Been Gone A While, Can Someone Fill Me In.....

[Virginia Atlantic]

Doubt many outside an old-school-few remember me, but I used to be around alot, both on old-Atlas and then on Railwire.

I've been reading the forum the last few days, getting a vibe to maybe get back into the hobby, and this community, now that I have my own home/space to do more, and the "bug" seems to have returned to some degree.

I'm curious tho, I've read in a number of threads something about "New Railwire" and "Old Atlas" and there being some form of conflict over these things.

Did the Atlas Forum go away?  Did Railwire have some sort of new management/overhaul?  Is Railwire more finescale now, and less laidback do-what-you-like style in what it covers?

Just curious, as I don't want to inadvertantly step in any drama I may be unaware of.  And it does seem that there is alot of conflict here between folks, somethign I don't recall being prevalent back in the day.

Also, to keep the thread on the topic of N-Scale, I'll add a poll question relevant to myself:

Of the Railroad names Below in my Sig, which would YOU persue if you were to persue a Freelance 1970's Era railroad?

Or, would a noob hobbyist ssimply be better off picking a favored prototype and dumping the entire freelance idea?  Go Conrail or Chessie System perhaps?

[Philip H]

the Atlas Forum shut down a while ago - they simply decided to invest their limited resources elsewhere.  TRW moved server/hosts,a nd changed management, which resulted in a purge of inactive or REALLY REALLY unruly members.

[CBQ Fan]

Yes, Atlas forum was shut down due to the associated cost to Atlas.  Then at some point ownership of TRW was changed.  No real difference to those using the forum, other than stricter adherence to proper topic in proper forum.

[wazzou]

Basically what they said.  Typically no drama or more than anywhere else, for that matter. 

Washington and Old Dominion, since neither of those two helped with that

[arbomambo]

Welcome back!....
please, for God's sake...don't bring up anything about Bachmann.....I'm begging you....
~Bruce

[bbussey]

I like the Virgina Atlantic name, but the Atlantic Western graphics have more of a 1970s styling.  Conrail would be my prototype choice, as it allows you to run patched predecessor schemes along with the blue in the 1970s.

[6axlepwr]

Also, to keep the thread on the topic of N-Scale, I'll add a poll question relevant to myself:

Of the Railroad names Below in my Sig, which would YOU persue if you were to persue a Freelance 1970's Era railroad?

Or, would a noob hobbyist simply be better off picking a favored prototype and dumping the entire freelance idea?  Go Conrail or Chessie System perhaps?

I can't help you with the first part of your question. I do not know anything about the demise of the Atlas forum or the creation of this forum or its changes.

But I would suggest you move your second question to a new thread because it is an interesting topic. I am a modeling junky and have become a proto-freelancer. Talking about what you model and why is a lot of fun. Building a story line and sticking to prototype practices is a lot more fun to me now than simply prototype modeling. In your SIG, I like VA. But what really makes freelancing more enjoyable for me is making it a believable railroad. I have learned a lot about how real railroads operate since I started freelancing because I needed to learn why a railroad does what is does, how they make money, what decisions go into motive power choices, management styles, the ridiculous waste that happens. it helps to build the story.

[Virginia Atlantic]

I can't help you with the first part of your question. I do not know anything about the demise of the Atlas forum or the creation of this forum or its changes.

But I would suggest you move your second question to a new thread because it is an interesting topic. I am a modeling junky and have become a proto-freelancer. Talking about what you model and why is a lot of fun. Building a story line and sticking to prototype practices is a lot more fun to me now than simply prototype modeling. In your SIG, I like VA. But what really makes freelancing more enjoyable for me is making it a believable railroad. I have learned a lot about how real railroads operate since I started freelancing because I needed to learn why a railroad does what is does, how they make money, what decisions go into motive power choices, management styles, the ridiculous waste that happens. it helps to build the story.

Well, no need to spam I think, since the first two replies seem to have covered the question, we can just roll forward on the second half.

Some background, the Virginia Atlantic (VARR) was my modeled road (Equipment only) in my previous time as a model RR'er.  It had a lengthy proto-lanced/alternate-history background story, involving the old W&OD, and some plausible track lines in the State of VA.  I had created maps, some corporate history, and of course, painted and lettered a few dozen railcars and a few locomotives in that roads colors (which were evolving).  A number of these cars even found their way into Railwire forum members hands, if I recall.

