I don’t determine weather or not I listen to a person based on their name and title, I try to not be that blatantly narrow minded. I do however base the credibility of the information I get from that person in part on if they sign their name. An anonymous observer can say whatever he darn well pleases and not have to face the repercussions. You keep making suggestions to the railroads without having giving your opinions any legitimacy.
Also you keep putting in cryptic messages like “I will not explain more as he might try to surface back at Chama.” Who are you hiding from and/or who are you afraid of. You say that I should study what is said about rules and methods. I try to, but half of what you have been posting about these topics doesn’t make sense. If a hook is on the back of a tender, and the engine is going forward, and the engine stops, won’t the hook go forward? If you slam a train into emergency, then into release and everything keeps rolling, aren't all the wheels still on the rails? And did it occur to you that there is a stretch through that section that isn’t the best place to stop if you don;t absolutely have to? Aren't the braking systems on the narrow gauge equipment so slow acting that slamming the train into emergency isn’t the catastrophe you think it is? Won’t a flying chunk of wood kill you just as quickly as a flying chunk of metal?
That said your experience vastly out weighs my own. You helped keep the C&TS open, and you apparently do know you butt from your elbow. On the other hand you seem to have offended everyone who ever worked for the GLRR and the C&TS, many of whom I hold in high esteem as being some of the best at what they do. You seem to have forgotten that these are not state of the art high speed railroads. The top speeds rarely ever exceed 25 mph and are often much slower then that. The grade crossing to which you refer is seldom approached at speeds above 5 mph and the cars approaching the crossing should only be going in the 30’s. At these speeds even todays slow reacting, distracted, drivers should be able to respond before an accident.
As for rules, I stand corrected. 98% of all railroad laws should be religiously followed 99.9% of the time.
If I have made a complete arse of myself somebody please tell me, on list, off list, carrier pigeon, whatever is most convienent,
Paul Gibbs
