Fellow interchange participants,In recent days it has become apparent how much work the moderators put into the forum. Other events have illustrated how much also goes into the technical side as well. However – this raises some questions. Is the information exchanged here worth it – especially since it seems as the number of posts has dropped as well as the percentage of those dealing with factual information (vs. my favorite locomotive is . . .). This is not to say that there shouldn’t be a RYPN message board – but perhaps it should be transformed into a Yahoogroup, or added to railfan.net or railroad.net - where the technical aspects are already taken care of and where it would be possible to create new guidelines to encourage personal responsibility. I appreciate the amount of labor that the RYPN editors and moderators put into the site – but it seems to be approaching a point of diminishing returns. I think it may be more productive for the entire effort for the moderators and editors to search for topics to write briefs and articles about on a regular basis. Even with the internet there is a tremendous number of major developments occurring in railroad preservation (both positive and negative) that are not reported. I think that this would serve to better fill the gap left with the demise of Locomotive and Railway Preservation and further assist the development of railroad preservation as a widely recognized part of American cultural heritageTom Cornillie

I think the reason for the drop in frequency of "...those (posts) dealing with factual information..." Is because most operations are getting into their summer operations. Many organizations are working to find their summer groove.As a neophyte in the trenches of railroad preservation I appreciate all the work that is done to keep this site operational. There is a vast knowledge available from those who read, post, and respond via email. I do not feel that we would accomplish the same mission and goals if we were part of a railfan.net type message board. I think that affiliating this board in such a way only increases the "my favorite locomotive is…" type of threads.The Internet is a vast and varied venue for information. That information may not always be correct. Which is why I appreciate RYPN. It provides a direct link to many who are credible in the know in our industry. Especially from the dirty hands perspective not purely an academic standpoint.Dave SutterRailroad SpecialistThe Henry Ford

I am a lurker, participant, or moderator on well over a dozen message boards and Yahoo Groups. They cover a wide spectrum of topics, mostly steam-related, but in various aspects and even various countries.The amount of activity across all of them has dropped considerably; some that used to be a gold mine of information are only a shadow of their former selves. As mentioned before, some of this is seasonal; people are out getting involved or visiting locations rather than sitting in front of their computers.Some of it too seems to be a drop off in participation by some of the knowledgable "old timers". There were some names I recall on one board in particular that I don't see posting messages anymore. That one in particular sees very little activity these days.But remember, we make the Interchange and all of these discussion forums what they are. If there is breaking news out there that is not being mentioned, why not drop a line yourself and tell us about them?Also, in the past Bob Yarger has taken lots of time to surf the web and drop dozens of messages and links on us. His activity has been less lately, probably because he has a life away from his keyboard. -James Hefner Hebrews 10:20a Surviving World Steam Project

I think the forum's fine the way it is, is very well run and falls under the old adage if it ain't busted, don't fix it.Like any public forum, there are a few kooks on this one and it doesn't take much lurking to find out who they are and ignore their crazy remarks.I rarely post anything, but look at the forum nearly every day to keep up with what's going on and think it's one of the better ones around -- otherwise why would I look at it on a routine basis.Bob H.

I would tend to agree with some of the above posts, I think there's a minor lull which is most likely attributed to two things.1) The seasonal aspect, those than are involved in the preservation world are out using those precious warm/dry days to further their work in relative comfort, and the rest of us are out exploring and enjoying their efforts.2) The other is the "lurker" aspect. I myself have posted perhaps a dozen time in the past 2-3 years, but I read the posts here religously on an almost daily basis, it is something that I look forward to every day as you never know what new detail, previously unknown to you, might suddenly be revealed.I agree that there's a huge amount of behind-the-scenes effort going on, and I would be more than happy to volunteer my help in any way to keep this alive (Just contact me off-list if I might be of help in any way). However, I think to judge the board activity by number of posts only is a bad measuring stick.Perhaps one way to boost some message/posting traffic is to encourage postings. Instead of "my favorite locomotive", which by the way, I have no issue with, how about encouraging trip-reports ? Visited a display, or museum group this weekend ? Give us a report of what you saw, what thoughts or questions it might have raised.This idea does three things.1) Atttracts some interest to the place/museum visited2) Gives some feedback to those museum members who visit this board with an idea as to what the "public" sees, and why that see it that way3) Allows for some q&a between the museum group and the visitor, that might not have been possible during their visit.Can't hurt to try.

