What are the 10 most important OGR forum topics for 2012?

To each his own. I personally enjoy topics dealing with scenics, 1:43 cars, and York.

My least favorite are cat and dog "Show and tell" threads.

That's interesting because I enjoy the threads with pets.  I find the pet-related posts are a refreshing break from the usual posts.

Earl

Well - and not to start a war -- but truly I would say the most recurring "topic" was angry tirades about the poor quality of modern locos, the inadequacies of anyone outside the US to manufacturer anything that has to be screwed together or that involves wires and how this and the general political situation clearly indicated the world was going straight down the toilet.

The second most memorable (and least favorite) to me are the many threads that revolved/devolved around the inadequacy of anyone but [fill in the blanks here] to build an even partly satisfactory model of a NYC Hudson, because they left out or misrepresented the [whatever detail was important to whoever posted the compalint].

That said, I loved threads about O-gauge vehicles, reviews of locos by anyone, and when people post pictures and videos of their layouts and new additions to them. 

For me,in the electrical forum, it has been the topic of toggle switches.  I have them all bookmarked and read them often.  I am almost at the point on my layout where I will need a few for my son to turn on/off accessories.

BTW - I learn a lot on that forum.  The folks who are knowledgeable in this space are doing a great job posting - thanks to them all! 

Simple Green

Me too, Earl!  Hopefully nobody is forcing those who don't care for pets and trains threads to read those messages.

To me, any threads that educate are valuable.  Not too fond of product/manufacturer bashing.

Pete

The "MPC Fan Thread" I really enjoyed:

https://ogrforum.com/d...ent/2415514336567652

This was the most important and saddening thread in the history of OGR

Paulinskill/Owen Sturm has passed away UPDATE 11-1...

A Toast to Owen

Of course these are my favorites

Trainstock 5 - All Invited

NJHiRailers Rotary Dump @ TrainStock 4 (photos)

Rotary Dump @ Nj Hirailers, Trainstock 4 (1 of 2)

Trainstock IV Video

Tom Snyder's Layout at Trainstock 4

A few Trainstock Photos

OGR Forum Party Part 4 - AKA Trainstock 4

Trainstock 4 Photos

A few pics from Trainstock 4

1) Any thread with photos (Weekend Photo Fun, Midweek photos on Real Trains, the Sunday scenic photos) etc.

2) Reviews of current products (sans bashing, of course).

3) Any "how to" thread (because I often don't know "how to") 

I go with Doc. Simple Green and Track cleaning discussions, something we all have to deal with.

People will understand if I say I grew a little weary of Simple Green discussions . . .

Lee, ya know we love ya.

Constructive Reviews of New Products

Layout pictures

Auction pictures

Events(conventions,etc)

Collector/Operator Profiles documenting lives of past, current people in hobby(HMMM...Future Series in OGR ALLAN MILLER???...article about Ted Maurer..Greg Stout, etc.)

OF LITTLE INTEREST:

One's deep personal political views of Communist China(GUESS WHO)

Chronic personal medical problems...UNLESS it serves to reminds us to get tested!

Ebay and Forum Police(Former Hall Monitors in Jr. High School)

POOP ATTACKS on Members

I enjoy the photo-related posts and still would support a photo 'how-to' suggested by Scrappy a few weeks ago.

Also the control system threads as I'm not very technically savvy and learn (albeit slowly) from these quite  a bit.

Wow. Totally agree on this one. Great thread full of fantastc photos.

The best thing was this actually got me interested in an era that I knew nothing about to the point where I ended up buying some MPC Service Station and Collector sets from the period, More trains! 

The GREAT ONE(VOX's) were some of my favorites; Davy Mac's New garden layout(on the 2-rail forum) too!

Best photo submission - "the Guinness Trestle" it's featured in the New garden layout thread.

Rick

Simple Green (not to be confused with Simply Red).

I just love watching the way that some threads evolve. The whole gamut of human emotions often gets played out in a single thread. This is can often be even more dramatic  when the thread may start with a rumour, and then the true facts slowly emerge. Who needs soap operas when we have this wonderful forum? 

I agree with Joe! To each his own.

• Product reviews
• How-to threads
• Forum member's current project posts

The question posed in this thread is a difficult one to answer. People join forums like this one to share in the free and open exchange of ideas and opinions. As such the perspective of each model railroader, as it pertains to this hobby, is important. If the information presented is logical or factual, positive or negative, about bad experiences or good experiences, most posts contain some useful info, but even if they don't so what! On all online forums you have to take the bad with the good.

add to the list the escapades of the intrepid Scott Smith trying to bring another orange and blue box through the door and into the house. I have somewhat the same problem...........either my wifes' radar is immensely able to pinpoint the exact time I pull in the driveway and I get found out (rats!)..........or one of my adult kids proclaims......."Dad's home and he's got A N O T H E R train thingy!"..........or lastly, my larger of two dogs brings the bag up to the kitchen table........or a box flap he tore off..........TRUE STORY!!!!!

