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Web Gem Award Program Standards |
The Basics
We bestow our coveted Web Gem Award on railway oriented web sites that meet or exceed our minimum criteria, are nominated for the Award by the site's users or Webmaster or the users or Staff of TrainNet.org and then receive a winning vote by the TrainNet.org Staff. Currently there are 81 sites that have received and display the Award.
The Webmaster or Owner is not required to be a user of TrainNet.org. Any and all railway oriented web sites, personal or corporate, are eligible for consideration to receive the Web Gem Award. See the list of Recipient Sites below or go to our International Railway Links to visit the most recent recipient(s). The Award is made for a specific site, so if the site materially changes its look and feel or the website is moved to a different domain (thus breaking our links to the site) the Webmaster or Owner is responsible for notifying Web Gem Team Chief Becky Morgan.
Minimum
Criteria
A web site selected to receive a Web Gem
Award must:
1. Pass the Validity Check by the W3C Markup Validation Service.
2. Be railroad/railway oriented, either model or prototype.
3. Have an attractive overall appearance.
4. Be reasonably fast loading.
5. Be updated regularly.
6. Be grammatically correct with no misspelled words.
7. Stimulate return visits and visitor feedback.
8. Self-nominated sites must contain a link to either TrainNet.org or the International Railway Links.
Recommendations & the Decision Making Process
Anyone may recommend a web site (including their own) for a Web Gem Award by sending an email to Web Gem Team Chief Becky Morgan who will present the nomination to the TrainNet.org Staff for evaluation and voting. The recommendation must include the site's title, full URL and the Webmaster's name.
Although all TrainNet.org Staff may participate in the evaluation and voting process, a minimum of three members of the Staff must vote on the merits of the recommended web site. The evaluation period is 10 to 14 days after the nomination is received. Voting is done on a scale of 0 to 10 and sites being evaluated must receive an average vote of 7 to receive an Award. We pledge that we will evaluate all sites nominated for the Award in strict accordance with the minimum criteria and will provide the Webmaster of all nominated sites (successful or unsuccessful) with a detailed evaluation.
The Graphic
The Web Gem Award is a small animated GIF (only 5K at 85 pixels wide by 127 pixels high). It's also available as a non-animated 4K JPG file.
The TrainNet.org Webmaster will send an email to Webmasters (or Owners) of recipient sites with the necessary HTML code for displaying the Award (sample version shown at the left) on their site. The email will also include alternate options for displaying the Award. The provided HTML code will contain a link to the TrainNet.org homepage and those Webmasters who choose the alternate options are asked to include the link.
Advertising of the Recipient Sites
The latest recipients are highlighted on the top page of the International Railway Links and on their site description in the alphabetical lists. Recipients who display the Web Gem Award graphic on their site will have:
1. A permanent link in the bottom half of the International Railway Links home page.
2. A permanent link on the Web Gem Award Program Standards page (the page you are currently viewing).
3. A permanent comment on their site description in the International Railway Links alphabetical lists.
4. An announcement in the Lobby of the TrainNet.org message boards.
5. A message in the "General Subjects Forum" on the TrainNet.org message boards.
If a site chooses in the future to no longer display the Web Gem Award graphic all links & comments will be removed.
The 69 Recipient
Sites - in Alphabetical Order
- American Flyer Horizontal Rules (www.tandem-associates.com/americanflyer.htm)
Online source for American Flyer graphics for use in building a toy train website, patterned around the most famous "S Gauge" trains sets that American Flyer created; maintained by Charles Wilber; Whitmire, South Carolina, USA.
- Association Luxembourgeoise des Amis des Chemins de Fer (www.rail.lu)
"Luxembourg Association of the Friends of Railways" documents the world of railways in and around the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg; maintained by Jean-Marie Ottelé, Hautcharage, Luxembourg (Français, English, Deutsch).
- B&O Railroad Photo Tours (www.trainweb.org/oldmainline)
Virtual tours of the Baltimore and Ohio (now CSX) railroad in Maryland; each of the over 1000 tour photos is accompanied by a thumbnail image, description, map location, reader comments and more; maintained by Steve Okonski; USA.
- Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Network (www.borail.net)
Provides those interested in the B&O a place to start as they research the railroad; includes an extensive directory to many other web sites that contain information about and photographs of the B&O as well as many pages of original content; maintained by Scott Dunlap; USA.
- Bluebell Railway Preservation Society (www.bluebell-railway.co.uk/bluebell/bluebell.html)
Volunteer-run Bluebell Line was the UK's first preserved standard gauge passenger railway; has a Facebook Page; Sheffield Park, East Sussex, England, UK (Français, Deutsch, Español, Nederlands, Japanese, Korean, English).
