Bruce Kelly Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> When I relayed that brief quote to RA editor Bill
> Vantuono, I figured he'd merely include it,
> possibly, in whatever reporting he had in the
> works regarding the issuance of those travel
> restriction exemption forms. Instead, he took that
> railroader's comment and enlarged it into a
> powerful statement of how the industry is
> performing a vital role in keeping this nation,
> and others around the globe, supplied with the raw
> materials and processed goods they need. And yes,
> let's hope that moments like this will bring more
> attention to the importance of the often
> over-worked, under-appreciated men and women who
> keep trains moving.
>
> For the record, RA staffers selected the photos
> which ran with that piece, from their existing
> digital collection. The lead shot of an empty
> Canpotex train, using borrowed Potash Corp.
> hoppers, was indeed taken on UP trackage, headed
> north across the Rathdrum Prairie between Coeur
> d'Alene Jct., and Garwood, ID, on the former
> Spokane International. This train returning to the
> potash mines of Saskatchewan might not seem to fit
> the narrative of "Saving America," but when you
> consider the number of American jobs that are
> involved in moving these trains between the
> Canadian border and the export terminal outside
> Portland, plus the jobs involved in unloading
> them, we are reminded that foreign commerce
> contributes a healthy share to the U.S. economy.

As many have noted, this is the biggest challenge to the U.S since WWII and the Great Depression. Maybe we will emerge as a better and more humbler nation.