Article Standards

This page is a work in progress while article standards are refined for the site.

Short or "Wiki" style article

Short description used on the state index pages. This is to be no more than 3-4 sentences max that provide the most basic description of the road. See any state index page for examples. Note: This brief description is not required for submitting articles.

Basic Histories by Definition.

Type A or “Compiled” : These can range in length depending on the information available, but at a minimum should be a full paragraph. Write ups of this type do not need citations, nor a specific author. Articles of this type are suggested for the initial listing of a railroad on the site. Attribution for this type of history is solely up to the discretion of the author. Should the history be assembled from common knowledge or vague sources, it is recommended NOT to include an author’s attribution (ala wiki). In cases where extensive research was required, attribution should always say: “Compiled by XXXXXX”

Type B or “Narrative” : These histories are fully fleshed out with citations (Biblio style minimum, in line citations are optional but welcomed) and provide a consistent telling of the railroad’s history. Articles of this type are generally going to be researched and take some time to get written and put on the site. All histories of this type should carry attribution to the author in the form of “By XXXXXX”.

Both styles of History write ups should not be longer than 4-5 paragraphs. Additional histories on detailed subjects should be stubbed from the main railroad page, keeping the page text to a minimum. For extended and/or thorough histories, see “Articles” below. Some operations worked in multiple areas, under the same Corporate Parent. (SNW&L, Truckee Lumber, etc). For these operations the railroad should be listed as a sub-company of the parent.

On the site we’ve been listing them in the following format: Lake Tahoe Narrow Gauge Railroad. (Heading) Carson & Tahoe Lumber & Fluming Company. (Sub-Heading)

This formatting will allow for the eventual connection to the Corporate Parent directly.

Article Tips:

1. Always remember to include: Who, What, When, Where, Why

2. Always write the complete company name one or two times before switching to abbreviations.

3. In-Linking to articles on our site and/or Wikipedia (or Mindat) within your narrative is encouraged. One of our goals with PacificNG is to build interest in other railroads/companies in our focus.

4.

Article Graphics

For initial articles on a railroad, it is suggested to avoid adding more than 1 or 2 graphics inline. Extended articles can include more graphics as they are not bound to interfere with the Data Column. Note: All articles are subject to editorial/layout changes as the Webmaster and/or Editor see fit to match the site's overall style.

Units, Measures and Dates

Railroad gauge should always be expressed in inches. 36” rather than 3'. Meter and other gauges should always be expressed in longhand (Meter Gauge, Monorail). All units and measurements should be written in Imperial and Metric units in the following style: 2.5 miles (4km)

Revision Dates should use the following format: Revised: Month Day, Year

Citations

All citations should conform to the standards set by the Chicago Manual of Style 17th Edition.

Contributors/Authors are not required to furnish citations in this format, the Webmaster/Editor is expected to reformat these when the page is created. The Webmaster and/or Editor does appreciate the effort however.

At present we are only using Bibliography and/or Inline Citations as outlined by the Chicago Manual. For editorial notes and additional sources (not used in the history), please see: “Additional Sources”.

Attribution

All complete articles written by a member of PacificNG or Contributor should include a proper notation of their work. All other attributions should be included in the citations at the end of the article.

Creative Commons

Whenever possible, articles written for the site should be issued a creative commons license. All photographs or documents attributed to PacificNG are to be covered by CC For public, non commercial use: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ Cite: “<DocName>” by <Creator> is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0 See examples: https://wiki.creativecommons.org/wiki/Marking_your_work_with_a_CC_license#Example:_Image

Data Column

The data column is optional. If included it should provide a quick summary of data relating to the railroad. Examples of information to be included: Incorporation Dates, Corporate Ownership, Length of Road, Rail Weights, Tie Dimensions Railroads that had several owners listed under the Corporate Ownership heading should link to the related page.

Railroads that operate with multiple names / corporate owners should include a list of these names and dates. These names will be used to in-link to related pages.

Reference Standards

The list below contains the standard sub-headings titles to be used on article pages for grouping reference materials.

Articles Articles on specific topics related to the railroad. This can include extended histories of the railroad, discussion of specific areas, details or people. Extended articles should follow the same citation guidelines as described above. There is no length limit to extended histories/articles.

Drawings Drawings of specific equipment, facilities, or hardware related to the railroad. Example: Curtis F's Baldwin frame drawings.

Equipment Rosters. Our roster database is pending and the final format of rosters has not been decided. At this time only small rosters are being posted to the site until this solution is in place.

Newspaper Clippings. Our newspaper database is pending and the final format of rosters has not been decided. At this time only small rosters are being posted to the site until this solution is in place.

Maps. Should include a Google Earth map on our site. Can also link to maps made by others if they are up to our quality standards (Dave Dye).

Photographs. Every railroad page should include, if possible, a link back to the relevant album in our image gallery. In lieu of linking to the Album, linking to the relevant keyword (i.e Porter, Baldwin, 4-4-0). Additional links to galleries elsewhere (SPNGHS, SVRY) should be linked under this heading.

Manuscripts. Reserved for original documents related to the railroad. This can include: work orders, receipts, ledgers and other items copied from historic collections.

Painting Information / References. Paint notes (contemporary and historic), illustrations.

Historic References. Links to books that mention the subject. In most cases these should be HISTORIC books. This includes periodicals, historic fliers and oral histories.

Contemporary References. “Additional Sources” Page. Additional sources that are noteworthy, but not used in the primary history article should be listed on a page stubbed from the primary article. PngES reports? Oral histories.

Government Reports. (Documents?) ICC Valuations, PUC Valuations, Reports, Surveys

Video. Links to video (historic or contemporary) that pertains to the subject. In most cases these will be contemporary videos.

Links. Related off site links.

Organization and Collection Links

The list below contains the standard headings titles to be used at the bottom of article pages.

Organizations (H2) Links to and/or names of contemporary organizations / historical societies related to the railroad.

Collections (H2) Links to and/or names of institutions with holdings related to the railroad and/or it's founders.