"PENNSYLVANIA RAILROAD" Carries more passengers, hauls more freight than any other railroad in America"
"This high standard of performance affects the lives of 50 million people. Nearly half the population of the United States lives in the area in which the Pennsylvania operates. And travelers and products from every state in the Union are carried over its rails."
"Leaders of the largest fleet of trains in America"
"Broadway Limited---New York & Chicago,"
"The American---St. Louis & New York,"
"Liberty Limited---Chicago & Washington, "
"The Sea Gull---Columbus, Cleveland, Pittsburg & Atlantic City, "
"The Red Arrow---Detroit, Toledo, Cleveland & the East,"
"Cincinnati Limited---Cincinnati & New York."
Quoted: The Pennsylvania Railroad 1928
Funny, but that bit of PRR cheerleading doesn't say anything at all about the extreme arrogance of the PRR management or how the management was likened to the Bourbon kings of France, who forgot nothing and learned nothing. PRR merged with NYC (another road from which the RAILWAYIST likes to quote) and survived for only 900 days before plunging into a bankruptcy from which it never emerged. If you're going to quote mindlessly, it might be advisable to provide some value added, lest you appear as a mindless shill.
Check out bloomberg.com "CEO SPOTLIGHT" interview with Union Pacific Chairman & CEO James Young. If you have Bloomberg TV the program "FOR THE RECORD" will be repeated through the weekend of June 12-13-14th.
Nice try, trying to change the subject. I've heard Jim Young on several occasions. He is rational, intelligent, and just what the UP needs at this time in its history.
The Bloomberg news Union Pacific story started just as I was reading your response to the Pennsylvania Railroad ad, it caught me by suprise---but "RAIL" is a four letter word that is being said more and more everyday in the U.S.A media... In the"Wreck Of The Penn Central" book, I recall a passage in which Mr. Pearlman said to his son, who was annoyed by the deteroirating passenger service:"If you don't like it, walk", and he cruised around in a Cadillac Limousine instead of riding his company rails. Arrogant for sure. Le Roi Bourbon would have enjoyed Jack Daniels Black Label on the 17th century Limited.
Al Perlman (cq) was one of the titans of the railroad industry. I've never heard of nor run across his son. Perlman successfully ran railroads in the Midwest (CB&Q), East (NYC) and the West (WP). His failures stemmed only from a lack of financial resources, excessive regulation, and public policies that favored rail competitors (known to most as trucks). I truly wish you were correct, that "rail" was being heard more and more in the main stream media, but that simply is not so. There is a need for far more communication effort by the railroad and rail supply industries, but that will require a major change of attitude by the rail and rail supply industries, accustomed as they are to operating in their own little world. When the President was inaugurated, many were convinced that the stimulus program would have major money in it for rail infrastructure. Instead, we got $8 billion for high-speed passenger rail, some money for Amtrak, and perhaps some money for rail projects from the pittance that is reserved for discretionary allocation. If those who are tasked with getting our economy functioning once again do not appreciate the value of rail, why should we expect the public at large to do so? More realism, please, and less rhetoric.
"Al Perlman (cq) was one of the titans of the railroad industry. I've never heard of nor run across his son. Perlman successfully ran railroads in the Midwest (CB&Q), East (NYC) and the West (WP)."
Railywayist appears to be conflating two stories . Perlman made that crack to his son, but Stuart Saunders was the fellow with the limo addiction. At least, he did, according to "The Wreck of the Penn Central" which is, oddly enough, the first thing that Googles up for "If you don't like it, walk!"
I think there actaully has been more rail talk on the news lately (not mainstream but cable stuff, biz channel etc.) but only in regards to Obama schemes and not really the state of the industry or future.
If we were Detroit or the airlines I'm sure we'd be in mainstream...but glad it's not the case since cars and planes aren't getting much "love" from the media.
BacktotheFuture: Rails are not in the news these days because the industry if fundamentally healthy, the companies are profitable, and there is discussion on the financial cable channels over their value as investments. I'm delighted that as news is defined, we're not reading about or hearing much about railroads. Airlines and car-making are in the news because both industries are in a heap of hurt. Let's not wish that upon the railroads, OK?
There are lots more Rail articles than ever before...mostly passenger rail plans for the U.S.A.
goto C-span.org, you can access hundreds of newpapers and TV stations with lost of rail articles.
Thank you, RAILWAYIST. I know you mean well, but I find that the vast majority of articles are written by people who neither know anything about railroads and transportation or are economic illiterates. I'll stick with my earlier comments that there are very few intelligent articles about rail transportation and the blame goes both to journalism, which has eliminated most of the people who did know anything, and the railroad industry itself, which finds it easier and more effective to focus its efforts on lobbying government (usually behind closed doors) and not dealing with journalists whenever possible.
Most journalists are RAILILLITERATE and need to become RAILITERATE. The Railway Educational Bureau(www.transalert.com) needs to set up shop in more high schools, community colleges and universities.
RAILWAYIST: You may wish to withdraw your most recent comment as you reveal yourself as knowing virtually nothing of the issues on which you opine. The Railway Educational Bureau is not in the business of making non-railroaders literate. It is a unit of Progressive Railroading's principal competitor and it sells educational materials that deal with rules and regulations to railroads and railroaders. We've already discussed the lack of knowledge and understanding on the part of most main stream media; let's not go out of our way to demonstrate that ther same level of ignorance applies to heavy-breathing foamers. You, sir, might start by understanding what "news" is. It is not cheerleading. I could go on, but why bother?