- Bob's Railroad Photos (home.earthlink.net/~nordicus)
Archive of Amtrak, CSX, FEC, Norfolk Southern photographs, plus commuter trains, steam trains, streamliners, animated gifs and more; maintained by Robert Nordstrom II; USA.
- C&PD Today (www.cpdtoday.com)
Railfan guide to the Norfolk Southern Port Road Branch, includes videos, pics and audio clips; maintained by Derrick Lapp, USA.
- Cambridge Custom Transfers (www.cctrans.freeserve.co.uk)
Provides waterslide type transfers (decals), primarily for British Rail steam era rolling stock, with carrier film so thin it is virtually invisible; North Arbury,Cambridge, England, UK.
- Central California Rails (cencalrails.railfan.net)
Railfan site dedicated to railroading centered around the central California city of Stockton, featuring the Union Pacific and BNSF railroads, Central California Traction Railroad & Stockton Terminal and Eastern Railroad; maintained by David Epling; Stockton, California, USA.
- Dave's Electric Railroads (www.davesrailpix.com)
Collection of electric railroad, interurban and streetcar photographs from many eras, David Mewhinney, Herndon, Virginia, USA.
- Dave's Trains, Inc. (www.davestrains.com)
Model railroad hobby shop specializing in postwar Lionel Trains and Russian model trains produced in the Soviet Union from 1951 to 1969; Martinsville, New Jersey, USA.
- Don's Depot (donsdepot.donrossgroup.net)
Collection of personal railroad photographs from 1946 to present, many offered for sale; maintained by Don Ross; Irving, Texas, USA.
- Electric Lines in Southern Ontario (www.trainweb.org/elso)
Information and photographs dealing with the better known electric railways; maintained by William Miller; Canada.
- Fallen Flag Railroads of New Jersey (raildata.railfan.net)
Retrospective look at New Jersey's railroads through maps, track & physical characteristics profiles, operating rules & timetables in the pre-Conrail and New Jersey Transit Era; maintained by Henry Sundermeyer; New Jersey, USA.
- GWR Modelling Site (www.gwr.org.uk)
Provides information, inspiration and showcases for modelers of the Great Western Railway; helps promote modeling of a very special railway; maintained by Russ Elliott; Southend-On-Sea, Essex, England, UK.
- Garden State Model Railway Club (www.gsmrrclub.org)
HO Scale club founded in 1957, dedicated to preservation, expansion and education of both model railroading and prototype railroading; maintained by Robert Savino; North Haledon, New Jersey, USA.
- Geared Steam Locomotive Works (www.gearedsteam.com)
Preserving and promoting information on North American built geared steam locomotives such as those from Baldwin, Bell, Byers, Climax, Davenport, Heisler, Shay and Williamette; Eagan, Minnesota, USA.
- Geoff's Rail Pages (www.geoffspages.co.uk/grp)
Photographs, drawings and movies about British railways; maintained by Geoff Cryer; UK.
- Greek Train Models (www.trainmodels.gr)
Hobby site presenting pictures of a personal collection of HO Scale model trains; promotes modeling of Greek railway prototypes; maintained by Chris Milonas; Athens, Greece.
- Greg's Train Page (www.rrsites.com/gtp)
Railfan site featuring Canadian and western United States railways, steam and diesel excursions, sounds of steam, photos and Squamish area rail information; Squamish, British Columbia, Canada.
- Hornby Railways Collectors Guide (www.modeltrains.net.au/hornby)
Unofficial comprehensive guide to all Hornby railways catalogued models, 1955 to 1990, maintained by Andrew Menner; Melbourne, Australia.
- HOseeker.Net (www.hoseeker.net)
Information and auction site to assist HO Scale model train collectors in repairing, identifying, buying or selling Athearn, Atlas,Bowser, Kato, Mantua, Tyco, Rivarossi, Varney and other manufacturers (also uses www.hoseeker.org); Houston, Texas, USA.
- Houghton's RailImages (www.trainweb.org/trains)
Collection of railroad photographs from the New England area plus railroad logo clip art and a limited roster of Maine Central Railroad equipment; all available for purchase; maintained by Ken Houghton; Bolton, Massachusetts, USA.
- John's Alaska Railroad Web Page (www.alaskarails.org)
Railfan site featuring photographs, rosters, news, maps and modeling information; maintained by John Combs; Dayton, Ohio, USA.
- Johnson's Depot (www.johnsonsdepot.com)
Documents the early history of Johnson City, current restoration efforts and the reconstruction of portions of the city; Johnson City, Tennessee, USA.
