Just heard the noon news. Apparently today a wad of homeland security measures have gone into effect regarding rail transportation, esp. passenger railroads. They discussed bomb sniffing dogs, increased security at terminals, removal of trash cans, ect..

What, if anything, has this to do with us? Will excursion trains be required to do the same thing as Amtrack or Metra for security?

And now for the soapbox:

How many people do you know who constantly look under their beds, in their closets, and around corners to find burglers in their house? Nobody that isn't nuts. We all know that if the doors and windows are secure, and you know who you let in, Charlie Manson isn't in the house.

If they borders are secure, and you know who comes into the country, you don't have to look at airports, transtions, and public places here.

If the historic preservation community has to enforce some kind of draconian measures to make sure our visitors are safe from foreign terrorist, we are all out of buisiness.

You don't have to look under your bed if you keep your door locked.

jjtemplin@southernuniongroup.com

Sort of like closing the gate after the cows are gone?

I agree with you Jim. It's off topic, but, I agree. Then again, almost all Jim's are cool!

> Just heard the noon news. Apparently today a
> wad of homeland security measures have gone
> into effect regarding rail transportation,
> esp. passenger railroads. They discussed
> bomb sniffing dogs, increased security at
> terminals, removal of trash cans, ect..

> What, if anything, has this to do with us?
> Will excursion trains be required to do the
> same thing as Amtrack or Metra for security?

*We dunno.

Let's be perfectly honest: can anyone see a terrorist deciding that the best way to inflict terror would be to derail a train off the high bridge on the Boone & Scenic Valley, or derailing the Grand Canyon Scenic Railroad train, or blowing up the Perils of Pauline trestle on the NH&I, just to fabricate three examples? Do you think any American cell of al Quaeda is even going to pay one iota of attention to the East Broad Top, the Wanamaker Kempton & Southern, or the WW&F? No. There are far bigger and better targets all over the place--schools, arenas, libraries, rail yards with tank cars, gas stations........

The bigger worry we can have is that terrorists (or politicians using the current events for political gain) will somehow frighten Americans enough to stay home. Even high fuel prices aren't threatening to do that yet--on a whole, nobody surveyed by the media is CANCELLING their summer vacations; they're at best planning to eat cheaper food to pay for the gas.

To be sure, there is a marked difference between America as we used to be and America on a proper war footing. I went to Britain in 1991, while the IRA was still a real threat. There was not a rubbish bin to be found on the streets or station platforms of any major city--no chucking your film box handily. Leave a camera bag behind, and you'll be lucky if you get it back dry and/or in one piece. The traditional Buckingham Palace guard sheds had been replaced with heavy machine gun ports.

If I may editorialize a bit: the terrorists only win if we let them and either we or our leaders knuckle in to fear.


LNER4472-NOSPAM-@bcpl.net

Thanks to Fox News

Agency Unveils Rail Security Directive

Thursday, May 20, 2004

WASHINGTON — Homeland Security officials on Thursday announced the first federal security directive to protect rail passengers from terrorism, especially explosives that could go off in bags left behind or in trash cans.

Many railways are already meeting the requirements, the officials said.

Homeland Security Undersecretary Asa Hutchinson said railway operators will be required to designate security coordinators, remove trash cans in some places, conduct inspections and ask passengers and employees to report unattended property or suspicious behavior. More will be expected if the threat level is raised.

"For the first time in the history of mass transit, the federal government has taken a lead role in setting security standards for passenger rail and mass transit systems," Hutchinson said.

Greg Hall, operations director for the American Public Transit Association (search), said transit operators are committed to security but concerned they'll have to spend more money to comply with the directive.

Since the Sept. 11 terror attacks, transit authorities spent more than $1.7 billion from their own budgets on security, according to a transit association survey. Hall said the industry needs to spend $6 billion more for upgrading radio systems, closed circuit television, testing for chemical and biological agents, fencing, more staff, overtime and training.

Ed Wytkind, president of the AFL-CIO's Transportation Trades Department (search), said the Bush administration's approach to rail security has been "press releases and vague warnings."

