In a private e-mail exchange with another forums member I found myself considering the MR forums and what they mean to me. What I wrote in that conversation is as follows:
I’ve been in this hobby for a lot of years (20+) and the one thing I’d change about it is to make it more social. To a great degree the MR forum does that. It may be the most significant improvement to the hobby since DCC - I mean that seriously. I can think of nothing else that has made model railroading more pleasurable for more people since DCC simplified operations for those who use it (I’m not one of them, but I can see the influence it has had). I can speak first hand about how much more I enjoy model railroading now that I participate in these ongoing conversations - if pleasure could be quantified, I’d say the forum doubles my fun (seriously).
My question is this; do you find that the forums have similarly enhanced your enjoyment of model railroading? If so, in what ways? What have been some of your favorite threads?
MR’ing forums are not new. If I had to guess, perhaps some BBS was the first (1980’s?), just don’t ask me which one. I know the great-grandaddy forum was the Compuserve train discussion group, which eventually morphed into the newsgroup rec.railroad then rec.models.railroad. I started lurking on r.m.r back in 1996, and still see some familiar faces here and there, both here and at Atlas.
I think internet discussions in various forms has only helped spread the knowledge that used to be only shared in magazines. Instant feedback, and more interest year round. I know that back before computers, I would read the latest MR and get inspired to work on my home layout, but that it would fade a bit…until the next issue came out. Today, I’m pretty much thinking of model trains every day by visiting these forums when I can.
As for favorite threads, there’s been so many I can’t remember. 12 years is a long time, and I’ve been registered here for 6 of them (and I was lurking before that). I can’t think of just one thread that stands out over any other, for me.
I think the forums help, they provide a social interaction that magazines don’t provide except for the limited letters to the editor. But it’s more than forums, it’s all the model railroad sites. This one by Kalmbach has loads of information, but there are many others. I love perusing the track plan database on this site. And there are the sites individuals have created on their own layouts… Video is still in it’s infancy, but I think we’ll see a lot more of it in the future. Web cams are another area with potential - how about an operating session live via webcam? And then there are the historical sites. And many of the older books are showing up on the web as copyrights expire.
I think the Internet in all of it’s manifestations has really enhanced my enjoyment of the hobby.
Absolutely!! I’ve learned more in my time on this forum than I learned in the previous 30+ years! Forums in general are a fantastic tool and it’s amazing how many different types there are. I’m considering starting a side business and have been on a couple related forums. They have really steered me in the right direction and will save me a bunch of money. Forums and streaming videos are my two favorite things to come out of the WWW.
I think forums such as this are a tremendous boon to the hobby. Especially for those of us who live in an area of the country, world, where model railroaders are few and far between. Heck, people are few and far between. These forums are a great opportunity to learn from others and to try new ideas out on our own layouts.
The forums and various sites offering advice and information help me a great deal. My discussions with people here helps to humanize and to personalize the hobby for me in a way that merely building a layout using paper references and then running them alone in my basement would not do.
The forums provide a venue for outreach. Even though they are asynchronous in a way that msn and other chat sites are not, I can still get answers and provide them. Information is just a mouse click away, and so are the emails and PM’s I get daily from those with whom I have established a closer bond.
Also, I get tips and learn things just from reading. Someone else has a question, or has learned something and wants to pass it on. He titles his thread appropriately, and my eyes become drawn to the words. It helps to focus my time online.
I have “met” people here with whom I would like to have lunch or have in my home. I have gotten to know more about them such that we would not have to talk about trains much at all, but could converse about various subjects that would ultimately cement our relationship.
I enjoy the forums because I can equally give to others as well as take from their expertise and experiences. It’s just a great venue for sharing information with fellow modelers and to realize that I’m not the only one who struggles with a particular aspect of the hobby.
I’ve also met a number of fine folks and modelers from all of the world via the forums - a few of whom I had the privilege of meeting face-to-face.
I’m new to the hobby, Just over a year, and if not for the forums I’m not so sure I’d be anywhere near the enjoyment I’ve had so far. A lot of mistakes and expensive lessons learned have been avoided by reading here and other forums.
Without this forum and the friendship that it offers, I would be modeling in a virtual void populated only by myself, piles of books and reams of research - I prefer it this way. I don’t belong to any MRR club and have only two train modeler friends whose opinions I care to be bothered with and respect. One is a B&O man and the other models a railway in the heart of the Waikato coal mining district in Te Ika-a-Maui, the North Island of New Zealand.
Not only does this forum allow me to be acquainted with the thoughts and philosophy’s of those who contribute, but also I have learned much from the technical expertise of forum members of which there is an abundance here and is, for the most part, given with generosity of spirit and genuine desire to be of assistance. The forum is my daily contact with those who share much of what I am endeavoring to achieve and whose talent, enthusiasm and good humor is a source of constant inspiration.
I am very much a lone wolf, by nature as well as by choice of modeling scale and prototype. The forums are my sole interaction with others who enjoy this most wonderful (and fulfilling) hobby.
