Why I don't use heritageunits.com anymore

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David Collins
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Why I don't use heritageunits.com anymore

Unread post by David Collins »

For those who don't know, heritageunits.com is a website where you can track heritage units AND special interest locomotives.

I'm posting this because there are some posters on this website that get most of their information from that website, and that's an issue in my opinion, because they're believing false reports, and are believing information that is almost the equivalent to railfanning conspiracy theories that are posted in the about section of the report.

The website also makes railfans (experienced or not) think that special interest units (veterans units, promotional units, special paint jobs that DO NOT honor a railroad's history, etc) are heritage units, THEY.ARE.NOT. Heritage Units, by definition, honor a railroad's heritage, or its predecessors. Heritage Units do not honor the military, promote a company (like what amtrak's done lately with operation lifesaver and the king tut wrapped ACS-64), or anything else.

I hope that any readers of this post that get their info from there will realize that they need to get their info from several ACCURATE sources, not just one that's known for fake reports/lies.

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~Z~
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Re: Why I don't use heritageunits.com anymore

Unread post by ~Z~ »

I'm failing to see how the website makes railfans think that special interest units are heritage units. Sure, the site started as just a site to track the NS heritage units, then slowly expanded to cover a lot of the rare units in general. Most railfans should be getting their information from more than one site, much like any kind of news in general. Heritageunits's site is driven by user generated content, much like this site. We try to keep our information accurate, much like I'm sure they do as well.
That site sure seems to be useful to those that are trackside and appreciate a heads up about some special unit that may be coming on a train soon.
I wonder what happened to you on that site that's making you write them off...
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David Collins
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Re: Why I don't use heritageunits.com anymore

Unread post by David Collins »

~Z~ wrote:
Tue Sep 27, 2022 1:34 pm
I wonder what happened to you on that site that's making you write them off...
Nothing actually, I rarely posted, and if I did, I only posted info that was necessary. I didn't post anything else.
Last edited by David Collins on Tue Sep 27, 2022 2:57 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Why I don't use heritageunits.com anymore

Unread post by J T »

David Collins wrote:
Tue Sep 27, 2022 10:23 am
Why I don't use heritageunits.com anymore
I've never used it before. Maybe I'll stop not using it now.
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Re: Why I don't use heritageunits.com anymore

Unread post by ConrailDetr​oit »

because they're believing false reports
Is there a certain section on Heritage Units that allegedly false information can be disputed? It's usually best to only post what is personally observed. Or, if something special or rare is heard through the grapevine and worth giving a heads up, starting with "Word is".
The website also makes railfans (experienced or not) think that special interest units (veterans units, promotional units, special paint jobs that DO NOT honor a railroad's history, etc) are heritage units, THEY.ARE.NOT
How about suggesting to Heritage Units that they rename their site specialunits.com? As bland and boring as engines are getting on the Class 1s with models and paint colors, compared to the past, and even on some Shortlines now, knowing of something out of the ordinary can be very appreciating from a foamer perspective.

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Re: Why I don't use heritageunits.com anymore

Unread post by NS3322 »

ConrailDetr​oit wrote:
Wed Sep 28, 2022 8:03 am
Is there a certain section on Heritage Units that allegedly false information can be disputed? It's usually best to only post what is personally observed. Or, if something special or rare is heard through the grapevine and worth giving a heads up, starting with "Word is".
Yes, you can flag any report as bad. This thread is completely unnecessary.

HeritageUnits is still way more reliable than Facebook reports imho.
I've never been burned by a HU report.

Take this report as an example. The visually spotted category is usually your best way to judge the report. Not their fault if one cannot use the website correctly.
huexample.JPG
There are three report categories:
1. Saw locomotive in-person (obviously the more accurate one)
2. Saw locomotive on a web camera
3. Heard with 100% confidence the locomotive on a radio/scanner
Last edited by NS3322 on Wed Sep 28, 2022 10:47 am, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Why I don't use heritageunits.com anymore

Unread post by Talk »

ive had far more false reports on facebook than on HeritageUnits

and who cares if someone calls a special interest locomotive a heritage unit. Let the kids have fun

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Re: Why I don't use heritageunits.com anymore

Unread post by J T »

NS3322 wrote:
Wed Sep 28, 2022 8:54 am

Yes, you can flag any report as bad. This thread is completely unnecessary.
Agreed. It's akin to someone announcing their departure from a facebook group, instead of just departing silently (and no one would even know or care). But...they just HAVE to let everyone know..."I'M LEAVING! SCREW ALL OF YOU!" :lol:
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Re: Why I don't use heritageunits.com anymore

Unread post by Chip »

J T wrote:
Wed Sep 28, 2022 5:49 pm
NS3322 wrote:
Wed Sep 28, 2022 8:54 am

Yes, you can flag any report as bad. This thread is completely unnecessary.
Agreed. It's akin to someone announcing their departure from a facebook group, instead of just departing silently (and no one would even know or care). But...they just HAVE to let everyone know..."I'M LEAVING! SCREW ALL OF YOU!" :lol:
Oh yeah? Well I’ll show you! I’m going to keep posting here whether you all like it or not and there’s nothing anyone can do about it!

