Minimum Gauge

Emrys · Posted: Fri Jul 30, 2010 11:18 am Post subject: Ideas for new discussion areas

I'm pondering the idea of adding a couple of new discussion areas to the forum and would appreciate feedback.

A gNice Day Out will be a forum for promotion or reports on modelling shows or exhibitions (rather than just having this as a stickied thread under Blether).

It also seems to me that a forum for generic modelling tips might be suitable (Modelling Matters, GNine and Size doesn't matter are intended to cover Gn15, G9 and minimum gauge other scales respectively while the idea behind adding the gNot Minimum Gauge discussion area was to cover broader gauged railways). gNeric Modelling, then, would be a place to discuss topics such as how to create realistic puddles on a model, how to wire a turnout or even tips on converting a layout to DCC as these subjects aren't specific to any scale or gauge (or, at least, cover a wide range of scales).

So, is this a good idea or a needless complication? Discuss.
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Emrys Hopkins
Gn15.info
Voted most likely to say: "Content, people. Give me content!" and/or "Spare a penny for the bandwidth, Guv?"

Chris Stockdale · Posted: Fri Jul 30, 2010 1:03 pm Post subject:

Emrys,

Hmmm.

I thought long and deep (well, at least 30 seconds Rolling Eyes

) and then voted.

Congratulations on some excellent title suggestions. I always think the play on soft Gs adds a pleasing spot of eccentricity to our little corner. Now we have the chance of a playing still more delightfully with the letter by choosing gNeric. All this and railways too. Truly heaven on the 'Gnet. Ahem.

bestest
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Stockers

Adrian · Posted: Fri Jul 30, 2010 1:34 pm Post subject:

G'day Emrys.

I must admit that I like the "A gNice Day Out" idea. It means that all the data on exhibitions will be kept together, although as I am the other side of the world from most of you, the reports will be of more interest to me than the advanced warnings. The posting would also not be 'diluted' with non-exhibition posts.

"gNeric Modelling" should tend to keep all those ideas together and avoid the problem of trying to remember what the thread that you saw the idea in, was. (My memory is not nearly as good as it used to be.)
Could it be used to ask questions as well as posting ideas ? This would allow those without the necessary skills to check if someone out there could help them.

So I am voting for the affirmative. I belive that it is a very good idea for the group but only you can tell us if it is too complicated (technically that is ).

Cheers
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Adrian Hoad
I might be daft but not stupid.

Moronguhl · Posted: Fri Jul 30, 2010 3:20 pm Post subject:

'gNeric Modelling' is a really good idea, but it occurs to me that this is at least partially covered in the 'Threads to articles campaigns' section of the forum?

It would be a big job, but what would be handy would be if someone could go through all the existing project logs/threads and find an existing series of posts on a certain technique and put links to them somewhere. I'm not volunteering of course so I should probably keep quiet. Embarassed

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Christian Summers

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Bilco · Posted: Fri Jul 30, 2010 3:54 pm Post subject: Ideas for new discussion areas

Certainly the 'A Gnice Day Out' thread should be straight forward - there are always postings about exhibitions or lines worth a visit. The 'gNeric Modelling' thread is good in principle, but there are always threads that are hard to classify precisely - 'Simplicity Sidings' comes immediately to mind - meant for Gn15 but all the techniques apply to any scale - is it gNeric or Gn15?? Rolling Eyes

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Bill

If at first you don't succeed, cheat

Emrys · Posted: Fri Jul 30, 2010 5:01 pm Post subject:

It's exactly that which makes me wonder whether gNeric Modelling is a good idea, Bill. I doubt there's an easy way to draw a definite line to determine where any thread should go but if it's referring to how to do x in G scale then Modelling Matters would seem to be its sensible home whereas a thread about, say, ballasting techniques would seem to me to be pretty generic (oops - I mean "gNeric").

Simplicity Sidings would certainly stay in Modelling Matters as it's describing a Gn15 layout albeit with techniques which are easily transferred to other scales and gauges.

