How did you find the O Gauge Forum and how long did you lurk and read before actually joining ? I came across the OGF in the early 2000s through a google or yahoo search for something TMCC related and did find an answer. I was still working hard making a living and though I put a link on my desktop I usually ended up on the forum through a search of some type. It was nearly seventeen years before I actually joined but still I felt like I knew many on the forum after reading their posts for years. j
Replies sorted oldest to newest
John, I found it the same way you did, searches on the internet. I lurked for about six months before joining, actually my wife joined before I did.
Rusty
I'm new here. I was told about OGR through word-of-mouth.
I subscribed to the magazine first; I heard about the forum through there and while looking around the magazine's website. If I recall correctly, I was a lurker for May and early June, and joined June 26th. I lurked because this forum was the first social network I joined, and I was hesitant.
Word of mouth I think from when the old AOL train board was around. I joined OGR in 2001.
Roman posted:Word of mouth I think from when the old AOL train board was around. I joined OGR in 2001.
Yep. Me. too.
word of bot.
How did you find the O Gauge Forum?
For me, I found the "Forum" while surfing the internet, it was a "hang ten" moment. No "lurking" for me, the expert advice, sometimes biased opinions and delightful humor were hard to pass up.
Not a simple answer on this one for me. I started over on the Kalmbach forums, because I subscribed to three of their magazines. I also had a subscription to OGR.
I think I had some technical questions, that the guys over there couldn't answer, so I joined over here, though for many years I wasn't very active. Then a whole series of events happened, including a bout with skin cancer, which caused me to take five years away from trains. When I came back, I made the full on switch to this forum, and never looked back.
One of the biggest advantages here is, you don't have to have your photos hosted elsewhere on the web, you can upload them directly.
I've been on here almost as long as I've been on the internet. I believe the forum was mentioned in the magazine and I joined immediately... like around 1998-99? Can't say I was one of the original "plank-owners" as we say in the Navy, but I think I'm pretty close.
Stumbled on it looking for a way to trigger new sounds without full command control. Gun Runner, Dale M, Dale H, Poppa Steve, Ace, Overland, Electroliner, and NQDY Nichole made the reading here very worthwhile to me.
The photos being viewable without a requirement to join was also a big factor. I'm somewhat an anti-exclusive person.. i.e. exclusive/ private, isn't often how I like things; I'm big on sharing.
I was on a manufacturer's forum for a few years before I found OGRF, but after a new member (likely a closed Atlas Forum member looking for a new home... to wreck) began trolling me daily on my "toys", critiquing my builds like normal modeling. Ha!, I don't even measure half the time; so too easy a rip. I like my folk art look because it isn't cookie cutter. Anything is welcome here, from an inch long plastic wind-up to scale Y or BigBoy (I didnt say they could manage the 0-27...but they are welcome to suck up a main looking good.)
I quit that site to avoid a deepening battle, but always deeply regretted compromising my position just to avoid the battle. Mostly because he just picked a new victim, and that really upset me. But also because I let a "rivet counter" ruin MY fun. (their work was the awful stuff too. To scale, sure, but some monkeys paint better and my bird could've aligned things straighter )
That same R.Counting attitude kept me from going to train shows, joining a club, etc. for 40 years. I went to a few train shows, and visited layouts with Gramps as a kid, but stopped because I didn't like the attitudes even then.
Today I'm no longer nearly as dissuaded from calling things as I see them and you won't catch me editing much either; only a mistake in advice gets changed now (though I try not to step on our hosts toes and God knows it would save me some embarrassment to do some deletions. The insomnia sig. line isn't really a joke, neither are some incoherent posts from being awake for 4-6 days...but it's real, and deletion a "lie".)
Confrontation was really the last straw after failure of the site to comment on the safety aspects of phasing two transformers to be used together. (after sticking thier nose into the subject, then mail contact, and then agreeing OFFSITE; it was asked again for the readers sakes. It went without answer though we know it got read by management. I referenced with a link too, but it was deleted..."some hero". I guess my days were actually going to be numbered after that anyhow. Not much out there to excuse a safety concern get ignored .
In the end I'm much more at home here anyhow. Reigns are looser for sure, but it's not total anarchy either; I like the balance overall, and the people.
.... and the pictures
Myron Biggar and Fred Dole saw my work at a TCA Meet @York, PA and asked if I had a layout. When I told them I did, Fred asked to be able to see it. Subsequently, we invited him to the house, which resulted in OGR Run 163's presentation of the original layout; then, Run 168. I had been buying the magazine all along, even since it had a slightly different name, and have enjoyed it religiously ever since.
As soon as I became aware of the Forum, thru the magazine, I came on ready to learn, share, and to socialize, and it certainly has been a pleasure in each of those aspects, all along the way.
