Kansas City Paper quotes TRAINS

[CMStPnP]

You don't see that a lot.......

https://www.yahoo.com/news/time-railroad-rules-critics-u-110000510.html

 

[Overmod]

Haven't seen that since "Do You Live In The BLAST ZONE?" 

[CSSHEGEWISCH]

Never really thought of TRAINS as a trade publication although any magazine that published John G. Kneiling is a bit more than a hobbyist magazine.

[Overmod]

CSSHEGEWISCH

Never really thought of TRAINS as a trade publication although any magazine that published John G. Kneiling is a bit more than a hobbyist magazine.

When I first discovered TRAINS, it was not the sort of 'trade' magazine it has become in recent years, full of ads for railroad suppliers and with articles carefully phrased to avoid potentially irritating the advertisers.  It was a magazine that almost offhandedly discussed complex technical matters in technical detail, without talking down to readers with 'other priorities'; that used adult language for educated adults without talking over the heads of those less so; that introduced a wide range of interests from a wide range of enthusiasts without shortchanging any particular class of them.

This was not limited to the DPM years; I think we saw it again with the steam articles in the mid-Seventies, with the discussions of then-innovative things like HPIT in the Eighties, and a number of issues in the Hemphill years.  I am of the opinion the magazine could easily achieve that again... with not much more than a little care correctly applied.

[BEAUSABRE]

I think it is just fine as is

[tree68]

A  lot of the advertising in Trains suggests that it is, indeed, at least somewhat a trade publication.  Most fans don't care a lot about locomotive rebuilding or wreck remediation, and they certainly aren't in the market for a tamper...

But those ads do give a sense of what's involved in running a railroad.

And I'd imagine that even at the Class 1's, the general information flavor of Trains would be useful in knowing what the rest of the industry is up to.

There's a lot of "closet" railfans in the industry, too.

[BaltACD]

tree68

A  lot of the advertising in Trains suggests that it is, indeed, at least somewhat a trade publication.  Most fans don't care a lot about locomotive rebuilding or wreck remediation, and they certainly aren't in the market for a tamper...

But those ads do give a sense of what's involved in running a railroad.

And I'd imagine that even at the Class 1's, the general information flavor of Trains would be useful in knowing what the rest of the industry is up to.

There's a lot of "closet" railfans in the industry, too.

While "Progressive Railroading" and "Railway Age" are the 'go to' trade rags in the industry and have more technical articles than does 'Trains'.  Those publications web sites do not host forums for any interaction with their articles which could be dangerous for management employees were they to participate and espouse something other than the company line.

[jeffhergert]

I read Railway Age.  I've noticed many of the articles are written by "contributing editors" that are not part of the regular staff.  In reality, they seem to be people who have a specific product/service that they are pushing in their articles.  Not complete blatant advertising, but more like this is the problem/the future of (article focus) and I just happen to have a solution, etc.

Some of EHH's minions are still out their pushing PSR 2.0.  One was saying the short lines, regionals and even customers need to get on the bandwagon.

Jeff 

[Euclid]

I think more surprising than Trains being referenced in this topic is the topic itself, apparently gaining traction with the threat of new regulations and the enforcement of the public interest in the form of the Common Carrier Obligation.  It seems like this trend is a way for the unions to put a stop to management running the railroads on behalf of Wall Street even if the Unions don’t have the right to strike.  I sense big changes ahead. 

[zugmann]

jeffhergert

Some of EHH's minions are still out their pushing PSR 2.0.  One was saying the short lines, regionals and even customers need to get on the bandwagon.

I know (and I'm sure you do, too) a LOT of class 1 managers that went to shortlines/regionals last few years.  Some left the class-1 on their own accord, others  not so much so.  

Going to be a hard sell unless they get rid of those guys.   I don't think they're exactly EHH/PSR fanbois. 

Not like most shortlines have a lot to cut.  "Do you guys really need BOTH rails?"

[jeffhergert]

zugmann

 

 

jeffhergert

Some of EHH's minions are still out their pushing PSR 2.0.  One was saying the short lines, regionals and even customers need to get on the bandwagon.

 

 

I know (and I'm sure you do, too) a LOT of class 1 managers that went to shortlines/regionals last few years.  Some left the class-1 on their own accord, others  not so much so.  

Going to be a hard sell unless they get rid of those guys.   I don't think they're exactly EHH/PSR fanbois. 

Not like most shortlines have a lot to cut.  "Do you guys really need BOTH rails?"

 

We've had a few jump ship over to the Iowa Interstate.  One went into train/engine service for them instead of management.  He left because his management job was cut and he couldn't go back to the ranks because he couldn't hold a job on his old seniority district, the Wyoming coal fields. 

Jeff

 

[Convicted One]

I always thought of Matt Rose as one of the "good guys".  But wasn't BNSF in sort of a unique position, ownershipwise, where his  critique of the Wall street business model might be considered "posturing"?

Not that I don't agree with him, because I do (as well as several of the followup comments).

But, he might well of had motive to generate scorn for the competition?