And yet, Malcolm Kenton remains, possibly the worst-informed columnist I’ve seen in my 48 years of reading TRAINS.
His latest, concerning more “tourist trains” to Harpers Ferry,WV., is a real laugher, the young fellow doesn’t know reality from fantasy.
I know a way of putting this issue to be very quickly. Although I cannot see it online, the hard copy print version of TRAINS usually has Don Phillips’s e-mail address. We could e-mail and ask him what his plans are.
I was thinking about contacting anyways concerning Amtrak’s Anderson.
Regards,
Fred M. Cain
I apparently missed this post. That is too bad. I hope Don considers coming back in the future. Although I also understand that he’s not that young anymore kinda like a lot of us.
Regards,
Fred M Cain
Steve, you might find the discussion of this at www.trainorders.com of interest. It appears that Don Phillips’ departure was not mutually agreeable between all parties. For my money, his column was one of the really high points of the magazine, and its loss means that I shall not be renewing my long-time subscription. The same is true for my subscription to Kalmbach’s Classic Toy Trains magazine, to which I am a charter subscriber, not that Phillips wrote for it but because its quality has plummeted into an abyss in late years.
My thoughts exactly. Within the past few months I have let MRR and TRAINS expire. MRR was just a continuing “rah, rah, rah” for its advertisers and very little of any critical reviews. I still read and subscribe to CLASSIC TRAINS, for now
The niche interest periodical is a dying breed. No matter the subject matter, all are a mere shadow of their former self. Most good writers find greener pastures. The publications are left with young kids who write for low salaries.
All dedicated interest magazines have always been shills for their advertisers. The internet provides for a much wider range of opinions.
We are no longer in an era where the only media outlets connected to our hobbies and pastimes, come in the mailbox once a month.
rrdude said:
“That‘s a poor mans excuse David. If it truly is “personal”, then that message should come from Don.”
What Mr.Lassen actually said was, it was a “*personnel”*matter. There is a big difference.
A columnist departing amicably will usually say farewell to his readers and wrap up any loose ends in the final column. That did not happen, and Mr. Phillips is probably smart enough not to burn any future bridges and saying as little as Mr.Lassen. I also will miss his column.
According to my sources at the Philadelphia Inquirer Don used to railfan with Bill Cosby at Frankfort Jct in the 1970s and would introduce Amtrak interns to Mr.Cosby while traveling on the “Clockers”.
I sometimes read the online columns/blogs of Wrinn, Frailey and in the past, Phillips. They don’t seem especially political. What do you think? You read a variety of forums.
Amtrak and most passenger transit systems get state and federal money yep politics…Private Freight railroads have congresionaly mandated PTC signal systems because train cars were ending up in peoples living rooms who lived next to the tracks-Yes Politics that goes with the sloppy soup of democracry.
Discussion on the topic here:
See page 5 of the July issue. Don’s column lasted a couple of months shy of 41 years.
Reminds me a bit of the end of the “Model Garage” series in Popular Science written by Martin Bunn, started in the July 1925 issue and ended in the June 1969 issue. No mention was made until over a year later when a new story was published, and one or two more were published with the last in 1972. Good to see some note on Don’s column in the latest Trains.
Thank You.
Kinda a cheap shot at Malcolm. Yes, he’s a bit of a bright-eyed optomist. But, his head and heart are in the right place. At the very worst, he’s trying.
What about you? How about tossing your ideas out for how to improve passenger rail service in the US and letting us have a shot at your ideas?
So do I. He KNEW cars.
Then your day just became brighter…
And I miss Uncle Tom McCahill from Mechanix Illustrated. He was the man!
The problem these days is that EVERYTHING runs on the computer(s). Your timing light and dwell meter have been mostly consigned to the dust bin.
Bought a 2017 Ram pickup - turn the key and there is a delay between the key hitting the starter segment and the starter actually turning over. Computer is interrogating the ‘system’ to see if it is OK to start the engine.