Large Scale Central

Actually train related... Lewis vs. the world

General Discussion
#1

No secret, I have been banned from the Aristo forum.

Funny thing, Lewis keeps taking pot shots at me on his forum.

The latest accuses me of “self promotion” of my web site.

This is just after he proclaims the web site is a self-help meeting place, and slams MLS and LSC as “forums that thrive on controversy to get more readership for their advertisers”

And while his ““forum is run to act as a self-help meeting place amongst Aristo-Craft end users”, he says: " However, our forum is not meant to be used to expose negatives”

I think the people who need help have problems.

How do you identify a problem without being negative? “Hey guys, the wheels just came off my Aristo steamer, tore up the connecting rods, but it’s ok, I liked it. Can you tell me how to replace them so I can have it happen again?”

I don’t think so. Stuff breaks, is not assembled right, or is poorly designed. People need the truth about problems in order to address them.

Lewis, attacking me from the safety of your forum is not going to shut me up.

Here’s the post that is on a thread that has been sitting dormant for 3 months. Out of nowhere comes this post:

"Dear All,

While it should be quite obvious, this forum is run to act as a self-help meeting place amongst Aristo-Craft end users. This differs greatly from open forums that thrive on controversy to get more readership for their advertisers. The two serve quite a different purpose and as such are run with different goals.

We have banned only a handful only of people over the last 10 years or so and have deleted or locked a dozen or so threads that we didn’t feel matched our goal of self-help between users. We know we’re not perfect, so private messages and e-mails are the vehicle to criticize and highlight possible improvement areas.

If you’re promoting your own competing product or website, then take your self-promotion to the many public forums available that feature an open “anything goes” culture. We want to build the hobby and accent the positive and we will work had to correct any negatives that happen. However, our forum is not meant to be used to expose negatives and when they happen, as they do with all mass product makers, we act on it expeditiously.

We are a dedicated team of 15 people who want to make as perfect a product as possible and we only have one job here: make trains with great features and performance. Most of our customers are casual train hobbyists and need help in making their trains run better. Experts can often pass along their hard learned knowledge curve to newbies and thus build the hobby. Only 5% or so of the Aristo-Craft product users will ever visit the forum and we want their experience to be as helpful as possible.

Our service department fixes almost all repairs within one week if parts are available. Most common parts are always on hand, but some require ordering when we produce the product due to minimum order quantities in mass production. Many times phone calls are inadequate for the user to properly detail their questions and sending it in allows our repair people to visualize the problem and then correct it. We’re a very small company and cannot provide detailed service books for our product, though we do try to do exploded view diagrams of most of our locomotives. Exploded view diagrams are done after the fact by outside graphic artists and are not part of the original design process as they require a very special technique that is unfamiliar to development engineers.

So……ask questions and you’ll likely get good answers from many of the talented people here on the forum. If you have a complaint, than e-mail me at [email protected] and I will do my best to resolve the problem.

All the best,

Lewis Polk"

#2
Greg Elmassian said:
While it should be quite obvious, this forum is run to act as a self-help meeting place amongst Aristo-Craft end users. This differs greatly from open forums that thrive on controversy to get more readership for their advertisers. The two serve quite a different purpose and as such are run with different goals.

If you’re promoting your own competing product or website, then take your self-promotion to the many public forums available that feature an open “anything goes” culture.


The Aristo forum is about promoting their product. Lewis is telling people to come here if they are unwilling to promote his product, on his forum.
The shot about thriving on controversy to increase readership for advertisers is laughable. Aristocraft and probably others won’t advertise here because Bob won’t censor comments.
Lewis is right. The forums are run for different purposes. Lewis promotes his products while LSC promotes the hobby.
I wouldn’t loose any sleep over it Greg. I’ve never joined the Aristo forum and don’t waste any time there…never did like Kool-Aid :slight_smile:
Ralph

#3

Thanks, Ralph.

Just a clarification. I have said some honest things about certain products on my web site. I used the term “weak design” about part of the Aristo drive system. I was asked to change my wording or I would no longer be allowed to promote my web site.

(My signature had my web site link in it)

Since I have been banned, they have removed the link from my signature on ALL my old posts.

So, there IS something personal in this.

Anyway, you are right Ralph, just thought it interesting how LSC and MLS are the bad guys and what their “real purpose” is.

Regards, Greg

#4

Greg,
Don’t worry about Loowee.
Never did like him or his products.
Just something self centering about the guy, you know, well,… enough said.
I promised I wouldn’t debase anyone on line anymore…

#5

Greg; I have experienced the rath of a god-like Polky Baby, just like you have. My fate was sealed when I spoke a bit harshly, about his out-of-gauge LS switches.
A Twit named “Norman”, ran like a school child to Polky Baby, pointing out that I was bad mouthing Aristo products, on here and at that other twitty place.
Polky, adressed me at his train show in York, and told me never to grace his booth again, or his web site. He also told me that he was going to have a talk with Shadfly, also.

