This is an example of what should be refrained from. Leave the opinion out of it as well as calling organizations out. This isn’t the place. If you have a complaint with a particular organization, you should take it up with them. RYPN is not the proper authority.

Wait, so you're saying "Stop Snitchin"?

No.

Daylight is the best disinfectant.

If an organization is doing something they shouldn't be, it's in EVERYONE'S best interest to know about it.

You don’t think the FRA should visit railroads and ensure they are following rules?

This has gone so far off the topic. If an organization of any sort is doing something either wrong or you just don’t like it, you bring up your concerns to management first and give them a chance to rectify the situation. Management may not be aware. If no resolution, go to the regulating agency. You don’t strap on the flame thrower and publicly fire away first. You could be burning bridges not to mention getting yourself in a legal confrontation. That is just such a, shall we say… Facebookish thing to do.

This thread should be deleted.

If an organization was disobeying, say, FRA boiler regulations or doing something else where they ignore organizations who are attempting to ensure safety, would you not try and bring it to public attention that people are at risk there?

Legal confrontation for mentioning what I saw? there are trip advisor reviews for both railroads complaining about the same thing.

If I see you doing something wrong or that I don’t agree with, would your organization either prefer that I bring it up to your superiors or just flame them publicly without notice? I already know the answer. It’s also smart to consider potential blowback.

Decorum and civility have certainly gone out the window.

Sigh….. I tried.

Yeah, I apologize for letting myself get baited.

Happens to us all.

FRA reporting and regulation enforcement could be discussed in another topic.

If you think of superspreader events, I'll bet the first thing that comes to mind is that wedding in Maine over a year ago, which led to several deaths, even though Maine has been one of the best states at controlling infections. Does anyone want the two railroads in question to come to mind forevermore when thinking about superspreader events?

Against my better judgment, I'll attempt to wade into the histrionics here.

The FRA mask order applies to crew. That was their Emergency Order 32, it cites to a CDC order. The Order is here:https://railroads.dot.gov/elibrary/emergency-order-requiring-face-mask-use-railroad-operations-eo-32-notice-no-1

The TSA mask order applies to passengers. The current iteration is Security Directive SD 1582/84-21-01B. That directive can be found here: https://www.tsa.gov/sites/default/files/tsa-210819-6_4_3-sd-1582-84-21-01b.pdf

Thrown in the mix is a CDC order. It can be found here: https://www.cdc.gov/quarantine/masks/mask-travel-guidance.html Both the FRA and TSA orders reference the CDC order.

Then, back in June, the CDC in its FAQ, mentioned that masks do not need to be worn in open air environments, and stated that until it could amend its administrative rule, it would exercise enforcement discretion. That can be found here: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/travelers/face-masks-public-transportation.html

The FRA followed suit and stated that it too would be exercising enforcement discretion. That can be found here: https://railroads.dot.gov/sites/fra.dot.gov/files/2021-06/Statement%20of%20FRA%20Enforcement%20Discretion_EO32_6.10.21.pdf

So we have three applicable orders from three federal agencies, each applicable to different groups of people, which sometimes overlap, with two agencies now stating that they are exercising enforcement discretion at least with respect to open air areas.

I'm a moderately competent attorney who practices in transit law, and wading through this is a challenge, and more so to non-attorney operators in preservation and tourist railroads. At minimum, before "dropping a dime" on your favorite tourist railroad, you better know what the regulations say.

One requirement of the TSA order is that you deboard passengers who refuse to wear masks. How many of your employees or volunteers are trained in de-escalation tactics, or can effectively handle an unruly passenger? How many of you want to incur potential legal liability if your attempt to deboard a non-compliant passenger ends up injuring your volunteer/employee/guest?

In the real transit world, where I work, there's an uptick in assaults on operators, which I suspect is fueled partially by enforcement of mask policies: https://www.smartcitiesdive.com/news/transit-workers-face-growing-rate-of-assaults-theres-not-much-we-can-do/594959/

Some operators in the transit world have instructed employees to not confront riders over masks, as it may place the employee at greater risk, and the agency is willing to shoulder the cost of a potential TSA fine. I'm not sure if I'd ever recommend that, but the position is understandable given the regulatory morass.

I can offer a brief analogy that sums up David's last three paragraphs. 'Don't flip the bird at anyone while driving. You never know who has a gun.' And it sounds like train crews (like retail workers) are being asked to enforce mask mandates. Sad and potentially dangerous-

I saw an old man from Oakland CA be threatened to be put off the CZ in Nebraska in the middle of the night because he wouldn't quit smoking on the train, he didn't smoke again, it's part of a train crew's job.