Dave, I have been a participant in this nice forum for several years. I ALWAYS read one of your posts because I respect your abilities and your demeanor. I wholeheartedly endorse what you are trying to accomplish as a model railroader and your unselfish sharing of information to the rest of us.
Sure, there a few nitwits and whiners here, I just ignore them. Like it or not, it is a free forum, open to all comers who can remain reasonably civil. Having been a model railroader for over 60 years, I feel that it is my obligation to provide assistance to the newcomers if we want the hobby to grow and thrive. You certainly have been doing that as well.
I must have missed alot somewhere along the line. I didn’t see where thing went amiss. Usually if things get a little testy , I don’t even post anything till thing blow over. I’ve read alot of your posts , Dave , over the years, I’ve never seen you get nasty , so , either I really missed something or I’m dense. Whatever your apologizing for , fine. There are many others that should consider doing the same except it would become another flamethrower event.
What you wrote made me stop and think. Do I come across as testy?
I certainly don’t mean to. I was brought up to develop my own opinions, articulate the reasons I hold them, and defend them if necessary. Perhaps I’ve been a bit too keen to do that, without considering the limitations of the way we communicate in the forums.
I know that when people post misinformation about subjects where I have some expertise, I like to correct the record. But then, it occurs to me that not everyone else on the forum knows what my background or experience is, so they may not understand where I’m coming from. (Maybe I should post a copy of my resume to my webpage?)
Or maybe it’s a cultural thing. I’ve known a number of Americans, all of whom have said that they find Australians to be rather blunt and lacking tact. And some have said that I was more blunt than most. Perhaps I’ve spent too much time knocking around in the bush, where people call a spade a bloody shovel! [:D]
At any rate, I think I’ll adopt Andre’s suggestion of reviewing my messages before I hit “post” - it can’t hurt, eh?
[i]At any rate, I think I’ll adopt Andre’s suggestion of reviewing my messages before I hit “post” - it can’t hurt, eh?
All the best,
Mark.[/i]
Hi Mark. I can’t say it doesn’t hurt because after one has created a devastatingly witty and well argued reply, it kind of deflates one’s bubble to realize that perhaps the reply is all out of proportion to the original post, especially when the reply becomes rather lengthy. It kinda hurts to have to “kill” something like that when one has spent considerable time creating it and realize that you aren’t going to ever get that time back. [sigh]
I had noticed a change in the “tone” of your posts and figured your career and/or life was a little hectic or out of sorts. Your apology is accepted and appreciated. I agree with your observations about Jeff and want to thank you for your thread on how to make a small layout look larger than it is and must say you have mastered that very well.
Even though we model in different scales, you in “N” and myself in “HO” , we both share a love of the PRR and you are an inspiration to me when I look at your work.
And by the way, Thankyou for your service to our country!
Don’t give up your hobby as a Model Railroader. But if you are going to go into Stand-up Comedy, you may have to 'cause you sure aint going to make enough money to eat AND play trains.
