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<b>WELCOME GREG</b>. You'll probably discover that I like to play
devil's advocate, often with a smile on my lips as I'm pounding the keys
... to stimulate thought ... to bring some of us out of our cozy little
corner into the big world ... to find the similarities and differences
around the world ... even to appreciate how others do things (there is
no reason why someone in Australia or Austria can't have a better way to
do something).
<p>And as to general conscription into the military ... it did teach men
how to appreciate each other and to accept differences. It was a
great equalizer ... sort of like the baggage carousel at the airport.
I never loved the army but I'll be first to say that it was a lot better
back when everyone had a more or less equal chance of being drafted.
You learned how to deal with all sorts of people, or have your bed short
sheeted. We may have had different abilities but we all had feelings
and we learned to cope. That was the good side. The bad
side is apparent everytime you walk through a military cemetery.
Many times I felt more sorrow for the Germans than for the Americans in
World War II because they were forced to serve with blinders and because
so many teenagers -- kids as young as 12 or 13 -- never had a chance to
live beyond 1945.
<p>Greg King wrote:
<blockquote TYPE=CITE>G'day Guys,
<p>My name is Greg King and I've just signed on at the suggestion of Jim
<br>Holland, I'm a Streetcar motorman in Melbourne and a model producer
in O and
<br>HO. I'm interested in all things traction but have a real big soft
spot
<br>(between the ears) for all things Penna, especially Pgh, Johnstown
and
<br>Philly, I been to Philly, driven 2168 on a charter and generally had
a ball,
<br>have spent so much time in San Fran, know it as well as I know Sydney
(where
<br>I started driving buses in 1971). I have a million questions, I have
most of
<br>what has been published on Pgh (whish someone like CERA would do a
<br>definative book) but I believe there is a video on the subject, could
<br>someone enlighten me please???
<p>As to Mr Schneider's comments re driving in Europe, having done many
miles
<br>there myself (and driven streetcars in Gothenburg Sweden) I completely
<br>concur, I have also driven widely in the US and found that mostly you
guys
<br>are pretty good, Boston was another story though. Over here, Fred,
you could
<br>have been decribing what I put up with every, both driving my car and
my
<br>streetcar, the desease over there is well and alive here, it's all
along
<br>with road rage, everyone believes his/her car has righ of way over
everyone
<br>else and if you dare get in the way......... Unfortunately, it is deep
<br>seated in society, the reference to Germans (by the way, I have German
<br>ancestry) and their ability for self discaplin is absolutely correct,
at
<br>least until recently, conscription/draft was still prcaticed in most
<br>European countries, this teaches self discipline and self respect and
<br>respect for other people property. I'm sorry i have gone on to long
on the
<br>subject, it just hit a nerve.
<p>If anyone is interested in things down this way, please feel free to
ask, I
<br>hope to learn a lot from you guys, by the way, SF Muni has no PCC's
painted
<br>in TTC colours, you have to go to the new operation in wisconsin.
<p>Cheers for now
<br>Greg
<br>----- Original Message -----
<br>From: Fred W. Schneider III <fschnei@supernet.com>
<br>To: <pittsburgh-railways@dementia.org>
<br>Sent: Wednesday, September 27, 2000 8:32 PM
<br>Subject: Re: West Penn "Orange"
<p>> Hi Jim
<br>>
<br>> No, I'm not encouraging. Sad thing is that Americans always
hear the
<br>wrong stories.
<br>> They claim they've heard about the high speeds on the German Autobahnen.
<br>They never
<br>> seem to understand that the Germans and Swiss are some of the best
<br>trained, most
<br>> disciplined, self-regulated drivers around. The Germans have
a long
<br>history of being
<br>> regulated and obeying regulation. A speed limit sign, a no
left turn sign
<br>... they
<br>> understand there is a reason for them and they obey. Americans
seem to
<br>operate
<br>> differently, on a philosophy that nothing wrong was done until they
are
<br>caught. Quite
<br>> frankly, I never have bad experiences driving over there ... By now
I
<br>probably have
<br>> 30,000 to 40,000 miles under my belt on European roads (including
<br>left-side driving in
<br>> England and Ireland). And I enjoy driving over there because
the drivers
<br>are
<br>> predictable. I know what is going to happen. I don't
find my self amazed
<br>at what
<br>> some idiot did 5 feet in front of my bumper. They all
understand that
<br>traffic moves
<br>> better if you queue up instead of cutting in front of someone.
And by the
<br>way,
<br>> express highways can only handle so much traffic and the German Autobahnen
<br>are now at
<br>> that stage. The average speed has dropped about 15 miles per
hour in the
<br>last ten
<br>> years, there are a whole lot of additional speed zones which are
obeyed,
<br>and today the
<br>> German government has dropped their recommended safe speed from 90
mph to
<br>75 mph and
<br>> probably only 5% of the drivers are now exceeding that recommendation.
<br>By the way,
<br>> Germany (and most if not all European) requires that drivers go to
driving
<br>schools to
<br>> be trained. Parents and friends don't do the training.
Everyone is
<br>trained the same
<br>> way. The cost of getting the initial license varies with the
student and
<br>the country
<br>> ... the range is between $1200 and $2000. Personally I think
you take it
<br>a lot more
<br>> seriously when shelling out that kind of money.
<br>>
<br>> Then I get home to watching assholes speed by me in the passing lane
and
<br>then dive
<br>> across three lanes onto an exit ramp because they have an inalienable
<br>right to be
<br>> ahead of the other cars. And damnit, you see it every day on
your bus,
<br>don't you?
<br>>
<br>> With age goes cynicism.
<br>>
<br>> Jim Holland wrote:
<br>>
<br>> > Greetings!
<br>> >
<br>> > Fred W. Schneider III wrote:
<br>> >
<br>> > > But it remains an
<br>> > > American right to drive at high speeds even after we've proven
that
<br>fatalities
<br>> > > increase. Wars are a travesty. Auto accidents are
acceptable because
<br>we choose
<br>> > > to kill randomly.
<br>> >
<br>> > Aren't we encouraging
on our first day back!!::>>)))<Ultra-VBG>
<br>> >
<br>> > Didn't see a postcard
here - and in this day of instant
<br>messaging,
<br>> > wireless communications, etc!!::>>))<Another-Ultra-VBG>
<br>> >
<br>> > James B. Holland
<br>> >
<br>> > Pittsburgh
Railways Company (PRCo), 1930 -- 1950
<br>> > To e-mail privately, please click here:
<a href="mailto:pghpcc@pacbell.net">mailto:pghpcc@pacbell.net</a>
<br>> > N.M.R.A. Life member #2190; <a href="http://www.mcs.net:80/~weyand/nmra/">http://www.mcs.net:80/~weyand/nmra/</a>
<br>>
<br>></blockquote>
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