I've always personally found logo design/paint-scheme design/freelancing something I created in my head to be a driving force in my modeling back when, but conversely, I quit because I am exceedingly competative (and sensative about my own work, honestly), yet I am distinctly limited, talent-wise, as a model railroader and felt I could not achive with my clumsy hands what I could envision in my not-so-clumsy mind.

I have a reasonable knowledge of prototype operations and the like, and of prototype scheme design, so I do like to think my art is of the more "plausible" style, as realism is important to me.

[MVW]

I agree with Brian that you've posed an interesting question. Personally, I try to have the best of both worlds. I model a free-lance line (didn't want to be bound by reality) that interchanges with my prototype favorite, the Chicago & North Western. Funny thing is, the more C&NW stuff I acquire, the less interested I seem to be in developing my fictional line. In fact, it's occurred to me to drop that whole pretense and just model the C&NW.

For now, though, I'm keeping the fiction alive. I guess I won't have to make a firm decision until it's time to start repainting locos and rolling stock ... and that's well in the distance.

Welcome back!

Jim

[Denver Road Doug]

I would choose Illinois Southern simply because I'm not familiar enough with Eastern railroading to create a plausible protolanced railroad.  You, on the other hand, are probably all over it.    If I were to pick one of the remaining three, it would be the W&OD, as what I would portray as a large shortline/small regional.   I agree the AW is very era-appropriate...hints at the NW logo which screams 70's in my mind.

The alure of modeling a protolanced small/mid-sized regional railroad is very great for me, so the IS (as maybe a mid-size regional) or the W&OD (small/mid regional) would win out.

I am developing a concept for a MRL/DM&E/Colo & Wyoming-esque protolanced regional for "someday".  I'm firmly entrenched in my big time BNSF theme for now and will be, but as I said the alure is there.   I like the idea of having some older power running alongside Class 1 run-throughs (ala MRL) and also plan to have a Coors-style brewery complex in the mix.

[C855B]

Living in southern Illinois , the IS name actually doesn't make much sense to me as a profitable railroad unless you were, say, emulating the C&EI and then adding the CB&Q coal traffic. What I have in mind is the IC and GM&O, which duked it out over an incredibly small amount of business, more or less proving that predominately north-south routes did not have nearly the traffic of east-west lines.

[Virginia Atlantic]

Living in southern Illinois , the IS name actually doesn't make much sense to me as a profitable railroad unless you were, say, emulating the C&EI and then adding the CB&Q coal traffic. What I have in mind is the IC and GM&O, which duked it out over an incredibly small amount of business, more or less proving that predominately north-south routes did not have nearly the traffic of east-west lines.

Aye, I have to admit I know less-than-nothing about Illinois railroading.  My entire experience is one day riding head-end on METRA equipment on their various lines.

Honestly, the IS was more "a name after I had a logo I liked", said logo being the Steel Rail "I" with the "S" than makes it look a bit like a dollar sign.  I have a few of these kind of name/logo combos sitting on my harddrive, the "White Mountain Central" being a personal fav, albeit I have no idea if there is an actual White Mountain, where it might be, or what railroading would be nearby, ha ha!

No, I would stay in my local area of VA I think, where I know most of what there is needed to know to mantain plausabillity.

On an interesting side note, there is now enough off-the-shelf VRE equipment out there (F40PH, MP36, Gallery III (Former Chicago) smoothside Bi-Levels in R/W/B scheme and Gallery IV (Sumitomo) in Stainless that I could, in theory, model the VRE now, with a smattering of NS/CSX depending on where I'd choose to model.  For me, thats an interesting mix of freelance and prototype, since it amounts to the same thing.

[garethashenden]

The White Mountains are in Northern New Hampshire. The White Mountain Central could be based on the Maine Central's Mountain Division with optional influence from the Boston & Maine and Grand Trunk lines in the area.

[TrainCat2]

Basic evolution here . . . survival of the fittest modeler, etc.     

I really do miss the A-Board though. There was nothing like a good weekly fur fight when a few characters got going.

[Glenn Poole]

I have one of those Virginia Atlantic hopper cars.

Good to see you back, VA!!