Train Location Updates

[amtrak1007]

Well if this interactive map application is something the group would find useful, I can start on something to help us.... I guess i just would like to know i'm not just blowing smoke up my you know where...

[conrailmike]

We already have maps.....isn't that what ATCS is for? Yeah, I know it's not "interactive"...

[amtrak1007]

We already have maps.....isn't that what ATCS is for? Yeah, I know it's not "interactive"...

Not all routes are atcs equped, furthermore atcs doesn't give us the option to tag an occupancy with a symbol.... I'm thinking primarily of plymouth - gr - porter which isn't largely atcs, but having a cohesive system of location info would be a bonus....

[SD80MAC]

I agree with the spliting up of train updates by area or state. Living in Grand Rapids, I don't care about where a train is in Ohio, and I'm pretty sure people down there could care less about when Z151 comes to town. Just sayin.

[conrailmike]

Zack, any official word on this??

[~Z~]

Hmm..
So we have CSX Ohio updates for each day and CSX general updates. I really don't mind now having the CSX updates divided up by state, even though I don't believe having a 2-3 page thread of updates per day was too much to read. As I see, where do you post updates about trains that run from MI to OH, or vice versa? Where do CSX updates in Indiana go, or should we not bother with that for now since we don't have too many Indiana members?

A thought, and feel free to interject, but how about a MI Train location daily update that has CSX, CN, and NS updates on it, along with the shortline updates? For instance, if you live in Detroit, you may have to be reading all three update threads to see what is going on nearby, whereas we can reduce this to a single daily thread. Ohio can do the same and have NS and CSX updates go into a "OH Train Location Update 6/30/10" or something along those lines.
We'll just have to make sure people post their update with company and symbol if possible, and make sure to define the location better, such as "CSX Q326 east clear Fox in Grand Rapids", instead of just "326 clear fox." Thoughts?

[Y@]

Hmm..
So we have CSX Ohio updates for each day and CSX general updates. I really don't mind now having the CSX updates divided up by state, even though I don't believe having a 2-3 page thread of updates per day was too much to read. As I see, where do you post updates about trains that run from MI to OH, or vice versa? Where do CSX updates in Indiana go, or should we not bother with that for now since we don't have too many Indiana members?

A thought, and feel free to interject, but how about a MI Train location daily update that has CSX, CN, and NS updates on it, along with the shortline updates? For instance, if you live in Detroit, you may have to be reading all three update threads to see what is going on nearby, whereas we can reduce this to a single daily thread. Ohio can do the same and have NS and CSX updates go into a "OH Train Location Update 6/30/10" or something along those lines.
We'll just have to make sure people post their update with company and symbol if possible, and make sure to define the location better, such as "CSX Q326 east clear Fox in Grand Rapids", instead of just "326 clear fox." Thoughts?

Sounds good to me Z. I'll be the Ohio CSX man as I don't follow NS too much.

[SD80MAC]

I like the way we used to do it better. "CSX MI Train Location Updates". If a train's going to be in Michigan on CSX rails, post about it there. The other states can do the same.

[conrailmike]

I think I'd rather keep the states and the railroads separated. If a user wanting to keep an eye on CSX trains never looks at the CN or NS updates, I doubt that user is going to like scrolling through updates from other railroads just so he can see the CSX stuff. I know I don't.

[SD80MAC]

I think I'd rather keep the states and the railroads separated. If a user wanting to keep an eye on CSX trains never looks at the CN or NS updates, I doubt that user is going to like scrolling through updates from other railroads just so he can see the CSX stuff. I know I don't.

Agreed!

[tsinoms]

I actually do like glenn's idea. The thing that makes it cool is we can guess where the train will be by putting it in the text document. Also, I agree on the thread idea. If it's not gonna touch MI, don't post it there.