- Kavanagh Transit Systems (ktransit.com)
Collection of transit and railroad photographs and information; has a Facebook Page; maintained by Mark Kavanagh; Salem, Oregon, USA.
- Large Scale Trains (www.girr.org/girr)
Photographs, technical tips, videos, books and information from other authors about the hobby of G Scale model railroading; maintained by George Schreyer; Torrance, California, USA.
- Laurell Trains (trains.laurell.nu)
Presents a modelers experiences in 7/8 Inch Scale model railways, explaining how it was made, both in text and pictures; maintained by Henrik Laurell; Molnlycke, Sweden.
- Light Rail Transit Association (www.lrta.org)
Information and campaigning about better public transport through trams, tramways, streetcars and light rail transit systems; publishers of "Tramways & Urban Transit" magazine; Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, England, UK.
- Lionel Trains Horizontal Rules (www.tandem-associates.com/lionel.htm)
Online source for Lionel graphics for use in building a toy train website; created from the classic Post War and Modern eras of Lionel's history of making toy trains; maintained by Charles Wilber; has a Facebook Page; Whitmire, South Carolina, USA.
- London and North Western Railway Society (www.lnwrs.org.uk)
Collects and disseminates information about the London and North Western Railway, its constituents and its successors; Camberley, England, UK.
- MGB Model Railroad Club (www.mgbrr.org)
HO Scale, Digitrax DCC permanent layout simulating prototypical operations; formed 1995, incorporated 2006; 100% NMRA club; has a Facebook Page; Montgomery, Alabama, USA.
- Minitrains (www.minitrains.20m.com)
Begun in 2001, contains photos, diary dates, an A-Z page, links and many other things on miniature & narrow gauge railways in the United Kingdom; maintained by Marc Humphreys; UK.
- Model Railroading by Bill Parisi (www.parisiconsulting.com)
Island Valley Railroad is a freelance hi-rail O Scale model railroad set in the modern era; diesel engines, from the 1950's through the present, provide the motive power; has a Facebook Page; Youngstown, Ohio, USA.
- Model Railroading with DCC (www.mrwithdcc.com)
Hints, tips, installs, how to's, etc.; maintained by Don Crano; Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, USA.
- Pacific Northwest Division, Toy Train Operating Society (www.trainweb.org/ttos-pnw)
TTOS division building and maintaining an O Gauge model railroad layout; welcomes visitors and publishes a newsletter ("Waybill"); Aloha, Oregon, USA.
- Pieter's NS Quest (pklap.tripod.com/nl/framesnl.htm)
Attempt to re-create a short commuter line in Holland between Rotterdam/Hofplein to Den Haag; operates mostly 2 car EMUs with an occasional freight; maintained by Pieter Klapwijk; The Netherlands (Dutch, English).
- QStation (www.qstation.org)
ATSF, BN & BNSF railfan site offering news, information and sources for books, videos and other material; Erie, Pennsylvania, USA.
- Rail World Photography (www.ebepe.com/html/railworld.html)
Photographs of famous European railways with meaningful captions for each; Baden, Germany (English, Deutsch).
- Railroad Crossings (www.trainweb.org/brettrw)
Developed, built, and maintained with the idea of helping all railfans enjoy a day chasing trains in the desert southwest by offering pictures, maps, timetables and guides; maintained by Brett Wirick; Utah, USA.
- Railroad Paint Shop (paintshop.railfan.net)
Drawings of railroad locomotives, rolling stock and structures for download and designing custom paint schemes; maintained by Joshua Moldover; USA.
- Railwayana Collectors' Network (www.trainweb.org/rcn_uk)
Provides an email contact list for the use of railwayana collectors; UK.
- Ravenstone Model Railways (www.rmrailways.co.uk)
Seller of new and used European model railway trains and accessories; maintained by Len Smith; Coalville, Leicestershire, England, UK.
- Rebuild Grasselli Tower (www.grassellitower.com)
Help save Grasselli Tower in East Chicago - a preservation effort of the Hoosier Valley Railroad Museum in North Judson, Indiana, USA.
- Robert Bryan's Photo Gallery (www.rnbphoto.com)
Photographs of railroad rolling stock, motive power and track side industries in Maryland, Pennsylvania and Ohio; Westminster, Maryland, USA.
- Robert's Lionel Train Layout (www.robertstrains.com)
Photographs, some video clips, a track plan and an accessory list of a Lionel toy train layout; maintained by Robert Powell; Roseville, California, USA.
- Royal Hudson 2860 (www.rrsites.com/royalhudson)
Unofficial information about Royal Hudson 2860, an ex-Canadian Pacific Hudson type steam locomotive built by Montreal Locomotive Works (MLW) in 1929; Squamish, British Columbia, Canada.
