I agree with Dave. Pimping railfan content is not appropriate on RYPN. That isn't to say there is anything wrong with that content, but it belongs on the sites created for that kind of stuff (railfan.net, railroad.net, trainorders.com)

If there was a board for photos, and tighter moderation keeping us to preservation issues, that would be great. And if we all had to use real names and be upfront about who we were... well, that would elevate the conversation.



Rob

I find myself annoyed by clicking on a thread which I hope leads to an interesting bit of information or question about the listed subject, only to find nothing there but a link to some photo posted elsewhere. Seperating links to photos elsewhere to a list of links, rather than on the discussion board, would solve that problem. Those who want to explore a image gallery link lottery could go to that list, and those of us with higher hopes of interesting topical information would not be sent down these dead ends. Photos illustrating a topic being discussed can already be added to the body of the posting on a thread, so nothing would be lost in the process. Or, just add the words "link to pic only" on the topic line.

dave

RYPN is one of the "public faces" of railway preservation. I would suggest thinking about what sort of an impression of the industry RYPN presently presents.

PC

Good way to put it.

That can either be developed/policed by the user based or dictated. Either works will in my experience.

Rob

I am interested in clarifying the distinction between "railfan" photos and photos that would be considered appropriate.

L&RP featured a lot of excellent photography and news photos that contributed greatly to the appeal of the magazine. Aside from news photos illustrating restoration projects (and the occasional failure), there were many images that were either a part of a historical photo essay, or used to illustrate an article on a contemporary museum/event. I found this content to be inspiring, especially when it was accompanied by good writing.

Of course, all of this content was chosen by editors that were guided by their vision for the magazine. The content on RyPN is user generated, and far less consistent.

So back to my question, what is the difference between photos that illustrate an inspiring preservation success, vs. photos inappropriate fan photos? Was this a controversy back in the days of L&RP? Am I wrong in seeing this forum as a user-generated successor to that lamented publication?

Which is this?: http://www.flickr.com/photos/rrr/2834467091/

Recently returned to operation by the Golden Gate Railroad Museum, SP 2472 (Baldwin 1921) operated most recently on Labor Day Weekend. This was the second public operation of the locomotive in cooperation with the Pacific Locomotive Association on the Niles Canyon Railway.

The train used PLA's collection of heavyweight passenger cars along with GGRM's former SP business car Oakland. Together, the two non-profits are able to field a good approximation of an SP passenger train from near the end of steam.

The NCRy is a portion of the original Transcontinental Railroad and was built between 1865 and 1869 by the original Western Pacific (1862-1870) and Central Pacific Railroads. The line is still being reconstructed by PLA volunteers since the mid-1980s when SP pulled up the rails and sold the Right of Way to the County of Alameda.

I would suggest that the SP photo and text is great. Its not pimping another site, nor is it just "choo choo" content.

Just for the sake of discussion, would posting links to eBay auctions for railroad or railroad equipment builders ads cut out of old issues of Railway Age be appropriate here? There are hundreds of such auctions running on eBay every week. The ads are a part of railroad history too.

PC

I agree that they are, but once again we end up with the "clutter" problem.

I would ENTHUSIASTICALLY welcome a well-crafted article in RyPN on these ads, but said organization imposes a degree of selection, editing, and organization. I think that what some of us (well, me, at least) object to with the weekly-or-so flood of all-at-once links is their chaotic, random nature and their concurrent propensity to shove down discussion of other topics.

Here's another example: TrainOrders.com has a "Nostalgia/History" forum for the posting of exactly the kind of thing we get from (I presume it's still) Bob Yarger indirectly. That way, old eBay photos and boomer tales don't clutter the forums of news, current sightings, steam railroading, Canadian railroads, and railfan electronics.

Sandy, since you mention articles, and they are tied in with this because they generally use photos, that brings up another interesting measure of how the hobby, the industry, and RYPN are changing. Take a look at the yearly totals:

2003 - 5 articles
2004 - 7
2005 - 9
2006 - 8
2007 - 3
2008 - 1

I expect there are a wide variety of conclusions that can be drawn from this.

And since you also mentioned the various industry ads, let me bring everyone's attention to one particular significant and historic advertisement:

RAILWAY AGE issue of December 3, 1932 contains on pages 28 and 29, an ad placed by the Baldwin Locomotive Works. It features a two page photo of the factory with the following caption:

"Thousands of men will go back to work in this one plant when the railroads have the credit to buy the locomotives they need for profitable operation. More than 6,000 workers are out of employment at the Baldwin Shops alone, because only one locomotive was ordered by a Class 1 railroad between January 1st and November 30th, 1932."

A stunning statement from a fascinating period of time that tends to be overlooked by museums and historians, as well as by many in our current crop of financial experts, revealing just how bad things can get when no credit is available to major businesses.

Sorry, no link to eBay.

PC

So who would verify names on a free board? I can sign my messages Hector S. Minnowitz and you would all think that's my name. (maybe it is?). Unless you are one of the big players in the field, and admit to others that you actually are participating, does a name really matter? Are some people here that gullible? Be easy to ruin someone's reputation by posting crap here under their name. As long as you are not signing up every other day with a new name....

Just sayin'
Hector S. Minnowitz

I want to thank everyone for commenting... and ask for you to continue... We also have several discussions on elsewhere on the board. I plan to create a single summery of all... with the results used to guide us in the future...

Your occasional moderator and