DHTR
Junior Member
Posts: 83
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Post by DHTR on Apr 4, 2021 4:43:14 GMT -8
I am not sure if it’s ok to have to have this thread in this section , I put it here because this is the most read section on this forum,or at least I think it is . I know that there other forums out there , is there any way that we could make a list of ALL them. I know that there are O, HO,N , ECT... it would be great if we could use the vast amount of resources that other forms offer .I’ve tried doing a search on Google there’s a few out there that I could find, but I’m sure I’m missing many more, and I know the quality of modelers out there is incredible , I think this would be a great thread to have. A list of threads to help the new modeler who is just getting into this hobby . That way they can have that research at their fingertips . And you could have the list saved in your favorites. Thank you very much I appreciate all the hard work out there. To everyone who posts on a daily basis and shares their pictures or thoughts , this hobby is the best stress reliever especially with all this crazy crap virus stuff ,thank you very much !!
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Post by edwardsutorik on Apr 4, 2021 19:01:24 GMT -8
Nameless person, You have brought up an interesting idea. You say you have found a few forums, but you have not listed them, to start the ball rolling. A person could question your commitment to the idea. The only other one I visit is the Kalmbach one: cs.trains.com/mrr/f/default.aspxIt ain't much, but once in awhile there's something good. The best stuff for me has been the "layout builds". I follow Pruitt's C&S project, and also the interesting N scale layout by SNSR, but it's kind of dormant. There have been others. There are also "groups". I'm in quite a number of them. But they're "groups", not "forums". Not sure what the difference is. Ed |
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DHTR
Junior Member
Posts: 83
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Post by DHTR on Apr 4, 2021 21:29:07 GMT -8
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Post by jonklein611 on Apr 5, 2021 3:16:12 GMT -8
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Post by sd40dash2 on Apr 5, 2021 4:17:30 GMT -8
This style of forum is tops for user-friendly navigation. Which is of course why it's dying off in favour of social media groups. The latter are plentiful but the user interface is awful and seems to be more about scrolling and news feed format rather than an organized discussion. A few of the ones I looked at were constantly bombarded with "What scale?" or "When is mfr x making this in N scale?" posts from the N scale crowd so I gave up on them. I agree this style of forum is the way to go.
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Post by gevohogger on Apr 5, 2021 5:34:20 GMT -8
This style of forum is tops for user-friendly navigation. Which is of course why it's dying off in favour of social media groups. The latter are plentiful but the user interface is awful and seems to be more about scrolling and news feed format rather than an organized discussion. A few of the ones I looked at were constantly bombarded with "What scale?" or "When is mfr x making this in N scale?" posts from the N scale crowd so I gave up on them. I agree this style of forum is the way to go. This, exactly. Internet communities have evolved from the email lists and bulletin boards of the 1990s to the forums of the 2000s only to take a big step backwards with Facebook groups in the 2010s and beyond. Is there anyone who honestly prefers the nearly non-existent search and archiving capabilities of the Facebook platform? Or who prefers the endless scrolling of Facebook? Sure, there are a lot of really awesome Facebook groups but just imagine if they were forums instead.... It would be the best of all worlds.
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Post by lars on Apr 5, 2021 5:37:57 GMT -8
I've been active in a few forums over the years.
Trains.com - sometimes too general, have to really sift through things to get quality
Model Railroad Hobbyist - Annoying to navigate. Blogs are good, but hard to browse. Forum has a problem with people constantly posting in the wrong boards. Some dominant personalities there, some very good, some not so much. Likely one of the better sites that for a mix of everything (scenery, DCC, track, design, etc.).
TrainBoard - One of the other places that has a board dedicated to design. Big N scale crowd there.
Diesel Detailer - Way too many boards making it annoying to navigate. Heard it is over-moderated, which has led to its demise.
Trainorders - In terms of knowledge of participants, seems most like AtlasRescueForum
Model Train Forum - Don't know much.
Model Railroad Forums - Don't know much.
Railfan.net and railroad.net - Both have model railroading boards and both suffer from far too many boards. Both have been dying a slow death.
Railroadforums.com - Looks to be sister to modelrailroadforums. Don't know much.
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Post by edwardsutorik on Apr 5, 2021 6:09:41 GMT -8
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Post by edwardsutorik on Apr 5, 2021 6:48:15 GMT -8
(I do not "do" social media. So I may be incorrect in some or all of my assumptions on that subject.)
"forums" and "social media" seem to me to be very different things.
Forums are for discussion of various topics. A self-choosing group of people comment on a subject.
Social media is for one "person" (owner) to make statements. Others may respond. The "person" is in control of all aspects.
Note that, with a forum, any member may initiate a topic. And other members may voice disagreement. With social media, it appears that disagreement is not welcome. But then, I wouldn't know.
Ed
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Post by edwardsutorik on Apr 5, 2021 6:54:00 GMT -8
Back to a forum list:
I suggest the OP correct the spelling of the topic.