As one who does not usually embrace change, especially when it involves a technology like computers that I know so little about, I think RYPN is fine the way it is. The only exception to that is that we have needlessly lost a good moderator. The lack of posting is probably seasonal. As for myself, family situations and to much railroad in my recent life has cut into my computer time lately. I missed nearly all of the T-1 thread that apparently got out of hand. Since the T-1s are among my favorite locomotives that was a hard pill to swallow. I appreciate getting the chance to read the meaningful posts from that thead after the moderators decided to put them back up and am glad they deleted the others. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the moderators, including Ed, for the fine job they do.John Bohon

This is one of the best-moderated, most civil, and most professional discussion groups out there. I and my company have supported it in the past and will support it in the future. The information on this site is invaluable to the entire rail preservation movement, and it shouldn't be a thankless task. I really miss L&RP, this has helped take some of the sting out, and in some ways, is better.So thank you, beyond being a sponsor. People will make personal decisions that have to be made, no foul. But don't beat up on yourself - this is an incredibly valuable, and creditable, effort.

Hi Tom and Everyone,RYPN is being run very smoothly considering the following facts,1: The Interchange was just Broken into a couple of weeks ago and was completely deleted.2: Every person who works on the RYPN staff is fully occupied with other work,jobs, and most importantly Families.An Example, Hume is an Engineer and is usually out of town during the week and spending 10 to 16 hours daily working his job. This doesnt leave much time for Family and RYPN.He has asked a number of people to help him with upkeep,backups and other aspects of RYPNs needs.3: On top of all of it one of RYPNs Moderators resigned which cuts into the time the other moderators have for their Families because most jobs wont look kindly on taking time from them.Why not volunteer some time yourselves to help. You can contact Hume or any of the RYPN staff to volunteer. there is a lot to be done but the more volunteers there are the eaiser it will be to maintain the High Standards that Hume has set for RYPN.Andrew MartinPresidentTWVRPS Inc.

While Yahoo groups are easy to set up and run, they have a few of their own problems. One is the incessant advertising that keeps them free. Another is that it's virtually impossible to get hold of a real human being at Yahoo if you have a technical issue. Finally, while Yahoo groups are easy to run, the options are rather limited. Running your own board on your own server gives you a LOT more flexibility.Personally, I like things the way they are here. Change is always disruptive. Besides, I don't see anything broken, so why fix it? Moderators are human and occasionally make mistakes. I've screwed up in moderating (or not) discussions on some of my email lists, too. That doesn't mean that the whole forum is broken.

james,Thanks for what you said. I too think that this site is one of the best around! And I read it every day. Such a wide range of topics show up here! Especially thank you to those who can past pictures here. Which I can not domyself.Ted Miles

I think that it is probably up to the editors and staff of RYPN to decide when continuing a service is going generating diminsing returns. I don't think one incident is indicitive of the value of the forum. RYPN as a whole probably gets a lot more traffic to the site as a result of the Interchange, which increases the exposure of railway perservation. In the end, it is up to the editors and RYPN staff to decide if they would rather be doing something else.

The IRM brief today is part of what I come here for everyday. Good photos with a description of what is happening in each photo. I am a novice but learn so much from this board.Let's support it and keep it the way it is for now. If it needs fixing in the future, we can do it then.Scott

Hello all,Thank you for your thoughtful replies. My main concern is the opportunity cost of maintaining the Interchange with its current standards. That is, would the time that the moderators spend moderating the forum be better spent researching and writing articles and briefs. I think that all of us here agree that it is important to have a forum with which to exchange thoughts - otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this post and I wouldn’t be writing it. However, the information on any forum (and especially this one in its current configuration) is fleeting – as it is difficult (and right now – impossible) to search old posts or re-start older posts.Conversely, well written briefs and articles provide an important insights that can be useful for understanding the development of this field. Moreover, RYPN can serve preservation by asking the “who, what, when, where, why, and how” and transforming this information into something that is meaningful and readable. The brief and website on Chicago Great Western 601 is a good example – as I have followed this formula in making this website for the Illinois Railway Museum’s freight car department to assist in fundraising and raising awareness about the restoration process. However, it takes quite a bit of work to think of the right questions to ask, match that information with my own research and to then transform into something that can be understood by a broad audience. By going out to research stories RYPN can help those organizations that do not have the time or means to publish their own activities – or report on important stories that are difficult for a group to independently raise. I think that the time of those who volunteer to RYPN would be better spent in this kind of endeavor than in chasing down those who try to start flame wars, do not know how to make constructive criticism, etc. etc. – in short spending the time and skills of the best and brightest going after the lowest common denominator. At a minimum – I would suggest reducing the time that is spent moderating the interchange and allowing people to moderate themselves. Those of us who use the interchange responsibly will continue to do so - and we do not have to pay any attention to those who do not. If somebody wants to flame war or make unconstructive arguments this does not impede the responsible use of the forum to exchange information. Words are just that – and if we can keep this in mind we can put our time to what is really important.Tom Cornillie

Tom - not all the moderators want to produce articles or briefs, and anybody can submit any brief or article for the editors to consider. They even publish what I write, so nobody out there with a story to tell has any need to feel intimidated about submitting.I volunteer to do what book reviewing and editing I can since I have no computer skills. If folks with marketable modern skills want to help it probably won't be turned down.dave