HST Gen site, good or bad idea?

[Techniquest]

Quick query, also posted on at least one other forum:

A few of the forum's members will be aware that I'm currently working on a long-term project, to compile as much HST gen (current and past) as I can get into one source, the eventual goal to compile a basic website (using a free webspace provider) to enable other enthusiasts access to said gen.

Obviously, my records don't go back more than a few years and aren't extensive until more recent months, so other people contributing gen would be required to make this project thorough.

Yes, we have The HST Forum and HSTgen on Yahoo Groups, but neither appear to have a collective source of HST gen. Which is what I'm trying to rectify. If that makes sense.

Started work on this in the early hours of Friday morning and have now spent 4.5 hours or so going through my moves and observations for stuff this year thus far, still got a lot of observations to trawl through but getting there slowly. Never used Notepad so much in my lifetime

Anyway, the question is:

Such a project, good or bad idea?

Constructive opinions welcomed.

 

[Dai.]

Depends on how much information there is and how you plan on show casing it on the website I guess.

I think everyone should have a go at creating a website about something they are passionate about (IE. I have made a few forums in my time and now manage a design website).

But as HSTs are still widely used (FGW, GC, EC etc) there is a lot of information to put down and keep up to date with.

It might be a bit adventurous to try a HSTgen website but I'd give it a shot.

 

[Techniquest]

Thanks for your input. Adventurous it might be, but worth a go.

As for how much would be shown and how it would be laid out, well I've not sat down with a sheet of paper and drafted the design, but it's not going to be terribly fancy. More important is the information on it. The current plan is to have a list of the power cars, with the gen laid out in a similar manner as to the below example:

43002

17th April 2010 1630 Bristol Temple Meads to London Paddington (with 43175)

You can imagine just a long list would get difficult to read, so the plan is to break the site up into years. This year's lot would be on one page, 2009 on a seperate one and so on.

I've got my lists of observations and moves written up for the year up to last Saturday (annoyingly I didn't take my notepad with me on Wednesday ), took around 6 hours to do that much and I'm missing some observations from a Reading vegging spree earlier this month Next up is the pile of notes I have found from 2009 and of course the 2009 moves book. Not until tomorrow now though, I've got a vegging trip in Bristol today

 

[TGV]

I have a question - what does "gen" mean or stand for?

 

[rail-britain]

I have a question - what does "gen" mean or stand for?

Gen - Informal term for information, denoting process or content
Example : "My Saab has a faulty EGR, what's the gen?"

 

[DaveNewcastle]

what does "gen" mean

Good question - its one of those words whose origins might be (relatively) recent, but already we've lost its true origin!

It was widely used by the UK Army during the Second World War to refer to reliable information. But there's argument as to whether that use came from "general knowledge" or "genuine information".
The latin root "genus" means "category" or "class", and we often use "gen" to discuss information about a particular classification of things. So maybe that's what it still means?

 

[TGV]

y'know, I've worked on railways, on military aviation projects (I'm a mechanical engineer by profession) and shot on the same rifle ranges as a retired SAS sniper (who used the term "sit-rep" in roughly similar circumstances), and I've only ever heard "gen" used by rail enthusiasts! I knew the context of it, but couldn't fathom out the etymology of it. DaveNewcastle - "genus" does sound plausible - thanks.

Rail-britain - yeah, I've had 2 cars with faulty EGR's...but neither was a SAAB!!!

 

[Drsatan]

Sorry to be an idiot, but what does 'veg' denote?

 

[43034 The Black Horse]

Idiot. Useless bugger. Weirdo. Fruit Loop. So on...

 

[yorkie]

It's short for vegetable, referring to their intelligence (or lack of). Example activities may include advertising websites by 'writing' in the dust of a HST power car, making paper headboards, and going mental waving at trains. See this for an example (01:32 - oh dear!)

 

[37401]

Lol, veg look up virgintrainfreak on here hahaha I joke I joke

"sit-rep"

It's all one word sitrep it means situation report so on a radio when asked for the sitrep they are asking "what's the situation?" another golden is locstat are you familiar with radio lingo Tango Golf Victor?

 

[90019]

Lol, veg look up virgintrainfreak on here hahaha I joke I joke

Hmm. Foxtrot Uniform Bravo Alpha Romeo comes to mind

 

[Techniquest]

When I said about vegging at Bristol, I meant to the extent of sitting around and spotting/recording sightings more than anything. If that makes sense.

 

[37401]

Hmm. Foxtrot Uniform Bravo Alpha Romeo comes to mind

Hehehe

 

[TGV]

Lol, veg look up virgintrainfreak on here hahaha I joke I joke



It's all one word sitrep it means situation report so on a radio when asked for the sitrep they are asking "what's the situation?" another golden is locstat are you familiar with radio lingo Tango Golf Victor?

Yeah, I know what it means - it was the "gen" thing that got me - in over 18 years of experience, it's a term that I've only ever heard spotters use. I have PTS so I'm fluent in radio comms and protocol.

 

[37401]

Good stuff