Isn't it time to sub-divide?

Question

The rail category, that is. The preponderence of questions here surround train travel, booking information, schedules, etc., but the site is frequented by others for different reasons.

So, would it be a good idea to sub-divide the category, for example, to include, "Travel and Schedules", "Booking Information", "Historical", "Technical", "Operations" or some other sub categories?

Your thoughts?

Answer 1

I certainly agree that the requests for schedules, timetables etc, should be subdivided off, and particularly further subdivided into a separate one for the Indian sub-continent which is where, it appears to me, most of such queries originate. I'm not sure if further subdivision is necessary as this isn't the busiest section on Answers. If you take out the timetable etc. queries there are at most only 4 or 5 other questions every 24 hours.

Answer 2

To a point I agree. I think all that would be practical would be "Schedule, Travel, and Booking", "General Rail", and "Indian Rail" as the poster above brought up.

Someone else suggested all these other sub-categories for different locomotives, etc.. That wouldn't be practical.

Remember that most people coming here to ask aren't completely clued in to rail in the first place. Dividing it into several specific categories would simply make confusion and just beg for people to post in the wrong category. As the saying goes...KISS...Keep it simple...!

Answer 3

Sorry, but I am not convinced.

I visit YA every two or three days and "Rail" is one area I check. There are rarely more than 25 questions posed each day. There is already some mis-placing of rail queries with the Travel category and sub-division of the Rail category will add to this mis-placing.

Answer 4

Yes, I whole-heartedly agree. In addition to the categories you had mentioned, I feel that there should be categories for "Steam Locomotives", "Diesel-Electric Locomotives", "Freight", and "Passenger". Maybe the "Steam Locomotive" category should then be divided by wheel arrangement, and the "Passenger" category should then be divided by train names. And there should be one more category. "Folklore".

Answer 5

Yes! I agree with this TOTALLY!

We could do with sections for the different questions, eg modelling, timetables etc

Come on Yahoo... SUBDIVIDE!!!

Answer 6

HOGHEAD I agree with you totally they need a section for just travel and schedules.

It would be even better if they would categorize the travel and schedule for the USA and other countries in more than one category. So if you had a question about "for example Indian railway" you could go to the category for that country or continent.

Most of the questions on here about railways overseas I have no idea about.

Why not for the USA, Canada and Mexico have categories for the class 1 railroads like "UNION PACIFIC, BURLINGTON NORTHERN SANTA FE, NORFOLK SOUTHERN, CSX TRANSPORTATION, CANADIAN NATIONAL, CANADIAN PACIFIC and KANSAS CITY SOUTHERN.

Then you could have a category about AMTRAK and other passenger services.

Than you could have a category about class 2, class 3 and local railroads.

Also you could have a historical category about all the fallen railroads.

If you had a category about all the railroads in the world the list would be endless, but you could make sub-categories like I mentioned above and I think it would work.

I do not know if this helped but I think you have a great idea on more than one category.

Answer 7

sub divide it and then sub divide it again yeah top question

Answer 8

Yes: Great Idea

Answer 9

you got it

Answer 10

Actually, the questions are misplaced.

They should go to TRAVEL>  then INDIA>.

Answer 11

I would support doing this.  Having an Operations/ Technical/ Historical section is and great idea and where I would be reading and posting anyway.

I can add that there are probably more railroaders out there than it seems.

Answer 12

do it. i see a lot of booking requests for a railway that is 15000 miles from me. call the bloomin booking agency, dont ask on yahoo.... for petes sake....