Thank you Spookshow/Mark for 25 years!

[peteski]

Time travelling back to 1999, I did look a bit more like a Rob Zombie fan back in those days 



Trust this guy, he plays with trains! No, seriously! 

-Mark

LOL! I would not want to meet in some dark alley and angry at me!

What would also be really cool to see is how your locomotive encyclopedia website looked back them.

Fun Fact:  I live just few towns over from Rob Zombie's birthplace.

[mmagliaro]

Congratulations, Mark.  I have used your site forever, and still do.  It has been an information fixture in my train life for so long that I barely remember what it was like to not have it.  It has been a service to all of us.  THANK YOU! 

[BCR 570]

Congratulations Mark!  Your sites are a wonderful reference for N Scalers and I enjoyed following your layout builds.

Best wishes,

Tim

[nkalanaga]

A very useful site, although I use it more for freight cars than locomotives.  Congratulations, and Thank You!

[spookshow]

What would also be really cool to see is how your locomotive encyclopedia website looked back then.

It's always had the same basic look (web design is not my forte, so I've always kept it simple). When it started out, it was just a list that linked photos of the models. In fact, I think that's what I called it - "A Pictorial Encyclopedia of N Scale Locomotives". As Will's article states, this was simply a way for me to keep track of my collection and make sure I wasn't buying the same thing twice.

It wasn't long before I started finding out that there were different versions of some of these locos, so I started creating full web pages that recorded that info (as opposed to simply linking pictures). Again, this was all for collecting purposes. As I filled out my collection, I would occasionally add snarky comments when I came across a particularly bad loco, or praise when I got one that I really liked. Full on reviews followed shortly thereafter, and then boom, here we are 25 years later. I sure never planned it this way, it just kind of happened.

I forget which issue it was, but shortly after I'd finished all my research and created the first version of the encyclopedia, somebody published an article in Model Railroader that basically regurgitated everything I'd put together. And they even gave my website a shoutout, which I thought was pretty darned cool 

-Mark

[John]

Congratulations Mark .. It takes a lot of dedication and $$$ to keeping a place like that running ..

I personally like your site for its simplicity and lack of whiz bang flashy things.

The only change I would advocate for is to not have all the boxes checked on the search. Instead, have the default un-checked to allow the user to more easily narrow down the search ..

JB

[milw156]

I may be the odd one out here, but I find myself using the website for freight car info. Got my first N scale trainset in 1968, Aroura postage stamp set, and have seen a lot of things come and go since then. Your website helped with who made what, and was it any good, cuz after a while, ya just can't remember.
But, your layout builds have been incredibly inspiring too. And although I really like what you have done with Hope, the logo on the tannery water tower is one of my favorite details!
Thanks for sharing all of your info and experiences!

[mike_lawyer]

Congrats and a huge thank you for all your work on the website.  I always check it before buying a new loco.  And one of my favorite tidbits you include is how to remove the locomotive shell.  That information has been so invaluable over all these years when I have worked on kitbashes.

[rodsup9000]

Congratulations Mark for 25 years and thanks for all your hard work in building a very informative site.
 I use it more for freight car build dates and era

[mplsjct]

I forget which issue it was, but shortly after I'd finished all my research and created the first version of the encyclopedia, somebody published an article in Model Railroader that basically regurgitated everything I'd put together. And they even gave my website a shoutout, which I thought was pretty darned cool 

-Mark

Andy Sperandeo wrote the article, I kept it, he admitted your site was much more complete than his article.

Thanks for all you do, and now that I know what you look like, I'll keep an eye out for you at the local model railroad shows.

[martin station]

Spookshow, Your website was my go to when I made the move from HO to N and still that for my new or used purchases. A big "thanks" for such a valuable source, I appreciate all the time and resources you put into it.
Ralph

[nthusiast]

Thanks ... and heartfelt congratulations. Your site has been an invaluable resource as I slowly migrate back into the hobby with a wealth of vintage (late 1960s-early 70s) N-Scale items.

[Bob]

I will happily add my congratulations to those of many others.  Your modeling site (Hope and your other layouts) are wonderful and inspiring!  Too bad Hope is essentially done - I loved seeing all of the updates. I am taking the approach you have taken but with my focus on Harpers Ferry, scratch building structures based on the real thing.  So, your Hope thread was particularly helpful for me.

[hegstad1]

HUGE thanks to you Mark! I can't say how often I reference your site.  It's A-LOT! 

[Simon D.]

Plus 1.