The pot of coffee is always on [even after 2 years have passed]. Come on in. Sweet ice tea too.

[spankybird]

Good Morning all,
IT seems to be the same same in NE Ohio. It must be back to work blues

Good thing for TGIF[:D][:D]. Work sucks[banghead][tdn][|(]

[FJ and G]

morning all. working on the crossover this weekend and will be taking more photos. Buddy and I decided yesterday to start writing screenplays beginning in September. Collaborative effort to keep us motivated and going. I used to review screenplays in Hollywood and I think we might have a shot at making some movies.

dav

[FJ and G]

175K railfans. Didn't realize that...

Hobbyists or Terrorists? Railfans Find it Hard to Pursue Passion in
Post-September 11 World

Commuter Weekly, June 29, 2004

Some people like tinkering with old cars. Others love collecting stamps
and coins or building model airplanes. Bird watchers, on the other hand,
love watching and “collecting” bird species. Then, there are railfans-also
known as train spotters, foamers (as in, “foaming at the mouth” when they
see a train) and railbuffs. No matter what you call them, there are an
estimated 175,000 railfans in the U.S., almost all of whom are men, and
they all share one common passion: trains. Clubs, Web sites and even
vacation excursions all serve to feed their passion for trains.

According to Rob Buckman, a railfan and owner of 3RI, a Web site
dedicated
to railroad images, the casual observer might not notice that trains are
all that different. You’ve seen one train … you've seen them all, right?
But, stresses Buckman, “Rarely will two trains be exactly alike. The
engines pulling that train blocking the crossing and made you late for
work? They might have been GP38-2s, an engine that is quickly fading from
the scene like the steam engines of years gone by. Who cares? It is the
same type of person who cares and knows about the old muscle cars, like an
Olds Cutlass 442 or Barracuda.”

For many years, railfans were largely left alone, allowed to document
their train sightings with cameras (most railfans are photographers,
documenting trains through their lenses), and sometimes documenting engine
paint schemes, engine numbers, number of cars, and train frequency in
well-worn notebooks. But then came September 11, and, much later, train
bombings in Madrid, Spain. Suddenly, an innocent pastime became viewed as
maybe something a bit more sinister. Could that man with a camera really
be a terrorist plotting out the best way to derail or bomb a train, or is
he merely a railfan pursuing a hobby?

“Anyone seen taking photographs is going to be questioned,” said
Richard
Maloney, a spokesman for SEPTA, Philadelphia’s public transit authority,
in a recent Time magazine about railfans. “The wide-open spaces and the
freedom we have enjoyed to meander almost anywhere is gone.”

It’s a sentiment shared by John Almeida, profiled in the Time magazine
article, who chases train every day during lunch hour. He sets up four
video cameras on tripods beside the tracks and waits, listening to his
scanner. Over the past 15 years, he has shot hundreds of hours of video
and tens of thousands of pictures. And since September 11, he has been
mistaken for a terrorist about once a month and has been followed by an
Amtrak helicopter, questioned by police and rail workers and described to
a 911 dispatch as a "suspicious Middle Eastern male." (Although Almeida is
of Irish Catholic descent.)

But regardless of how you feel about the situation-whether you think
that
railfans should be left to pursue their hobby or whether you think that
railfans should pursue a different hobby in this post-September 11
environment, one thing is clear: no one should ever, ever walk on railroad
tracks or enter private rail property without permission. It’s illegal and
dangerous, with the consequences sometimes fatal. It will also be viewed
by law enforcement as a security risk.

Operation Lifesaver, an organization dedicated to educating the public
about railroads and ensuring the public’s safety, began a public outreach
program in 1972, in fact, that has helped reduce the number of injuries
and fatalities on the tracks by 75 percent. And since it became clear that
railfans’ desires were often at odds with the desires of the Department of
Homeland Security, Operation Lifesaver reached out to railfans with the
Railfan Tips and Security Advisory, developed in cooperation with the U.S.
Transportation Security Administration (TSA).

