# Eric's Trains Episode 65



## Spence (Oct 15, 2015)

Well there's someone who can actually challenge Lee & Bill (Seayak) for engine totals. Eric discusses the engines he owns.
Total 231


----------



## DennyM (Jan 3, 2016)

Yeah it's crazy the amount of trains he has. Plus his layout is huge. I think it's in three different rooms.


----------



## Guest (Nov 12, 2017)

Very talented guy, but when I invited him to post his videos to the MTF (twice), the courtesy of a reply was not forthcoming. I ignore his work now and did not watch this video, Spence. More of the principle of the matter than anything else.


----------



## DennyM (Jan 3, 2016)

Passenger Train Collector said:


> Very talented guy, but when I invited him to post his videos to the MTF (twice), the courtesy of a reply was not forthcoming. I ignore his work now and did not watch this video, Spence. More of the principle of the matter than anything else.


I understand Brian. I noticed he always mentions the other forum in his videos.


----------



## seayakbill (Jan 16, 2016)

He certainly has quite a few locos, at 186 thats a bunch. First video of his that I have seen. An excellent speaker.

Bill


----------



## Guest (Nov 13, 2017)

*I understand Brian. I noticed he always mentions the other forum in his videos.*

He is missing the boat with free advertising with us. As a business consultant, I would always recommend that a client take advantage of free advertising as long as it came from a reputable source. One word for this, *NEXT*.


----------



## njrailer93 (Nov 28, 2011)

Well maybe he had a contract with ogr and has to fill an onligation. If he’s putting at the end of his videos check out ogr I’m sure there’s money involved.


----------



## Guest (Nov 13, 2017)

Always good policy to at least respond to an invitation, even if the answer is no. Just good business as you never know what the ripple effect could be. His loss.


----------



## DennyM (Jan 3, 2016)

njrailer93 said:


> Well maybe he had a contract with ogr and has to fill an onligation. If he’s putting at the end of his videos check out ogr I’m sure there’s money involved.


Yep I'm sure of that too.



Passenger Train Collector said:


> Always good policy to at least respond to an invitation, even if the answer is no. Just good business as you never know what the ripple effect could be. His loss.


There are several people I don't try to contact anymore because they don't respond.


----------



## JimL (Aug 16, 2015)

DennyM said:


> Yeah it's crazy the amount of trains he has. Plus his layout is huge. I think it's in three different rooms.


Eric said it can afford it because he doesn't drink, smoke, or gamble. :laugh:

His videos are good for the hobby, I wish he would post them here, but he looks funny with short hair.


----------



## Luke 221 (Feb 12, 2013)

I looked at the numbers and if he averages $600 per engine then it would be 138000 dollars. Yikes. Eventually his spending will have to slow down.


----------



## seayakbill (Jan 16, 2016)

Luke 221 said:


> I looked at the numbers and if he averages $600 per engine then it would be 138000 dollars. Yikes. Eventually his spending will have to slow down.


Yep, he certainly is buying locomotives on a furious pace.

Bill


----------



## Guest (Nov 13, 2017)

Passenger Train Collector said:


> Always good policy to at least respond to an invitation, even if the answer is no.


Very true! 

We met Eric at the Fall 2015 York. He was very nice and explained that it was his first time attending the York Meet. Afterward I sent him an email with this photo and and invitation to visit our Forum and attend the Spring 2016 MTF Dinner. Like Brian, I never received a response. Shorthly after that I noticed he started including an Ad for the other Forum at the end of his videos. 

Plenty of people are members of both Forums. I don't know why he would "Snub" MTF but that's his choice. Still, a response to my invitation would have been nice.

Emile

View attachment 368297


----------



## Guest (Nov 13, 2017)

Very true, Emile. As I said, his loss.


----------



## Jeff T (Dec 27, 2011)

Luke 221 said:


> I looked at the numbers and if he averages $600 per engine then it would be 138000 dollars. Yikes. Eventually his spending will have to slow down.


Those are just staggering numbers... I know youtube will pay content providers, but I can't imagine he's at anywhere near that level.


