Farewell to a Great Forum

A very sad comment, not sure on what or whom.

You may think you have learned all you need to know, if that is true, why not stick around and help those who still seek knowledge? I’m sure many of us can gain insight by you continuing to comment on questions or problems others post about their trains.

This is an informative site, just monitoring it might catch yourself a piece of news or knowledge that could have snuck by ...

Just a thought: I learned a VERY long time ago that you progress through three stages in your career/life.

1) First you don't know anything.

2) Second, you have learned enough that you think you know everything.

3) Third, you have learned so much that you suddenly realize how little you really know.

The idea is to get through step 2) as fast as possible, and spend the remainder of your time in step 3).

I think we all anticipate someday 'Dropping our Fire'.

(And taxes will probably surely continue long after we're gone!)

But, 'Dropping your Forum'???

Nevahhhhhhhhh!

Understand Vern.  Good luck on your future endevors.

You’ll be missed, Vern. All the best for the #1 Grandpa in Nevada!

Cant help but wonder if he's reading all these replies and thus still participating ?

I like the attitude however I continue to think,

There's nothing OLD under the Sun.

Well Vern, this is a big Shock to me, why, what’s changed in your life to drop out of this wonderful forum. You’re an inspiration and a bit of sunshine to all of us here on the OGR Forum. Good luck and Happy Trails to you. Your friend in Tennessee…

Hey Vern, thanks for the update. Some folks just drop off and we wonder what happened to them. 

If you want a new challenge try building a live trolley wire or live catenary. That should entail something you have yet to conquer.   Its not a new topic, but the related posts appear to predate you joining the forum. As far as repetition,  sounds to me like its time to tear down and restart the layout that is "never done".

Best wishes on you future endeavors.  Jeff

Vern,

  It's certainly up to you how you decide to live your life. I don't post too much nowadays, but I am still learning from when I first joined in 2003. Good luck, but every now and then you should come back and take a look...it's good therapy!

Tom

Here is a link to an old thread on the Yellowstone line as a farewell to you.

Victor and Driggs Idaho | O Gauge Railroading On Line Forum (ogrforum.com)

This reminded me of the quote attributed to the head of the US Patent Office back in the early 1900s or so, who is supposed to have said, basically, 'Everything that can be invented has been invented'.  I went to find out who said that, and it turns out the guy it's attributed to never said anything like that.  It basically comes from a comedy magazine at the time, I guess that era's equivalent to the 60s Mad Magazine.

So, I learned something today!

Why announce a departure?  We will miss the Pine Trees!

I’ve been on the forum for about ten years and peoples sure come and go.  I sometimes search through old threads looking for information and sometimes come upon a poster (recognize the picture) that used to post a lot but has not in a long time.  Sometimes I click on the profile and am surprised to see that the person visited the forum within the last few days, but his last post was three years ago.  Now that I am looking for this, I find it a lot.  Not sure what that means.

@Yellowstone Special

Vern, I hope you're still reading this thread.  I'm always saddened when we lose a regular contributor for whatever the reason may be.  Some move on to other forums they feel are more appropriate to where they are in the hobby, some cannot abide by or have run afoul of the TOS, some have left this world behind.  I do not always miss them right away but in time realize they have become inactive.  While this forum remains a font of information to me it's the people and the stories that keep bringing me back.  I have fun here. Some departures leave holes in our little society that can never be filled but all who leave are missed.  If visiting the forum is no longer fun for you then it truly is time to go, if it is still fun then drop by and visit from time to time.

I've been here since 2001 and there were periods where life just got in the way and I dropped off for while.  Other endeavors, family responsibilities, career, health issues, etc. you name it, just pulled me away.   However, this hobby has a way of luring me back and quite frankly, there is no better place with like minded people that share this love of the hobby than this forum.  Friends and family outside of this place don't have a clue or true appreciation of the various facets of this hobby - the trains, model building, planning, operational factors, scenery development, etc. , like this band of fellow enthusiasts and misfits here.  That's why I keep coming back and I'm sure Vern will make it back as well.  No one else "gets" us and our passion like this group here.

@Strap Hanger posted:

there is no better place with like minded people that share this love of the hobby than this forum.  Friends and family outside of this place don't have a clue or true appreciation of the various facets of this hobby - the trains, model building, planning, operational factors, scenery development, etc. , like this band of fellow enthusiasts and misfits here.No one else "gets" us and our passion like this group here.

Very well said, I totally agree.

Gene

@Yellowstone Special posted:

I guess after posting on the forums for over 10 years (this one and the MTF), I’ve learned and seen all I need to, so that now, everything has become repetitious. Not to mention the fact that my layout and trains have been shown here so many times, I’m all posted out and have reached the point to where I really have nothing more to contribute. It happens.

So, A big THANK YOU to this forum, to its administrators, and to all of those contributors I’ve learned from.

I’ve chosen to continue enjoying the hobby, but without participating in the forums anymore.

“So Long, It’s Been Good to Know You” 🎵

Vern,

I've been posting on the OGR Forum for more than 7 years.