Looking at the latest posts in Modelling Matters, for example, "South Brierly Sewage Works by Simon Hargraves" is about an O-14 layout and doesn't fit in an area discussing Gn15. It will, therefore, be moving shortly to "Size doesn't matter" (I think - I'm trying to remember what was agreed about 2' gauge railways), "DCC recommendations" and "Insulfrog and DCC issues for short wheelbase locos" are clear candidates for "gNeric Modelling" while the "MOMING'10" thread would move to "A gNice Day Out".

If anyone's unhappy about a thread being moved it can always be moved back if a persuasive* case can be made.

* and I'm not dismissing the ugly possibility of bribery here - my cat must eat, after all.
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Emrys Hopkins
Gn15.info
Voted most likely to say: "Content, people. Give me content!" and/or "Spare a penny for the bandwidth, Guv?"

John New · Posted: Fri Jul 30, 2010 7:55 pm Post subject:

Personally I wish the existing 3 size related could be recombined to simplify things although I do support the idea of a separated exhibitions and visits forum giving something like:-

1) Welcome, admin & FAQs

2) All modeling related matters

3) Exhibitions and visit reports

4) Prototype prattles

5 Trade

6) Blether

7) Hello, I'm new etc

8 ) Threads to articles

9+ the area threads, admin,
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John
Webmaster http://www.wamrc-railway-modellers.org.uk | http://www.stephensonloco.org.uk | http://www.yorkshow.org.uk | http://www.waggonways.fsnet.co.uk

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cp409067 · Posted: Fri Jul 30, 2010 11:35 pm Post subject: Charges to the Forum

*

[1] I continue to hope that this forum in terms of its overall title will abandon references to specific scales and gauges. I think the best way forward is for the title "Minimum Gauge Forum" to be the only one used. Under such a title it would offer a home to all minimum gauge modellers regardless of the scale in which they modelled or the (minimum) gauge that inspired their work. Any person posting in the "Modelling Matters" section would simply need to identify the scale and gauge that was relevant.

[2] In a widely embracing "Minimum Gauge Forum" the plethora of sections that now exist could be significantly reduced with the result that things would be clearer and the opportunity for demands for apartheid style discrimination and distinction removed.

[3] Whilst I do not in general principle favour censorship, I would argue in favour of relevance. In this context the "Blether" section has long been an opportunity for a crisis waiting to happen. A simple test question would be appropriate.

Is a forum discussing minimum gauge railway modelling the place for comments about national or international politics, non-railway related history, religion, race, gender, etc?

*****

In making the above observations I (as ever) seek to persuade not dictate.

CP
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Christopher Payne UK

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PeterH · Posted: Sat Jul 31, 2010 3:23 am Post subject:

AndyA · Posted: Sat Jul 31, 2010 7:28 am Post subject:

They're both great ideas, there's great stuff in the gnine forum that's applicable to Gn15 but is in gnine because of the gauge, and the exhibition/line visit stuff is all over the place. The problem of having to scroll even further down to see Blether will be well outweighed by the convenience of gnowing where to look for stuff.

regards
Andy A
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gnine: less is the gnew more
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rue_d_etropal · Posted: Sat Jul 31, 2010 9:05 am Post subject:

I definitely think that having somewhere for exhibition details is a very good idea, and wonder why it wasn't there at the beginning. Maybe it has taken till now to be really noticed by the rest of railway modelling fraternity.
But definely keep the GN15 label, and gNatterbox as this draws in people from other parts of the hobby. There have been other forums for oddballs like us, but none as successful. We are mostly open minded and in a lot of ways the very opposite of the rivet counter brigade who are driving the hobby in other directions. If we take things too seriously we risk destroying what keeps us going. Too many exhibitions are spoilt by over ambitious projects which fail to deliver, inspire or entertain. Even narrow gauge seems to only presented in a way that looks more like a preserved railway, rather than a railway having to actually do a job.
I also think that with the spreading to larger and smaller scales we are exploring ideas which might have a potential in real world.
_________________
Simon Dawson,
Narrow gauge Francophile interested in 1m, 60cm,50cm , 40cm and smaller gauges . Build in scales from 1/6th to 1/24th. Also 1/32nd and 1/35th using 16.5mm track to represent 50cm and 60cm gauges.
http://www.rue-d-etropal.com

bobblackcloud · Posted: Sat Jul 31, 2010 9:19 am Post subject:

