Check it out. As modern as their new heritage programs. Nicely done, NS.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zbXarZt ... r_embedded

WOW!

Did you see the heritage stickers on the toybox? Nice touch, NS.

To bring this within topic, if you study history, you will see the "modern" (post-1964) N&W and pre NS merger Southern, were both very well-run railroads that put an emphasis on a good public image. Both railroads have historically invested a lot of money into advertising. I am reminded of the ads in Trains magazine, especially the ones about fuel efficiency of railroad transportation in the 1970s.

NS has been a leader in doing TV commercials, where it seems that other railroads simply follow. This is a good example.

Just in time for the Christmas holiday season. Having these commercials nestled in with other holiday-themed ads will gain NS some positive publicity. Seems like NS is on a winning streak with bringing railroads back into the minds of the general public. -- Ray

Wow!! That is one cool, attractive, and creative ad.

An important point that has been brought up before, both for commercial rail and for those in the heritage and preservation field, is that for so many people, railroads are invisible. Think of how even children's cartoons, such as "Porky's Railroad" from Warner Brothers, or the Hal Roach-Little Rascals short "Railroadin'" apparently assumed their audience had some knowledge, if rather basic, of railroads and their operation. Contrast that with now, where some years back a newspaper article was quoted as saying a motorman on the Chicago El "steered" his train into a rear-end collision.

From just the other day, in the local paper of Martinsburg, W.Va.:

http://www.journal-news.net/page/conten ... l?nav=5006

http://www.journal-news.net/page/conten ... l?nav=5006

From the first story:

"Brian Costenbader, senior director of logistics for Essroc Cement Corp., was having coffee at the McDonald's restaurant on Apple Harvest Drive in 2007 when he saw a train go by.

"'I looked up and expected to see a CSX train but it was a Winchester & Western train,' he told a crowd of about 120 Friday at the ribbon-cutting for a new railroad spur for the cement plant in Martinsburg. 'We looked up W&W's website, called them and a couple days later, we were meeting.'

"That is how a $10 million investment in Martinsburg and Berkeley County began, Costenbader said. Construction of the line began early last fall and on July 25, the first loads of dry-powder cement were shipped from the Essroc plant via the new W&W spur."

The CSX line in this area was built by predecessor B&O in the 1840s. The W&W line dates back to the early 1890s, when it was built by what was then the Cumberland Valley Railroad. The CVRR became part of the Pennsylvania in about 1922, and went through Penn Central and Conrail ownership before being bought by the W&W. It's not like that railroad appeared yesterday, and it's not like it was ever part of CSX or any of its predecessors.

A somewhat humorous parallel to this is the story of the two stations in Martinsburg. One is the former B&O station at the end of Martin Street, which is across the tracks from the roundhouse there. This station is served by MARC commuter trains and by Amtrak's Capitol Limited. This is a former hotel that was purchased for use as a station after Stonewall Jackson burned the original station in 1861. It went through a considerable restoration and remodeling some years ago, courtesy of the City of Martinsburg.

The other station is the former Cumberland Valley station on King Street. This station has been restored as well by an architectural firm. At the time of these incidents, the Winchester & Western was running perhaps three times per week, obviously freight only.

The fun part is that, at least shortly after this one was fixed up, that people in the architectural firm noted some people, some well dressed, standing around outside their building. When asked what was going on, these people replied they were waiting for an Amtrak train to Washington or to Chicago. They had to be told this wasn't a station from which to catch a train, even though it looked like a station and had tracks in front of it.

From what I've heard--and it's possible some of this is exaggerated, if not completely fabricated--nobody missed their Capitol Limited, but some may have come close.

One of the really funny things was that, at the time, the track in front of this CV station was pretty ratty, with plenty of weeds. It was not something to run mainline passenger trains on!

Oh, this line is getting its track upgraded. That includes replacing rail in the track dating to 1917, along with associated hardware such as spikes, tie plates, and joint bars.

Wonder what's becoming of that old rail? Is there any chance some of it may turn up on a heritage road?

You might notice that the response comments on Youtube were answered by Norfolk Southern. This potentially answers the question if the railroad pays attention to what people, not necessarily customers, say about it.

NS has embraced social media in a way that most tourist railways and museums need to.

Just wondering what is the point of these advertisements? I mean while I get selling soda and cars on TV when was the last time any bulk shipper, say a large power plant looked at a NS commercial and decided to ship their goods just cause the commercial said so?

I get being a good neighbor, and projecting a positive image. I even understand why they run commercials showing we can move 1 ton of freight 400miles on a single gallon of fuel, and how that may convince people with shipping responsibilities to once again look at rail, but what does an ad like this really buy them? I would think that spending similar money in the appropriate industry magazines, say concrete, power, agriculture, mining, steel, heavy mfg, etc.. would pay back faster?

You think they're not?

dave

If you live in the DC area, you can hardly listen to talk radio for more an hour without hearing commercials for freight rail. Sometime they are NS, sometimes CSX, sometimes the freight rail industry group. They might have slacked off over the past month and I'll guess might die off during the election cycle. The results of the election will likely have a big impact.

If you haven't guessed it, the purpose is all political regarding efforts to re-regulate. The freight rail ads, at least those on the radio, generally follow formats used by defense contractors regarding some big DoD program or another.

Yes, these folks spend big advertising dollars to target a hand full of hill staffers while they are driving to work and back.

Bob

So that makes tons of sense in DC area especially with the railroads trying to get funds, control regulations etc... but I see these all the time in Connecticut too. While I know that many people buy cars, soda, hire a lawyer etc... based off of a commercial they see on TV, other than entertaining a few railfan how many people who watch that commercial are now going to go out and schedule 1000more cars/yr with NS? How many CSX customers or name your railroad will now consider switching their business to NS due to that commercial? I still don't see what that commercial accomplishes for them but it would be real interesting to hear an explanation. Obviously as a well run company NS feels it is worth spending lots of money on so I am curious to hear the reason, especially by the way as one who has seen these adds and even Union Pacific commercials far from any serviceable line of the advertising railroads.

One word. Stockholders. Why would Joe Sixpack with his Etrade account select ticker symbol NSC instead of, say, NTE?

Just saw this commercial on FOX, during the last night of the RNC convention. Glad to see they are using it!

Bob