IMHO all discussions concerning the various lawsuits ie: MTH vs. Lionel, QSI vs. MTH and the subsequent flames that they generate serve only to confuse and confound newcomers or returnees to our great hobby.
Now, I’m not saying that these threads are of little importance.
On the contrary, I, too, enjoy reading and participating on them. However, I consider myself and all the others who are interested in these lawsuits to be long time hardcore O-gauge enthusiasts. Many of us share very emotional and partisan ties to the various manufacturers.
Take a moment and put yourself in a newcomer or returnees’ place. Imagine what is going through their heads while browsing the various O-gauge forums. I’m sure very few, if any, really could give a damn about lawsuits.
Nostalgia has awakened their interest in their old trains and accessories. Now they are looking forward to buying new trains, constructing future layouts and are seeking good, constructive, thoughtful advice concerning their newly discovered hobby. Thread upon thread of lawsuit flames only serve to discourage them.
If this hobby is to attract new comers and enjoy continued growth, flaming Lawsuit threads inter-spaced among other O-gauge threads, while valid and important to their contributors, are counter productive to the hobby.
I believe all the O-Gauge forums would serve their members better if their respective forum moderators would devote a separate stand alone topic devoted solely to these ongoing Lawsuits. This way the flamers and trolls would have a place to hang out. And if someone unknowingly, or mistakenly posts a new thread concerning the Lawsuits, rather than the Moderator deleting the thread, the Moderator could simply move the thread to under the more appropriate topic.
This way newcomers could easily avoid being dragged into the flames, and instead they can seek out the threads that are more important to them. While the