----------



## Traindiesel (Sep 8, 2015)

I don't think Eric is a "business" to be advertised. He just does reviews of trains he gets from his point of view. He talks about what he likes about the train he's reviewing. I don't think he's selling anything where he needs 'exposure', other than to get views of his You Tube channel.

But with that, I can't imagine why he wouldn't post here. He is a OGR Forum sponsor so that may be part of it. He seems like an affable guy so I don't know why he wouldn't respond to an email unless he gets countless messages through YouTube.


----------



## Traindiesel (Sep 8, 2015)

Oh, and Eric's reviews have caused me to "pull the trigger", as Brian's thread asks, on several locomotives I didn't know I needed and wanted!


----------



## Jeff T (Dec 27, 2011)

Traindiesel said:


> I don't think Eric is a "business" to be advertised. .


Trust me, with all he post's on YT and with all the viewers he gets, he is getting paid. It may not be a "business", but it's more than pocket change.

My youngest daughter is a Fashion Merchandising major. She watches plenty of YT videos, has met several of the posters, and they are quite well rewarded.


----------



## Traindiesel (Sep 8, 2015)

If that's what he's doing, then I don't know why he wouldn't want to get his channel in front of as many O gauge people as possible. I can't believe it's because he's an OGR sponsor.


----------



## Jeff T (Dec 27, 2011)

Traindiesel said:


> I can't believe it's because he's an OGR sponsor.


Time to BELIEVE!


----------



## Guest (Nov 14, 2017)

Eric is definitley a "YouTube Partner" so at a minimum he is receiving 1 dollar for every 1,000 views from YouTube ads. He may also receive money for Product Placement from third party sponsors without disclosing the fact in the videos. He also runs Google ads on his website. At nearly 15 million views, his channel is a significant player. 

Even with above-average Ad revenue, and assuming he recieves a significant Collectors discount, I doubt he would break even on all those locomotives, not to mention the associated rolling stock. 

Perhaps Lionel and MTH are providing their merchandise as free samples. They should! His video reviews are excellent! Very professional, thorough and consistent. Without question, he has influenced a number of my purchasing decisions. His reviews are much better "Sales triggers" than the videos put out by the big manufacturers. 

If Eric can make some money to help support his hobby then: Good for him! He deserves it! He's been great for the hobby. I don't think he's a "Corporate Sellout". I think he's a True Believer like the rest of us. He's just to busy to respond to all his email and he hasn't figured out a way to handle it. I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt.


----------



## DennyM (Jan 3, 2016)

I have emailed him and posted on his YT channel with questions about whatever I saw on his video and even reminded him we had talked at York. No response.


----------



## Spence (Oct 15, 2015)

Emile; very well put. While PTC and I differ on this subject I'm ok with Eric not choosing to post on here. I signed up on You Tube for his videos and thoroughly enjoy them.


----------



## Guest (Nov 14, 2017)

*"If Eric can make some money to help support his hobby then: Good for him! He deserves it! He's been great for the hobby. I don't think he's a "Corporate Sellout". I think he's a True Believer like the rest of us. He's just to busy to respond to all his email and he hasn't figured out a way to handle it. I'm going to give him the benefit of the doubt."*

I agree hat Eric is good for the hobby. He obviously gets some financial reward for his efforts and that puts him into a different catagory. So, paying no attention to your supporters has some cost, I personally will not support Eric so he can make more bucks from my participation. End of story.


----------



## Guest (Nov 14, 2017)

Passenger Train Collector said:


> I agree hat Eric is good for the hobby. He obviously gets some financial reward for his efforts and that puts him into a different catagory.


That's a great point! Eric promotes and has motivated individual purchases and he's very good at that. But that's as far as it goes. He apparently doesn't respond to anyone on topics of collegial interest. He's standoffish and that's just rude. We have a tendency to excuse a lack of manners for a busy schedule. We shouldn't. It's easy enough to set an automatic email response to say: "Due to the high volume of inquiries, I'm not able to respond to them all." He could set his YouTube channel to not accept comments and that would end the numerous unanswered comments that follow his videos. As PTC aptly states: He is on a different level. That level is a place of brief transient influence over purchasing decisions. That's all. No one is copying his style.

