Does anyone else find it disturbing?

Trains Magazine General Discussion
1

I love this forum, it is a refreshing way to step back from the hastle of my job and just think about railroading ten minutes every hour or two and allow myself to be enriched by those who know more about railroading than I.

Don’t get me wrong, I know political tid bits (which I could also use a break from) and non-sensical things will find its way onto any forum. However, is anyone else a little disturbed that the “Death is Coming in Boxcars” article has received nearly 1000 hits and has a proportional amount of replies? I really hope TRAINS does not take this as an indication of how they can sell more copies.

I admit, I was as curious as the next person when it was posted and read the article. But, when I see the posts listed on this topic and hardly any replies to the (relevant/pertient/interesting) topic concerning CSX’s possible bankruptcy (is that based on something more realistic than the death box cars by the way?) and the lack of replies to the many of the other fine topics that have been posted on here, I have to shake my head.

Gabe

2

Folks are drawn here for a variety of reasons, but it really comes down to we all share in interest in railroads, as railfans, modelers or actual railroaders, just others join groups based upon an interest in cars, planes, tanks, embroidery…etc. It’s kind of like going to church. Folks go to worship, but before and after, they don’t always talk about religion. They talk about BBQs, sports, gossip, etc. There are many topics that I like, and there are many that I have no interest or enough knowledge to participate in intelligently. There are others that are purely for entertainment, which really if you think about it, unless you work for Kalmbach or are using the forum to do professional or student research in the course of those areas, you’re here for entertainment. We can only talk about CN or UP management or how many rivets are on a SD40-2 or what’s better GE or EMD so much. In my opinion, the “death trains” subject is so outlandish and humorous, that I feel compelled to join in on the humor. The only thing I really find disturbing about it, is that there are folks who really believe that kind of stuff. But your tastes and opinions may be different. There is room for all types.

3

Just to clarify, my disturbance is not that people find it amusing. It is that people feel more compelled to write about death boxcars than the alleged bankruptcy of CSX. I am certianly not suggesting that people are unusual for being amused by the topic–like I said, I read it too.

4

…I side with Gabe.

5

Two thoughts -

First, as has been suggested, all work and no play…

Second, despite the outlandish nature of it all, at least the death boxcar thing has places you can go to be further amused, etc. There are people who believe it, have documented their beliefs, and we can read them. I have yet to see a reference to a single article that I can read about how bad CSX is doing. It all seems to be based on hearsay.

We’ve dissected articles/features on the UP meltdown and grade crossing incidents. Again, there was something tangible to reference, to quote, to comment upon.

When we see something concrete upon which we can comment, I’m sure that there will be plenty of discussion. There usually is.

And sometimes, one or several replies pretty much put the issue to bed. Any comments beyond that are usually just acknowledgement. As important or informative as the topic may be, there just isn’t anything to add. Unfortunately that means that it gets pushed down the list and out of sight, but that’s how the forum works.

6

Just think of it like the circus coming to town. It’s not the norm, it’ll be gone soon enough, but folks like to amuse themselves with the sideshow for a little while. [:)]

7

I did not read the shackles article as it sounded too off-the-wall.

I really have no information on CSX and have not heard anything about bankruptcy. I only visit CSX territory while on business travel so otherwise I’m not exposed to it.

In riding the Cardinal over both NS and CSX tracks in Virginia a couple years ago, the CSX tracks (especially between Orange and Gordonsville) are in sad shape, especially when compared to the 79 mph running on NS. But I don’t think that comparison is representative of the entire railroad.

8

Which is precisely why it was so amusing…

9

CSX has been spending a lot of money in Maryland and elsewhere upgrading their tracks and grade crossings. They rebuilt 2 near me a couple of months ago. There are work trains running all over (I have seen 3 different work trains with all sorts of odd equipment, plus a ballast train) on a regualr basis.

As far as the other article. The goofy articles draw observers because the titles are odd and the topic is so off. Everyone can relate to the topic because it is so obviously bizarre and silly.

10

HEAR, HEAR…

LC

11

Maybe because the CSX status stories are no surprise to anyone.

12

I have skipped right over it, figured it was either BS or nonsense or soeem off beat post made by someone with half a deck so I was not motivated to even bother clicking on it. Tell me, how many replies did it take before some whackjob had to include some negative comparrison to George W in that ridiculous thread anyway ?

13

MMM, OK, I’ll bite.