I agree with Keith from Michigan and Ohio Lines. 1. Product reviews, 2. How-to's and  3. Member's current projects be it their layout or portion thereof. These I find the most informative. There are many other topics that are enjoyable to read and contribute to which I also like just because they can be fun to do so.

Definitely the simple green "lessons learned" (not to use it) post in it's entirety.

-Dave

When posters let us know about products or special sales that we might not of heard about otherwise.

I have bought a number of items that | would not have if it was not posted here.

This was the most important and saddening thread in the history of OGR

That was certainly a saddest of tragedies Ben, but I wouldn't give it that title as we do not want to trivialize all the others we've lost in 2012.

The GREAT ONE(VOX's) were some of my favorites

Because those were your own threads Rick. Many of them huge time wasters. Your running tradition of melting down and getting banned over and over again certainly has been one of the more amusing aspects of recent years though.

The second most memorable (and least favorite) to me are the many threads that revolved/devolved around the inadequacy of anyone but [fill in the blanks here] to build an even partly satisfactory model of a NYC Hudson, because they left out or misrepresented the [whatever detail was important to whoever posted the compalint].

This was very unfortunate indeed. Those topics and had a lot of excellent information presented which was helpful to a ton of people in choosing the right model for them (during that time, K-Line scale Hudsons had a noticeable increase in going prices on eBay). It was such a shame that those great discussions had to be brought down every time by foamers and brand-loyalists.

Old timers duelling on power chairs, and crop dusting in the York section rank amongst my favorite for 2012. Those guys are maniacs and must be stopped.

Well the top three are, not necessarily in this order.

1.York

2. Paypal or Checks

3. PS2 or TMCC cheaper to upgrade engines

LOL Just kidding   

I like all of them the good the bad the ugly. There is some very not train related funny stuff here that I enjoy reading. I just try to learn what to pay attention to as well as to what not pay attention to. The knowledge to learn about trains is my goal and this OGR site is outstanding in trying to achieve that.

Beg to differ Nick  Its not trivializing anybody we lost as I am sure there were many.  It is a testament to Owen as he was the most popular, helpful  and cordial forum member to date.  Don't think we will ever see anybody that comes close.

"HO Manufacturer History Help Needed" was a favorite of mine.

Ben, I just mean to say even though we all knew Owen was a stellar guy, I hate the concept of "ranking" people's passing away threads so to speak. All deaths of friends, family, and forum members are extremely sad events, and all deserve equal acknowledgment.

Off the top of my head I can remember David Cecil and Sean's father at Doherty Trains also passing away this year.

I guess the Lionel PS1's, X-31 , Southern Fans & Weaver wagon top threads stand out.

Always constructive scenery topics and photos, too many talented modelers to list.

Four or five outstanding layouts I tend to follow.

I agree - I think about Owen frequently - what a great guy.....

I always find the repairs, tips, and electrical interesting.

For me it is the "Sunday Scenic Showcase", something that is relatively new in the overall life span of the Forum. An event that week after week illustrates the outstanding talent that prowls around the Forum. You know who they are and with the  easier photo application new contributors pop up almost weekly!

I can no longer do the kind of creations showcased and could never in my best day come close to matching the best of the best. But I look forward to viewing it and dreaming when I doze off after meds.

The thread on the lack of kosher hot dogs at the York Fairgrounds!

add to the list the escapades of the intrepid Scott Smith trying to bring another orange and blue box through the door and into the house. 

I hope to cut back on those this coming year by not getting caught.

Seriously, Owen did pass away in 2011 clearing brush from that rare October snow storm. I think from now on when I see an October storm I will think of Owen. I had to keep reminding myself at York I wasn't going to see him around the next asile. Orange Hall seemed a little emptier without him there.

As far as the topic of the year--I would vote for Scott Mann's topic on the perils of manufactuing in China.

Scott Smith

Sorry Lee but you've become part of OGR Forum lore.

Jerry

As I have only  been a member of the forum for about six months, I can't give a true top ten for the year.  I can tell you that I find ALL of the threads interesting in their own way.  Some are very informative, some give me a good chuckle and others leave me in awe of the incredible modeling skills of fellow members.  I have also learned, just like talking to my neighborhood buddies, I have to make sure my B.S. filter gets cleaned out once in a while or it will get plugged up.

Tom