This image was my first ever contribution to Wikipedia.
An endash, because I keep forgetting to use them
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About me
My username is Trainsandotherthings, and I joined Wikipedia on July 22, 2021, but I've been a reader for years. My username reflects my areas of interest on Wikipedia - primarily articles related to trains, but plenty of other areas as well, depending on what interests me at the moment. I specialize in New England, especially Southern New England where I've lived most of my life, but I on occasion edit other train articles in the United States and Canada. Some of my favorite articles to work on are rail yards (I consider Cedar Hill Yard my very best work), former railroad companies largely forgotten, and current shortline/regional railroads. I consider my very-long-term goal to bring as many train related articles as possible to good article status, especially in Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts.
I love Wikipedia because I strongly support its mission of making information more widely available, and how it allows such a wide variety of voices and perspectives to contribute. The truth is, Wikipedia is taken for granted by millions every day, but by comparison a very small number of people work to keep it going and expand its scope. There are issues with Wikipedia, sure, but nothing else comes close to making so much information widely accessible and (usually) truthful and verifiable.
View this page in Swedish Chef language: [1]
WP policy
For the most part, I don't have hard and fast rules to describe my editing style. I do identify as a mergist, primarily because there are so many articles out there on subjects which barely meet notability and have so few sources that they can never expand past a stub. In my opinion, such subjects should be merged together into more comprehensive articles, which better serve the reader by providing more context. I suppose you could say I lean towards deletionism, though I wish to pursue alternatives to deletion when reasonable.
Pending changes backlog
(review log)
Moderate backlog
[view • purge • ]
12 pages according to DatBot 14:45, 19 June 2022 (UTC)
Subpages
User:Trainsandotherthings/Guestbook My guestbook.
User:Trainsandotherthings/sources Holding area for references I am using or plan to use.
User:Trainsandotherthings/Train Editing Toolbox This is a reference for myself, but anyone is welcome to refer to it. Much of this is just my personal practice and does not necessarily reflect Wikipedia policy.
User:Trainsandotherthings/The problem with galleries User essay I wrote about my issues with the use of galleries on Wikipedia.
User:Trainsandotherthings/Tables and citations Turns out tables require citations. I'm not sure why people think otherwise.
User:Trainsandotherthings/Whistle-stop tour Because all the cool editors have soapboxes nowadays.
Wall of Userboxes
People who think I'm cool
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The Copyright Cleanup Barnstar
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Thank you for helping out at CCI. Your help is greatly appreciated, especially as you been tackling an old and long CCI as your first case! Keep up the good work :) MrLinkinPark333 (talk) 02:49, 9 October 2021 (UTC)
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The Citation Barnstar
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Nice work on the references for the Milford-Bennington Railroad article! Whiteguru (talk) 07:59, 22 October 2021 (UTC)
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The Nuclear Barnstar
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For your creation of Railcar-launched ICBM, I award you this barnstar to recognize your dedication and contribution to Wikipedia's coverage of nuclear warfare. Display this with pride... just in a lead-lined case. –♠Vami_IV†♠ 15:13, 26 October 2021 (UTC)
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Some stroopwafels for you!
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For some extra energy while you keep hacking away at train - great work :) MSG17 (talk) 21:19, 6 November 2021 (UTC)
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The Socratic Barnstar
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Taking a featured article to AfD is no easy task, especially when it's already survived once before. Props for successfully persuading others to upmerge to a more encyclopedic level! {{u|Sdkb}} talk 00:34, 8 November 2021 (UTC)
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trains and other things
Thank you for quality articles around trains, such as Boston, Barre and Gardner Railroad, Railroads in New England, New Haven and Northampton Railroad and Cedar Hill Yard, and for other things such as Erdowie, Erdowo, Erdogan, writing in teamwork, for encouraging merges, for - you are an awesome Wikipedian!
