Wishlist The MREmag & RMweb Wishlist Poll – 2012

[bigherb]

Thanks for the clarification Brian although I think a nominal Industrial section would have been better than nothing such as Steam 0-4-0, 0-6-0 Diesel 0-4-0, 0-6-0 or better still just the makers such as Peckett Barclay etc

[BMacdermott]

The Guide is an excellent idea and works very well, ideal for my screen as it opened in a second window I could put up alongside the voting area, great stuff. But, as noted by Ozexp, some more info on dates would be both useful and welcome but that is a minor thing measured against the excellent work already put into it.

 

Hello Stationmaster

 

I have already started work on the dates! Whilst many do contain dates (eg GWR coaches listed by Dean era, Churchward era etc, and introduction dates on virtually all the LMS steam locos), I fully take the point that this information will be a valuable addition. We tended to focus more on the longevity of items.

 

When I was a Quality Manager, the staff worked under the mantra: Better than we were yesterday - not as good as we will be tomorrow. The Poll Team works to the same.

 

Regards

 

Brian (on behalf of The Poll Team)

[Guest dilbert]

As there is no particular hurry to complete any voting I just printed off the contents of categories selected for further reflection - more to ensure that if there are elements that could be included for next year that these are captured. One example is that there is within the General Railway Service Stock section an entry for GWR Ballast wagon, but no entry for a GW Toad PW brake van, which though to the same basic design as the Goods Toad, the PW breaks did not have a veranda and were equipped with a plough... dilbert

[Karhedron]

I was just filling in the N gauge section and I could not find the GWR Castle in the list of 4-6-0s. I know there is a Farish model but it is very long in the tooth.

 

Is it missing or do I just need to get my eyes tested?

 

Or do you know something we don't?

[BMacdermott]

Hello Karhedron

 

Please accept our apologies - it has been missed. If you haven't already voted, there's no need to use one of your five 'suggestions for 2013'. We'll make sure it gets included.

 

Brian (on behalf of The Poll Team)

[Mark Dickerson]

Thanks for the clarification Brian although I think a nominal Industrial section would have been better than nothing such as Steam 0-4-0, 0-6-0 Diesel 0-4-0, 0-6-0 or better still just the makers such as Peckett Barclay etc

I sympathise. As ever, the alternative is to pick one of the "rationalised" remaining Big Four 0-4-0s or 0-6-0s which were also industrials - e.g. GWR Peckett - but then, would that be recognised as a desire for industrials generally? Previous polls have not produced high results for the category, although skimming magazines suggests they might be more frequently modelled than before.

 

Since I'd also prefer to buy a LNWR Oerlikon unit, a Metropolitan Railway "Sarah Siddons" Bo-Bo and (perhaps more surprising as a "rationalisation") a LNWR 2-4-2t, which also aren't included, my votes may be similarly channelled if I vote at all.

[woodenhead]

Did my bit this afternoon - nice and straightforward.

 

I liked that you could actually choose what type of things you wanted to vote for so you didn't have to look through bits that didn't attract.

 

Perhaps I shot myself in the foot by not choosing some elements but at the end of the day if everything I voted for comes about then I'll be a happy man.

[Steven B]

Straight forward voting but with a couple of bugs (or should that be features!);

 

I couldn't un-vote for something once I'd clicked it as an option (using Firefox 10). Not a major issue. Also, it would have been nice to be able to go back and add a new section after thinking of something else I wanted to vote for.

 

There were some oddities. The FFA/FGA frieghtliner flats were listed in "The Guide" but weren't available to vote for in N. Mk3s were listed despite new models having been made by Dapol a year or two ago, Mk4s were missing completely! There was no mention of the class 13 shunter (three converted compared to the one built of many of the early diesels). Also why no APT? Ditto SSA/POA scrap wagons.

 

I'm not sure the Poll Team has looked at a Farish catalogue recently - the SPA plate wagon is already available from Farish (released last year?) and the LMR Blue Pullman is due later this year.

 

Please note these are minor grumbles - there's obviously a lot of hard work gone into this Poll and it is appreciated.

 

Happy modelling.

 

Steven B.

[JeremyC]

. .......Also, it would have been nice to be able to go back and add a new section after thinking of something else I wanted to vote for.......

Steven B.

Strange, I managed to do just that. I'd done most of my voting then realised I'd not selected two sections. I used the 'previous?' button at the bottom of the page and it took me back to the section selection pages. After adding those I wanted clicking 'next' took me to the voting page again with both the extra sections added and my original votes still intact.

 

I agree the biggest bug is not being able to un-select something, having read the comments on here I managed to avoid the need to do so.