The truly influencial modelers aren't salesmen at all. They are fellow hobbyists with no hidden agenda and no monetary motivation. Each one is different and brillient in his own way. They take the time to engage in honest dialogue. They find time to join together for a group photo and happily break bread with the group. Those are the guys who pulled me in and keep me excited about the future of the hobby. 

I'm glad Eric has created his franchise. In spite of his failed business edicate, and acknowledging my own hypocracy, I'll probably continue to follow his channel. It's important temper that with the reality that if I were asked to build a "Mt. Rushmore" for O Scale Model Railroading, Eric would not be included. Until he can respond to simple email or take the time to sit down at an MTF Dinner, he will never reach the level of influence and distinction as people like PTC, GunrunnerJohn, Lee Willis, Keith(MOVL) and so many other wonderful people who share of themselves for no other reason than to share.

Emile


----------



## Traindiesel (Sep 8, 2015)

That may all be true. Everyone can have their own feelings, but I think being critical just because he wouldn't post to this forum or answer a personal email is a bit much.

Are we all so important?


----------



## Traindiesel (Sep 8, 2015)

And the video was well done, too.


----------



## Guest (Nov 15, 2017)

Traindiesel said:


> Are we all so important?


Yes, We are...and that includes You.


----------



## Jeff T (Dec 27, 2011)

First let me say I watch many of his diesel reviews, usually with the help of fast forward, so I cannot recite accurately ever word he has ever said.

Has he ever uttered a negative word about any product??


----------



## seayakbill (Jan 16, 2016)

My 2 cents, I never heard of Eric before this thread. I did watch his latest review and I thought it was very well done and very informative. I went to his site and watched another half dozen or so of his videos, they were OK. Kind of reminded me of a new car salesman, he points out all the good stuff. He is providing an informative service for the O Gauge hobby and has a lot of followers. Its no big deal that he won't stray from OGR or does not reply to e-mails, he does reply to questions on his Facebook account.

Bill


----------



## Luke 221 (Feb 12, 2013)

So... Yes he is a welcome part of the Hobby. Yes he has an amazing collection. Yes his layout is legendary. Yet I am not too impressed. So he has demonstrated that he can spend money on trains. This does not instantly make you a hobbyist or a collector. There used to be a guy on Japan who was seriously into video games and had a collection on par with Eric's but just in vintage video games. Fast forward a couple of years and he quits posting videos for a while, then he admits that his wife left him. You see, this guy was not spending any time with the family and was constantly adding to his collection. So draining his bank account and not remembering what is important in life with regards to his Wife and children. Therefore, I watch Eric with caution and some disdain. This level of acquisition comes with a price. I hope that his life upstairs and not in the train room is in balance. If not, then in the not too distant future, we will all be writing in here "hey whatever happened to Eric" ... just a warning is all


----------



## DennyM (Jan 3, 2016)

Jeff T said:


> First let me say I watch many of his diesel reviews, usually with the help of fast forward, so I cannot recite accurately ever word he has ever said.
> 
> Has he ever uttered a negative word about any product??


Not that I can recall. He has pointed out minor design flaws, but never a negative review.


----------



## DennyM (Jan 3, 2016)

Luke 221 said:


> So... Yes he is a welcome part of the Hobby. Yes he has an amazing collection. Yes his layout is legendary. Yet I am not too impressed. So he has demonstrated that he can spend money on trains. This does not instantly make you a hobbyist or a collector. There used to be a guy on Japan who was seriously into video games and had a collection on par with Eric's but just in vintage video games. Fast forward a couple of years and he quits posting videos for a while, then he admits that his wife left him. You see, this guy was not spending any time with the family and was constantly adding to his collection. So draining his bank account and not remembering what is important in life with regards to his Wife and children. Therefore, I watch Eric with caution and some disdain. This level of acquisition comes with a price. I hope that his life upstairs and not in the train room is in balance. If not, then in the not too distant future, we will all be writing in here "hey whatever happened to Eric" ... just a warning is all


I'm surprised the video game generation even has a wife and kids. You have to leave the house to do that.