“Nearly 1,000 people die each year because they do not understand
railroads,” Operation Lifesaver President Gerri Hall explains. “They
underestimate the power of trains and the dangers around the rails. In
particular, children learn from the example of their siblings and older
friends, based on what they see, not what they hear.”

Operation Lifesaver’s complete Railfan Tips and Security Advisory is
available online, but key points of Operation Lifesaver’s Safety Message
which apply to everyone-include:

Do not trespass on railroad property or rights-of-way. It is illegal,
it
can be deadly, and you also may appear to be a serious security risk.
Remember, railroad property may extend 200 feet on either side of the tracks.
Do not enter private rail property without permission.
Never walk out on a railroad bridge or trestle.
Stay out of railroad tunnels.
Do not climb on railroad property such as signal bridges, cabinets or
other structures.
Never climb on or crawl under railroad cars or equipment.
Obey all highway-rail grade crossing signs and signals.
Of course, both rail enthusiasts and the public can be a big part of the
safety/security solution by always cooperating with law enforcement and,
any time you see suspicious activities near the tracks, reporting them to
local authorities.

By following these guidelines, pedestrians and rail riders can enjoy
train
travel and help maintain the security of our nation’s transportation system.


dav

[ChiefEagles]

David, you trying to impress the Trains folks???? [;)] Guess you are practicing your editorials for the new job. [:D] Well, glad I got the cookie thing done last night. It was going crazy. You had to reenter name and password each time you had a screen change. New mods to the program must have changed the cookies as the old ones were in the Adaware system. Took out the old ones and re-entered them again from the site and it went to work. All have a good day [hot here but had a good rain in the PM yesterday]. God bless all.

[FJ and G]

Chief,

My new PC has been bugging me. Apparently a Windows Explorer virus. It captures your keystrokes and can get credit card info so I'm doing all transactions by phone.

BTW did you see the DHL commercial?

Pretty nifty. FedX and UPS trucks stopped in middle of desert at RR crossing as an intermodal train zipping along at 80mph goes past carrying hundreds of shiny DHL trucks.

Dave Vergun

[ChiefEagles]

Yes I did. That is a good one. I saw a DHL van at Dr's office last week. Pretty and shinny. Me being an old fleet man, I noticed right off it was an used junker. No wheel covers and had the old Dodge small platform hitch under back bumper. Trying to make a good impression with old "rolling stock".

[Roger Bielen]

DHL = Airborn Express

[Buckeye Riveter]

Airborn Express = Wilimington, Ohio - the former home of the Cincinnati Bengals training camp.

[ChiefEagles]

If it is from OHIO, I'd watch out. No good. [:p] [man that should get a couple of shouts[:D]]

[dougdagrump]

Before my retirement I was in transportation and DHL was the only vendor I had that I wanted to throw off the end of the loading dock into the deepest part of the pit. Hopefully their performance has improved sine then, don't believe it could get any worse.[|(]

[ChiefEagles]

Morning gang. Hope all are well. Hot and humid. Chores are done. Might work on cleaning out the future train room. Need to hit the ponds I manage and catch a fish or too. Too crowded to go the lake. God bless all.

[spankybird]

Good Morning all,

IT is once again a Blue Clear Skyin NE Ohio, temp is 73 and going up with lots of sun. A start to a great day.[8D][:D]

The other day, the wife and I stopped a Michael’s and what a surprise to see that they already had the Halloween stuff out. I thought it was rushing the season[:O] , but our local paper always have 40% off coupon for one item. So it may be time to start getting some more tress. Some of the new haunted houses were quite.[:)]

Yesterday was a very rough day at work so today we have to share a train.



tom

[ChiefEagles]

Slow day as real hot. Played trains and did some more track arrangement. Now I have a 3/4 of a loop inside the inner loop. Funny how folks talk about DCS and wiring and track signal. Well, ran the PS2s on all tracks and got 10 signal strength all around. Then ran conventional engines and they slowed in certain places on the inner loops. So, added more lockons to make them run right. Begining to believe that conventional is more of a pain than digital DCS.

