Portal talk:Trains
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Contents |
[edit] Tool for Education or American propaganda
Is Wikipedia a resource for education and carrying FACTS or a tool for American propaganda? I have edited out reticules claims by Americans in the Land speed record for railed vehicles and Empire State Express only to have arrogant Americans delete them and accuse me of pov can we have a neutral observer look at these sections Oxyman 02:20, 28 January 2007 (UTC)
- See Talk:Empire State Express and Talk:Land speed record for railed vehicles for further discussion. Slambo (Speak) 15:16, 28 January 2007 (UTC)
[edit] Bias and other
I noticed that almost ALL articles related to generic elements of railroads here shows a dramatic bias and limited point-of-view towards US (and, sometimes, UK) stuff. This when this country, today, is notably well behind Europe in railway techonology and development (just to mention, I had some time ago a clash with one users claiming that diesel-electric locomotives were better than electric ones... ridiculous; compare their power-per-ton and have a laugh, please; not to speak of economicity of use). Is there anybody wanting to help? Presently, I've added numerous articles about Italian electric locomotives (see FS Class E428 for example - btw, they'd need some cleanup of language, as ain't so much into English jargon); I think, SNCF and DB locomotives would need something similar at least. Also, i noticed that the infoboxes used are a bewildering variety. Is there anybody wanting to collaborate to uniform them? Tanks and good work... and remember that this is not an American encyclopedia, although written in English. --Attilios 12:57, 25 April 2007 (UTC)
- While I am a resident of the USA, I've been trying to show a more worldwide perspective here on the portal. For example, in the Did you know (DYK) section, I avoid listing two items from the same country at one time (today's items are from Switzerland, England, Australia and Norway). I try to rotate different nations' content into the other sections in a similar manner. The biggest problem that I've run into in this effort is a lack of suggestions on the intro image, selected article, selected picture, did you know and news suggestion pages. When I update the Anniversaries section, I do an internet search for "date in railway history" and assemble the section based on the search results. If I don't get a suggestion to look at a specific article or image for the other sections, then I will usually work with and start from subjects that I am familiar with. In the last couple weeks, I've had some terrific suggestions for DYK items, but they've all been from one or two other editors. When there are no suggestions, as the portal maintainer, I pick something to show in each of the sections. If you want to see something specific in each section, please make the suggestions on the appropriate pages linked above (they're all on my watch list, and I look at them all before making updates to the associated sections).
- As to the infoboxes, that discussion has come up on the Trains WikiProject talk page a couple times. Some consolidation has taken place as a result (for example, using {{Infobox Station}} for station articles in several nations, or {{Infobox Locomotive}} for locomotive articles, or the set of succession templates that includes {{s-line}}). More can be done; the Trains WikiProject talk page is the best place for further infobox and template consolidation discussion. Slambo (Speak) 13:32, 25 April 2007 (UTC)
- Thank you Slambo. Can I feel myself also authorized to put the {{Infobox Locomotive}} for ALL locomotives present now (fortunately, I used it for my new articles on Italian ones)? If you've time, check them... I think there's just tocorrect some unavoidable minor typos, as ain't English motherlanguage. Bye and good work. --Attilios 19:20, 25 April 2007 (UTC)
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- Yes, {{Infobox Locomotive}} should be used in all locomotive articles, and you don't need authorization anyway. Matthew Brown (Morven) (T:C) 18:32, 26 April 2007 (UTC)
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- Its a fair comment but bare in mind that the systematic bias is going to happen in a world with 300 million odd Americans and 60 million odd Brits, with everyone else (in the English stakes) queueing up behind. Thats not to say in anyway thats right, but its somewhat inevitable. Pickle 08:29, 26 April 2007 (UTC)
- Yes, also the fact that people use drugs and that there are massacres has been unavoidable in human life. Attilios 09:10, 26 April 2007 (UTC)
- It might be a good idea not to make comparisons between unequal coverage of railway systems in Wikipedia to massacres and drugs, Attilios. It shows a lack of perspective that will not improve the odds of your being taken seriously. Matthew Brown (Morven) (T:C) 18:30, 26 April 2007 (UTC)
- Yes, also the fact that people use drugs and that there are massacres has been unavoidable in human life. Attilios 09:10, 26 April 2007 (UTC)
- Its a fair comment but bare in mind that the systematic bias is going to happen in a world with 300 million odd Americans and 60 million odd Brits, with everyone else (in the English stakes) queueing up behind. Thats not to say in anyway thats right, but its somewhat inevitable. Pickle 08:29, 26 April 2007 (UTC)
[edit] Portals inviolable?
So how does one go about attempting improvements to portals? Is there any way through the thickets of {{ and }}? Or is that "__NOEDITSECTION__" the Wikipedia equivalent of "Bugger off"?
