Not to mention the tactic of "making an example of the first volunteer of fan who violated the rule" is absurd when it comes to the railfan side of that statement. Assuming a railfan didn't trespass or commit anything illegal, it is well within their rights to take photos from public property, take photos while as a visiting guest to your railroad, and report to friends and social media anything they see. Imagine going to a fast food joint and they make you a terrible burger or something, going onto Google Reviews and writing about your poor experience; only for said fast food establishment to begin "making an example of you!" We wouldn't tolerate a fast food joint bullying somebody into silence because they experienced a poor job, why would we tolerate a tourist railroad doing the same? It shows an attitude that is not customer service focused and is willing to punish people who are within their legal rights to say anything they want about your establishment as a customer of it.

I don't know how it is in everyone else's line of work, but my job regularly asks our patients to rank their service. I get bi-weekly service updates that are a list of patient praise and patient complaints and I am expected to improve my job service if there are any legitimate complaints in there regarding what I have done. If a railroad doesn't dare face the criticism of the third parties, the railfans and tourists who visit the operation; then it doesn't deserve to be a tourist/heritage railroad and part of the customer service industry. If you want a private railroad with no prying public eyes, buy up a big ranch land plop a berm around it and have everyone who enters property to your Good Old Boys Club sign an NDA. But any heritage or tourist railroad/museum has to be more than comfortable operating in the public eye and aware that the public is entitled to public complaint at any time.

And if it is indeed as you are saying a policy enforced by many heritage railroads in secret, then damn this whole industry to hell. Its the 21st century its about time we start acting like it. You want to know why many railroads and museums are struggling to survive? That type of policy might be the first clue that we have a root problem in our industry that needs to be culled.

Lee,

Some very notable and successful major operations are enforcing all four of the points I listed above! With great success! I know it sounds odd, but it is working for some big organizations.

Just sayin'


Score is still 32 to 0

JohnE.

No....no....it is way more than that. You failed to count in legal fees and travel and food and everything else. Get it right, man! Not to mention what is still ahead.... come on, facts are facts, get it right! If you are going to rub it in my face, do it right.

Score 32 to 0 "how laughable"

I have read every posting on this subject. You can call it hate all you want and those that are sending you this support need to get their eyes checked and a pair of glasses.

I remember watching you in a video some years ago and never finishing it, because I felt you had a problem, but I kept that judgement to myself.

Then I had a friend that works for a railroad tell me about your work on one of their locomotives, I held my breath and never posted a thing.

Then I read your posting about the ex-Army locomotive #557 and how it is just like a new locomotive and I would put a fire in it and run it. If anyone has been following the post and repairs being done to that locomotive and has questions about your competence, then the Kentucky locomotive should shut the door on you.

I read all the PDFs posted, as per the FRA reports and the photos of the work.

Years ago I worked with a tourist railroad that ran steam. The place was run by a dictator, who could have cared less about what anyone else thought. They butchered a steam locomotive firebox so bad, that all it did was break staybolts. I had to threaten to have the locomotive boiler condemned if they did not bring in a "certified" boiler maker and make repairs to the boiler. It had a crack in the crownsheet, over 18 broken staybolts and a large number of leaking tubes. After working on it for 3 days, the "certified boilermaker told them to NEVER call him back, as he was not going to be liable for the boiler if something happened. He also called it "a rolling bomb, looking for a time and place to go off". A few weeks later a state boiler inspector condemned the boiler and it has not had a fire in it since.

I do not always agree with FRA inspectors, but thank God that they stepped in after the Gettysburg incident.

I always found it interesting how when anyone spoke ill about you, rather then defend yourself or give a good explanation to the comments made, you threaten to call your lawyer and sue them.

The FRA report is "stunning", and cartage bolts and all-thread rod.

Then you have 32 people trying to explain this away.

I have a number of railroad books on my book shelves. Some of the most stunning have photos of boiler explosions, maybe it is time for you to review what happens when they do exploded.

I will sign my name: James Kopkey

Sir,

You are doing yourself, your company, your (likely former) customers, and most importantly, the preservation industry zero favors by behaving in such a childish manner. By sheepishly gaslighting the matter, you are effectively paving the road to the next Medina or Gettysburg. Is that your intention? As Kelly mentioned, when/if that does happen you can forget finding an insurance carrier willing to cover the operation of a steam engine/locomotive much less without a prohibitive premium! You should think more about how your actions have both direct and indirect consequences instead of blaming others for your failure. Deflate your ego and grow up!

I'll echo a few of the statements made in this 10+ page thread in that we are a small faction preserving a representation of our railroading history through the operation of steam. It's up to us whether or not it survives into the future. As unfortunate and unnecessary this fiasco for the BSFSRR was, we should be thankful this botched restoration made public as it stands strongly as a teachable moment of what not to do. I hope that despite the BS, it remains on RYPN as a guiding principle for the budding preservationist.