----------



## Bill Webb (Sep 14, 2015)

We have watched and enjoyed Eric's work for years. He has been interesting, helpful, and is, in our opinions, a credit to the hobby. Yes, he advertises for OGR and Legacy Station, he decides where he posts his videos and likely does it where he is compensated. Good for him.

MTF was going to be the forum where we are positive, had good things to say, and did not find it necessary to down others. This series of posts is extremely disappointing to me.

You want to criticize Eric because he doesn't have a lot of bad things to say? Good for him; I understand what he is saying.

Some advice to all of us. If we don't have something nice to say, just maybe we don't need to comment. And we certainly don't want to speculate about someone's family life if we think it may be negative, much less when all that we see is positive. I don't feel that what someone owns or buys is any of my business. I do enjoy their posting about it and hope that they enjoy it.

MTF needs to be above this pettiness. It is a primary reason that we are here.


----------



## towdog (Oct 2, 2015)

I wish that we didn't have the forum division we do. It's so silly in the grand scheme of things. This is a relatively small hobby that we are all passionate about saving and promoting. OGR members miss out on contributions from some of the most influential people in the hobby that we have on MTF. MTF members miss out on contributions from the largest group of hobbyists on OGR. We are all losing out on this division just because of how the OGR forum is run. 

People will not come over here until the participation grows. Just like any hobby forum, you're going to post and read at the place with the most activity. So MTF is stuck.

I miss the old OGR days before OGR moved to the new software and the advertisers and all the rules and forum moderation started. I wish we could go back. All we can do is to try one by one to convince OGR posters to move over here. But even then, I fear most will still post and contribute on OGR.

MTF is just stuck right now and I hate the situation. Especially this time of year when I have found memories on OGR of pages upon pages of Christmas layouts. We were all one during such an exciting time of year.


----------



## Guest (Nov 16, 2017)

Bill, I fully appreciate your comments. What makes the MTF a special place is the atmosphere of friendliness and cooperation we have achieved.

*Overall, this thread has been very kind to Eric.* His work has been applauded as it should be. The ONLY negative comments about him have to do with the lack of common business courtesy, as it would appear that he is indeed a business, by ignoring his constituents by not replying to their requests. My opinion, not smart.

This reminds me of a much bigger and much better known vendor who uses the other forum for his platform. I extended an invitation to him to contribute to our forum as well. In his case, he was smart and responded to me telling me that the other place would not deal kindly with him if he did in fact join us and participate. He wished us well and said he admired the content on the MTF. He was indeed professional and I completely understood where he was coming from. So I will continue to support his efforts.

I do my best to try to be positive, but there comes a time when it is important to tell it as it is.


----------



## empire builder (Apr 12, 2014)

I enjoy Eric's videos very informative. this latest one on engine count the one thing comes to mind does he have an ongoing list showing the engines that have been run and ones that have not and a last serviced record makes you wonder how he keeps up with that!
at 231 engines last count is mind boggling to say the least.

as to OGR I miss the Myron Biggar Group Days 
but I like it here at least you can say politely what you think and not be deleted!!


----------



## Rocky Mountaineer (Sep 19, 2015)

Passenger Train Collector said:


> ...
> This reminds me of a much bigger and much better known vendor who uses the other forum for his platform. I extended an invitation to him to contribute to our forum as well. In his case, he was smart and responded to me telling me that the other place would not deal kindly with him if he did in fact join us and participate. ...


Brian, I think you've handled your comments quite well. Nothing really all that negative about them. And sometimes calling out things the way you see it is very appropriate.

As for the other vendor who felt pressured to not entertain other venues to share or advertise his work... I feel sad more for that vendor than anything that he felt "intimidated". That style of a heavy-handed, exclusive arrangement he found himself in reeks to me of a win-lose arrangement more than a win-win arrangement. And it's too bad that vendor can't realize HE is in the driver seat -- not the other party. Arm-twisting -- or threatening things won't be as nice if you do such-and-such things -- is a dated and almost perverted way of thinking in today's world where multi-media venues are more the norm than the exception. If you're good at what you do, and you can parlay your talents into multiple streams of exposure, then more power to ya. I'm not suggesting that there's no room for an exclusive arrangement in today's business world -- as long as it's a darn good win-win scenario for both parties. But when one party threatens the other, that suggests to me it's not something I'd want to entertain seriously.

