David Gunn and Evacuation

[daveklepper]

David Gunn did offer the Mayor use of the 20 car train leaving New Orleans and the Mayor turned it down. Now the Mayor is asking for Amtrak's help in the event of a future disaster. In additon to the 20 car train, since emergencies take precedence over routine, Minetta could have reasonably asked for 20 more cars, and so Amtrak CAN make a contribution even with existing equipment levels.

However, I think Homeland Security should buy 100 emergency evacuation cars, with interiors based largely on the old section sleeper design, convertable to handle stretchers, with stretcher loading through end doors and the center aisle continuous. Some would be on standby, a few receiving routine maintenance, and some providing economy sleeper service (a replacement for Slumbercoaches) on Amtrak long distance trains, rotating these assignments. The envelope of the car, the car body, ,would be based either on the Horizen sleeper or the LIRR double-deck Kawasaki commuter cars, both the max height to get through eastern tunnels.

[Modelcar]

....I'm not sure just what Minetta might do if called upon to use Amtrak to evacuate people.....Perhaps do some political talk, etc.....I don't have any fath in him to do anything with or for Amtrak.

[Anonymous]

The entire concept of evacuation by rail is an interesting one, I hadn't thought of that, I had considered evacuation by bus, but that would still tie up the roads, then there was aircraft, or even boat, but train,interesting concept one that needs to be explored. As to buying up railcars, just where might we store them, I can still see the fields covered with construction equipment, dozers, graders, etc., at the Naval Construction Battalion Center at Davisville, R.I. These had been procured during WW2 and Korea, then stored for use when needed. This was 1964 and each would require several hundred hours of work to tear them down and rebuild, provided you could find spare parts from companys which no longer existed. The point here is to buy and store for any length of time is futile, I could see a rotating stock, bought, held in reserve, then sold at a reduced price to whatever passenger lines still exist after being replaced, or use existing stock, not otherwise used as a "reserve" fleet. In the event of a National Emergency there should be enough units available for any evacuation, and in a pinch or impending doom even a cattlecar is better than death.

[txhighballer]

Depending on where the impending diaster might be,private cars might be used.....as well as cars from tourist lines in the area. Coordination is the key. If sufficiently motivated,railroads can work wonders in emergency conditions. The question is,will the political powers that be use the equipment?
Take Hurricane Rita for example. The BNSF got a set of TRE equipment and highballed it to Houston..Houston said thanks but no thanks. Matt Rose told them not to let that train leave Houston empty. It was loaded,and the train moved out to Dallas.
Matt Rose should have never had to get involved to get the people out of the way.I blame the City of Houston for that. The gridlock that accompanied the evacuation was unbelievable. I was in it.

[Anonymous]

Oh God, not that Loser David Gunn again, and here i thougyt we finally were done with him.

[solzrules]

Side note -
New Orleans has re-elected Ray Nagin as mayor.

I wonder what this means for future evacuation plans and the railroads with the approach of another hurricane season?

[beefmalone]

it means they're screwed. that picture of the dozens of buses underwater 2 blocks from the superdome is a classic. "but we didn't have any drivers" B.S. If you can drive a car you can drive one of those buses when your life depends on it. evacuation by rail is great, but the majority of people are not going to want to leave their cars (along with a good portion of their stuff) behind to get wiped out

[jeaton]

QUOTE: Originally posted by SteamerFan

Oh God, not that Loser David Gunn again, and here i thougyt we finally were done with him.

You seem to show a great deal of disdain for Gunn. Was he the reason you didn't get the car cleaning job?

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by jeaton

QUOTE: Originally posted by SteamerFan

Oh God, not that Loser David Gunn again, and here i thougyt we finally were done with him.

You seem to show a great deal of disdain for Gunn. Was he the reason you didn't get the car cleaning job?

Actually no, I just look at the facts and realized he was fired for gross incompetence and didn't jump on the "Love Gunn" band wagon like you.

[AntonioFP45]

QUOTE: Originally posted by SteamerFan

Oh God, not that Loser David Gunn again, and here i thougyt we finally were done with him.

With all due respect.....what do you base that statement on? Whether you like or dislike Amtrak, David Gunn made a dedicated effort at his job. Incompetence? Where? Working to fix a system that was designed to fail. He was fired because he was trying to save Amtrak as one system instead of killing off the long distance service.

Amazing that even after being fired he is still being sought after for consultant work for new emerging commuter rail systems. Sure doesn't sound like a loser!