[Anonymous]

Hey Tom, I just got one of those K-line Chessie&Ohio boxcars yesterday!

[ChiefEagles]

Morning gang. Out to set up corn [three different sizes] blown down in storm last night. Then off to Mom's down east. Got to rush. All have a great day and God bless all.

[spankybird]

Good Morning All,

We have been blessed with another BLUE CLEAR SKY with temp of 70 deg. In NE Ohio. The rain missed us and went south, sorry Chief. Good luck with the corn.

Jerry, I love those cars, MTH and Williams also made one. MTH is coming out with a new action one that has signal man that comes out the door with a lit lantern.


All have a safe day

tom

[ChiefEagles]

Correction: Not going to Mom's. Took too long setting up corn. Had to stand it up one stalk at the time and pack dirt to it and then go back and shovel more dirt to both sides. Will go to Mom's one day this week. She likes that as I can take her to eat and shop [she will not go on Sunday, old Southern Baptist "school", people should not work on Sunday].

[spankybird]

Great buy on cars for your layout.

While my wife and I were out and about today, we stoped at Big Lots, and of course I went by the toys. I found some 1/43 scale cars by New-Ray, 3 per box for $4.99. These are the same cars that K-line and MTH are saling for $4.99 each. What a great deal.

[ChiefEagles]

Morning gang. Hope all are well. When is it that Jim Duda gets cut on??? Think last week he was off flying those radio controled planes. Dr. John sure had been busy [only a short visit from him in a while] and the same for Buckeye. David, what is your weekend report? Think Spanky went to B'Day parties all weekend. Me, I tried to stay inside and cool. Added more track to the temp layout. Now a hot project. Off to work on path to pond in the woods. Trying to over grow. Hope I don't have to take tractor and bushhog. Hot and humid. Cooler full of water is in store. So humid, Tstorms each afternoon. God bless all.

[cnw1995]

Hey, I'm back. Anybody miss me? My wife and I took a lifelong dream of a trip to Rome last week. It was pretty neat - even got to see a few trains. It's amazing to see how different life works overseas...

[Anonymous]

Glad to have you back Doug! I was wondering where you were.

[Roger Bielen]

Doug, I hope that was Rome, Italy, not Rome, Georgia.[(-D]

[ChiefEagles]

Jealous [:p] I just took a trip. 5 hot hours weedeating the path to a pond I manage and cutting some holes to launch my small boat. Should have taken the tractor and bush hog. I can now keep it mowed with the JD mower. Shower time. Don't usually react to poison but better hit the shower as the more you are exposed, the better chance of getting it. No train time today. [:(]

[Anonymous]

I'm back!

My first post in about a week. The trip was thoroughly enjoyable! I was able to take in a lot of train-related things. I also brought home a lot of trains as well. One of the biggest highlights was being able to meet Elliot and Tammy (Big_Boy_4005 and Big_Girl_4005) face to face. I hope to see them again sometime and also hope that they aren't the first forum members that I'll meet in person. I could go on more, but right now I've got to do some catching up on here.

[Anonymous]

Did you help Elliot with his layout?

[ChiefEagles]

Boom!!!!! Rumble and pouring. Got to get up at 4 AM to get wife to airport for flight. GOOOD NIGHT all.

[ChiefEagles]

Well trip to airport doen adn back by 6AM. Now for coffee and waffles. Need a little snooze before going down east to Mom's. More above average hot and humidity. Off this evening to political bar-be-que [which is PORK and NOT beef]. Enjoy the day and God bless.

[spankybird]

Good Moring All,

It's been very busy at work.

It's 77 deg at 6:00 am with fog. Must mean a good chance of rain today.

All be safe
tom

[Anonymous]

same here Tom

[lander31]

Hi all;
Well I am able to post again. Darn computer keep crashing and the AC in the house went out. It has been very fustrating to say the least. One good thing is I have slowly been working on the layout. Just finshed restoring a 2055 engine and tender. I will try and post some pictures soon.
Take care
Terry