Face-to-face associations through clubs have sometimes been my only practical opportunity to participate, but I do not find them satisfying. Most clubs are a cross between the military (definite pecking order, deviate at your peril) and the US Congress (elected officers, committees, paralysis by analysis, endless compromises leading to more compromises…) Even when I have been at the top of the pyramid, I’d rather have been doing my own thing in my own home on my own schedule. Many people find club membership good. I’m just not one of them.
Here, I can log on when I want to, answer whatever threads I care to and participate on my own terms. As a result, I’ve learned a lot of useful things - some of them pretty basic (like using latex caulk for track adhesive) and some more esoteric. I have become acquainted with people I would almost certainly never meet in the normal course of events, and I’ve had a lot of fun. And that, in the final analysis, is the most notable enhancement to MY hobby.
I think the forums are great for the hobby because:
To us lone wolf modelers, the forums, and things like WPF, allow us to share our modeling with hundreds of people at a time with the simple act of posting a picture.
Quick advice and help from other modelers about anything.
As Loathar stated, I have also learned more in 3 years on these forums than 20 years reading print. There is no better example of how do something than pictures and video.
When I decided to return to the hobby, a quick web search answered all of my questions about advancements and changes in MRR, in my case, affordable DCC, and a reliable and smooth running Shay locomotive. I couldn’t wait to get started.
I’ve never met any of you personally, but I’ve gotten to know a lot of you over the Forum, and we’ve shared ideas and photos and stories, and even some personal items.
Do I like the Forum? ABSOLUTELY! Does it inspire me? YOU BET. If I didn’t have this outlet, I wouldn’t have seen half of the layouts that I’ve been exposed to. Even when someone tells me, “Hey, I like what you’ve done, but have you ever thought of–” I don’t take it as criticism, but as an idea. That’s how we grow, and even at my age, if you don’t keep growing, you just wilt. I don’t feel like ‘wilting.’
I’ve gotten a lot of good, constructive comments on my contributions to WPF over the years, and a LOT of friendly jokes about my passion for Articulated steam–mainly Yellowstones–and a month ago, a LOT of really great PM’s about losing my Traincat Lowell, which really eased me over the hump about that (I’m an inveterate Maine Coon Cat Lover, in case you’ve been on Mars the last seven years) and Spooky, my other Traincat has become a kinda/sorta ‘Mascot’ around these here parts for her propensity for stealing cabooses (cabeese?). And I also hope that in a way I’ve contributed MY experiences in the hobby (been in it since 1954 or so) so that I can be a kinda/sorta helper-cheerleader to those just coming in.
So, in conclusion: Does the Forum contribute an enhancement for the hobby? In my case, it’s a resounding YES!
I think good forums like this one are invaluable resources on any topic. Before the internet really took off (i.e. before google) Compuserve was fascinating to me because I could chat freely with the authors of the articles I was reading in various hobby magazines.
Although I’ve never been a member of a MRR club, I would guess there is more combined and readily available expertise in a few internet forums than in any single club.
I’m going to have to say that I’ve mixed feelings about forums. They’re entertaining and you can learn a thing or two, but they really keep me away from my modeling that is for sure. I can’t begin to say how much time I’ve wasted on the internet vs. doing some actual modeling. There’s a point where you have to stop reading and researching, and just DO something!
I personally love these forums. While many modelers are “lone wolves” or are part of a round-robin group, or a club, or something else social related to model railroading, I (and probably many others here) are not. I would like to be part of a club or other modeler’s group, and when I was part of a club, I loved it, but the dues were too high for me, and I figured 5 bucks a night (for three meetings a month) was way too much. I am seriously considering joining the HUB division, as it’s 10 bucks for the whole YEAR, but that’s another story…
I have four friends in the area who are also into modeling, but only two that I see regularly. Two of them I met here, and another one I met on a different forum. They are the first (and unfortunetely, only) people I invite to every operating session I hold. I’d like to hold another, as they sound like a lot of fun (now that I’ve worked out a lot of bugs with my layout) but since Digitrax hasn’t returned my Zephyr yet (another story…) then I cannot until then…
These forums give me a place to share my ideas, work, and questions, and I’ve received so many great ideas and improved my modeling so much since I’ve joined. I don’t know if I’d still be in this hobby without these forums. Thanks everyone!
When I first thought of the idea of getting back into model trains the first thing I did was lurk around on this forum for awhile. I learned a lot about what I should buy and what I shouldn’t just by reading posts. I decided to go with DCC right from the start because of what I read on this forum as well. I’ve also met a number of people from the site and stay in touch with a few of them. I don’t know if I agree with the forum being a way to socialize with other posters, I’ve always felt that socializing was more a face to face thing.
This forum is a boon to us people living on the planet Mongo, not too many other people around, as this is the only source of social intercourse, this forum has solved many problems and given me great incentive. Also is nice to talk to some “normal” humans(at least you sound normal) All in all this is a tremendous help to myself and others, and get this - - - - - - -it’s FREE !