Anyway , have we forgotten that the REAL LOSER in the Katrina situation was Mayor Nagin? When it was suggested to Nagin that he immedietly utilize the huge fleet of school buses parked nearby.......he thumbed his nose at it and demanded "Greyhound buses!" That kind of thinking coming from a municipal leader is downright scary![V]

At least now he'll have a chance to provide input for a practical evacution plan utilizing bus and rail transportation. How quickly will a realistic plan be put together? Will bueracratic red tape stall the process?

Latest news has it that one of the "Dikes" has weakened to a dangerous point.

[Poppa_Zit]

QUOTE: Originally posted by AntonioFP45

Anyway , have we forgotten that the REAL LOSER in the Katrina situation was Mayor Nagin? When it was suggested to Nagin that he immedietly utilize the huge fleet of school buses parked nearby.......he thumbed his nose at it and demanded "Greyhound buses!" That kind of thinking coming from a municipal leader is downright scary![V]

The REAL LOSER in the Katrina situation is the citizenship of New Orleans, who after Ray Nagin (and many other politicians) horribly mismanaged the aftermath must still be slightly stunned between the ears -- as they just reelected him to another term, in effect telling him "What you did was good." OK, they had their chance. Whatever happens now, good or bad, they deserve what they get.

QUOTE: Actually no, I just look at the facts and realized he was fired for gross incompetence and didn't jump on the "Love Gunn" band wagon like you.

I love people that express strong statements based on absolutely nothing tangible other than they may not like a person. So I'd like to see substancial evidence from those who contend David Gunn was fired for "gross incompetence." Can you share the "facts" you claim to have used to draw this conclusion? Should be easy to present since it was so "gross," eh?

[Modelcar]

....Loser David Gunn....??? Of course we on here have our varied opinions but believe David would win a vote of confidence from a majority of posters on here referring to the job he was doing at Amtrak under almost impossible conditions.

[vsmith]

It rather simple

Gross incompetence = would not follow the current regimes dogma and do their bidding to dismantle Amtrak. IOW doing what you know is right, not what your told to do.

[Poppa_Zit]

QUOTE: Originally posted by vsmith

It rather simple

Gross incompetence = would not follow the current regimes dogma and do their bidding to dismantle Amtrak. IOW doing what you know is right, not what your told to do.

I agree with your premise on this, but knowing David Gunn, I hardly would believe he accepted the Amtrak position knowing he would only be allowed to function as a bureaucrat. So things must have changed with the new appointees to the board. I doubt Gunn needed the money. [:D]

[SALfan]

QUOTE: Originally posted by solzrules

Side note -
New Orleans has re-elected Ray Nagin as mayor.

I wonder what this means for future evacuation plans and the railroads with the approach of another hurricane season?

Any city dumb enough to reelect Nagin deserves whatever screwups he commits.

[jockellis]

G'day, Y'all,
No good deed goes unpunished, and the rest of America lavishing $millions on New Orleans just means that the future will be politics as usual because all the federal money and even private aid allowed the city to get back to the point where it could hold an election. People came in from all over to vote; people who have no intention of returning to New Orleans to live. They voted for their candidate who wanted to keep it a chocolate city and they will get their wi***o have it so. But if we hadn't helped out Nagin, he would have been unable to do anything at all (as would have that governor) and voters would have seen that these two couldn't help them.

[lonewoof]

QUOTE: They voted for their candidate who wanted to keep it a chocolate city and they will get their wi***o have it so.

Y'all have earned my vote for Racist Rail Fan of the Year.

[rrandb]

On the subject of evacuation it seems to me the equipment would need to be staged in NO before the evacuation began. And all other traffic embargoed off the lines out. The logistics of returning empty trains back to NO during an ecacuation would slow this process. Even if it were double tracked they should both be flowing out. These meens of escape are for those citzens who have no other way out. We do not all have cars to leave behind and this time I am sure many will leave any way they can no matter who they voted for.You only have to have a 1% majority to win which meens 49% were not impressed with the job you did.[2c] As always ENJOY

[Anonymous]

How about mothballing the Chicago Metra cars that are being retired instead of sending them to be scraped:) I think these are going for a tens of thousands each. Just find a really secure location, maybe Camp Shelby in MS and store them there. If you want to do something like what is described this seems to be the best way. As to whether the actual result is what you intend I have no idea.