Freight Train Riders of America

[samfp1943]

QUOTE: Originally posted by zardoz

QUOTE: Originally posted by arbfbe

Oh my, I have so many better things to do with my time. The punks here and the hijacked threads are becoming unbearable. Sigh, so much potential so little value.

I think I will go saw some wood now.

Perhaps, as Bergie says, it is time to move on. My sympathies to many of you.

[zzz][zzz][zzz]

AMEN, AND THANKS!
Need to test the air, release the brakes and move on down the line.
Sam

[zardoz]

arbfbe-
I hope you are refering to this thread, and not the entire forum. Believe it or not, I would not like to see you go. You have posted many fine, intelligent, and thoughtful ideas on many threads.

Perhaps some of us that have a different viewpoint on this thread are a bit more jaded than you are, and do not see the world as civilized as you do.

I can agree to differ. Will you?

[edblysard]

arbfbe,
Hope, like big Z, you mean this thread...as noted, your posting are well writen, concise, worthwhile and enjoyable....
Stick around a while...

As far as I am concerned, if you come in my house uninvited, your fair game, other than that, we pay cops and state troopers to enforce our laws....joe citizen shouldn’t need a gun, out side of hunting and sport shooting, and if they chose, home defense.

Vigilantism has one major draw back....once you appoint yourself as the police, the court and jury all in one....who ends up policing you?

I had to carry a gun when I worked for the State of Texas, and I still have a concealed handgun license, as does my wife, who still works there....and I have never felt the need to carry that weapon outside the confines of my home since I left the AG's office.
It is not anywhere near as "fun" as some of you might think, in fact, it is a burden....it and the fact that one "wrong" decision with it can take a life, and nothing you can do will bring that life back.

TV and the movies aside, almost every cop I know never, ever wants to draw his weapon, quite a few make it their entire career and never fire a single shot, some manage to never take it out of their holster.

Dirty Harry is a myth, and if he was real, he would be sued, fired, and most likely be in prison himself.

Several years ago, I was forced to make a decision, one that resulted in me having to shoot and kill a young dope dealer who got apartment numbers confused, and was kicking in the wrong door, and shooting holes through it, thinking he was getting "even" with a buyer who ripped him off....sadly, he got the right building, but wrong apartment, mine.

So I live every day with the knowledge that, although I had no choice, a young man, some mother’s son, is dead by my hand.

I hope none of you every have to make any kind of decision anywhere near that.


Ed

[ValleyX]

I agree with the others, arbfe, I have enjoyed reading your posts over time and would hate to see you go, one thread doesn't make up the entire forum, I sometimes read things on here I want to respond to but as a working rail, I think I might be taken the wrong way but sometimes things I read on here just make me think, why am I bothering with this. Then, I find an interesting thread that makes sense or is informative and I'm ok with it again.

As for empty hopper trains, yes, riding the rear end of those was always a adventure, so much slack in them and I've been on the rear end when they went into emergency myself. I could only imagine what riding the rear end of the autorack trains we run today might be like.