My primary interest is U.S. railroad history, particularly the rail history of lines operating in the mid-south, mid-west and southwest. I discovered Wikipedia several years ago when Wiki articles started appearing near the top of Google searches on various topics. With exposure to more Wiki rail articles came the desire to submit information, and my first Wiki contribution was made on October 23, 2005. Since that time, I have initiated seven rail related articles, but particularly enjoy being able to add information to existing articles in my geographical area of interest. My Wiki efforts are sporadic, and highly dependent on current research efforts, time available to write, and the many limiting factors that affect most of us who are balancing work, family and hobby.
My Wikipedia efforts are also affected, in negative fashion, by the often frivolous challenges to copyright authority for images which have been uploaded. Understanding and complying with copyright restrictions is a reasonable goal. However, the absurd deletion of scanned images from century old advertising or postcards represents a huge waste of resources, and has become an increasing deterrent to Wikipedia participation.
