Mayby I have been asleep for the past 40 or so years but I do not remember advertisemrnt fot the railroads on tv or for that matter anywhereelse. Could this be a sign of increased usage of a valuable resorce that some of us felt was slipping away. The advertisement I saw was good and interisting ,showing a roadway full of 18 wheelers being instantly transferred to speeding flat cars. I HOPE IT IS A GOOD SIGN.!
any one see this ?
Ellis
Yes. UP is also running some commercials; and GE is plugging their "green" locomotives.
I have been bothered by some recent TV commercials that show cartoon and computer-animation trains. The trains are shown as being scarcely wider than the track gauge. I worry that this reinforces the popular misconception about the width of trains. This idea apparently got a deaf beauty queen killed here in Austin a while back.
The local paper reported that she had been struck by a snowplow protruding 16 inches to the side of the locomotive, and even printed a diagram showing this bizarre arrangement. The deaf community was in an uproar that the UP would put such a dangerous thing on their locomotives, especially in the summer in Texas.
In fact, what happened was that the reporter misunderstood someone's explanation that the entire train, including the locomotive and the snowplow-shaped pilot, extended 16 inches beyond the 8-foot ties. Of course she was hit by the pilot (since it was at the front of the train), even though she had been walking outside the ties, where she probably thought she was safe.
Bob Nelson
It isn't always necessarily just to advertise to potential customers, but also to show potential investors that the company is doing well, as well as introducing them to another brand name they can invest into.
This is another reason why GE has been showing off their new locomotives to the public. The railroad companies have known about it for a long time, but now that the public knows these multi-million dollar machines are for sale, they understand that GE is about to do well with their income.
In another way it introduces potential employees by showing them that this job is out there, and that the company is doing well and they can go places if they join. (no pun intended)
In any case, I enjoy seeing these things on TV as well. I will take any chance I get to see trains, real or toy.
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