September 26, 2014 7:26 PM

I liken the experience on the www to that of a child entering grampa's garden and taking a good look around. 

"Is this a weed, Grampa?" 

Noooo!!  Arrgghhhh..

Try different syntaxes in your search.  Sometimes it takes me nearly an hour to find what I seek, and many iterations and constructions of words strung together before I get what I need.

  • Member since
    June 2003
  • From: South Central,Ks
  • 7,170 posts
Posted by samfp1943 on Friday, September 26, 2014 6:36 PM

jimnorton
To me it appears that the internet is becoming less and less of a research tool.  Lately, I have realized just how lacking it is when trying to gather rail related information.  Some times I come away thinking its the modern day equivilant of the CB radio rage!

The internet is awash in information..The key is at what level and to what extent one would want to spend their time and energy in the chasing down of the information they want..  Like a library there is all sorts of 'stuff out there. Just as much information that is both informative, and misleading, as well.

I seem to sense a high level of frustration in your post. Bang Head    The internet is like a parking pass to a member of a college freshman class at a large university... It does not guarantee you anything, but  its' ownersh\ip gives you the right to get out there an seek what you want, and to use it lawfully when you find it.

I like the analogy of the CB Radio! Mischief  It was at once your best friend, and your worst enemy.  

The value of its information was yours, as an individual to decide.PirateDunce

 

 


 

  • Member since
    December 2001
  • From: Huntsville, Alabama
  • 207 posts
The Internet: a vast wasteland of railroad information?
Posted by jimnorton on Friday, September 26, 2014 6:22 PM

To me it appears that the internet is becoming less and less of a research tool.  Lately, I have realized just how lacking it is when trying to gather rail related information.  Some times I come away thinking its the modern day equivilant of the CB radio rage!

Recently, I wanted to gather information on a recently released Evans double door model.  This particular car was interesting as it was a formerly owned car with Vermont Railway marks and patches.  I was unaware of VTR rostering these kind of cars and wanted to learn the how and when.  Long story short......learned nothing - found nothing.

     

Another instance involved research on prototype wheel set carrying cars.  I surmised that after years and years of magazine articles I could find either some old or new detailed source of information on the net.  I typed in "railroad wheel car."  The closest I got was Hot Wheels Car!

Has anybody else noticed this?  Given my druthers I'd rather have years of printed media to research than the Internet.  Remember this next time you have forsaken print for digital!

     

Jim Norton

Huntsville, AL

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