Shouldn't the second and third options be "Gno, that's Gneedlessly complicated." and "I'm Gnot bothered."?

....Gneither of which I've voted for though. I think option one is a very good idea. Cool

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Bob

Emrys · Posted: Sat Jul 31, 2010 10:21 am Post subject:

There are some very interesting points being made here.

I can see the benefit in combining Modelling Matters, GNine, Size doesn't matter and maybe even gNot Minimum Gauge into a single discussion area with posts "tagged" with their scale/gauge but have to say I'm doubtful about whether this would work in practice. My concern is that the moderators would be spending a lot of their time tagging new threads as they're created and the thought of having to add these tags to the existing 3,000 or so threads doesn't fill me with glee.

Whilst grouping discussions by the gauge being modelled seems sensible to me this raises the question of where the dividing line should be between minimum gauge and narrow gauge.

PeterH makes the excellent point that the generic modelling discussion do indeed tend to arise from a specific layout or model, leading me to wonder whether a generic forum would be of as much use as I'd first thought.

Ignoring the poll for now, then, what do you think about having the following discussion areas:

Welcome aboard
> New here? Read this first
> Announcements - the renamed Things I've Done
> Error Reports

Modelling
> Minimum Gauge* modelling - this would include most of the threads in Modelling Matters, GNine and Size doesn't matter
> Other modelling - the existing threads in gNot Minimum Gauge, any threads relating to broader* gauge modelling which may currently be in one of the other discussion areas and models which aren't gauge-specific (e.g. lineside buildings, scenery)

Prototypes
> Minimum Gauge prototypes*
> Other prototypes

Trading Places
> Manufacturers' announcements - split by scale?
> Small ads - a new forum, being somewhere to dispose of any excess models or to ask if anyone has a spare x, y or z they're prepared to part with

Inspirations
> A gNice Day Out - exhibition announcements and reports
> The Virtual Exhibition - pointers to existing layout threads
> The Loco Shed - pointers to existing model threads

Letting off steam
> Blether
> You really ought to gnow your who's wahoo
> Challenges and competitions

Local Area Groups
> (unchanged)

Idea Repository
> (unchanged)

* How does sub-24" sound as the division point?
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Emrys Hopkins
Gn15.info
Voted most likely to say: "Content, people. Give me content!" and/or "Spare a penny for the bandwidth, Guv?"

skylon · Posted: Sat Jul 31, 2010 10:27 am Post subject:

Hi Emrys, that looks like a good system to me. The small ads seems like a particularly good idea.
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Thanks,
Sam

rue_d_etropal · Posted: Sat Jul 31, 2010 10:52 am Post subject:

At the moment I usually know where to find what I am interested in. Main interest at the moment is in bigger scales so tend to look at 'Size doesn't Matter' first. But if memory serves me that that and 'G9' were set up for those interested in 15in in O scale and the extension of this into using 9mm track in G scale. I seem to remember trying to start up discussions about modelling in 1/12th scale using 16.5mm gauge and having to post elsewhere. So maybe there should be 2 new headings to replace these, one for smaller that G, and one for bigger . Trouble is what ever happens, there will be someone who waould prefer it different.
_________________
Simon Dawson,
Narrow gauge Francophile interested in 1m, 60cm,50cm , 40cm and smaller gauges . Build in scales from 1/6th to 1/24th. Also 1/32nd and 1/35th using 16.5mm track to represent 50cm and 60cm gauges.
http://www.rue-d-etropal.com