Frankly, if anybody tried to twist my arm like that, I'd tell them to go pound sand. But that's me.

David


----------



## Guest (Nov 17, 2017)

*As for the other vendor who felt pressured to not entertain other venues to share or advertise his work... I feel sad more for that vendor than anything that he felt "intimidated". That style of a heavy-handed, exclusive arrangement he found himself in reeks to me of a win-lose arrangement more than a win-win arrangement. And it's too bad that vendor can't realize HE is in the driver seat -- not the other party. Arm-twisting -- or threatening things won't be as nice if you do such-and-such things -- is a dated and almost perverted way of thinking in today's world where multi-media venues are more the norm than the exception. If you're good at what you do, and you can parlay your talents into multiple streams of exposure, then more power to ya. I'm not suggesting that there's no room for an exclusive arrangement in today's business world -- as long as it's a darn good win-win scenario for both parties. But when one party threatens the other, that suggests to me it's not something I'd want to entertain seriously.*

This is a very good job of summing up the situation. I totally agree, if your are contributing to the financial well being of an organization, it does not require a rocket scientist to figure out who should be the driver's seat. To kowtow tells a huge story about who you are dealing with.


----------



## ericstrains (Nov 17, 2017)

*A response*

Hi folks,

Well, this is certainly a lively back and forth. I guess I should weigh in...

1) Eric posts on the OGR forum, but not on this forum. It's a snub!

Believe it or not, I don't spend a ton of time on online train forums. Most of my "train time" is spent filming videos, working on my layout, and reading train related books/magazines. At the end of the day I just don't have much time to spend on the forums. I actually do have a life outside of trains (more on that later), so I have to pick and choose how I spend my train time. I like the forums, I just don't have a lot of time to spend on them. I knew about the OGR forum because I read their magazine so that's how I got started over there. There's no "snub" going on, period. 

2) I invited Eric to post on this forum, but he never replied. How rude!

Seriously, if an invite to this forum was sent, I didn't see it. Between my regular job and the trains I get about 1,000 emails a day so sometimes an email can get lost in the shuffle...or caught by my spam filter. It's not intentional in any way and my apologies if you thought I was being rude. I just joined this forum today, and I'll be happy to post here if you still want me to.

3) Eric promotes the OGR forum, so he must be getting paid! 

Yes, I do promote the OGR forum in my videos, but I don't get paid. A few years ago, they asked me if I'd mind promoting them in exchange for an Eric's Trains banner on their forum and I said yes. I like OGR magazine, so it seemed like a good way to help promote and grow the hobby. More on promoting and growing the hobby later.

4) Eric spends too much money on trains and I wonder how well he balances his train life with his non-train life. 

Quite frankly, this is seriously none of anyone's business but my own. I'm trying to be nice about this, but a few of the comments people have made are crossing a line. I am under no obligation to explain my personal financial situation or my personal non-train life to anyone on this or any other forum, period. I'm sorry if this seems a bit harsh, but try to put yourself in my shoes. I'm sure you would feel the same way if the situation was reversed. That being said, in order to prevent people from making silly assumptions I will tell you the following: I have a perfectly healthy non-train life. I have a normal day job in the IT industry. I am a proud father of a wonderful son who is gearing up to play D1 college baseball once he graduates high school in 2019. Because of this, baseball takes up a HUGE part of my life. In fact, most of the time baseball takes up more time than the trains do. I could talk baseball for hours, but that's for another venue. I have a girlfriend (who likes the trains, fyi) and I enjoy backpacking and horseback riding. In other words, I DO have a normal life outside of trains. It's easy for people to watch the videos and think that I do trains 24/7 but that's not the case.

5) Eric's product reviews never say anything bad. He must be getting paid by the train makers!