- Schedule Board (my.execpc.com/~jruss/schedule.html)
Listing of model railroad and railfan events and news from around Southeastern Wisconsin; maintained by Joe Russ; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.
- Shaun's Model Railway Project (www.shaunsmodelrailway.net)
British Railways and modern traction N Scale layout in the 1978 to 1983 period; Sheerness, Kent, England, UK.
- Soo Line Online (sooline.railfan.net)
Railfan site featuring photos and lots of information about the Soo Line; maintained by Paul Nadolski; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA.
- South Jersey S Gaugers (www.trainweb.org/sjsg)
Meets to improve and prepare their layout for public viewing and host presentations by members and visitors on many aspects of modeling; Voorhees, New Jersey, USA.
- Sperry Rail Service (Unofficial) (trainweb.org/elso/SPERRY.HTM)
Documents the history of the company and the inventor, Dr. Elmer A. Sperry, plus reference material and tips on modeling the track defect detector rail cars; USA.
- Sulka.de Eisenbahn (www.sulka.de/sites/eb/eisenbahn.html)
Information about steam locomotives, Germany, France, Morocco, Poland, Portugal, Wales and China; maintained by Klaus Brechbilder; Lohr am Main, Germany (Deutsch).
- Surviving Steam Locomotives Photo Archive (parkengines.railfan.net)
Photographs of surviving steam locomotives from around the United States with an emphasis on "park engines"; USA.
- Tasmanian Railways (www.railtasmania.com)
Australian Railway Historical Society (Tasmanian Division) site dedicated to all aspects of the railways in Tasmania, Australia.
- Teetering-By-The-Well (www.teetering.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk)
Progress reports with photographs of the building of this 7mm model railroad; UK.
- TM Internet Trains, LLC. (www.internettrains.com)
The Original Internet Model Train Superstore® operating from Brea, California, USA.
- Tourist Trains Worldwide (www.touristtrains.net)
Massive searchable database of tourist trains operations, worldwide; maintained by Heiner Bossert; Zurich, Zurich Canton, Switzerland (English, Deutsch, Français, Español, Português, Italiano)
- TraiN'ternet (www.trainternet.fr)
Group of model railroaders modeling American railways using N Scale and numerous modeling techniques from overseas; Paris, France (Français, English).
- Trainiax (www.trainiax.net)
Drawings, recordings, photos and info that relate to the world's most fascinating modes of transportation; maintained by Michael Eby; North Hatley, Quebec, Canada.
- Trainman's Train Page (www.trainman.id.au)
Railfan site containing photographs and information about Australian railways; Campbelltown, Australia.
- TrainPixs Network (www.trainweb.org/trainpixsnet)
Cataloging information, tips, hints, and photographs covering all aspects of the railfan hobby; maintained by Nathan Chidester; Kansas City, Missouri, USA.
- Trainspotting in Wales (www.steamsafari.com/wales)
Railfan site covering tourist railways featuring preserved engines and rolling stock from narrow gauge railways, such as the Talyllyn, and the standard gauge Cambrian Coast Line; authored by Erik Gray Ledbetter; McLean, Virginia, USA.
- TrainWeb (www.trainweb.com)
Railroad information portal; convers train travel, model railroading, railfan and railroad industry information including Amtrak train travelogues, railroad photographs, model train building tips and much more; has a Facebook Page; La Plata, Missouri, USA.
- Trans-Cams (www.cargolaw.com/cameras.html)
Transport investigations through 24 hour transport cameras located at airports, seaports, warehouses, and railroad grade crossings, depots, stations, and other strategic locations; Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Ultimate Steam Page (www.trainweb.org/tusp)
Provides a brief background on steam locomotive development, an overview of several interesting steam locomotive design engineers and information on the continuing efforts to produce steam locomotives; maintained by Hugh Odom; Summerville, South Carolina, USA.
- Valley N-Trak of Connecticut (www.vntrak.com)
Non-profit organization (established in 1976) of model railroad enthusiasts promoting the N Scale module concept as a viable operational system; Oxford, Connecticut, USA.
- Web Lurker's DOME.main (www.trainweb.org/web_lurker/WebLurkersDOMEmain)
Historical information and photographs that document the history of all 236 dome cars built in North America; USA.
- Western New York Railway Historical Society (www.trainweb.org/wnyrhs)
Founded in 1980 to ensure that our Railway Heritage is preserved; Buffalo, New York, USA.
On 9/28/2002 TrainNet.org received a Silver Smokin' Award.
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