 

Being the first attempt at the pole by this team there were bound to be a few problems, but their hard work is appreciated.

 

Jeremy

[iL Dottore]

I placed my votes yesterday (Hurrah, Democracy in action ). It was straightforward, easy to navigate and sufficient choices to be meaningful, but not so many that I was overwhelmed.

 

The only "tweak" I could suggest is to post a small pic of each of the prototypes to be voted for - basically to help the "hard of remembering" (like meself) recall what version/diagramme is under scrutiny without having to leave the voting and look something up...

 

Very well done to all. "Trebles all `round" (to quote Private Eye)

 

F

[Karhedron]

Just noticed that the Fruit D would be a good addition for the N gauge section (especially as Dapol do one in 00).

[Neal Ball]

I too voted yesterday and found it straight-forward. It will be interesting to see how the voting looks at the end (with reference to certain GW types of course!)

 

I was surprised at the vast range of options (that was good, not a criticism). Hopefully there will be clear winners, rather than a diluted response.

 

Not sure I have voted in such a Poll before, other than the small (Great Western) one I ran a couple of years ago.

 

I look forward to the results, to the 2013 Poll and seeing what influence we are able to exert onto the Manufacturers!

[The Stationmaster]

I too voted yesterday and found it straight-forward. It will be interesting to see how the voting looks at the end (with reference to certain GW types of course!)

If you were anything like me with Western locos and stock you'll keep the average manufacturer going for a decade, or two.

 

I too wondered about voting for so many things (not just Western as it happens ) but then took to heart the rejoinder about voting for what I would actually buy. I know they can't make it all at once, even if they actually make any of it, but that is - I think - not the point, which is for us to express interest by voting for what we would buy. So in theory some clear indicators will emerge for manufacturers and commissioners to add to their own views and other sources of market interest. Looked at like that I think it makes sense, fewer votes and then it could start to turn to lots of canvassing and tactical voting I suspect.

[Guest Tom F]

Well I've just voted. Thanks Andy and the Poll team for making a very simple poll to use that didn't require lots of personal information which some of them tend to do.

 

It will be interesting to see the results when published.

[robmcg]

I too have just voted, and found it easy. I only voted for categories and items I would like to buy tomorrow, and took care not to make errors, after the timely advice of others earlier in this thread.

 

To the team, thankyou very much.

 

Rob

[BMacdermott]

Dear All

 

Very many thanks for your kind and constructive comments. Whilst I can't reply to every posting individually, rest assured that whatever has been said in the way of 'improvement suggestion' has been noted by me and will on the agenda for 2013.

 

Regards

 

Brian (on behalf of The Poll Team)

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

Having completed the survey - simple enough to use and usefully structured thank you - and allowed it to percolate a little, one suggestion.

 

Although it would make a large section, make steam era wagon stock into a single section. (All four groups and BR's first twenty years)

 

Reason for suggestion: it doesn't matter what location you model in this time span, the freight stock seen would show examples from every company; (even GW and SR if you waited long enough) and the LMS and LNER having twigged quite early in their existence that they were the principals in the UK rail freight business began to actively share designs from the late 1920s on in the interests of efficiency. For example the LNER 'Quint' bogie bolster only appeared in the LNER section. But actually this vehicle is also the LMS 40 ton bogie bolster, and then this design was perpetuated as BR's bogie bolster D. Other shared designs and perpetuation of many other big four designs by BR really shouldn't be missed, as it potentially broadens the variations and liveries possible if recognised at the tooling stage; and that would be most effectively presented if the wagons were grouped.

[Ozexpatriate]

Adding to the poll

 

... there is no entry for a GW Toad PW brake van, which though to the same basic design as the Goods Toad, the PW breaks did not have a veranda and were equipped with a plough... dilbert

I like this one. Did the GWR call a plow-equipped 'toad' a 'shark' or is this just BR terminology? There's a whole world of PW equipment out there, many of which could be suitable for RTR.

I was just filling in the N gauge section and I could not find the GWR Castle in the list of 4-6-0s.

I'd also prefer to buy a LNWR Oerlikon unit, a Metropolitan Railway "Sarah Siddons" Bo-Bo and a LNWR 2-4-2t, which also aren't included, ...

... the Fruit D would be a good addition for the N gauge section (especially as Dapol do one in 00).

There will inevitably be things people think of that are not in the poll today. I have a couple.

 

It's certainly a good idea to ask "what did we miss?" at the end of the poll and while people are happy to answer that question, particularly if they had something in mind, I hadn't anticipated it and my answers were incomplete. (I could have saved my results, but at that point I was eager to hit submit and be done with it.)