Anyway, might I request the indulgence of whoever CAN edit this page to consider my suggestion for an alternative to the current introductory sentence, which I take to be intended as a definition but which I feel could be improved. My suggestion, which I post here for others to have the opportunity to tear to pieces, is:
- A train is a vehicle or (more frequently) a string of vehicles capable of being moved along a continuous line of rails or other guideway for the purpose of conveying freight or passengers between points on a predetermined route. The train may be hauled or propelled by one or more vehicles designed exclusively for that purpose (locomotives) or may be driven by a number of motors incorporated in all or several of the vehicles.
I would have liked to have added a final parenthesis corresponding to "(locomotives)"; I have, however, deliberately refrained from doing so as in the present state of play usage of the term "multiple unit" remains controversial on Wikipedia. What a pity that English does not seem to have one unambiguous term corresponding to the German Triebzüge and the French Rames automotrices ! -- Picapica 12:13, 23 June 2007 (UTC)
- The NOEDITSECTION call is to prevent multiple edit links that point to the same place within the page. Each of the boxes on the portal page has an edit link in the title bar. When I created this portal in 2005, I used the definition as it was written in the train article. I have no strong preference to use either the existing text or your proposed text. Slambo (Speak) 12:37, 23 June 2007 (UTC)
Quote: >> The NOEDITSECTION call is to prevent multiple edit links that point to the same place within the page.<<
Wow, such technospeak* is still well beyond the level of competence of this contributor - but I appreciate your reply very much nevertheless, Slambo ;). "Edit links in the title bar" -- Doh! Now I see it. Why don't they tell us these things at "Wikipedia for Dumbos"? I still have this sneaking suspicion, nevertheless, that there is a level of WikiElitists who go out of their way to keep the bare-footed and unwashed out of messing with their refined world by launching nests of {{{{}}}} et al. Is there, perhaps, a support group for the victims of {{{{}}}}?
*"call" = ???? (it's hard to resist the temptation to believe that "if you don't know" = "get lost") and that, however much one might know about railways, ignorance of computer programming means "there's no place for you on Wikipedia" :(
-- Picapica 14:51, 23 June 2007 (UTC)
- Technospeak... well, I'm a programmer by trade, but that's something I'm trying to get away from in my daily life (I'll know more about part of my strategy in a week, but it seems that I'll be trading one set of jargon for another equally arcane set soon). On elitism, all I know there is that I'm told there is no cabal. B-) I'm curious what other editors think of the intro text now... Time to post a message to WP Trains... Slambo (Speak) 19:38, 23 June 2007 (UTC)
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- Hello. I like the new proposed definition of train for our portal. I would say I supported change. CCMichalZ 23:14, 23 June 2007 (UTC)
Seeing no objections, I've updated the intro section with the new definition text. Slambo (Speak) 13:27, 27 June 2007 (UTC)
[edit] Naming of railway station article
This suggestion refers to Talk:Kowloon-Canton_Railway#Station Names. User:Bourquie and I concluded that the railway station articles such as most of MTR stations and Moscow Metro stations are inappropriate to name without the word Station being addressed behind the station name. User:Bourquie has already been working on moving the article title with the word Station behind in all KCR station articles. I here want to make an appeal to any railway station article writers to respond with this suggestion or discuss if you have any opinion. -- Sameboat - 同舟 23:01, 10 July 2007 (UTC)
- Convention in the UK (and some parts of the english speaking world) is "X railway station" (see Wikipedia talk:Naming conventions (UK stations)), while stateside they use "x station (train company)". However check the talk at Talk:Jordanhill (railway station), (the millionth article). The techies tell us that the "x (railway station)" format helps the software that runs wikipedia. Pickle 06:01, 11 July 2007 (UTC)
[edit] Britomart
Did some tweaks to improve the reading ease for the lede of Britomart Transport Centre. Maybe you could update the short for here too. Ingolfson (talk) 09:18, 1 February 2008 (UTC)
[edit] Lena Guerrero
You may remove Lena Guerrero from this category, for the Texas Railroad Commission no longer has anything to do with railroad regulation and has not for many years. The U.S. government handles railroads across state lines, which nearly all traverse.Billy Hathorn (talk) 03:04, 2 May 2008 (UTC)
[edit] News needs updating?
I'm surprised to see that the inauguration of FrontRunner has not made the news on the trains portal. Dave (talk) 01:53, 8 May 2008 (UTC)
- That would be mostly because I haven't seen anything about the event. As I find headlines that should be added, I usually add them to the Newsroom page so anyone who updates the section can see other items that should be listed. If I have time to write a few sentences, I will go through the headlines and add them starting with the oldest and working my way forward. Slambo (Speak) 12:56, 8 May 2008 (UTC)
