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Re: Winterail 2007 and Daylight Savings Time (DST)
Author: Coleman Randall
Date: 02-17-2007 - 03:26
On a historical note the Standard Time (ST) zones were estaablished by the railroads back in the 19th century to avoid the confusion of a change in time between station to station which was very uneven and sporadic back then.
Last year this situation presented a problem as well as the Feather River Express (FRE) made its excursion on the weekend of Saturday, April 1st thru Sunday, April 2nd as the travelers were not only delayed arriving at their final destination on that Saturday due to UP's mishandling of the Feather River Express (FRE) movement by making it "siding riden" for 2-3 hours for three (3) freight trains to pass 40 miles outside the final destination of Portola but the travelers lost an hours sleep due to the time change as well. The first weekend in May would have been a more logical choice for this trip though without the time change and extended hours of daylight and with a less chance of incliment weather though.
This year the situation is additionally problematic because instead of beginning on the first or last Sunday of a month it is beginning on the second Sunday which makes the date more difficult for many persons to remember and is an unfair balance of placing the year on Daylight Saving Time (DST) for eight months rather than an even six (6) to six (6) month division between Daylight Saving Time (DST) and Standard Time (ST) within a calendar year like what was the case some twenty years ago prior to the seven (7) month extension to the first Sunday in April in 1987 rather than the last Sunday in the year previous.
By the way, the Eastern Time Zone portion of Indiana started observing Daylight Saving Time (DST) last year for the first time ever.
Daylight Saving Time (DST) isn't appropriate during certain times of the year I would argue because it affects the sunrise time in the morning adversely like it did on Monday, January 7, 1974 during the energy crisis when DST got extended by four (4) months and the school children including me where going to school in the dark at 7:00 a.m. when the time should have been 6:00 a.m. since Standard Time should have been observed instead. I would assume that passenger train passengers might have encountered the same problems then with the time change as well.
Fortunately, Winterail will have concluded prior to the Sunday, March 11th (DST) time change although there could still be a few extenuating effects due to the change though.
Last year this situation presented a problem as well as the Feather River Express (FRE) made its excursion on the weekend of Saturday, April 1st thru Sunday, April 2nd as the travelers were not only delayed arriving at their final destination on that Saturday due to UP's mishandling of the Feather River Express (FRE) movement by making it "siding riden" for 2-3 hours for three (3) freight trains to pass 40 miles outside the final destination of Portola but the travelers lost an hours sleep due to the time change as well. The first weekend in May would have been a more logical choice for this trip though without the time change and extended hours of daylight and with a less chance of incliment weather though.
This year the situation is additionally problematic because instead of beginning on the first or last Sunday of a month it is beginning on the second Sunday which makes the date more difficult for many persons to remember and is an unfair balance of placing the year on Daylight Saving Time (DST) for eight months rather than an even six (6) to six (6) month division between Daylight Saving Time (DST) and Standard Time (ST) within a calendar year like what was the case some twenty years ago prior to the seven (7) month extension to the first Sunday in April in 1987 rather than the last Sunday in the year previous.
By the way, the Eastern Time Zone portion of Indiana started observing Daylight Saving Time (DST) last year for the first time ever.
Daylight Saving Time (DST) isn't appropriate during certain times of the year I would argue because it affects the sunrise time in the morning adversely like it did on Monday, January 7, 1974 during the energy crisis when DST got extended by four (4) months and the school children including me where going to school in the dark at 7:00 a.m. when the time should have been 6:00 a.m. since Standard Time should have been observed instead. I would assume that passenger train passengers might have encountered the same problems then with the time change as well.
Fortunately, Winterail will have concluded prior to the Sunday, March 11th (DST) time change although there could still be a few extenuating effects due to the change though.