You are recipient no. 2669 of Precious, a prize of QAI. --Gerda Arendt (talk) 13:05, 16 November 2021 (UTC)
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The Purple Star
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Just spreading a little kindness and purple is one of my favorite colors so it seemed appropriate. Thank you for all your many contributions, whether they are great or small. Every one of them matter. Please accept this barnstar as a symbol of peace, wikilove and true gratefulness. ARoseWolf 21:43, 30 November 2021 (UTC)
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The Baseball Barnstar
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Thank you so much for your GA review of Ronald Torreyes! I know that it can be difficult reviewing articles that aren't exactly in your wheelhouse, especially ones that have been sitting in the slush pile for a while, so I commend you for taking it on. And I'll finish my FAC review tonight! — GhostRiver 18:19, 8 December 2021 (UTC)
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bonus points
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well done for reviewing that really long article! DirkJandeGeer (щи) 19:28, 5 January 2022 (UTC)
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The Original Barnstar
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I really appreciated your opinions and ideas. Thanks for making your voice be heard. Rlink2 (talk) 15:49, 25 January 2022 (UTC)
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The Quarter Million Award
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For your contributions to bring Train (estimated annual readership: 455,000) to Good Article status, I hereby present you the Quarter Million Award. Congratulations on this rare accomplishment, and thanks for all you do for Wikipedia's readers! {{u|Sdkb}} talk 18:35, 26 January 2022 (UTC)
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Articles I've Created
Articles to create
Articles I have significantly expanded
Articles to expand
Articles I'd like to get to GA one day
Misc tasks to do
Clear merge, split, etc backlog for WP:TRAINS related articles.
Trim railfan content at Santa Fe 3751
Update Pan Am Southern
EFFECTIVE JUNE 1, 2022: CSX purchase of Pan Am Railways takes effect. This means all articles referencing PAR/Boston & Maine will need to be updated accordingly on or after that date.
My Book Collection
I have a number of books on the subject of railroading, mostly focused in the New England area. If you think I might have a book that could help an article with references, feel free to let me know on my talk page. Here is a partial list, which I also keep to help me add citations to articles because I'm too lazy to type out the ISBN each and every time:
- Vintage Diesel Locomotives, by Mike Schafer ISBN: 0760305072
- Railway Maintenance, by Brian Solomon ISBN: 0760309752
- Diesel Locomotives: The First 50 Years, by Louis A. Marre ISBN: 0890242585
- American Shortline Railway Guide, by Edward A. Lewis ISBN: 0890242909
- Field Guide to Modern Diesel Locomotives, by Greg McDonnell ISBN: 0890246076
- Streamliners: History of a Railroad Icon, by Mike Schafer and Joe Welsh
- Train Wrecks, by Robert C. Reed
- Freight Train Cars, by Mike Schafer with Mike McBride
- The Great Railroads of North America, by Bill Yenne
- Atlas of North American Railroads, by Bill Yenne
- CSX, by Brian Solomon
- The History of North American Steam, by Christopher Chant
- Railroads: The Great American Adventure, by Charlton Ogburn
- Passenger Trains of Northern New England In The Streamline Era, by Kevin J. Holland
- The Rail Lines of Southern New England, by Ronald Dale Karr ISBN: 0942147022
- The Art of the Streamlines, by Bob Johnston and Joe Welsh with Mike Schafer
- Giants of the Rails: Accurate Drawings in Full Color and Descriptions of Modern Locomotives of Every Type on the Major Railroads of the U.S.A., by S. Kip Farrington Jr. (this book is from 1944!)
What other editors have to say about me
As of November 16, 2021, I have been the subject of 1 ANI thread.
"What are you a Wikipedia police officer?"
"Your crazy, this all doesn’t need sources. No matter how many times you remove all this, it’s gonna freaking stay here no matter what! Now stop touching this article and leave it alone!!!!"
"Can an editor personally enter bias into an article?, because that is what Trainsandotherthings has done."
"Busybody deleter."
April Fools
List of cornfields in Iowa by county
The Signpost