Jeff

-Says the forum of RYPN is unfair, mean, and doesn't like being made an example of or shamed, or piled upon.

-Says if he ran a tourist railroad, he would make an example of, shame, and pile upon first employee or volunteer that posted a photo anywhere.

In your heavy-handed attempts to pile more 'shame' on Mr. Rimmasch, the clear sarcasm in his post has really, really, really escaped you completely.

That's pretty sad.

I'm not sure it's sarcasm. A couple of days ago, I suggested that we all do what Ross Rowland (whom I greatly respect and admire and have for over 50 years), take a break and let the process play out. the thread ran ten pages and was very civil until John stepped in.

I still think it's a good time for everyone to breathe and see what happens.

I learned from a previous post the other day that I supposedly violated a non-disparagement agreement. Concerned, I reached out to the attorneys for the heritage foundation. They advised me that there is no such agreement in place between the parties. The only reason, they advised me, that such an agreement would only be in place if there was a settlement. To date, they advised me there is no settlement between the parties. If there were settlement between the parties, they advised me that they would ask me to sign an agreement. As of the date of this posting, I have not signed such an agreement, nor have they.

I will not offer any further comment on this matter. My expert report, and other public documents, speak for themselves.

Thank you to the many who have contributed technical information to this thread. I have learned a lot about why certain procedures are important and how certain things should not be done. It is great that RYPN has such a fantastic searchable archive so that this information will be preserved for anyone who needs guidance in the areas discussed for as long as the site is up and running. Hopefully, that will be a long, long time.

To Wasatch:

“4. I would make sure that the only press that goes out about my railroad would be positive.”

“32 positive contacts and out reaches efforts to me directly vs -0- from the Hate Squad.”

Based upon your first comment (#4), then we know that your second statement is probably not true since you admit that you would cover up all bad news and comments. Your reputation is simply hurt further by you admitting that you cover up bad news instead of addressing it and solving it. Having worked with Fortune 50 companies on issues like this, I just shake my head as your firm seems to dig itself into a deeper hole. Many of these comments will likely show up in any future legal cases as they certainly get saved.

Here is the simple question involving the Kentucky work, so address it. Is the FRA report and evidence true? If it is true, then the work is certainly not the quality promised in the contract, so why was it done that way and what is being done to ensure that this type of work is never done again by your firm? The steps that you night be taking could actually gain you positive comments (think about the Tylenol incident - admit it happened and then make clear the steps that are being taken).

If the FRA report is false, what evidence do you have to prove that it is false? If you have it, show it if you can. Almost all of the initial comments here supported your firm, and with the proper evidence, they might again.

The contract and the work performed is the question involved in this suit, the FRA report, and much of this 11-page coverage (of which almost half seems to be in response to your own statements, so you aren’t helping it go away).

To me, not only is the legal case of interest, but also how it is being handled by parties on both sides of the argument and suit, as well as those in the industry/hobby. Cases like this often make great research.

Bart Jennings

Tell that to the several people who burned to death last October, courtesy of the Collings Foundation when their B-17 crashed while landing on two engines when two others should never have been run.
From everything I've read about things leading to that, they took a page out of your playbook...

No dog in this fight but trying to hold up a bit of a mirror. It seems in my humble opinion (worth exactly what you've paid for it) some have conveniently overlooked, ignored or simply looked past this paragraph which turns what followed into a hypothetical rather than a statement of practice.
Popcorn in hand, let the thread continue............mld

Overmod

The book that I first read about gauge accuracy is in the possession of an organization 1200 miles away and I read the book many years ago. However, Remember that these gauges work by one or more bourbon tubes being deflected to create the needle motion. The straightening of the tube or tubes is the most consistent in the mid range of the gauge. This consistent behavior creates a better accuracy in the middle of the readings. If you look at most boiler gauges and air gauges they are set up to read in the middle of range of the gauge.
The other issue is if there is a sudden spike in pressure you mentioned. With only 50 psi to spare if there is a sudden pressure spike you are more likely to damage the gauge.

Robby Peartree

Hi All

does anyone know how many hydros have been done this way and therefore service days used? For those that do not know a service day is defined as Service day. Any calendar day that the boiler has steam pressure above atmospheric pressure with fire in the firebox. In the case of a fireless steam locomotive, any calendar day that the boiler has steam pressure above atmospheric pressure. I took this definition from https://ecfr.io/Title-49/Section-230.8

Lets not even bring up the lack of a fire door. Fortunately it should not have been drafting hard.

Robby Peartree