Since Peter was not a member since the 1980's I would bet he has not been a member since the PLA moved to Niles Canyon. There were a bunch of old members who did not like the changes that happened when the PLA moved to Niles Canyon. Maybe he's one of them. When I joined in 1988 there was a group of members that didn't want us to extend the tracks west of Brightside. They felt that Brightside to Sunol was good enough. Luckily they were not listened to and the PLA built what is now a very good ride in a really nice setting.

Is Dexter Day grumpy? He isn't if you are following the rules and not operating equipment without authorization. He's a general manager trying to keep tabs on everything that is happening under his watch. He's been doing a tough job for a lot of years and has been doing a darn good job of it all for free. Remember that he is a volunteer just like all the other PLA members that make the railroad run. So cut him some slack.

Are there grumpy old blankety-blanks? Yep, I haven't seen any organization without them. The GGRM has them too. See the outcome of the merger talks. But there's a lot of friendly members too. You have to pick and choose.

More than anything else, the PLA is loaded with a bunch of dedicated railfans who are spending a lot of their free time and money restoring, maintaining and operating historic equipment for people to enjoy and see operating. We've been doing it for over 50 years, 30 of them in Niles Canyon. If the GGRM doesn't want to join us then all we can do is wish them the best in their new home.