I have never been paid by any of the train makers to do a product review, period. I try to make my reviews positive for one simple reason: TO PROMOTE AND GROW THE HOBBY. Honestly, are any of the modern train products being made today really "bad"? Sure, they have their problems here and there, but that's been happening since the dawn of toy trains. Overall, today's trains are great. What's not to like? I want people to experience the magic and wonder of model trains, so to help that happen I choose to focus on the positive. I also want the train makers to stay in business. Let's face it, this hobby isn't exactly in the best shape. Train makers are in a constant struggle to stay afloat and we've seen so many great companies fold over the years because of the shrinking market. If I can help these companies sell some trains by giving their products positive exposure, I am 100% for it. Focusing on the negative helps nobody.

6) So Eric spends a lot of money on trains. This does not instantly make him a hobbyist or a collector.

I'm not really sure what to make of this comment. I've published well over 300 model train videos on my youtube channel and to date I have NEVER claimed to be some sort of an expert on model trains, nor have I ever claimed to be some sort of expert collector. I'm just a guy who likes model trains and I enjoy sharing the hobby with others. I think you're reading way to much into all of this.


I hope that helps to answer some of the questions/concerns in this post. My "golden rule", so to speak, for this hobby is that before I do anything I ask myself, "Does this action help to promote and grow the hobby?". If the answer is no, I try to steer away from it. I may not always succeed and I've surely made a few mistakes over the years, but that's what I aim for. I think people on these forums should ask themselves a similar question before every post. As many of you know, negativity has destroyed many online forums...of all kinds...not just model train related forums. This forum seems to be fairly positive and upbeat. I like that.

Thanks,
Eric Siegel


----------



## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Welcome Eric, and I'm glad I didn't say anything negative about you.


----------



## CincinnatiWestern (Jun 16, 2015)

Couple things to consider friends:

1) When I wanted to get into this hobby with my young son in 2009, Eric's Trains on YouTube was one of the first things I found when searching online. That he and I are about the same age was also a big plus for me, I've enjoyed his videos since and would say he far more than these forums (which I knew nothing about until I had a dozen or so trains) is a reason I'm involved today. 

2) Several years ago while traveling through Atlanta on business, I had a chance to visit Legacy Station, the sole reason I was there was based upon Eirc's videos saying it was a great train store. While there a kid, about 14 or 15, came up and started asking me questions about MTH engines, super nice kid, anyway he asked me if I had ever seen Eric's trains on YouTube and went on to say how much he loved the videos and that was why he was into trains. 

3) I know a bit about YouTube advertising, our agency does several million dollars a year in placement with them. Eric's videos are great, but the most viewed video has just over 1 million views, the second drops to just over 400k, total subscribers 27,295. While those make one a celebrity in the world of O scale trains, in the world of YouTube you're a goldfish in the ocean. 500,000 subscribers and millions of views a week earns someone a living, 27,295 subscribers and tens of thousands of views a month does not. I can not speak to his personal situation, but I venture that based upon the time involved, he would make more money at McDonalds on an hourly basis than making YouTube videos. Point being just like so many others in the hobby it is a passion project, not a money making venture.

4) I hope we can all take a step back from ledge here and consider what we've done for our community, perhaps it is this "community" of the MTF, perhaps where we live. Are we upbeat and positive or do we bring negativity? I mention this in the light of having spent the past month in the Florida Keys, where my business is based, where a category 4 hurricane tore apart homes and businesses just two months ago -- seeing people who disagreed with each other a Labor Day working together to rebuild the community has been a real eye opening experience to me in how much negativity and tribalism there is on our world today. Just a thought. DO GOOD!


----------



## Spence (Oct 15, 2015)

Eric; welcome to the forum. I've subscribed to your You Tube account for a few years now and have enjoyed those videos immensly. 
By the way I'm the one who started this post and just thought it would be enjoyable for people to see.


----------



## Bill Webb (Sep 14, 2015)

Eric thanks for your comments and for what you do for this hobby. We enjoy and appreciate it and the positive and helpful manner in which it is done.


