Amen to that! This is a friendly lot and I like that. Being friendly keeps people in. Being grouchy and insulting, well... you get my drift.
It's also a competent group that generally has interesting things to talk about. I don't mind the slow days, since when things are posted, it's good stuff. Also, I've pointed this out before, and I implied it above, but the N scalers (and the z scalers for what it's worth) are far far more likely to post threads that belong in a different forum (layout design, DCC, Inspection Pit) in the N scale forum rather than the appropriate place.) It's all part of the complex. They either linked directly to the N scale forum and so miss out on the rest of the place, or they just feel they need to be in that forum. I've gently chided over the years about it, maybe I need to start acting more hurt about what jerks they're being.
Candy I have thought the same sometimes, however when attending most Train Conventions you soon realize that it is mostly a online thing. N Scalers seem to be online more in my opinion But there are still more HO hobbyist
Whenever I post something here, some new landscaping progress or a new scratchbuild, I know that I'll get a response from the same handful of people, and it's the same people that I see active throughout the HO forum. It does seem like the majority of the "little" people stick to their forums and never venture out into the larger world.
There is actually some T chat here. It seems to be mixed in with the Z forum. NN? As in N narrow gauge? We do have some guys doing that on occasion- In the N scale and narow gauges forums.
Candy, I've started out in Z. Went to N. Now I'm doing HO. The thing I found perplexing as well was where are the HO modelers? (talkers/posters) After 8 months I still can't find them. I'm not at all a believer in exclusive HO modelers reading the N scale posts. That's just too weird a thought now that I'm in HO. Most of the HO guys are old-timers that have dinked around the scale since WWII. Maybe they are just not computer saavy? Another lame excuse I hear from HO'ers is, "I'm too busy modeling." Really?? Let me get on my taller boots. Anyway, I've looked for the HO modelers and a decent site for HO and I have not found it. They just don't seem to be anywhere. Jim
HO modelers aren't older. I know plenty of young people in HO. It's just that all modelers skew older and their are more HO modelers. As I said, HO has magazines with good dedication to the scale, tons of rolling stock and engines, sound. I think from the point of view of what generate the most "questions" on sites like this, there is less of a need. Personally, I don't have a layout right now, just a club and I have more time to sneak a post in here or there than I do writing a blog or long posts. And I spend a lot of time up in the prototype fora and in the Inspection pit, so I don't JUST post down here. All I can recommend is don't wait for others, start the posting yourself and get things rolling.
I didn't mean NN, I meant ZZ. I totally screwed that up. ZZ is 1:300 Not to get off topic here, but T-Scale is small enough to be a Garden Railroad on a G-Scale Layout
But seriously - just looking at the daily posts you would think it's 90% N-scalers here. And as a relative newcomer to the board, I have to admit at times it seems a little Intimating? don't know if that's the word I want to use. I do wonder why there's not more HO posts. As a newcomer I tend to listen more than I post, trying to learn - but I chime in if I have anything to contribute. Even the N-scale posts, especially regarding scenery - can be transposed to larger scale. Maybe it's because there is so much new stuff to learn in N-scale - it has only been in recent years that it's popularity has seemed to take off.
I agree that some N scale threads are of value to other scales but not all. Some are so scale specific that they are useless to us.
I model in both HO and N scale, however I do spend more time on the N scale forum. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I am a moderator over there and it is part of my job to keep those rowdy folks in line. But seriously, I usually look at all new topics in all the scales and all the prototype railfan forums.
I hear you, Candy. Seems like at the last train meet I went too, N-scale booths and layouts outnumbered HO. But I'm HO. But I'd read somewhere that the fastest growing segment was G. I can understand why. Given my rapidly aging eyesight, the large scale trains are just a lot easier to see!
Funny, I thought ZZ was "that lil' ole band from Texas"................as in ZZTop. OK, I'll shut up & slink away now............
Yoho ... I used to belong to the Roseville club when it was located upstairs in one of the exhibition halls in the Placer Co. Fairgrounds. Is "Smokey" still active with it? He can build the most wonderful, proto-typical looking turnouts I have ever seen. He showed me how he did it, but I still can't seem to get the points to look as good as his no matter how many I have built over the years! / If he's still there, please telll him Bill Killion, (the old Calif. Hwy Patrolman) says hello. Thanks.