(please qualify my response with my afore-mentioned qualification that I am not suggesting the story has “NO” value; it is the amount of attention I am taking issue with)

I know what you all are saying, but I kind of disagree. Perhaps I have less of a tolerance to wackjobs than most (as my job usually requires me to deal with a problem some wackjob created). But, do we really need to be reminded there are wackjobs out there? And, if there are those of you out there who do need to be reminded, can you please tell me where you live and what you do so I can follow suit and live your charmed life?

I realize there was no meat to the CSX story on its face. And I am not suggesting that Mark (or anyone) should to respond to every article to inform us of the veracity of the article. It is just that I am a bit surprised that people in a “railroad forum,” as opposed to a “wackjob” forum, would not prefer to talk about CSX or take your pick from the 40 other interesting posts that received 1/15th the attention that the death box cars post received.

Finally, I would like to note that whomever noted that some responses just don’t really require more than two or three follow ups made a really good point that I had not considered.

Gabe

14

Gabe,
Its easy…
Offered the choice of, say…

A article on

Cindy Crawfords see through bikini, or

Sally Feilds wardrobe for the Flying nun.

Most folks would zero in on the bikini…

(If you go for Sally, you really need some professional help)

Same reason the National Enquirer actually has readers,
sensationlaism sells.

As for the CSX vs Boxcar threads…

Well, I railroad for a living, and if CSX was going under, the rumor mill would have been running full steam weeks ago.

On the other hand, Death Boxcars attracted my attention, for the simple reason the title was intriguing, and had me wondering , was this about a box car that had a history of injuring other railroaders?

Morbid?

Sure.

But I also watch the nightly national news, and you dont get much more morbid than that.

Then after reading the post, and looking at the link, after I quit laughing, I decided to read the comments posted.

Humor helps take the edge of nut jiobs like that…

The CSX thread?

Read it too, so I canceled my “view count participation” out…
but, as Mark pointed out, the post was written is such a manner as to do away with any other comment beyond “Yes”, “No”, “I dont know” for a response.

One was entertaining, is a silly fashion, the other lacked any entertainment or educational value, or usefull information.

Havent been back to the box car thread, I shouldnt laugh so hard after a meal…

Ed

15

On a more Serios note here…If anyone told the German jews in 1925 that they would have been shuffled off to there deaths in Boxcars that person would have been branded a mashogana(Sorry My Yiddish is a little off) Many German Jews foaught in WW1 and were honared for doing so.

16

And most of the German population had no idea that there were millions of Jews and others being shipped off in railcars to labor and death camps, and they refused to believe it when rumors first surfaced, until they were paraded through the camps by liberating Allied forces and got to see the truth with their own eyes.

17

Alas, the successive loud thumbs that you are hearing is my head thumping against my desk.

18

Actually quite a few of them knew EXCATLY what was going on as it was the civilian police forces and community organizations that were largely resposible for identifying jews and reporting then to the SS, quit a few of these groups actively participated in the arrests and deportations. They were quit happy to rat out there neighbors and sieze their belongings and were very active members of the holocaust. The villages near the Death Camps were also quite aware of what was going on but either chose to ignore and "look the other way or simply deny any knowledge when the Allied troops arrived for fear of being arrested. The US commanders got so fed up with the local towns peopled denial of any wrong doing or even denying knowledge of the very existance of the camps only a couple of miles away from where they had lived there whole lives, The commanders ordered the village populations into the camps to force them to face the true horror of their complacency. Its easy to become a willing participant in horror when you dont have to confront it.

19

Lets poke a few holes in the boxcar story. There is no need for restraining rings for prisoners in boxcars. The *** proved that all you had to do was to slam the door closed on the boxcar and the rest is history. (And bad bad history) The rings are there to tie down cargo. They are recessed to be out of the way when not being used. Although I do not always agree with the decisions of our government there is no way our government would think up or condone such a bad idea. A string of death boxcars that could stretch across the country. A little outlandish, although any car manufacturer would relish an order of this magnitude PROVIIDING the end use was ethical. Perhaps the boxcars will be equiped with end doors like a passenger car. That way the train could be stationed between the “bad” guy pickup point and the internment camp. No need for motive power. Just march the prisoners through the train from their collection point to the internment point. All of this shows how silly the post topic was. What is frightning is the fact that there is a lunatick (SP??) fringe out there who will believe the boxcar story. they are the people that we have to worry about.

20

The thumping continues . . . .