 

Since we are still in the polling period, this thread is probably not the best time or place. Perhaps we could have some kind of electronic 'suggestion box' in say six months where the existing list is made visible and suggestions could be made in time for updates to the guide to be prepared.

[BMacdermott]

Although it would make a large section, make steam era wagon stock into a single section. (All four groups and BR's first twenty years)

 

Thanks 34.

 

I'll add it to the agenda for consideration by The Team.

 

Brian (on behalf of The Poll Team)

[BMacdermott]

It's certainly a good idea to ask "what did we miss?" at the end of the poll and while people are happy to answer that question, particularly if they had something in mind, I hadn't anticipated it and my answers were incomplete. (I could have saved my results, but at that point I was eager to hit submit and be done with it.)

 

Since we are still in the polling period, this thread is probably not the best time or place. Perhaps we could have some kind of electronic 'suggestion box' in say six months where the existing list is made visible and suggestions could be made in time for updates to the guide to be prepared.

 

Thanks Oz

 

Can I remind everyone of our relevant Q&A entry? Our difficulty is that if there are (say) 500 voters to The Poll and they each suggest 5 items, that's 2500 items to evaluate - which would make The Poll twice as big as it originally was when people asked us to 'rationalise' it.

 

I take wholeheartedly your point that we need to ask voters to take their time and 'peruse' The Poll carefully. We did suggest printing out The Guide in the Q&A session and using it as a planner.

 

Regards

 

Brian (on behalf of The Poll Team)

 

What if a voter’s favourite item isn’t listed?

Although the Poll Team has taken great care to include what voters said they wanted last year, there will almost certainly be some omissions. To overcome this, voters will find a box where they can suggest up to five items for inclusion in the 2013 Poll.

 

Please note, though, that that is the only place where we will accept suggestions for future inclusion. If you don’t enter, we won’t take suggestions on board. That is because The Poll is ‘by the modeller, for the modeller’ and it would be unfair on participants to list anything suggested by a non-participant in the future.

[brushman47544]

Like many others I found voting easy and was very impressed with the simplicity of the format relative to previous polls. What was also very good was to be able to print off the guide first, to select the items I wanted to vote for, although I could equally have had the Poll open on two tabs in IE at the same time to avoid wasting paper by printing. So well done the poll team.

 

Whilst concentrating my votes on main interests, OO scale GWR, SR and early BR, I also planned to vote for two ex LMS steam locos, the Ivatt 2-6-2T and the Princess Coronation (Duchess). However, I inadvertantly failed to select LMS steam locos from the initial list and by the time I realised I could not add them. Perhaps the poll team could next year allow additional categories to be accessed for voting at the end of the poll. A sort of "Do you want to add other categories?" option.

[Andy Y]

A sort of "Do you want to add other categories?" option.

 

I see that a a valid point where you may realise you didn't find something you'd expected to (or had previously forgotten) and will take that into account on developments. It is possible to use the 'Previous' button to go back and add the other categories and then use the 'Next' button to return to the voting within the categories, the additional sections will have been added whilst remembering what you'd already selected in the other categories.

[BMacdermott]

Like many others I found voting easy and was very impressed with the simplicity of the format relative to previous polls. .

 

Hello Andrew

 

Very many thanks for that kind comment (which The Team will see in due course). There are two good reasons for the simplicity:

1. A number of The Team come from editorial backgrounds, and we were keen to make sure that how we listed items was as important as what we were listing; and

2. Andy's various drafts enabled us to see that by putting wheel arrangements first made the loco lists 'visually easy' to follow down. Although Andy does not have direct input to The Poll content per se (nor does Pat Hammond), the layout would not be as good as it is without Andy's hard work.

 

Regards

 

Brian

[Forester]

Clearly, a lot of thought has gone into this poll. Having been a little critical of past polls, it's only fair that I say that I found this version exactly right in terms of the instructions, categories and classes offered and voting simplicity.

A fewtiny tweaks in response to comments on this thread and I feel sure the team have found a useful and lasting formula.

 

Thank you.

[Ozexpatriate]

"Do you want to add other categories?" option.

It is possible to use the 'Previous' button to go back and add the other categories and then use the 'Next' button to return to the voting within the categories, the additional sections will have been added whilst remembering what you'd already selected in the other categories.

This is nice functionality and it's nice to know it's there. Unfortunately it wasn't intuitive to me based on the presumed behaviour of using the browser "back" button clearing the results already entered.

 

It's nice to know results are persistent with the 'previous' button. Thanks!