Another anthracite RR - DL&W

[gsmith36tow]

I am new to this forum - can anyone tell me why the Lackawanna RR (DL&W) is not included in the list? Using anthracite was certainly it's main advertising factor. Remember Phoebe Snow, who never got her white clothes sooty?

[scottychaos]

Yes, the DL&W is usually considered an "Anthracite road"..thats true.
but its not lumped into this forum simply because there is a separate Erie-DL&W-EL forum on railroad.net.

There were once separate forums for many of the railroads here, LV, CNJ and RDG had their own forums..
a decision was made (unnecessary, in my opinion) to lump many of them together into this one forum..
but Erie-DL&W-EL was deemed "large enough" to remain in their own forum..

So DL&W is not here simply due to specific decisions of the RR.net powers that be, and because the DL&W
makes more sense in a combined Erie-DL&W-EL forum that it does in this forum..those are the only reasons.
has nothing to do with DL&W not being considered an "Anthracite road"..

Scot

[glennk419]

Is it just me or does the activity seem to have dwindled since the original, individual forums were "Conrailed" into the group forum?

[Franklin Gowen]

Is it just me or does the activity seem to have dwindled since the original, individual forums were "Conrailed" into the group forum?

No, it's not just you, Glenn. Many of the formerly prolific members decided to "vote with their feet" after Otto ripped up the existing anthracite railroad forums and welded them together 15 months ago. They might still login to this website on occasion, but if they post anything at all it doesn't seem to be posted here. :/

I can't say that I'm surprised by the response. At the time I had hoped that Otto's action might stimulate participation here, but instead that move has stagnated it. It's clear that our active membership valued the consistency of the then-existing separate anthracite forums much more than they valued having everything consolidated. I'm certain that in a purely technical sense it's possible (though inconvenient) for this site's leadership to un-scramble this egg, but I don't know if "un-Conrailing" everything might be too late to attract lost membership back.

[Bethlehem Jct.]

A more pragmatic reason why the Lackawanna isn't part of the Anthracite forum: Pulling out the DL&W specific threads from the already existing EL thread would be painful.

[westernfalls]

...but I don't know if "un-Conrailing" everything might be too late...

But, in the end, Conrail did get un-Conrailed.

[Franklin Gowen]

A more pragmatic reason why the Lackawanna isn't part of the Anthracite forum: Pulling out the DL&W specific threads from the already existing EL thread would be painful.

Agreed; that would be a protracted and messy operation. Possible, but difficult.

...but I don't know if "un-Conrailing" everything might be too late...

But, in the end, Conrail did get un-Conrailed.

True. On this website, will art mirror reality? "Only the Shadow knows."

[Roadgeek Adam]

Is it just me or does the activity seem to have dwindled since the original, individual forums were "Conrailed" into the group forum?

No, it's not just you, Glenn. Many of the formerly prolific members decided to "vote with their feet" after Otto ripped up the existing anthracite railroad forums and welded them together 15 months ago. They might still login to this website on occasion, but if they post anything at all it doesn't seem to be posted here. :/

I can't say that I'm surprised by the response. At the time I had hoped that Otto's action might stimulate participation here, but instead that move has stagnated it. It's clear that our active membership valued the consistency of the then-existing separate anthracite forums much more than they valued having everything consolidated. I'm certain that in a purely technical sense it's possible (though inconvenient) for this site's leadership to un-scramble this egg, but I don't know if "un-Conrailing" everything might be too late to attract lost membership back.

I remember when the original proposal happened, it was proposed to merge ALL railroads that made Conrail into one forum (what a gigantic mess that would be). However, as a common contributor to the Erie / Lackawanna / EL boards, tis already dead enough. Besides in retrospect, they deserve to be together.

[CAR_FLOATER]

Having re-re-disposed of the monster, it can be said that most things around here used to be Otto's fault!

CF