[PRCo] Re: New Railway Properties

[Edward H. Lybarger]

I am much more interested in the history and business aspects of the
industry than I am the nuts and bolts of the equipment or traveling the
world to look at systems.  Those systems I encounter in my travels I
evaluate primarily on how well they serve the function of moving people
efficiently.  When I do ride any more, it is usually to get somewhere.
Occasionally there are exceptions, like an afternoon in Berlin in October
2004, when we went for a long ride (actually, a series of short rides) to
see the eastern part of the city.  Like Fred, I don't believe that a lot of
the US light rail systems can be justified by any financial yardstick.
They've become political plums, like navy shipyards or air force bases used
to be.  I also have an intense dislike for the pathological droolers that
one encounters on occasion.  Fortunately, few of them visit or (fewer yet)
support PTM.

I don't really get excited any more about running the cars themselves...I
carry an Instructor's card at PTM because I am qualified to do the work, but
I'm not able to help out very often.  Perhaps I run five or six trips a year
on the line just to stay in practice, usually on weekdays when we're closed
but have visitors of one persuasion or another (vendor, potential donor,
donor, etc.) we want to take for a ride.  I also try to supervise at least
one day during Fair week, and that sometimes involves running in relief of
an operator on lunch break.  Yet that public operation is an extremely vital
part of what we do, and I recognize it as such.

I do, however, strongly support preservation, education and interpretive
efforts, and somewhere along the line I get a lot of pleasure from my
involvement.  I know a lot of nice people with different areas and
intensities of interest, and most all have something to bring to the table.

Ed

-----Original Message-----
From: pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementia.org
[mailto:pittsburgh-railways-bounce at lists.dementia.org]On Behalf Of Fred
Schneider
Sent: Thursday, March 16, 2006 11:38 AM
To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org
Subject: [PRCo] Re: New Railway Properties


I think we all are railfans to some degree but resent using the term
because it is a shortened version of rail fanatic.

On Mar 16, 2006, at 5:39 AM, Holland Electric Rwy. Op. H.E.R.O. --
Import SPTC 1.48 Models // James B. Holland wrote:

>> Fred Schneider wrote:
> .
>
>> But I think, as railfans, we need to look to the future
>> just as much as we need to look at history.
> .
> .
> Now this sentence is a Gem -- most peebles here on this list Deny
> being
> a Railfan --
>
> .......collect photos of TrolleyCars,
>
> .......collect books of TrolleyCars,
>
> .......participate on TrolleyCar email list(s,)
>
> .......travel the world to visit TrolleyCars,
>
> .......write books about TrolleyCars
>
> .......belong to TrolleyCar Museums
>
> .......maintain websites about TrolleyCars
>
>                 -- but Hey Man --
>
>                                 I ain't no railfan!!!!!!!
>
>
>
> Gotta Keep THIS Original Email!
>
>                 Thank You, Fred!!!
>
>
>
>
> Jim__Holland
>
>
> I__Like__Ike.......And__PCCs!!
>
> down with pantographs ---- UP___WITH___TROLLEYPOLES!!!!!!!
>
>