What other sources are there for this info?

We are often told to have a backup plan, whether it's a place to meet in the front yard if there is a fire, or a spare key in case we lock ourself out.

I admit that other that some specific Yahoo groups dedicated to one particular road - BR&P, NYC, etc - this is the only railroad site I visit. So I have no idea what else is out there. But a 3 or 4 day outage (which fortunately was not permanent) got me thinking. What other forums cover western NY rail activity somewhat similar to this one? If something happened again, where do we all re-group and carry on? My first choice is right here but I'd be curious what we can do for a fall-back for when that is not an option.

I'm not sure if you are interested, but I have gotten a lot out of the groups on facebook. It's the
only thing I use facebook for, not really for "regular socializing", if you will. But it's easy to post photos
and share information.

I was leery at first but it's really better than I expected!

Charlie

Charlie, I am one of the dwindling few in the world who are not on Facebook. The day might come when I actually have to join. Just don't take my rotary dial telephone away from me! (jk!)

Facebook is ok, but there's some drawbacks. Sometimes people get a little cRaZy on there & express extreme opinions & start a lot of trouble & it's more personal there. Less anonymity can be risky for you own personal privacy too.

That is very true about Facebook. Another good website is at railfan.net. The person who owns
this site (Henry) is a very good guy, from the Buffalo area (originally anyway) and keeps it running. It's also
easier to post photos there as well. Quite a few regulars here in the NY State forum also post there.

Charlie

http://www.railfan.net" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I too am on Facebook and can say that the Facebook groups is good if you can avoid the crazy ones, the ones who started trouble, and the ones who starts arguing and the ones who want to suck the info outta of you!! Now, there is like plenty of CSX Albany Div. groups on Facebook, also a Southern Tier group is on there and a Buffalo group. I'm on some of those groups, and do share information, pictures, I would recommend them groups to start out with! Now the way I do things, when I first get on a group, I see who is crazy, who wants to know where the trains are, who starts trouble, who are the admins, who are the one to start arguing and the one who has a TON of information, also I check how active the groups are, I just take a few days or so to see how active the group is. And more thing, sharing information on the groups can be a huge + to those who are out most of the time, just make sure you tell them what's the leader and train is. If you know the train symbol, it would be even BIGGER +! That's my few tips. Lol.




-Scottie

In the past 5 years, probably 80% of railfan discussion has moved over to facebook groups..
Im not saying its good or bad, 'it just is"..things always change and evolve.

It's interesting, because these days I use facebook pretty much for nothing but railfan discussion groups!
actually using facebook for its intended purpose, conversing with actual friends, has dwindled to almost nothing, for me..

Im a member of probably 20 different railroad groups on facebook..
the LV facebook group has now become THE place for LV discussion on the internet..
the railroad.net and railfan.net LV forums have faded away to almost nothing..
again, im not saying I like that! but it is what it is..you cant really fight it.

yes, trolls can be a problem on facebook..but there is an easy fix!
the facebook block..just block the person, and you never see anything they post ever again..
(and they cant see your posts either..you are totally invisible to each other..its as if they ceased to exist! its a wonderful thing..)

and if a group has a good admin and/or moderators, they will also ban trolls from the forum..
some groups are better at that than others..

Some good NY groups:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/tiersightings" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; (NS Southern Tier)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/LehighValleyRailroad" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; (LV)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/nysw.rwy" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; (NYSW)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/18523919943" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; (EL)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/193882697461944" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; (Buffalo & Western NY)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/513534422005160" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; (D&H)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/NYSRailroads" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; (New York State Railroads Now and Then)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/CorningNYRailfans" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; (Norfolk Southern Railway Corning, NY Railfans)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/FlgkLines" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; (Finger Lakes & Central New York Railroads - Now And Then)

https://www.facebook.com/groups/560512507348806" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; (Rochester Area Railroads and Railfans)


Another problem..people often create new facebook groups that are totally unnecessary and redundant!
for topics that already exist in other groups..
(that was also a problem with yahoo groups)
but those groups usually just fizzle and die..
the groups I linked above are quite active..

For railfan discussion, facebook has become the new place to be..
I dont mind it, I think for the most part its a good thing..

I recently posted the same LV topic in railroad.net, railfan.net and the LV facebook group..
railroad.net and railfan.net took a day or so to get one reply..then fizzled out after two or three replies..
the facebook post became an active discussion, within minutes, that had a dozen replies that same day and went on for a week..
95% of LV discussion on the internet is now on that one group..