Except for ~Z~

And AARR, but who cares what he thinks anyway, he’s irrelevant.

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Re: Why I don't use heritageunits.com anymore

Unread post by PatAzo »

The Oxford Reference says in part:

"In its broadest sense, heritage includes natural and built landscapes, physical artefacts, and cultural forms (e.g. music, literature, art, folklore, monuments), intangible culture (values and traditions, customs and practices, spiritual beliefs, language), and biological traits. Heritage is considered important because it connects people with the past and affirms and reproduces cultural identity."

Special paint schemes honoring veterans and first responders certainly qualify. If railfans care enough about CN's ex-CITX units to try and track where they are then they must identify a part of our culture as well.

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Re: Why I don't use heritageunits.com anymore

Unread post by justalurker66 »

Yeah, other special paint are not heritage units but the site has expanded beyond it's initial purpose. I have seen several sites that outgrew their name. It isn't a problem for me and it seems like the most minor part of a problem.

I do not know how well they moderate for accuracy. Yes, they ask people to report how they knew the location of the train. Yes, individuals can be inaccurate. But even before moderation one can see reports from multiple individuals.

Hopefully you didn't see a report and invest time to get to a location to shoot a train just to find out it was a false report. That would be frustrating. Is that the complaint when "accuracy" is questioned?

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Re: Why I don't use heritageunits.com anymore

Unread post by PatAzo »

Spend a few minutes on the site and you will find that they have units categorized by Heritage, Leasers, Original Paint and Special Interest. The map and associated list below can be filtered by category. So if Special Interest units don't interest you filter them out.

Who and how are the sightings going to be moderated? NS1073 for example (you can check a specific unit) was reported at 9/29 at 8:44PM in Homestead PA. 9/30 at 3:26AM Gypsum OH. How does a moderator know if that is accurate? Someone reports it at Gypsum OH and two minutes later someone else reports it in Pittsburgh PA how does a moderator know which is accurate. The moderators by the way who are not paid and are not charging you to use the site.

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Re: Why I don't use heritageunits.com anymore

Unread post by justalurker66 »

PatAzo wrote:
Sat Oct 01, 2022 10:42 am
Who and how are the sightings going to be moderated? NS1073 for example (you can check a specific unit) was reported at 9/29 at 8:44PM in Homestead PA. 9/30 at 3:26AM Gypsum OH. How does a moderator know if that is accurate? Someone reports it at Gypsum OH and two minutes later someone else reports it in Pittsburgh PA how does a moderator know which is accurate.
The "report as bad" would be the first step in moderation. Users noticing the discrepancy and reporting problems. If a particular user provides too many bad location reports the user can be dealt with.

"Spotter reputation" is a good piece of information for those reading the site. I'd believe a report by someone with a higher reputation number.

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Re: Why I don't use heritageunits.com anymore

Unread post by PatAzo »

In addition at the bottom of the web page is a contact button.

Again how does moderator verify what's reported? If NS1073 for example can been seen working west from Pennsylvania into Indiana when suddenly its in California the report is obviously bad. But with two reports that could reasonably be correct what cab they do? Considering as well that they can't spend their day glued to the PC.

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Re: Why I don't use heritageunits.com anymore

Unread post by justalurker66 »

See post above. Just like the moderators on this site and other well moderated discussion boards - they do the best they can based on the information they have available to them. I don't expect moderators to read every new post on this site. That is why there is a "Report this post" button to bring troublesome posts to their attention.

If three people location report a unit as being in Elkhart at a particular hour and someone else is saying Deshler during the same hour that is a red flag. I'm not saying a moderator should read every location report to find such oddities but when someone uses the "report as bad" button it brings the potential issue their attention. Users themselves can see such oddities (a good reason to list the last few reports for each unit - even on the non-subscribed website) and use their own reasoning.

If there are two conflicting location reports the moderator may let both remain until either (1) additional location reports confirm one or the other location, (2) additional "report as bad" reports are made against a particular location report or (3) the reports ages to the point where few people care which one is right. No one should die if an errant report remains on the website and if they do it would be a stretch to blame the moderator.

At the end of the day accept their site for what it is ... user generated location content that is only as accurate as the data provided by users. If you don't like the site don't use it.

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Re: Why I don't use heritageunits.com anymore

Unread post by PatAzo »

justalurker66 wrote:
Sat Oct 01, 2022 1:25 pm
At the end of the day accept their site for what it is ... user generated location content that is only as accurate as the data provided by users. If you don't like the site don't use it.
Exactly.

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