I suspect that the death resulted from a thousand small cuts -- and every one of them a railfan web site.

Think about it. The same kind of news for which we would have to wait a month until the next "Flimsies" showed up was now available at the click of a mouse (and, not so long ago, the sound of a dialup modem). And yes, those small cuts also include this site, and Train News, and Trainorders, etc.

I had the privilege of being one of the contributing editors for "Flimsies Northwest" for several years, and truly enjoyed it (I had the Amtrak/Passenger/Transit column). And a part of me does miss it, even though I can still pass along information with more immediacy by posting on Altamont Press or Train News along with the rest of you.

Fellow railfans, we mourn and we move on -- just like we will when the Altamont Press site goes away. That is life. And at least I know that when I log on into Train News, many of you will be there also.

Foam On...