I suggest that the OP, once a list of forums is established, post that list at the bottom of his first post (as an edit). I suggest it include a clickable link to the home page, and that that link be made visually independent of other elements--perhaps a line for each one. Sort of like the way I did it for Bigbluetrains. Probably wouldn't hurt to have a very short summary of the advantages and disadvantages of each, too.
A bit of useful housekeeping, I think.
Ed
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Post by drsvelte on Apr 5, 2021 11:31:25 GMT -8
Groups.io is another platform that hosts a number of model railroading, railfan, and railroad-related forum-like interest “groups.” Many of the groups now on Groups.io have migrated there from Yahoo after they pulled the plug on support. The Group.io format is similar to what we have here in the Atlas Rescue Forum.
I have about 30 groups that I look at on occasion. Some groups are quite active with multiple posts per day; others are essentially moribund.
Here are a few that might appeal to Atlas Forum folks.
MFCL (https://groups.io/g/MFCL): focuses on discussion and modeling of freight cars from the 1960s to the present. The group is an active one with highly knowledgeable participants, some of whom penned articles for the defunct Rail Model Journal.
PRRPro (https://groups.io/g/PRRPro/topics): focuses on modeling the PRR. Fairly active with numerous Pennsylvania Technical & Historical Society members contributing. Seems fairly strongly moderated to keep a straight-and-narrow PRR focus.
ResinFreightCarBuilders (https://groups.io/g/ResinFreightCarBuilders/topics): somewhat similar to MFCL but with a focus on steam and transition-era freight cars.
RepowerAndRegear (https://groups.io/g/RepowerAndRegear): a fairly active group focusing on all kinds of strange but interesting rebuilding and repowering of model locomotives.
DieselModeler (https://groups.io/g/DieselModeler/topics): relatively new group started by our own fr8kar that focuses on diesel locomotive modeling. Unfortunately, off to a slow start with not much activity.
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Post by sd40dash2 on Apr 5, 2021 11:48:16 GMT -8
Group.io format is similar to what we have here in the Atlas Rescue Forum.  |
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Post by drsvelte on Apr 5, 2021 12:57:03 GMT -8
Group.io format is similar to what we have here in the Atlas Rescue Forum. So very helpful, please elucidate. |
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platec
Full Member
The object of nostalgia is further away than it appears
Posts: 130
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Post by platec on Apr 5, 2021 15:16:35 GMT -8
The only other modeling forum that I still follow the The Railwire: www.therailwire.net/forum/It's a majority N scale scene with a distinctly contrarian vibe, but there's quite often some exemplary modeling on display too. |
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Post by edwardsutorik on Apr 5, 2021 16:45:45 GMT -8
Thanks, Nate.
For some reason, I've not heard of Railwire. I visited and the HO part, at least, has some interesting topics. I'm glad the N scalers have a good place to go. This here one is pretty much HO. Which, of course, works for me.
I think I might join up (Railwire, that is).
And thanks, too, to OP. He got the ball rolling!
Ed
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DHTR
Junior Member
Posts: 83
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Post by DHTR on Apr 6, 2021 10:28:33 GMT -8
This is what exactly hoping for a nice response and discussion of All the other forms out there , and I agree with most people at the other forums has Way too many boards that’s why I really like the atlas rescue Forum it only has a few boards to choose from , something I wish other forums would follow this one , I think it be a lot better the surf and navigate those forums , thank you again for everyone responding.
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Post by loco8107 on Apr 10, 2021 10:09:50 GMT -8
This style of forum is tops for user-friendly navigation. Which is of course why it's dying off in favour of social media groups. The latter are plentiful but the user interface is awful and seems to be more about scrolling and news feed format rather than an organized discussion. A few of the ones I looked at were constantly bombarded with "What scale?" or "When is mfr x making this in N scale?" posts from the N scale crowd so I gave up on them. I agree this style of forum is the way to go. This, exactly. Internet communities have evolved from the email lists and bulletin boards of the 1990s to the forums of the 2000s only to take a big step backwards with Facebook groups in the 2010s and beyond. Is there anyone who honestly prefers the nearly non-existent search and archiving capabilities of the Facebook platform? Or who prefers the endless scrolling of Facebook? Sure, there are a lot of really awesome Facebook groups but just imagine if they were forums instead.... It would be the best of all worlds.
Socail media was a lot more than a big step backwards that’s for sure. This is still the best model RR group out there for many reasons, including the format. Facebook is manly for arm chair warriors and folks who refuse to act in a rational manner, sadly (not necessarily train groups or otherwise). |
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Post by rounder on Jun 11, 2021 14:14:07 GMT -8
There's a lot of good modeling talent and discussion over at the Railwire, however it has been my observation that the core group is about a dozen or so guys who live nearby to each other and have a common mindset, and it can be a bit clique-ish with a lot of inside jokes and what not. If you're not a dry-humored, liberal/progressive, N scale Pennsy/PC/CR enthusiast or Colorado narrow gauge fan, living in the mid-Atlantic region of the US, you can forfeit any expectation of ever being more than a benchwarmer on the sidelines over there.
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