Is it just My Imagination?

I agree with your reasons. There could be a few more. I found myself thinking trains more this summer then the last. September seems to be the start of it all. The build up to York maybe or the new catalogs coming out soon ....Paul

Not for me. Trains every day, every way..............

 This is my last week of TRUE freedom. Yipee

Jim - As I mentioned not too long ago, I have had "withdrawal symptoms" not only from DuPage, but trains in general.  So, no it's not your imagination, but us true train nuts like to have fun with our hobby year around. 

When it's the "dog days" of August in the Midwest, I love to be in my cool basement enjoying working on or running my trains.  Then I take a break and drive down to a favorite train watching site and see the real thing.  Or a trip to one of my favorite hobby shops for something I "need" and a "fix" of train things.

Hope to make it back one of these weekends soon to see you guys.  Refresh my memory as to which weekends that you are open?

Art

Actually Jim....the tracking counts that we at OGR have access to indicate that traffic is on an increase.  We have seen a marked increase in the number of folks signing on as well as an increase in younger folks coming aboard!  Some folks have privately commented to me via email that the increase in younger folks registering on the forum may have something to do with the new "HONGZ" forum although I am not sure how many folks in general who are in the hobby know we have opened the forum to all scales...??

Alan

Ditto,

I would say there has been an increase here on the forum.

it gets better with age. Where did I hear that before.?

Jim

I wish you could see what this living room, kitchen and dinning room currently looked  like on this honey do.

It's a  EXTREMELY big time project in progress.

I can absolutely tell you I can not hardly wait until winter and this is completed.

If I can live that long?

Larry

Can't wait to have some more fun with trains.

Art:

Yeah, yeah, here's the salt, here's the wound... go ahead rub it in!

(i.e. Your retirement "schedule" vs my work schedule!)

I think any increase is due to Alan's postings of his layout.  He is a good host, allowed me to 2 min break at his waterfall and didn't say anything when I fell asleep on the bridge. Next he allowed me to jump out of a perfectly good airplane into the his station( great view as I was coming down ) until I landed on the tracks. Of course the aerial view was great. Since it was a ramp blast and the 10 second point was his bridge. I got to see all the traffic and was glad I was jumping in.(I would have never caught the train in time). Yes if there was an increase its Alan's fault. 

On another note My kids go back to school next week. Thank god, Free at last (until next June), 

As mentioned, the stats point to an increase.  However, lately I think some of the topics haven't been of much interest.  Opinion-don't anyone take it as offensive.

Not sure about the forum acitivity, but I've been on a big buying spree this summer. Picked up rare and beautiful stuff from some truly great folks. 

I think people still log on, but I agree that the posts this time of the year aren't all that interesting.  It's before York, before the big deliveries of new product towards the end of the year, before the rumble of the entire holiday season and how that relates to trains begins.  Honestly, one of the things that keeps me logging in throughout the summer is all of the Menard's releases.  In past years, I would barely log in, if at all, over much of the summer.

I also think that momentum towards the holiday season starts earlier now.  After Labor Day, we'll start seeing the posts about people starting to plan what they are going to do.  It's what really gets my pulse quickening in this hobby so I love it.

To those that find the posts uninteresting from those of us posting in The Photo Fun threads, Switcher Saturday thread, and other threads: We are so, so sorry that we're not posting/discussing things of interest to you. How awful it must be to force yourself to read through all those posts you're not interested in. 

We'll try to do better in the future.

I don't see a noticable uptick in traffic on the site - at least not in topics that catch my interest. Inaccurate subject lines, constant posts about manufacturer issues, slap downs from management, high end guys and cronies ignoring good info from the lower decks, repititious arguments that we can bring kids to the hobby, surprise that trains get stolen in the world we have, hobby shop obituaries, and a few other behaviors create lack of pleasure.....

With the advent of the smart phone I tend to check the forum daily, however buying trains has come to a halt due to other priorities of summer. 

Amen!

Sorry I didn't respond sooner.  Been pretty busy this week.

Thanks, Jim.  I will try to organize a few friends to come with me at one of these dates as soon as we can.  I am anxious to see all your new changes and improvements. 

Art