Yes, sometimes the Forum can be repetitious. Sometimes it's more interesting than others and I ask myself whether I'm spending too much time on it.

Like you, my trains and layouts have been shown many times, and I often wonder if it's worth posting new photos and videos that are similar to what members have seen before. Let's face it, every model railroad has only a few angles that are accessible and good for photography, and we tend to see the same parts of layouts over and over from everyone who posts. The exception is when someone is building a layout and often has new things to post.

You may not realize it, but you always have something to contribute. Are you still buying trains? How about photos, videos and comments about your latest purchase? How about your opinions of other peoples' posts.

I'm glad you're continuing to participate in the hobby. As long as you are doing that, why not hang around on the Forum?

My trains and layouts give me something to do. It takes quite a bit of time to produce the photos and videos that I post every week - on Front-End Friday, Weekend Photo Fun, Switcher Saturday, Boxcar Sunday, Steamday Sunday, Tail-End-Tuesday, and others... Doing that and running my trains keeps me occupied and involved.

So, if you're active in the hobby, I'd like to see what you're up to.

MELGAR

@MELGAR posted:

Vern,

I've been posting on the OGR Forum for more than 7 years.

Yes, sometimes the Forum can be repetitious. Sometimes it's more interesting than others and I ask myself whether I'm spending too much time on it.

Like you, my trains and layouts have been shown many times, and I often wonder if it's worth posting new photos and videos that are similar to what members have seen before. Let's face it, every model railroad has only a few angles that are accessible and good for photography, and we tend to see the same parts of layouts over and over from everyone who posts. The exception is when someone is building a layout and often has new things to post.

You may not realize it, but you always have something to contribute. Are you still buying trains? How about photos, videos and comments about your latest purchase? How about your opinions of other peoples' posts.

I'm glad you're continuing to participate in the hobby. As long as you are doing that, why not hang around on the Forum?

My trains and layouts give me something to do. It takes quite a bit of time to produce the photos and videos that I post every week - on Front-End Friday, Weekend Photo Fun, Switcher Saturday, Boxcar Sunday, Steamday Sunday, Tail-End-Tuesday, and others...

So, if you're active in the hobby, I'd like to see what you're up to.

MELGAR

Let's not forget that there is always a chance to change maybe one or two things that may not have satisfied you the way you thought at first. Those nagging little projects that start either because you wanted to or someone has inspired you.

Inspiration is one of those things that is just not talked about as often as we think it is. There are about a hundred ideas in my head that have come just by seeing those little sections of layout by just about anyone on here. Let's not forget to that some great members have the insight of what works, or even may work better for someone when they are asking a question. There is almost always great advice giving for those who are willing to listen, and of course, ask for it.

I don't know about others, but the social aspects of the hobby are a big draw for me.  I love meeting people, old friends and new.  The forums are one of the great places to aid in that effort.

I know I'll never learn all I need to, so that problem simply doesn't exist for me!

Like you Vern, although I ‘know’ I’ve learned a lot from various Posts on this Forum over the years since I was a neophyte, I feel I may/can still learn more in the future by OCCASIONALLY checking the Forum and scanning the list of topics. Sometimes there’s none of particular interest to me so I just move on (perhaps RUN the trains I have). However, as has been already mentioned above, there’s still that yearning/interest in anything ‘train related’ that began as a child, and so I continue to refer to the Forum -but only from time to time. Perhaps, in time, you’ll do the same, if for no other reason than just to keep up to date on the ever changing technology that’s occurring in 0 Gauge these days (eg. Base 3 and all its capabilities).

Regardless, enjoy your life Vern and all the best to you!

@AlanRail posted:

I like the attitude however I continue to think,

There's nothing OLD under the Sun.

At work at the moment, but on Friday will be taking the youngest back to college, will try to get outside a bit.

Vern- Sorry to see you go. I enjoyed your posts and endeavors with your layout.

I'm impressed that it's in your living room too! My CEO barely let's me have a corner of our basement.....

I can say that without a doubt, for me, that without the Forum, I'd just be sitting in my basement running trains and fiddling with stuff. The friends and acquaintances, both virtual and in person that I've made since joining add a whole other dimension to the love of the hobby.

Let's call it so long, not goodbye.

Bob

I'm still waiting to see "Gunrunner John's simple lessons at soldering". I've told John some years ago that I would most likely melt into a mess whatever I would be trying to work on(would be track wiring exclusively as I don't know diddly about electronics).

John is also 100% correct on the social aspect. I really enjoy listening(reading) and being schooled on subjects I barely have enough to grasp onto. One example I can think of which brings a smile to my face is I asked Rich Melvin a question on steam engines(forget what it was on exactly as I've asked a couple). Rich took the time to explain the basics of my question, and then went into great detail on some other factors of real railroad running.

Of another great aspect of the social interaction between us folks are some really fun stories, of which again I interacted with Rich. He got a great laugh and I'll share the story here.