----------



## seayakbill (Jan 16, 2016)

Eric, welcome to this forum. Like I stated in one of my postings on this thread, I never heard of you before this thread. I watched your latest video and thought it was very well done and very informative. As you stated, you focus on the positives of the manufactures releases and that is OK. I think it is terrific that you have an annual open house to showcase your layout, if I lived in your area I certainly would attend.

Bill


----------



## Guest (Nov 18, 2017)

Welcome to the MTF forum, Eric. This thread obviously got someone's attention that led to your post, all good in reality. If you missed my invitation for you to participate here, good enough that you explained this. What you do on other forums is your business, I could care less.

From all of this, maybe we have come to Eric's attention as a valuable resource that promotes our O-Gauge in a very positive light. We do have some of the most talented folks in the hobby that hang out here. So take this as* yet another invitation* to post your videos here at ZERO cost to you for bucks or an exchange of advertising.


----------



## Chiefmcfuz (Dec 30, 2008)

1. Welcome to the forum! 
2. Your videos are awesome! 
3. Keep getting more trains for your awesome videos!
4. Keep up the great work!
5. Others opinions on your personal life only matter if they are not solely on the internet but in your real world!
6. If you have to ask the question below see number 5!










6. Welcome to the forum again!


----------



## Guest (Nov 18, 2017)

Welcome aboard Eric. I am on the OGR forum but I rarely go there. I have no beef with OGR, I just prefer it here. Since I'm not a regular on OGR I recognized your name but didn't really know who you are. Your post is a good introduction and I look forward to your future posts.


----------



## Guest (Nov 19, 2017)

Welcome Eric! I'm a big fan of your YouTube channel. Your videos have given me a lot of entertainment and cost me alot of money in trains I didn't previously know I needed to buy. I think what you are doing is good for the hobby and really should be recognized with a Blue Comet Award, if it hasn't been already.

As a video producer, I hope you will take advantage of the opportunity to post on this Forum if for no other reason than to notify us of a new video posting.

As a felllow hobbyist, I hope you will seek out the advice of the many talented members of this Forum and engage in a dialogue on topics of interest to you. You are welcome here with no expectation of expertise. Consider yourself one of us.

Emile


----------



## JohnJr (Dec 2, 2015)

Welcome Eric!

I am most impressed that you are joining our forum after some of the less then pleasant comments that have come from some of our members. Overall, its a forum filled with friendly and talented individuals, just like OGR.

It seems to me that this us vs them mentality needs to stop. There are wonderful things to be gained and learned on both forums. This is a hobby that may well soon be on life-support and we need to come together and lift up each other to help this hobby grow.

I got back into the hobby five years ago due to you and your videos. It makes my day when I see that you have come out with yet another video! You have always come across to me as gracious, talented and kind-hearted.

I wish you well in anyway you choose to organize and spend your time.

With gratitude,
JohnJr


----------



## ericstrains (Nov 17, 2017)

JohnJr said:


> Welcome Eric!
> 
> I am most impressed that you are joining our forum after some of the less then pleasant comments that have come from some of our members. Overall, its a forum filled with friendly and talented individuals, just like OGR.
> 
> ...


Agreed. This hobby is not so big that we can afford an us vs them mentality. 

Thanks,
Eric Siegel


----------



## laz57 (Sep 19, 2015)

Welcome ERIC to this forum. I have been a fan of your videos on You tube, along with the OGR Forum. You are a great ambassador to the hobby and have a wonderful layout. Here too at MTF we have a great number of people who are experts in the hobby. Happy that you are joining us and keep up the good work that you do. :smilie_daumenpos:


----------



## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

I would also like to welcome Eric to the forum. You do some great videos, and my only problem with you is jealousy over all the great stuff you have!


----------



## Volphin (Dec 7, 2015)

Eric, I'm so glad you stopped in. I have watched your videos for years, and they are very inspirational to me as a fellow modeler. I am also happy you are from down south like me. We can't let the guys up north have all the fun! Welcome aboard! Pretty sure I saw you at the warehouse sale, or was I bleary-eyed from the drive?


----------

