I had no conflict, by then, my former SP stock was by then BNSF stock, but at a value and source, below any conflicts. Nowadays, I am a happy follower of the "Oracle of Omaha".

When you quit one job and take another, you work for your new boss, not your old. The incident did involve SP Attorney Lila Cox, where she suddenly remembered why lawyers are told not to have their clients answer questions that no one asked, during the settlement discussions. A couple of SP RH guys out of Frisco tried to BS the AQMD folks on Federal Locomotive Inspection forms and then o train safety......with a "ringer" in the room. Lila knew me through my dad and South Pasadena politics; and via SP and the union, but forgot who I was....and, we succeeded in setting alarm bells off on Market Street.

The local air districts in CA started using "State" authority to cite SP on BO engines spewing visible smoke in the Beaumont Pass back in the late 80 's in order to send a message to the industry, and the Feds to get more serious about cleaning up. This has now resulted in now 90-95% cleaner new locomotive of today, especially for NOX and particulate. The urgency came about when the feds (who wouldn't then touch the "industry") were going to start to hold back metro area highway funds, due to "non attainment" of ozone, particulate, and NOX health levels, that couldn't be met if these "Federal" sources weren't subject to controls.

I actually spent most of this part of my career learning a whole new understanding that most of these fixes have been through superior market tested technological progress, pushed by strong but market neutral clear regulations, about how much crap one is allowed to spew out for you and I to suck in. We have cleaner, more reliable, and cheaper (per hour/per mile) technology, and you can see the mountains today, something you couldn't in the 60"s.

Don't get me wrong, I've seen some real foolishness too, I was around this at the time of the heavy duty methanol fiasco, and example of trying force a dubious "fuel based" standard rather than a "crap into the air we breath" health based standard. This it should be noted is kind of like the ethanol ripoff we experience every mile we drive today.

Like ethanol is the darling of the farm state politicians (in an unusual example of "bi-partisan" cooperation)???, it also seemed to appear that methanol became the local "solution" of the day, because of intense lobbying by a methanol supplier. Busses couldn't clime a 4% grade, and when they proposed this for loco's the RR people actually quietly snickered.

But remember, EGBOK! And always remember, driving to the Airport is always more dangerous than taking to the Plane....