European Railroad Discussion > What is Trainorders for?

This post has been prompted by the huge debate that has emerged over possible  causes of the German collision. I don’t want to get caught up the technicalities of that, and anyway the issues raised go far beyond that specific case.
 
I am posting this on the European board because:

1. I am European
2. I guess it might not mean much to most TO members using just domestic US boards.

My main question is: should we confine ourselves to technical comments on (or pictures of) equipment without any mention of the context – social political or economic? Where, and how, do we draw the line?
 
My own feeling is that what makes TO interesting is that it reveals such diversity of opinion. I think it is wonderful that a common interest in trains can bring together people from different nations, walks of life, background and experience. I find it hard to consider any railway subject without at least some reflection on the human world that shapes it.
 
This is why questions about automatic couplers, freight train lengths, ticket systems, safety systems, public ownership or passenger accommodation are all so fascinating because they throw up such a range of opinions, and shed light on our differences. I believe that only by knowing and understanding each other we move forward.
 
I don’t want to preach a sermon, and will happily just shut up if that’s what people want. I can be quite happy just holding my grandson up to the parapet on the Chalk Farm railway bridge even though MPD 1B was long since demolished!
 
 



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/14/16 11:50 by spflow.

Extremely well argued spflow!

May I add that maybe we on this board should do our reasaanble effort to be polite to other people, not to hurt their feelings. For some reason it seems like that kind of behavior is quite common on many rr boards I use....and drives members away / makes them silent members. The power is in discussion and exchange of ideas, and this will only flourish in an atmosphere of trust, good will and of course openness.  

I work in the industry. I've been on here for years, got kicked off for being up front and blunt a few times for trying to set some armchair experts straight. Seems other's caustic non factual opinions rate higher than facts at times. There is a lot of good information on this site and I have a lot of pictures I would live to post from the 70s but we will see. I like the European and international boards because of the diversity of equipment and scenery. On this side of the pond, yellow scourge and pumpkins, boring as hell. That's my opinion, nothing more. Keep the info and pics coming.

Posted from Android

From the the body of the original post.... Recommended word substitution...

"My main question: is should we confine ourselves
> to technical comments on (or pictures of)
> equipment with any mention of the context –
> social political or economic? Where, and how, do
> we draw the line?"

I''m a little confused:  doesn't the post-er mean to say: "equipment WITHOUT any mention of the context"---?

That's the only way I can make sense out of the discussion.
I suspect that the crude auto-correct feature of this word processor is the guilty party of word alteration...

Oh, by the way ---- I like the concepts relating to clarifying the context of the complex discussions.  
And, yes, I simply disregard the off-topic comments and narrow expressions of those with axes to grind ---- or thoughtless & irrelevant opinions that folks try to cram down our throats...

Wes C.

[. Crazy-ass words jump into my typing on this board all the time, and sometimes whole paragraphs from way-earlier posts suddenly drop into my current typed rants..   I didn't type the erroneous substitutions, they just jump in, whenever..).

Thanks for pointing out the mistype - I have now corrected it, and I'm sure it was all my fault!

spflow Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Thanks for pointing out the mistype - I have now
> corrected it, and I'm sure it was all my fault!

You are quite sure you weren't sabotaged? :)

How would I know? It hadn't occurred to me.

Hopefully the silliness on the recent German thread will prove to be the exception that proves the rule.  It does take vigilance by the website administrators but they are doing a good job. There is always the Wall Street Journal option, no handles but the name on your credit card!

Bob Wilcox
Charlottesville, VA
My Flickr Shots



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/13/16 02:33 by bobwilcox.

I like Trainorders because of that mixture, because it doesn't concentrate on the narrow technical or maybe foamer's scope, and also because many are taking part who are railroaders in their job and in their heart.
Of course, the pictures are great, too :-)

If threads get out of hand, like the aforementioned one, IMHO it's better to move on than to set up rules trying to prevent this, they won't work anyway.

Usually, the discussions are admirably decent here compared to other places, so I'd say it's best to keep things as they are.

My 2c
Hartmut

Posted from Android

sys3175 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I like Trainorders because of that mixture,
> because it doesn't concentrate on the narrow
> technical or maybe foamer's scope, and also
> because many are taking part who are railroaders
> in their job and in their heart.
> Of course, the pictures are great, too :-)
>
> If threads get out of hand, like the
> aforementioned one, IMHO it's better to move on
> than to set up rules trying to prevent this, they
> won't work anyway.
>
> Usually, the discussions are admirably decent here
> compared to other places, so I'd say it's best to
> keep things as they are.
>
> My 2c
> Hartmut
>
> Posted from Android

Thanks, I agree that fixed rules are rarely helpful , and I think that Todd and co do a great job. I am amazed that I haven't been banished already as an eviI pinko cheese-eating old European!
But I am genuinely interested in difference. The best thing is for people to make comments that can be (and are) taken seriously.

spflow Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> sys3175 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
. The
> best thing is for people to make comments that can
> be (and are) taken seriously.

Well, that would certainly cut way back on bandwidth capacity.

I don't know about bandwidth 'capacity'; but, 'bandwidth demand' would sure shrink, leaving lots more room for capacity.
"Foamers"is still an apt name, but some whip themselves into a froth.

With streamers, the way to cut back on severe foaming in the boilers is to reduce the concentration of foaming agents in the water... So, we use the bottom blowdown valves to drop the water level, blow out the mud and impurities, add more fresh water and keep doing that until the foaming agents are diluted.

So, there are parallels to boilers loading up with crap, and message boards.  Here, though, we can 'move-on', and leave the subjects that we've beaten-to-death ---- in the digital morgue ---- where they will reside, forever.

I realize that I fall into the group named the 'steam dinosaurs'; but, I enjoy the range of responses, and the interest ---- spreading, worldwide.

Welcome to all, we enjoy your views and your comments.

Wes C.

wcamp1472 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I don't know about bandwidth 'capacity'; but,
> 'bandwidth demand' would sure shrink, leaving lots
> more room for capacity.
> "Foamers"is still an apt name, but some whip
> themselves into a froth.
>
> Thanks for the correction.  I did mean demand but came up with the wrong word.  I agree that foamers need not be considered a bad word.  I think it is usually used in a good-natured context.

Sigh, if only all threads could be as congenial and reasoned as this.  Thankfully, for me at least, many of the best brains on TO have not yet abandoned us.  AA

Stanford White
Carmel Valley, CA

I'm tempted to say that Trainorders is for Europeans like me to get a small window into the fractured American polity, but, at least on the European board I think it is to show aspects of railroading that do not usually get a lot of coverage, and to have some high quality technical information when needed. 

cricketer8for9 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I'm tempted to say that Trainorders is for
> Europeans like me to get a small window into the
> fractured American polity,

That to me seems to be the central point - "fractured" would (from this perspective) describe the US , where each faction appears to assume that they are the only voice of "true" American values and opinion. That is why we are scared in Europe.

Nonetheless, thanks everyone for some interesting and thoughtful comments, and lets keep on trainspotting!

Thanks.

Let us indeed carry on.