I found that a lot of the photos are still visible if you use the Internet Archive "Wayback Machine" (https://web.archive.org) to find the articles.
One Example: https://web.archive.org/web/20031121022044/http://www.rypn.org/briefs/september2003/030916.html
Maybe this would help with photos that can't be found from other sources? Some of the images in the "Wayback Machine" don't have the best resolution, but may be better than nothing?...

Once the site is up running and can be edited again, those who have articles on the site might want to take a look at the possibility of correcting any details that have been changed by the passing of time. For example, I mentioned back around 2007 that RSI was the EMD parts distributor for museums and preservation organizations, that has all changed now. Progress Rail took parts distribution back from RSI, and their parent KirbyCorp subsequently phased out RSI, the company no longer exists. I suspect there are some other small details that have been changed by events the last 10 years.

PC

A quick and easy to implement option that I've seen used on other website is to tag the older articles as "Archived Information". It appears to be based on date, and may even be automated. Typically a warning message is posted noting that the article is out of date and the information may no longer be current or accurate, however the article is being maintained for reference purposes.

Any further reports on the progress with restoring the RYPN Articles section and the possibility of a new format?

PC

Working on it... I sure hope that I'll be able to update and correct my articles, but at least they won't just fizzle out completely.

I'm also looking forward to hearing more from Preston Cook, Dave Lathrop, and the many others with something worthwhile to say.

Thanks to the authors, webmasters, and moderators for getting this part of RyPN going again.

Thanks Sammy - you are probably in the minority with that, but unfortunately pretty much everything I had vanished in some hard drive problems with my old computers since they were published. Since I don't do anything interesting any more, there's nothing much to write about now.

I am interested in posting a narrative of the Orange Empire Railway Museum Archive (Library) as I was the project manager for the building. I think my experiences could be instructive for others considering such an endeavor.

Let me know when I can submit, please.

cwylde, I sent an e-mail to the person in charge of the Articles section to alert him of your posting and your interest in contributing an article.

PC

Thank You!

Does anyone have any recent information to offer on the status of the articles section?

PC

I have had several recent contacts with RYPN participants about the article section, most asking if anything more has happened. I have not had any contact recently with the administrators about the articles section.

For those who may have articles on preservation that they would like to see posted on the internet, I would suggest contacting Aaron Isaacs at HRA. Aaron has been doing an excellent job of getting preservation related articles posted on their website. The Heritage Rail Alliance:

http://www.atrrm.org

Disclaimer: I am just an observer in this, what you chose to do or not do is up to you individually. I have plenty of print projects to work on and no plans to put anything on the internet.

I suspect that the best solution to the problems with the article page would be to set up a completely new articles section written in a format editable by modern software, perhaps even a free standing page on another server just linked to the RYPN navigation block. Viewing the articles has never required signing in, so there is no need for an articles page to interface with the membership features on the existing site.

When and if the articles section is again accessible, the question remains as to who wants to write for the internet. The last ten years have shown it to be a open theft zone where anything you write will be stolen, plagiarized, reprinted without permission, or put behind a paywall where someone you never heard of makes money by selling access to people who do not know it is available elsewhere for open viewing. If you want to spend your time writing for that situation............

PC