While watching the local news this evening I came across an interesting story. A retired Airforce pilot reported a supposedly unguarded parked train carrying over 4,000 short-ranged missles in Mid-town Atlanta. He called 911 and reported it and then the 911 dispatcher contacted the CSX dispatcher and told them it was a concern with “terrorists and all…” then the dispatcher said that it was in their yard limit so it was safe and they did call a CSX police officer to gaurd the train.“CSX did not seemed too concerned with the matter but the FBI and Joint Terrorism Task Force were… and now they have launched an investigation”(stated CBS news). When “CSX headquarters” were contacted, they responded by saying that they stopped the train because of mechanical failure with two of the locomotives. Later on, CSX police contacted the guy who origanaly called 911 in the first place and told him that they could have him arrested for tresspassing. Well, now there is an investigation because of the train being stopped “unguarded” for 7 hours. You know… the funniest thing about this whole thing is that during and at the end of the story it showed the caller and the news reported walking in the middle of the tracks, clearly tresspassing. So to sum it up, these people were reporting CSX for being “unresponsible” while tresspassing on CSX’s property ( and yes, it even had “NO TRESSPASSING” signs posted too!) [banghead]
I’ve often wondered if part of RR’s concern against tresspassers is rooted in what the tresspassers might observe (infractions, enviro violations, safety shortcuts, etc) while up close.
How did anyone know that there were missiles on the train?
Antigates that is a very poignant point you make. I don’t want to start a flame war but I could see a grain of truth in that.
They were on some kind of flatcar loaded on some kind of racks.
Does that yard have electronic surveilance? A couple of CN yards I’ve seen do. That’s not the same as a body by the engine but better than nothing…if someone’s watching it.
Go to this site http://www.cbs46.com/Global/category.asp?C=72710&nav=menu140_6 and it should be one of the top videos.
If I were CSX I’d arrest her or issue her a citation for trespassing. They have the video proof…lol.
You got to love the hypocracy of many (not all) news anchors and reporters. CSX is so evil for leaving a train where (they think) it is vulnerable, but yet they’re all ok (along with the citizen) for STANDING IN THE MIDDLE of the tracks! What if there was security, but it’s something that’s high-tech and classified; you just never know.
We had some gung ho clueless reporter down here make a big deal about a crew “abandoning there running train”. He saw the crew go off duty and leave the train idleing. They made it sound like anyone could just take off with it. I bet he felt like a real dip *** when the BNSF was contacted and they told the reporter it was standard operating practice.
I think it’s a pretty safe bet.
Even if the railroad is doing NOTHING wrong, there still is the chance that a covered hopper might be leaking flour, …some “do-goody good” moron comes tresspassing by, see’s it, calls the local haz mat squad, and at a minimum the railroad is now forced to prove that no genuine hazard existed. which only costs them money.
For every 10 of those, I’m sure there is one where sensitive matters are the reality, and people have the nerve to wonder why the railroads don’t want a bunch of goobers on their property with cameras? 
Anti…
Not just a grain of truth to it, but a fact.
As you said, when the general public sees some of the things that go on in yards, they think the sky is falling or something close to it.
Ever see a Argon car get shook up some?
It vents, a big, loud, white vapor cloud…which panics anyone not familar with the car or its contents.
Leaking tallow or grease car, they are sure we are dumping chemicals that will destroy the American way of life…not a one of them ever bothers to ask first, they just rush off all in a dither, dialing 911 as fast as they can.
And, they present a liability just by being on property…now, not only do I have to watch out for myself, my crew, and other yard crews, but I have to try and keep a eye on the tresspasser too, making sure we dont run over them.
Kick a car, and they come unglued…sure a horriblr accident has, or is going to happen…had all of these happen in the 10 years I have been switching.
Hey guys, I think I see some soap acid on the BNSF line…
They should have an interview with the CSX trainmaster about all the stuff they “supposedly” do wrong, and then at the end he goes, “Excuse me mam, but your on private property and subject to fines and possbile imprisonment” “As such, all videos shot on said property become CSX property…HAND IT OVER!”
Meanwhile, You quietly sneak up the lady with a locmotive so you are about 100 feet away. Shut the Genny field off, isolate your unit, center the reverser, fully apply the independent, then…FLOOR IT and TURN ALL THE LIGHTS ON BRIGHT!!!
Garuntee she never comes snooping around again.
Oh, add the horn for good measure, and the CSX guy can play up the part of a “High Speed Train!!!”
Also, I thought filming or photography of military trains was a big no-no.
The best security is the security you don’t see until you try to do something.
We pay for military trains and the equipment loaded on them, elect the people that deploy them…why can’t we take a picture of it and brag about them, they do on the news when they’re showing video of them going across the desert in a convoy at 50 mph, I’d think showing us headed for an enemy target live on the news gives away more secrets than a humvee on a flat car going through Podunk, MO. Don’t look now (insert Middle Eastern Country here), but the military train headed for gaurd camp in Wisconsin just rolled through!
CSX now has video evidence of at least four people trespassing on their property from that CBS video. They reporter said “its nearly 11 O’clock at night and we were able to set up our cameras and lights, no questions asked” she’s basically incriminating herself and suggesting that the railroad is unsafe because there wasn’t a csx police officer next to the NO TRESSPASSING sign to tell them otherwise. What would have happened if a train had come and almost hit them? I bet the RR would have been blamed for not stopping them.
Also in the report the CSX dispatcher said " its within our yard limits, so it’s pretty safe" the reporter said, they found the train nowhere near the yard itself. that makes that point useless.
I’m behind the railroad on this one.
Funny how our government insists that it MUST have the right to rummage through our homes without warrants, and wiretap our communications in violation of their own published protocols, in the name of making america safe, yet didn’t think it necessary to have a guard accompany a shipment of missiles.
That shows right there that their first priority is not in protecting the american people, but rather in protecting their own position in power over us.
Usual dumb yellow-press stunt to bump up circulation.
Just try to gain entry to any large city water treatment plant using tank cars of chlorine to treat greywater. You will discover that security will not let you set foot on the place even with a legitimate reason. They aren’t afraid of terrorists, they ARE afraid of activist journalists complicating their day.
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