FrankM
Don't remember when l joined, but l got on when l saw it mentioned in OGR. Just a few trolls, and has been very valuable, informative and entertaining.
Myron mentioned it at York and I lurked for about a month, joining August 3rd, 2000........a long, long time ago......but it has been a great ride!
Peter
One morning I was looking in the pantry for some canned green beans,and there it was behind the peas,.....seriously I have been on the forum for some time....great bunch of people....
Reading Ogauge magazine
I saw it in OGR magazine. I lurked for awhile. Then I saw that someone posted about a big layout in New Jersey. There was another guy from Staten Island who was interested in going to see the layout in New Jersey. I contacted him and we set a date. I picked him up and he had the directions to the club. We went to the club every Wednesday after that. That was in 2004. His name was Ben ( bluelinec4). We have been good friends ever since
Jim D.
I had found the CTT forum first and was there, but then at some point this forum was referenced and I came here and liked the specific forums and the content better and began to spend most all my train forum time here. Continues to this day.
Don't remember how I found OGR, but I've been here since almost the beginning.
Putnam Division posted:Myron mentioned it at York and I lurked for about a month, joining August 3rd, 2000........a long, long time ago......but it has been a great ride!
Peter
Pete, you and I are some of the few from way back when, still active. Boy have times changed.
I learned about this forum from the magazine and I check out several of the "sub-forums" quite regularly and several others when i have a specific interest. Through the years, I have visited pretty much all of the manufacturer's and other magazine's websites and forums but this one is my favorite.
Wife bought me a Lionel Railsounds Set one year for Christmas...boom...hooked on O gauge. Started mucking around online and I found OGR right away.
I still recall that the TMCC versus DCS wars were going hot and heavy at that time. DCS hadn't been released yet but was coming soon.
At the time it was all Greek to me.
I was on the AOL Train boards back in the 1990s, and they went to heck in a handbasket. I was familiar with OGR / OSR, and found the Forum. Lurked for a few months. After 9/11, felt I needed more community in my life. Registered in October, 2001.
I first heard about OGR on another model train forum and would read whatever OGR link was mentioned. I later started reading beyond the linked thread and enjoyed what I was reading so signed on for the ride.
I googled something when I first got into the hobby several years back and came across it, but didn't join and start posting until a few months ago
Google, I was looking to upgrade my PE to a better smoke unit.
I found this from Google searches. I read a lot of the older posts and lurked for about 6 months or so. When I read something where I could actually contribute that it when I joined and started posting. That will have been 2 years ago next week.
I had a very good friend (he knows who he is) from our local train club after me for about a year to chck out the site. when I finally did chck it out I entered a profile immediately and have NOT been disappointed. The reason it took over a year to eventually chck it out is because me and computers don't get along.
its mostly beyond me and I can really do without all the technology. sometimes it gives me a headache, virtually!! I have to get off and take some asprin because of the headaches. other than that it has become a good tool to keep in touch and try to help others and purchase the occasional train or two.
Looking at my profile, I see that I joined in 2011, not long after I retired. But I'm sure I was lurking for many years before that.
I had just recently relocated after retiring, joined this club, and kept hearing about the forum from other members. I started by reading specific threads, and after received good advice, some snarky ones, and saw how the forum is made for everyone, began interacting more.
GJR, GGG, Stan, Adriatic have all given excellent support and made many improvements I use daily on my home layout as well as have introduced at the club layout.
I found it in January 2015 when I started designing my tinplate layout. I was searching the web for info on O-72 switches, and before I knew it I had more info than I ever knew existed. Joining this and other forums has led to meeting some terrific people, and I'm very glad for that as it has added a completely new social aspect to collecting and operating toy trains.
John
Joined in December 2016. Found the site via watching a YouTube video. I was just getting back into trains again and had lots of questions, mostly DCS. Barry was my savior and I joined immediately. Am SOOO happy with all the help and everyone mostly is like an old friend. Subscribed to all the mags including OGR. Where would we be today without this forum would be a better question LOL.
I joined the day I found out about it from reading the magazine.
-Greg
From the OGR magazine.
Around 2000 or 2001 Yahoo had groups, KOOLjock1 made a post there about the OGR Forum, everybody is moving there. What was it called? infopop???
I found the forum by searching for o gauge forums with google back in 2016. I joined February 2018. Overall everyone is welcome here and the people are really great. It is the members that make the forum something I look forward to reading almost every day.
OGR threads kept coming up in google searches. Decided to join a few years ago when I started building my layout.
I googled a problem I was having and the solution came up on the OGR forum. Googled some other information and OGR forum came up again, so I joined. Great knowledge here!
A friend from www.trainlife.com told me about this site then i joined been here ever since!!
Ridge Road Station!