Soon after I found that I had great trouble gaining access to that other Twity Place, and received a note from Shadfly, stating that I was not wanted at his place. (Seem I have been allowed back on recently, but I don’t go there any longer)
I do feel that since it is Polky-Baby’s web site; he can rule it any way he likes, and I have no need to post there. Shadfly’s place is the same, and he tends to direct his moderators in the direction of censorship, although the worst moderator, who caused most of the trouble…a town scavenger, seems to have departed.

Here on LSC, we have freedoms that we should be proud of, thanks to Bob. He is very open minded, as long as “Direct hits”, don’t get too personal.

Observations indicate that anyone who joins in here, and has his/her feelings hurt, usually gives the impression that they are very, very, thin skinned, or they don’t take the time to understand the dry , and sometimes subtle humour of the members here.
I monitor the “Other Place”, occasionly, but find that it serves more of a newby crowd, who don’t seem to have the talents to screw in a light bulb, let alone do enough research, on their own, to even purchase a book on basic electricity, before jumping, hell bent for leather into DCC, or even reverse loops.
The other newbys that hang out there, seem to consider themselves some sort of experts if they even learn to hook up two wires to a power pack, and start telling other newbys how to design and wire a club layout.

There are good people at all web sites, even the mad hatters at G SCALE MAD, or whatever it is called…I actually have friends at all the places. YES…there are some people foolish enough to see some hope and humour in me…!!!

Anyhow, Greg. Sound off here any time you care to. In spite of your love affair with DCC; !!!. I enjoy your constructive, and well thought out comments on all the products you review, or have cause to come in contact with. Keep up the good fun, and don’t let the bastards grind you down !!!

#6

…oh yes, I also was lambasted for pointing out potential problems that were sure to come to light, on Polky’s live steamer, even before it hit the market. All the predictions came true, by-the-way. I had posted them in hopes that Aristo would take heed and avoid putting out another great dud…that really soured any relationship that I had with Polky and several others…one of which I have been sad over… my loss.

#7

Greg… I don’t think Mr. Polk has even looked at your website or he would clearly see how much business you have given him. It was you and Ray that turned me onto Aristo Stainless Steel for God’s sake. The best thing about your advice to me has been that you have always provided unbiased information and only spoke the truth based on your experiences. The fact that you cannot address a problem on a company’s forum suggests to me that they are not confident in the design and reliability of their product. Well, on the bright side, you still have USA Trains :wink: I can understand Aristo not wanting other companies to attempt to tarnish them on their own forum, but if your products are made with determination and quality then you have nothing to worry about. Your company’s fans would trash talk those people right out of the forum. …my 2 cents… You still got a fan in me Greg ^^

-Will

#8

I stopped posting on Aristorama partly because my log-in kept getting “lost” but also because everything I build is a violation of their policy of not discussing other manufacturers. How can I post a picture of this over there and in discussing its construction not blatently fall afoul of the policy?

(http://gold.mylargescale.com/vsmith/Heisler%20Finish%202.JPG)

Sure its Aristo’s great little drive bricks, but its on a HLW Flatcar, with a Bachmann body, HLW tender, with Ozark details and there might even be few LGB bits and pieces mixed up in there! So 1 model = 4 violations!!! Whats a guy to do? :lol:

#9

^^^hey that is sweet!^^^

#10

“whats a guy to do”? Use only Aristo parts?

#11

Andre’, would you use Ford Parts in your Toyota ??

You should know that if you have an Aristo model of anything; you have the best that money can buy…so why would you ruin it by adding cheaper parts to it…?
Louis Polk would tell you that, and he never leads anyone astray.

#12

The Polk family has been in business for at least 3/4 of a century (Maybe not quite that long), providing toys of all types, imported from the World over. They have been successful, and still are.
Louis Polk has the right to determine what, and what doesn’t appear on his web site. The public only has the right to post there if they agree to the terms stated in the form you agree to when you subscribe to Polk’s/Aristo web page.

On the Aristo web page; in the forums; there is a forum for “KitBashing”, where I understand that a person can post just about any project that has some parts that are Aristo, mixed with other stuff.
To be fair; it should be expected that in providing this service, Louis should be able to expect that any kitbashing project should include some Aristo product.

#13

I posted a picture of my SD-7 on his web site. The only Aristo part on the engine is the horn from an SD-45. Does that count as using Aristo parts?

#14

Well it meets the letter of the law. So it must be legal. Later RJD

#15
Andrè Schofield said:
"whats a guy to do"? Use only Aristo parts?
Might as well tell Dr Frankenstien to use the parts from only one body, wheres the Phun in that... ;)
#16
Bill Swindell said:
I posted a picture of my SD-7 on his web site. The only Aristo part on the engine is the horn from an SD-45. Does that count as using Aristo parts?
Many years ago I had a conversation with one of the mechanics at Harrah's when they were restoring a Ford Tri-motor. The object was a flyable restoration. He showed me a small number of little metal parts that were from the original airplane and explained that these were all that were still useable. [i]With[/i] them the plane would be a restoration, [i]without[/i] them a replica.

So you see you have a viable precedent! :wink:

Hope all is well with you & yours Bill and be sure and stop by if you’re ever up this way again.

#17

Thanks. I would like to do that so that I can check out your progress.