Dear SP 5103, Leave it to a smart ass scissor bill to accuse a fellow railroader of not knowing the exact current definitions, and worrying about details such as if FRRS has a main track or not. I've been retired off a safer, better, class one railroad since 1995, where until 1985 we had a much smaller, less verbose rulebook. Back in 1985, our extremely capable Santa Fe Coast Lines rules examiner, who had been on the committee to write the 1985 rulebook, pointed out that it was because of the SP and UP, that the 1985 rulebook grew so large as to cover all the possible contingencies. We got along just fine without so many pages of redundancy for decades, because people correctly learned their jobs and did them safely. He specifically pointed to the "new" definition of restricted speed, and to the added pages regarding old Rule 99.

You should understand that regardless of your opinion that FRRS might not consider their balloon track, or any other tracks, to be a main tracks, museum trackage should still be operated as within yard limits, and that all those other tracks on the property, are primarily yard tracks. (Other than main track.) Regardless you missed the point that "stopping within half the range of vision" was not properly applied, otherwise there would have been no collision.

If you were on my crew and did not understand this, I would set your smart ass out, as being too concerned with definitions to get the job done safely and correctly. Lots of otherwise good rails got into a jam because they thought not exceeding 20 mph was enough, forgetting that "stopping within half the range of vision" might require a speed even slower than a man on the ground could walk. The Feather River Rail Society and their Museum are a fine group of people. Someone made a mistake and it has undoubtedly been corrected. Join FRRS [www.wplives.org] Maybe you could even help the "new hires" better understand the rules. Minus the personal injury, the equipment damage at Portola was considerably less than what happens regularly in the bowl tracks of most hump yards, cornering other cars.

I highly resent your opinion that I must not have worked for a real railroad. Maybe my memory is not as sharp as it used to be. Old Heads Rule! Just keep working and paying into RRB for the rest of us, that is if you do indeed "work." I don't plan to dignify your arrogance with any further comments or response.



Restricted Speed