My sister's boyfriend know how much I like trains, and usually tries to engage a little bit of conversation from time to time. Sometimes slightly interesting, but other times a bunch of BS. It was summer a few years back, and he had quite a bit to drink. He was trying to explain to me about steam engines and how the steam is used, which he don't know barely a thing, definitely worse than me who has a very basic understanding from what I've been told.

So he's explaining to me about watching a program where they were operating a steam engine, and the engineer in question according to him was saying and I quote, "dead steam". He was insisting that this was a real thing, and that the "dead steam" is part of the process of how a steam engine runs. Needless to say I was nearly laughing under my breath and I think my sister noticed as well as my brother. I don't remember how this came up exactly, but it may have been because I had said something about learning how the cylinders expel the condensation before a steam engine makes way.

After that evening I messaged Rich with the subject being something like, "Dead Steam a real thing, or bunch of BS from drunk sister's boyfriend" or something along those lines. Rich did get a huge laugh, but explained how the steam gets superheated and such. Just took dang funny.

Good bye and good luck. You can always peek a little.

I've taken vacations from the forum because I was too busy with work. I get too many ideas from others to ever want to leave completely.  But that's just my view of things.

Vern thanks for letting us know, instead just "disappearing".

Did Confucius say; "never say never"?

Maybe you'll change your mind when Lionel Cab4 arrives?

All the best!

Wow the above comments are enough reason to at least visit from time to time. Plus I am a new be and I look forwarded to all contents, old new, and revisited. I am depending on the wiser hobbyists to help me long. I enjoy old treads that are re-visited. the search mechanism on this forum in soft terms is less than desirable.
plus I enjoy the facts and opinions they help me along there is so much to learn. The value of this forum wouldn’t be worth darn if it weren’t for people like you sharing your historical knowledge.

not to be clinically but their are a lot bamboozlers out there who are fishing for sucker like myself who want to join the hobby and have no real reference or knowledge of how things work.

if it is your desire to leave than leave but remember guys like me may ask dumb old questions that have already been asked many times it’s because we want to be like you.

Take care

a thankful member newbie

@Hot Water posted:

Just a thought: I learned a VERY long time ago that you progress through three stages in your career/life.

1) First you don't know anything.

2) Second, you have learned enough that you think you know everything.

3) Third, you have learned so much that you suddenly realize how little you really know.

The idea is to get through step 2) as fast as possible, and spend the remainder of your time in step 3).

I think there must be  a Step 4, and I'm in it! That's where you start forgetting things because your brain is so full, you have to make room for the new stuff. Either that, or I'm just old and forgetting stuff! Either way, I'm gonna hang around til my RailSounds shut down

Best o' luck, Vern, and just peek in every now and then!

George

@Wood posted:

Understand Vern. 

Well, I can't say I do. Seems like an unexpected sudden disconnect with all the benefits that others have set out in their foregoing comments. Given your previous contributions and apparent interest and enthusiasm, this pronouncement just struck me as very odd. Just my feeling about it.

Vern I am sorry that you are leaving, I have always enjoyed your posts and the pictures you put on the forum.  My view is that I stay for the social interaction with (virtual) friends and others in the hobby .  I am always learning and at 80 years old I know that I still have much to learn.  However, we all must do what we believe is best to serve our purpose.  I hope you enjoy and are fulfilled with whatever activities you choose to pursue.  Thank you again for your posts and comments.

Don

Wishing you good luck Vern, you'll always be welcome back if you decide to in the future. All you Veterans of the hobby are always teaching us novices better ways to do things. I'm amazed at the knowledge I've learned here since I got back in the hobby in 2008 but I can't hold a lit candle to the real experts of this forum. I don't post a lot but I try to keep up with reading as much as I can here. Thank you all, you'll never realize how much so many of you have helped me and I'm sure many others! God Bless You All! I'm just a old fashioned conventional transformers trains runner still getting my 4' x 12' 2 track layout up and running when I can around both my wife and my medical issues in a too small room, fortunately my layout is on locking casters on the front so it can be rolled to access two sides at once, then rolled back to access the other two sides. Hopefully I'll soon to be healed up enough from my last (#25th) surgery to be able to get back underneath again to get more wiring done under it.

All  Aboard.   

Been extremely busy with way to many landscaping projects for an '  ole fella ' the last four months.

Had a couple rainy days and was glad to stop in on the Forum for small visits Vern. I also wondered about wandering away from the Forum ............that was until I walked past the layout on my many trips to gather landscape material.   

Something about seeing those amazing artistic renditions of locomotives and rolling stock made me want to get back to enjoying the experience of my small world on the tables.

Good luck Vern......I  have always enjoyed seeing your beautiful UPs flying past the waving pine trees.   Thanks for all your information and advice. 

THANK YOU VERY MUCH  SIR   .

I always enjoyed your contributions, Vern. Hope you keep your password laying around just in case.

Thank you for your contributions. Not sure why you feel the need to completely close the door on the forum as opposed to taking a break or cutting back, but it is your choice.  Best of luck with your future railroading endeavors.

Vern, sounds like the steel guitar won out!

Always great to know you. Thanks for the friendship.

Tom

A famous philosopher once sang:

”You can check out anytime you like, but you can never leave.”