This forum has provided great guidance. One thing I believe that's true of any subject: folks that have been into the subject for a while, use terms that others with their knowledge level quickly understand. While those new to the subject haven't "learned the language" yet. One quick example is when the inner and outer rail are noted in an instruction on track. The inner or outer rail is from your perspective in relation to the track. If the track is in an oval , and I am standing inside the oval, I might determine that inner rail is the rail closest to me. Standing outside the track and coming from the transformer, outer rail might be determined to be the first rail I come to. In other words outer and inner in perspective to what. I looked at some of the questions on the Lionel blog and determined a wide variance of knowledge levels-from newbie to train runners with vast experience. Another example is describing how a bus is laid out- from transformer track binding posts(hot/gnd) 2 wires running alongside track, with feeders running from bus to track. Many newbies asked what happened to the ends of the hot/gnd wires that came from the transformer, at the end point of the bus. Questioned whether to put electrical tape over the bare ends to insulate them or run the hot back to the hot binding post on transformer to close the loop, same for gnd bus wire-back to transformer gnd binding posts. When I see the same question asked numerous times, makes me realize, the answers maybe more advanced than what the person is asking. There will be of course offline reading and homework, but as this forum is used by many, to get to running trains in a timely fashion, understanding what folks are asking can get them up and running and keep the hobby user friendly to newcomers.
