Is TRAINS against your right to know?

[croteaudd]

The “Forum” is spoken of as ‘Your place to discuss ALL aspects of railroading.’ There are those who may view some subjects as taboo and inappropriate. But if it affects the railroading industry in a far-reaching way and has great social significance, TRAINS betrays itself by not allowing it to be dealt with at this website, and needs to change “all aspects” to something more truthful. The railroad industry could solve great perplexing problems if its managements were not so isolated and had exposure to simple solutions. In my opinion, the TRAINS website actually hinders people’s right to know, and blocks valuable information to the masses, including what railroad managements could beneficially read and use.

[eolafan]

Wow, very deep and intense. Shades of the revolutionary protests of the sixties!

[Anonymous]

Hello Croteaudd,

Just to clarify, the staff at TRAINS Magazine doesn't oversee the forums on Trains.com. Their focus is the magazine. The Trains.com staff oversees the web site and its contents.

Perhaps for the benefit of all you could shed more light on what is bothering you.

Regards,

Paul Schmidt
Contributing Editor
Trains.com

[Anonymous]

What subjects are being blocked? What evidence do you have that they are being blocked?

Mac

[Anonymous]

Unfortunately, I really doubt that any "top-line management" even looks at this forum. Most of the heavy brass has absolutely no interest in the railfan angle. They are there to run a BUSINESS, not an attraction. I think that we have seen the last of the "Great ones", with the passing of the Claytor brothers. (W.Graham, and Robert). They were truly the last of their kind. Nowadays, it's all stockholders and politics. Sad to say, but true.
Todd C.

[BRAKIE]

Hell no we won't go! Oops sorry wrong protest.

I have seen some very heavy discussions and lamblasting on this forum.Therefore I do feel we are free to express our views and opinions.

Not to rain on your parade but what make you feel that we railfans can run the railroads any better? We can talk how we would do it like most politicians do before they get into office but soon find out once in office there ideas will not work.

[maphillips]

After reading your 'prose' at least twice, the only thing hindering anyone's right to know in this forum is your obvious inability to effectively use the english language to clearly state what is on your mind. You make an assertion without any justification or supporting evidence (you must work for the media)...either state whats on your mind and be specific or go waste your drivel on some other media based website like CNN or MSNBC where people go on for days about everything and really say nothing of substance.

[Anonymous]

My guess at what the individual who started this thread is trying to do is start some kind of management vs. labor debate. I notice on many railroad related discussion boards that some who post seem to be trying to whip up public support for railroad labor issues. I'm not saying that discussions about these issues are entirely inappropriate,just that some of the stuff I read borders on propaganda.

[eolafan]

Whatever is on this person's mind, I still have not seen him/her articulate it in a way we other readers can understand.

[Anonymous]

Once again, we see that someone can run a business better, without any real insight into how that business or industry really operates. I guess railroads or retail, (my occupation), should succumb to anything posted on a website as the way to run their business. They know everything about it already.

[Anonymous]

Larry:

You wrote "Not to rain on your parade but what make you feel that we railfans can run the railroads any better?"

Wow! I commend you for your honesty!

Oh, and BTW, I agree with you, there is no reason to think that we do know better, and often times, we know worse.

[Anonymous]

James, IIRC, there was a post on this forum about "If only RR managment would let the crews have time for a better *** life". And I think that, since I don't see it now, it may have been pulled as being inappropriate for a family-oriented website.

[eolafan]

Alexander, thanks for reminding me of that "discussion" and now that you have mentioned it I do seem to remember it. I also remember it as being inappropriate for family reading and personally clicked off of it right away, having no interest in what it said. Thanks again. Jim

[sooblue]

hahahahha,
You sound just like the infamous atomic steam engine guy who said he built the Atomic steam engine in India and it's still in use today!
Oh well, I'm glad we live in the good old USA.
Say your not a Republican are you?
Now that they hold all the cards I'd expect them to get cocky.

[Anonymous]

It's been almost 5 days since this post was first listed. The person writing it has been invited on several occasions to elaborate and has not. We should all write this off as absurd noise and get on with other things.
There are a lot more meaningful discussions to be had. G'nite, everyone and to whomever wrote the original post, goodbye! gdc

[Anonymous]

Your "right to know" is only as good as your ability to find out. If Trains doesn't print what you like to hear see if one of the annual reports from BNSF or UP does. Trains is in the business of selling magazines. Perhaps you can buy what it is you feel you have a right to know. Your local bartender doesn't tell you every drink he serves, but for $4.50 he'll set you up and you can call it what you want.

[Anonymous]

I agree,somebody always gets a thrill trying to light the kindling at most websites.Just pour some water on it and we can move on to another post.

[croteaudd]

To all who have commented to date:

The subject text is quite self-explanatory, and needs nothing more. What was said was meant, and I stand by it.

It is helpful in life to focus on only one issue at a time. Otherwise, the likelihood of perfecting anything is slimmed greatly. In hindsight, perhaps there is guilt on this person’s part of intermixing two different issues. It is hoped that a number of ‘great perplexing problems’ can be addressed soon, each as a separate “Forums” topic.

Regarding the concern about delays in responding and presenting information for evaluation, it must be realized some individuals have lives beyond computer screens.

Respectfully,

David Croteau

[Anonymous]

Geez, LJ, $4.50 drinks?? Where do you live at?? Here in Philadelphia, drinks are WAY more than 4.50.........

:-)

[dknelson]

Sorry pal but you conveyed, literally, nothing, except angst and anger.
You seemed to suggest that some topic was off limits here but gave no example in spite of repeated requests to do so
You also seemed to suggest that some posting or other was taken down as irrelevant but again, in spite of repeated and sincere requests for more detail, you were not forthcoming.
It is impossible to judge your point because it is not to be found in understandable form. Try again
David Nelson

[Anonymous]

This person has another post entitled "Railroad Strife Is Very Solvable". I guess this makes it another Management vs. Labor Organization discussion. (Yawn), In these posts, this type of dialog always ends up down the same dead end street, Hard Core Avenue. I still can't evaluate why the original post was aimed at Trains. Misdirected anger I suppose. Oh well, moving right along...

[croteaudd]

If some must know ... It dealt with marriage and the mockery railroads make of it, and the availability of “simple and exciting common sense business visions.”

[sooblue]

I understand what you were saying. It has to do with freedom of speech. I read the original postings that you are refering to. While I didn't agree with them and thought they were tasteless and with out merit the author had the right to post it in the trains forum. However I believe that the trains forum also has the right to pull the said postings off it's forum if the moderator thinks they're inappropriate.

[croteaudd]

A person with a camera comes upon a crowded bus stop. There is a high barbed wire fence separating the bus stop from a railroad track. But he sees a man sleeping on the tracks! He knows what is coming in 5 minutes, and starts yelling to awaken the man. A woman in tern starts yelling at the photographer, and warns him not to wake up her child. Then she sees what the man with a camera is yelling about, and starts yelling too. After being awoken, the semi-sobered up drunk jumps up and gets off the tracks, and afterwards is very appreciative. Neither the yelling woman nor the yelling photographer ever remembered anything except that a man was saved from an oncoming train.