I’ve been active on this Forum for 12 years or more, and it is one of my top two most popular sites (Ebay is the other).
Four times in the last couple of years I “lost” the link/address to the Forum and tried my darndest to get back to it - but could not do it on my own. I checked out the Kalmbach site, searched on trains and model railroader, etc., etc. and could not find the Forum.
Finally, hat and hand, I emailed a good email friend (Richhotrain) for the link, which he graciously provided. Earlier this week he did it for the 4th time, and I thank him.
The address begins with “cs.trains…”. I can understand the first letters being “trains” or “kalmbach” or the like, but what’s with the “cs”???
Then it hit me… if I couldn’t find the access to the Site - after all the years I’ve utilized it - how could a newbie find it? How would a person even know we exist?
I believe it would help if the Forum was a more prominent part of the Kalmbach home page, or the various train oriented mags home pages, which would help get those newbies or casual MRs more involved in the Hobby…
I don’t log-off and it’s on My Bookmarks Toolbar anyway. One click away. Along with any other site, I want access to instantly, like my Bank statement.
One thing I’ve noticed is that my avatar never shows when I’m on line and that must be true with many others. If I go first to Trains. com and use the community link to get here the avatar shows up.
It amazes me how the MRR software affects different computers in different ways. This is particulary appearant whan MRR does a major software up date . Some have no problems while others have differnt problems.
I usually never have any problems entering this forum - only when the Kalmbach IT folks work on the system. I have bookmarked the page, but you can also enter easily via modelrailroader.com or trains.com.
I first found this forum by using google. I don’t remember what I was looking for specifically, but I was trying find information that was model railroading related and a thread on this forum came up. I’m sure that is how many have come across this site.
I checked my settings and I have checked every box there is to ckeck. Besides myself I’ve noticed that most of the regulars on the forum don’t show as being on line either. The ones that do mostly don’t post on the MRR forum.
To clarify a bit, my point was that this Forum could be more prominent on the Kalmbach/MR/Trains/Classic Trains/Classic Toy Trains sites, so that newcomers would see it more easily. As previously mentioned, I too stumbled upon this Forum by accident.
When I am searching out (how to) things on the WWW it often brings me to this forum, in fact I do believe this is how I found the forum in the first place, all those years ago. However since the new software, everything about this forum has been acting funny. I rarely get PMs anymore whereas I use to get several a week, maybe I smell funny. [:O]
None of the colour changing features work, like when I get PMs or if I have read a thread or not. Oh well it’s free and I still manage.[sigh]
You got a point there. Google gets you to the Kalmbach website for the obvious search object of “Model Trains”. But I was unable to navigate from there to here. You can get to the Kalmbach magazines, MR, Trains and such, but you can’t get to here even from the MR page. Kalmbach might want to rethink that. This site draws a lot of eyeballs, clicks, repeat visits, and the content doesn’t cost Kalmbach a thing to provide.
I originally found this forum when I checked out MR.com for first time. I’m thinking that a lot of people find it this way. I booked marked MR and that’s how I get here.
Dunno if it’ll help, but one of the first things Mongo do when computer no work right is hit “Restart”. I know it’s the idiots first choice, but when all else fails sometimes it does do the trick. Especially if your computer is set to mess up (I mean “update”) its software on a regular schedule. Also, occasionally clearing your cache and getting rid of “stale” cookies can help. You have to re-enter passwords and other bothersome details but for some browsers it’s the pause that refreshes.
Gidday, there is obviously quite some disparity between various computer systems and search engines, so one size does not fit all.
As a newbie upon discovering http://mrr.trains.com/, directions to the forum are not immediately obvious, though by navigating across the options on the black line, you would find it under Communities.
Out of curiosity I googledModel Railroader Forum, clicked on the first option and got the forum index page. http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/default.aspx
Like others I bookmark the Model Railroader site so it’s no biggie as far as I’m concerned, and while I believe that Mobilman44 concern is legitimate, we do have to remember that forum participation is free, and besides if model railroading has taught me anything, it is that some degree of patience is required to achieve the results I desire.
If a newbie has not
Back when I joined, I was already familiar with MR magazine. I just did a search for “Model Railroader” and up comes the link “mrr.trains.com/”
Form there I foudn the forum and “lurked” for a few months before I timidly posted the first time. They weren’t much int he way of posts, just some answers to Qs I could answer or comments on some AWESOME work others had psoted pics of. Then I got into a groove of posting.
What the “cs.trains” part is for I have no clue, but I think the “cs.” was added after one of the venerable upgrades. I thought to distinguish it from the previous version forum’s designation “trains.com” or something to that effect.
Now when I am out and on a different computer, I just search for “trains.com” and can get to the MR section and the forums from there.
“trains” and “.com” are easy enough to remember! even for my aging mind!
I have not tried to access from say a tablet or smart phone {don’t own those}, so I have no idea how to find it there. If it has intrenet connections, I imagine the same way?
I don;t even have the site bookmarked. I clearly spend more time in the Electronics and DCC section - thus it is always on my recently visted sites list.
But if you google Model Railroader, you get mrr.trains.com. Which is the main page and has links to the news, track plan database, reader videos, reviews, MRVP, and, of course, the forums.