https://www.tnonline.com/20200727/readi ... ng-aug-14/

Well, at least until someone else says the wrong thing again...........



Much more at the link; I cut this to bare details.

All Aboard The Petri Dish Express!

Numerous commercial and non-commercial passenger rail and excursion operations, from little to large, have found ways and compromises to accommodate riders who choose to ride their trains.

At least a couple have done so in a desperate effort to avoid complete, permanent shutdown and closing, because bills accumulate whether or not they operate.

Amtrak is among these. As is just about every transit agency in North America and even worldwide.

Yep. As have numerous other local entertainment establishments and venues.

And the state I reside in has just had its first 1000+ new case day since the spring.

Correlation? Yes. Causation? It's tough to draw a straight line, but I know that nobody I know is going to risk their lives to see Glen Onoko at 15mph.

How many people have ridden at Strasburg and contacted COVID-19 at the railroad since it's been back open? How many have ridden Durango and Silverton and contracted it while there? Great Smoky Mountains Railroad? All of which have COVID-19 policies and procedures in place. I imagine that news would leak out in some shape or form if an outbreak happened at any of these railroads, and they would be shut down again. As of now, they are doing their best, complying with local regulations and CDC guidelines for re-opening, and people are going and riding trains. Just because "nobody you know" is going to "risk their lives" to ride LGSR, doesn't mean that people won't show up to do it safely.

In the Winter of 2017-2018 over 80,000 people died from the flu yet nobody seemed to lift a eyebrow over those numbers. Not saying that changes anything, but there has always been a risk when you are out in public.

Static museums can more easily limit people to family Groups and singles by varying entry times and social distancing. It takes a large amount of paying customers to cover the costs of having a train ready to run. Any product you can devise that will be safety-controllable at sustainable cost might be worth the trouble, if it is something people will want to experience.

So you're saying that infectious disease experts around the world are incorrect in their concern?

It's this type of head in the sand "it's not so bad" and "everyone is overreacting" thinking that is the reason why the US is having such a hard time combatting it.

In some other countries it's been effectively been brought under control and things are getting back to normal.

In the US? Not so much.

And the reason why? Because people have opinions like this where if they don't like reality they decide that they're not going to believe it.

All that's being done by not treating it with the amount of due concern is kicking the can down the road and prolonging the problem.

I don't know, do you have numbers?

Nobody cared because it was such a small number of deaths. The current disease has killed more, 146,546 as of Jul. 27, 2020 in this country alone, according to this link: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-updates/cases-in-us.html

I truly wish them the best of luck. This pandemic is really hurting museums and non profits in many cases in a permanent way.

That being said.... there is no way I would encourage family that are at risk or otherwise to ride on tourist trains at the moment regardless of in a hot spot or not. It's simply not worth the risk for long term heart, lung or brain damage even for young healthy people. Even more so older family members that might be in the "at risk" catagory.


These attractions are under immense pressure to not simply run out of money and shut down and are in a very hard position.

It would be suicide for any of these tourist lines to suggest anything else than "we are operating in the healthiest/safest way possible" or else they would open themselves up to massive liability.

That being said it will be hard in a lawsuit to prove where you contracted the virus, and new laws might give immunity to most businesses that are opening.

No one should be perpetuating the line "it's the same as the flu" this is simply false information and needs to stop. Covid19 is MUCH more contagious and is producing long term issues in many young and healthy people months after they stop testing positive for the virus including health issues, lung damage, possible brain damage from reduced oxygen absorption during the virus's run. It will take a long time to really quantify and fully understand these long term side effects but i sure as hell don't want my young family members to have long term damage because they thought it prudent to visit a restaurant or tourist attraction even with the best of intentions from everyone involved. "Why risk what you have for what you don't need".

Let's just hope that our beloved tourist attractions and museums can make it through this in a financially stable way and be poised for brighter days.

There IS one "left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing" bunch of malarkey that MAY be involved with SOME of these reopenings, and I don't necessarily mean railroads--although it wouldn't surprise me if that hit them as well.

There have been a couple instances cited in local media here and there where, on the one hand, the authorities are mandating closures and shutdowns, but on the other hand such forces as "occupational licensing" and other "government-granted permissions" are mandating that they "use it or lose it"--such as a bar not opening during its liquor license term, or new places that were supposed to be open by a specific date as a condition of their financing. This is, of course, simply bureaucracy butting heads with bureaucracy.

I've been made aware of a complex variation of this theme affecting one specific excursion operation, involving employment numbers and the like.

Moral of the story: Sometimes it may NOT be about "greed" or "sticking it to the authorities."

FYI: Tweetsie Railroad complied with a state request to shut down their attraction less than 2 weeks after a limited opening - and their plan was in line with recommendations, but the state is seeing an uptick in infection, so..... if you want to be on the right side of history, you have to be willing to flex as necessary without breaking. Don't by any means assume a good plan for today's conditions won't be good for tomorrow as well.

Don't think it was noted yet that the tax issue appears to have been resolved in R&N's favor:



https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/billInfo/billInfo.cfm?sYear=2019&sInd=0&body=S&type=B&bn=1188

https://www.lehighvalleylive.com/entertainment/2020/08/jim-thorpe-train-rides-starting-back-up-with-efforts-to-distance-passengers.html

Nice work by the R&N in working a three-pronged attack - in the courts, in the halls of the state house, and in the media/public opinion. Well played. Does this cover Strasburg RR as well?

"(F) SUCH LOCAL AUTHORITIES SHALL NOT HAVE AUTHORITY BY 7 VIRTUE OF THIS ACT:
8. 8 ** *
9. 9 (17) TO LEVY, ASSESS OR COLLECT AN AMUSEMENT OR ADMISSION
10 TAX BASED ON A CHARGE IMPOSED FOR THE MOVEMENT OF PASSENGERS BY 11 A FOR-PROFIT RAILROAD THAT OPERATES AS A COMMON CARRIER OF 12 FREIGHT SUBJECT TO THE JURISDICTION OF THE UNITED STATE SURFACE 13 TRANSPORTATION BOARD IF THE FREIGHT CONSTITUTES A MAJORITY OF 14 THE MOVEMENTS HANDLED BY THE RAILROAD MEASURED BY BOTH INCOME 15 AND VOLUME AND THE FOR-PROFIT RAILROAD TRANSPORTS MORE THAN
16 20,000 REVENUE CARLOADS ANNUALLY WHILE OFFERING TOURIST OR 17 PASSENGER SERVICE."