Last week, Amtrak's depleted board of directors fired the passenger system's president, David Gunn.

I of course am not impressed with this action, because I was impressed with David Gunn. I hadn't seen a negative thing about him in various profiles and the like, and although I'm not an industry participant, I figured him to be qualified for the job. Conversely, Norman Mineta had been pretty much on my 'losers list' over issues of airport security. Several watchdogs had caught Mineta in what were either considerable errors or outright lies in his public statements regarding Amtrak, and this reduced Mr. Mineta's credibility to zero in my eyes.¹

Anyways, there's a large brouhaha from Congressional representatives along the Northeast Corridor about Gunn's firing, and the best place that I can think of to keep track of it is Rip Track.² I'm willing to bet that Rip has dealt with Amtrak under Gunn's predecessor, George Warrington (now heading New Jersey Transit) as well, so some sort of comparison can probably be made. Rip has already commented upon working with Gunn's Amtrak; see here.

It probably goes without saying that I support Mr. Gunn's plans for an improved Amtrak, and do not favor the President's.

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¹ Not that my opinion of Mr. Mineta matters; he serves at the pleasure of the President, and I doubt that George W. Bush cares what I think.

² "The Northeast Corridor" is defined, more or less, as the ex-Penn Central line from Union Station in Washington, D.C., to South Station, in Boston, Massachusetts, and various States inbetween. Go Sox!

Originally, Washington-Boston service was a joint effort by the Pennsylvania Railroad and the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad. Both were components of the Penn Central merger; the New Haven arrived in 1969 after its creditors successfully sued for inclusion. Thanks for nothing, Patrick McGinnis.

Posted by: Country Pundit at 06:44 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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If you read Trains magazine (and you should), you're probably aware that in January 2005, Matt Rose, the head of the Burlington Northern & Santa Fe Railway Company, chose to retitle his railway. In the words of the ancient Crusader knight from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, he chose poorly. Mr. Rose and his board determined that 'BNSF Railway' was what the Fort Worth-based company needed to be named to answer the challenges of the new century.

Said Mr. Rose, ""BNSF has identified itself as progressive, vital, approachable and resourceful -- a strong part of the global transportation network. As we look to the future, we believe that our identity should reflect those core attributes. We are excited about this new identity as we believe it reflects our future as a leader in transportation service and innovation, as well as the growth of BNSF Railway and its contributions to the global transportation network".

Now, I'm not the smartest guy in the world, so I'm not exactly sure where one gets 'progressive, vital, approachable, and resourceful' from "BSNF Railway". If I were a shipper, I'd more probably think "trend-chasing, poorly focused, and wasteful" to spend what the BN&SF probably did to get this logo. (On the other hand, it wasn't as stupid as 'Verizon'.) Call me crazy, but I don't see how changing your name to 'BNSF Railway' reflects your place in the 'global transportation network'. Not that I really care; the only modern railway I care for is headquartered in Norfolk, and hopefully wouldn't do something so bone-headed.

Anyways, to make a long story short, the BN&SF has had approximately ten months to tell the world that it's now reflecting its place in the global transportation network with its new identity and yackety schmackety. Meanwhile, David Gunn has been fired, and there may be lawsuits over it. Amtrak stockholders are potentially involved here, and what does the New York Times call Mr. Rose's railway?

The Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway. Ha ha ha.

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Yes, this is probably a juvenile entry.

Posted by: Country Pundit at 01:12 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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The Superintendent of the Cold Spring Shops reminds me that SS Edmund Fitzgerald was lost with all hands on 10 November 1975. His entry was, of course, timely and contained informative links. See here for my previous entry, also made two days after the anniversary. Interesting.

Users of the Microsoft Train Simulator can sort of get in on the ore-hauling action (including delivering to ore docks with lake boats similar in appearance to Edmund Fitzgerald) by purchasing Michigan Iron Ore: The Lake Superior & Ishpeming Railroad.

Tip of the Wisconsin hat to the Superintendent.

Posted by: Country Pundit at 10:18 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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