Back to the point at hand- Why are regulators even involved in discussing railroad service issues? And other than gripe about it, what can the regulators do to make railroads run faster?
Thanks to Chris / CopCarSS for my avatar.
Ah, yes. when I was in high school, getting somebody's radio to play was seldom difficult. Usually, only a tube needed to be replaced (with all of the common AC-DC sets, that meant removing each tube and checking its heater until the burntout one was found). Once in a while, a resistor or capacitor had failed--and most manufacturers used standard values (Philco did not, but I would put in what I had, and the radio would work; if it was a tube, I did have to buy a loctal tube to get a Philco radio going)--so I had no problem in making the owner happy.
Of course, some will ask "What's a tube?"
Johnny
Murphy Siding Back to the point at hand- Why are regulators even involved in discussing railroad service issues? And other than gripe about it, what can the regulators do to make railroads run faster?
I suppose they could threaten some regulations, although I'm not sure I know what they would be. Just the threat might be enough to put the fear of you-know-who into them.
Maybe some sort of limitations on acquisitions by vulture capitalists?
Too, their involvement might suggest further official scrutiny, like from legislators.
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
DeggestyOf course, some will ask "What's a tube?"
Oh, that's simple: a CRT terminal hooked up via Twinax to a mainframe or mini.
Greatest missed opportunity of the 19th Century: Edison not following up on the Edison Effect. (Second greatest, Tesla not following up either...)
The Government still regulates railroads as they are a critical element of economic activity within the country and are thus Interstate Commerce. The Staggers Act did not give the railroads carte blanche power in the areas of deregulation.
When customers begin to complain 'enmasse' about the level of service they are not receiving those customers who provide campaign contributions to sitting legislators tend to get heard when the customers are unhappy.
The USA has the best form of government that MONEY can BUY - it gets bought and sold at all levels from Dog Catcher to the White House - every day, every way.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
IIRC, Edison even investigated placing a grid between the filament and plate.....
Deggestry -- Try finding a tube tester today. Know of only one for 40 miles around. If one is bad you have to buy that Russian junk if available .
blue streak 1 Deggestry -- Try finding a tube tester today. Know of only one for 40 miles around. If one is bad you have to buy that Russian junk if available .
Glancing through the carriers responses to the STB it seems like they were all written by the same ghost writer.
Electroliner 1935One of my pet peeves was when I was in Engineering College, there was a big deal from the experts that we had to take some liberal arts to "round out" our education but I never heard them pushing any courses for their liberal arts students to learn anything about how things work.
IMO everyone should be required to have technical writing and basic economic courses, preferably in high school. The former is the foundation of clear written communication with peers, bosses, customers and possibly even politicians . By contrast, my high school English teacher mostly concentrated on useless 'literary criticism', and thereby accelerating my interest in engineering.
It isn't quite clear how some 'greenies' can be made to understand and acknowledge the economic implications of 'alternative' energy, based on personal experience with many relatives and friends. Our legislatively mandated transition to non-fossil fuel sources has resulted in very high electric rates here in Cali.
Likewise, most K-12 school districts abandoned vocational classes long ago. Some community colleges have picked up the slack, but mostly I see for-profit companies filling that gap. Every other show on 'FantomWorks' seems to feature a skilled tech troubleshooting, repairing or replacing an vehicle wire harness - so much for computerization.
The mention above of 'This Old House' building trade skills recalls the intersection with cosmology. Someone needs to investigate what universe home improvement contractors disappear into a few days after starting work; telephones, email and texting can't seem to bridge this communications gap .....
Links to my Google Maps ---> Sunset Route overview, SoCal metro, Yuma sub, Gila sub, SR east of Tucson, BNSF Northern Transcon and Southern Transcon *** Why you should support Ukraine! ***
Balt,
I am shocked. Shocked I say!
Mac
MikeF90 Our legislatively mandated transition to non-fossil fuel sources has resulted in very high electric rates here in Cali.
Our legislatively mandated transition to non-fossil fuel sources has resulted in very high electric rates here in Cali.
Other issues may be involved. The municipal utility for Georgetown TX (population of 80,000+) converted to wind/solar-generated electricity because they could obtain it at a much better rate than fossil fuels/nuclear. As an aside, the mayor of Georgetown is a full-time CPA and neither he nor the city council could be described as greenies. This is Texas, after all.
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