Train Location Updates

[Saturnalia]

I suggest that we change the titles of all threads in the TLU section to be titled as "Category, Effective Date(s)".

Currently, there is a mix of names, most of which are redundant. "CSX Train Location Updates" is redundant because we already know that that thread is TLUs because it is in that forum.

Thus, it could be "CSX 1-1-15". Much shorter, much less redundant.

It would follow protocol then, for the rest:

"CN 12-28 to 1-3"
"Michigan Shortlines January 2015"
"Ann Arbor January 2015"
"Conrail January 2015"

Etc, for anything we decide to have a category for.

Note, I also suggest Conrail updates be monthly or quarterly, so as to be better archived, instead of this long-running thread.

I realize that this is not an "issue" per se, but rather a motion to standardize and reduce irrelevancy...lower the operating ratio, so to speak.

[GreatLakesRailfan]

I like Alex's first thought. More than once I've piggybacked on an older CN updates thread because I didn't want to type everything out on my mobile internet device required for the thread title.

Not so sure about the rest of it though...

[ConrailMan5]

Truthfully I don't really understand why CSX is done daily. Weekly or monthly, like everything else, should suffice. But I digress.

The reason the updates is added is to clarify that that is the general updates thread vs some other special move IMHO.
For instance under your system CSX 1/15-1/22 would not be as easily discernable from CSX OCS 1/15.

And you are saving literally 9 characters in type by switching to your system Alex. For clarity's sake I think the current system is fine, even if it is redundant based on forum title.

[Saturnalia]

Truthfully I don't really understand why CSX is done daily. Weekly or monthly, like everything else, should suffice. But I digress.

CSX is daily due to the sheer volume of the posts - often more than 20 per day. The others don't get that sort of volume so they're kept over longer periods based on use.

[trnwatcher]

I suggest we leave it as it is. It seems to work just fine.

[SD80MAC]

No need to fix something that isn't broken.

[AARR]

There are a few threads that are so long they are hard to follow including Conrail and a couple in the Ohio Board (CF&E and ND&W come to mind). I wouldn't mind seeing them broken up just so it's easier to find older information in them.

[Saturnalia]

There are a few threads that are so long they are hard to follow including Conrail and a couple in the Ohio Board (CF&E and ND&W come to mind). I wouldn't mind seeing them broken up just so it's easier to find older information in them.

IMHO, those threads should be divided up by year, or even half-years. "ND&W 2014", "CF&E Jan-June 2015", etc

[Jetlink]

It seems to be up to the person who starts the thread what to call it. I think copy- pasting and changing the date is the norm. If the longer threads need to be broken up; then the person who wants to do it should break it up, by starting a new thread at the appropriate time. We don't need to caucus. Just do it. If it makes sense it will stick.

[Jochs]

With firefox, and windows7, I just type 'C' and the rest of the title appears, and I just change one number usually...not that hard.

[Bulby]

MQT, if you want to change it, perhaps when you are the first one to post an update for a category, YOU write it as you want it and if it catches on, good. If not, oh well. Discussing it doesn't do more than net negativity.

[Saturnalia]

I've tried just doing "CSX TLUs (date)" before, but each time somebody starts another thread with the same date. I'm not sure how that happens, but apparently shortening the title when I make the thread doesn't work!

I'm not gonna lose sleep over it...it is just a suggestion.

[PatAzo]

CSX is daily due to the sheer volume of the posts - often more than 20 per day. The others don't get that sort of volume so they're kept over longer periods based on use.

The low volume in the short line thread is in part due to several railroads being mixed into one thread. People who don't want to wade through the posts on multiple railroads don't bother to post there either. Give the major short lines their own thread and I'd wager you'll see an increase in the updates.

[Jochs]

I suggest that we change the titles of all threads in the TLU section to be titled as "Category, Effective Date(s)".

Currently, there is a mix of names, most of which are redundant. "CSX Train Location Updates" is redundant because we already know that that thread is TLUs because it is in that forum.

Thus, it could be "CSX 1-1-15". Much shorter, much less redundant.

It would follow protocol then, for the rest:

"CN 12-28 to 1-3"
"Michigan Shortlines January 2015"
"Ann Arbor January 2015"
"Conrail January 2015"

If people are so worried about the length, why type out "01/04/2017" instead of "1/4/17?" We know what year it is, and the date and time you entered the post appears at the beginning of the post.

[Todd_F]

Truthfully I don't really understand why CSX is done daily. Weekly or monthly, like everything else, should suffice. But I digress.

CSX is daily due to the sheer volume of the posts - often more than 20 per day. The others don't get that sort of volume so they're kept over longer periods based on use.

Ironic, considering it's a RR that only runs a couple trains daily in the entire state. The sheer amount of CSX Daily Updates on that page has become off-putting, to me. Not sure why it can't be monthly - some boards threads I frequent have thousands of posts in them, I'm still not sure why CSX threads can't grow that large here?? Even at 20 posts per day, that's not a huge number over a months time.

[~Z~]

We'll give the CSX monthly train location updates a try for this month at least and see how it goes. Here's the new thread for CSX April: http://railroadfan.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=34900

[AARR]

~Z~, why doesn't this thread belong in Train Location Updates
http://railroadfan.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=30512

[trnwatcher]

We'll give the CSX monthly train location updates a try for this month at least and see how it goes. Here's the new thread for CSX April: http://railroadfan.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=34900

I'm voicing my disapproval of this. I'll live with what ever the general consensus is but I've always liked the individual days. No trolling trough pages upon pages of stuff looking up something from a week or even a few days ago.

[Saturnalia]

We'll give the CSX monthly train location updates a try for this month at least and see how it goes. Here's the new thread for CSX April: http://railroadfan.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=34900

I'm voicing my disapproval of this. I'll live with what ever the general consensus is but I've always liked the individual days. No trolling trough pages upon pages of stuff looking up something from a week or even a few days ago.

Right. All the others are monthly because they don't get the traffic the CSX ones do. Us GR folks, which are the main "base" of the site, do TLUs more intensive than anybody else, it seems.

I guess we can see how long the monthly thread gets, but if it's longer than a half dozen pages, I suggest reverting back to daily.

[trnwatcher]

I guess we can see how long the monthly thread gets, but if it's longer than a half dozen pages, I suggest reverting back to daily.

it's at 13 pages now with 11 more days to go.