"Workers say they can parade in and out of rail yards with very little scrutiny or surveillance," Wytkind said. Rail employees aren't briefed when there's a heightened alert, receive little terrorism training and don't know whom to call if there's an explosion, he said.

Hutchinson said 200 transit authorities were told about the security directive on a conference call Wednesday.

The Transportation Security Administration (search) plans 16 site visits this year to make sure railway operators are complying, he said.




roger@thehotel.org

To all:

I feel that this discussion should be removed from the interchange or people posting in it should please refrain from using examples of terrorist attacks, because you never know who's looking at what on the internet.

While I seriously doubt that any tourist RR would ever be affected, terrorists did strike in Montreal some years ago when the Pope was in town. Two of our CV engineers (working Amtrak)had just walked past the luggage lockers in Central Station when the bomb went off. All lockers were soon removed and never replaced in the station.

ryarger@rypn.org

Alex,
You make the assumption that terrorists are sane people. I would not be so generous. For that reason I agree with Mike. -- Ray
-------------------

> *We dunno.

> Let's be perfectly honest: can anyone see a
> terrorist deciding that the best way to
> inflict terror would be to derail a train
> off the high bridge on the Boone &
> Scenic Valley, or derailing the Grand Canyon
> Scenic Railroad train, or blowing up the
> Perils of Pauline trestle on the NH&I,
> just to fabricate three examples? Do you
> think any American cell of al Quaeda is even
> going to pay one iota of attention to the
> East Broad Top, the Wanamaker Kempton &
> Southern, or the WW&F? No. There are far
> bigger and better targets all over the
> place--schools, arenas, libraries, rail
> yards with tank cars, gas stations........

> The bigger worry we can have is that
> terrorists (or politicians using the current
> events for political gain) will somehow
> frighten Americans enough to stay home. Even
> high fuel prices aren't threatening to do
> that yet--on a whole, nobody surveyed by the
> media is CANCELLING their summer vacations;
> they're at best planning to eat cheaper food
> to pay for the gas.

> To be sure, there is a marked difference
> between America as we used to be and America
> on a proper war footing. I went to Britain
> in 1991, while the IRA was still a real
> threat. There was not a rubbish bin to be
> found on the streets or station platforms of
> any major city--no chucking your film box
> handily. Leave a camera bag behind, and
> you'll be lucky if you get it back dry
> and/or in one piece. The traditional
> Buckingham Palace guard sheds had been
> replaced with heavy machine gun ports.

> If I may editorialize a bit: the terrorists
> only win if we let them and either we or our
> leaders knuckle in to fear.


raymondreter@aol.com

If I don't reply to this post, the terrorists win.

> I feel that this discussion should be
> removed from the interchange or people
> posting in it should please refrain from
> using examples of terrorist attacks, because
> you never know who's looking at what on the
> internet.

Trust me on this--any terror-minded individual can fabricate a hundred worse scenarios, each 20 to a hundred times more deadly in potential. They're not going to learn anything new from my posts.

Just beware of anyone who shows up at engineer school and wants to learn how to get a train moving up to speed, but doesn't want to learn how to stop it. <:-)

LNER4472-NOSPAM-@bcpl.net

If we wring our hands and quit doing what we normally do, the terrorists win.

If we don't exert some effort to address the threat, they we are guilty of nonfeasance.

Dern! Are we between a rock and a hard place?

I can tell you this. Three serious feature film and movie-of-the-week scripts involving railroad hijackings were circulating Hollywood on September 10, 2001. They were graveyard dead a week later.

Upon reflection, the challenge seems to be to find a balance. Unfortunately, when our political system regularly invokes the wisdom of 20/20 hindsight, I don't know where that balance resides. Nor do I think if anyone knows how to find it, either!



amiller@rtms-movietrains.com

Locks only keep honest people out.

Not exactly a tourist train, but what most likely will happen is like this:
The State of Pennsylvania (and other sources) provided money to restore a few trolley cars for the American Revolution Bicentenial. While many weren't completed in time, none did run in Philadelphia anytime near 7/4/76. The ex-police chief, then mayor, Frank Rizzo prevented their operation on the grounds that there might be "terrorist violence". Isn't it easy to find an official excuse not to do something?

104577.651@compuserve.com