One major *benefit* of facebook groups, is that posts from ALL those groups appear in my one facebook page..
I dont have to open up a dozen individual forums to see new posts..when someone makes a post in ANY of those groups, I see it instantly just by being on facebook..
and when new replies are made in any thread, it pops up at the top of the list on my one facebook page..
Its very convenient, makes following discussions very easy, you dont have to search for anything, facebook just gives it to you..
and sharing between groups is also easy..these are some of the reasons facebook is so popular..
and! you can also still use it to keep in touch with friends and family..their posts also come up in the main page, same as the railfan posts.

its the wave of the future, whether we like it or not..
I was against it at first, I resisted joining facebook for awhile, (im 45 years old afterall!
but I have grown to like it.
I still love my railroad.net and railfan.net forums..they are still great groups and im not planning to abandon them.
but..a question was asked, and im answering it!

yahoo groups are horrible..they always have been.
the format just sucks..
but facebook groups are much better IMO..not the same thing at all..

Scot

Very well put, Scot......and thanks for posting these groups, I found a few more to join out of those
you listed!

Charlie

Thanks Scot, Scott, and others.

I suppose I'm moving closer to joining FB. For a long time it seemed juvenile to me, people trying to add as many friends as they can most of whom they never met, and having to "like" things. But as Scot says, today's world uses FB a lot. (A while back we wanted to go out and looked up a venue's web site to check on what band was there. It said something to the effect of "see our Facebook page for band schedule".)

Scott, I hear ya on the various personalities, pretty much the same as on regular forums. A little lurking usually shows who is rational and who the few in the lunatic fringe are.

Thanks guys. Like Scot, I have no plans to abandon RR.net, I like it here. But options are a good thing to have.

BR&P wrote:I suppose I'm moving closer to joining FB. For a long time it seemed juvenile to me, people trying to add as many friends as they can most of whom they never met, and having to "like" things.

I know... and im not one of these kind of people who get into competitive for most friends. I know a lot of these who got 700 or more... even 1,000... Really??

I did get high to 300 as I was looking for my long lost friends from youth and college years.. but I trimmed down to 200 something as I see some of their "personality", positing way too much about jesus/god, PETA, and other non-sense annoying postings. Then I decided to remove these.. I did had some request friend with me after I posted video or pic or reporting train passing (sorry scottie, symbols are out of question). I just dont accept them if I dont know them. That group is far enough for these people, who dont know me, see my posting in group.

I limited my posting to my friends only, with except for groups that have separate privacy level which would see my posting in groups but not on my wall.

BR&P wrote:I suppose I'm moving closer to joining FB. For a long time it seemed juvenile to me, people trying to add as many friends as they can most of whom they never met, and having to "like" things.

You don't have to use Facebook the way other people use Facebook. You can join and have zero friends and never click "Like" on anything, if that suits your needs.

In fact, I have set up the options so some "friends" who post annoying material now never appear on my main wall, I'd have to go digging around into other areas of Facebook to see what they have posted, and in most cases I never bother. I also have the many railroad groups not appearing on my main wall, and usually once a day I go into the Railroad Groups individually to see what is new.

So, if you're going to use Facebook, use it the way you want.

The groups definitely vary in quality. The history-oriented ones seem much better IMO since they draw a mature audience by nature, as well as strong admins. The ones revolving around current sightings on various lines, which tend to draw a younger audience, are usually (but not always) the ones filled with drama -- and since there's really no system of checks & balances, the admin(s) of some of those groups actually perpetuate it.

Here are some other good groups in NY (I don't know the URL, my phone doesn't give them to me, but they should be easily found by Facebook searching)

Fans of the Arcade & Attica
New York Central Railroad Fangroup
Lehigh Valley Railroad History 1961-1976
Abandoned Rails (administered by Russ Nelson)

I have to agree that Facebook handles the majority of railfan discossions theses days but a couple of R message boards are still alive. The LV board is pretty active and we have even organized LV-related outings in recent years. In fact , the next one will be on Saturday 4/11: http://forums.railfan.net/forums.cgi?bo ... rt=680#680" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Also, Norfolk Southern fans should check out http://www.jreb.org/ns/index.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; -it is truly the place to go if you love Norfolk Southern. It is also the most active RR message board, IMO.

Interesting to see Facebook used for completely not what it was intended for.