The local PBS TV station KOCE/PBS SoCal produces a local show called "Real Orange". They do a weekly transportation segment with a Los Angeles radio reporter named Pat Haslam. Last week, they had a segment on the recently opened 16 crossing quiet zone through the City of Orange. They interviewed some local business people (near the Metrolink Station) and some of the misinformation that got broadcast was amazing. A woman claimed that 100 trains a day came through Orange. The Mayor of Orange claimed that engineers lay on the horn "continuously" from Riverdale to La Veta and that the engineers didn't have time to turn off the horn. One early video scene shows a BNSF intermodal train during daylight. The video likely came from the BNSF transcon mainline north of Orange as I doubt any containers are taken to San Diego by train. Autoracks, yes, containers, no. I have been following this project with interest since my worker bee job is based in the City of Orange. In fact, the facility I report to at 0'dark o'clock backs up to the Metrolink (ex-ATSF) Orange-Olive sub. I have only seen ONE daytime BNSF freight through there since we occupied our facility. BNSF traffic is usually after the evening commuter rush. The only other unusual thing (aside from the RBBX circus train) I've seen through there was a BNSF business train which followed Metrolink train 813 several years ago. Of course, I trusted the work camera which had dead batteries. If BNSF/Metrolink/UP ran 100 trains per day through there, the community would have a cow. I do hear and occasionally see the SP, er, UP Marlboro local heading to FoamEx on a weekly basis. I really thought this television segment would be more factual instead of quoting people without investigating their statements. The story did point out that Metrolink is working on 50 crossings in OC and once the rest of the work is done, the city through which the rails traverse could apply for a quiet zone.

Did anyone else happen to catch this TV segment? I viewed the KOCE/PBS SoCal web site and do not think the segement can be viewed after broadcast.