Weekend Update 6/14/20

[LIRR]

[muktown128]

Doug - Sharp looking gondola, the wood floor looks really good.  Like the color variation on the wood deck.

[MK]

I was helping care for my father yesterday, and I found some old photographs at my parents' home that document my early interest in trains and model railroading:

Christmas 1973 (age 3 with my first train set):



Christmas 1975 (age 5 with a bicentennial set):



Heh, @wm3798 ought to appreciate the retro goodness in those Tyco trains sets. 

Thanks, Santa!
DFF

I see you were an atypical kid.  You didn't play with the boxes and left the trains alone. 

[DKS]

[davefoxx]

Hahahahaha!!!  I love it!

DFF

[Ed Kapuscinski]

http://www.therailroadpolice.com/photos-1

Can I ask that we chose a slightly less politically charged, or less time deaf, image?

There are lots of people who think the militarization of the civilian police force is not a great thing, and I have a feeling a nicer of them are on the forum here.

[jpec]

Those Tyco sets with the single powered truck...started many a young person on a long journey in his hobby.
Thanks for sharing, Dave.

Jeff

I was helping care for my father yesterday, and I found some old photographs at my parents' home that document my early interest in trains and model railroading

Heh, @wm3798 ought to appreciate the retro goodness in those Tyco trains sets. 

Thanks, Santa!
DFF

[CBQ Fan]

Can I ask that we chose a slightly less politically charged, or less time deaf, image?

There are lots of people who think the militarization of the civilian police force is not a great thing, and I have a feeling a nicer of them are on the forum here.

Unless it is an inaccurate representation it is what it is. I for one was surprised that railroad police would have to be equipped this way. Makes we want to understand the why more.

[wazzou]

Unless it is an inaccurate representation it is what it is. I for one was surprised that railroad police would have to be equipped this way. Makes we want to understand the why more.

Probably due in large part to the organized theft of electronics and other goods from containers near ports.

[basementcalling]

Probably due in large part to the organized theft of electronics and other goods from containers near ports.

I was also thinking post 9/11 response to possible terrorist strikes on infrastructure or hazardous cargo shipments.

[wazzou]

I was also thinking post 9/11 response to possible terrorist strikes on infrastructure or hazardous cargo shipments.

Certainly that too.

[John]

A friend of mine is/was a member of this team.     Here is why CSX has a SWAT team .. the whole article is worth reading


https://www.army.mil/article/21501/csx_teaches_interdiction_to_rapid_response_teams

The CSX Railroad Corporation developed a rapid response team after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and subsequent incidents involving trains throughout the world. There have been 438 incidents on passenger trains resulting in 1,200 fatalities since then.

While there have been no attacks on U.S. trains, CSX understood the best time to prepare is before an attack, not after.

As the largest carrier of hazardous material in the country and the owner of more than 21,000 miles of rail lines in the eastern U.S., CSX trained its own rapid response team.

"We learned from the best assault police in the world - the Germans," said J.T. Ison, a CSX policeman, member of the RRT, and a team leader for the three-day training.

Thomas Kroll, a former German officer with the SEK - the German equivalent of an American SWAT team - is now a permanent member of the CSX RRT.

The CSX mission has expanded to include a tactical rail interdiction training program. The program is counter-terrorism training specifically designed for "tubular targets," that is, those with long bodies and narrow access, like trains, airplanes, and school buses. Further, the training is offered to other agencies without cost.

"Our goal is to train all the metro police departments in the U.S. ," said Courtney Cooper, another team leader and member of the CSX RRT. "We want to teach them how to assault and neutralize trains."

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[Maletrain]

Compared to the old days: (from link)
[ Guests cannot view attachments ]

[Tom Todd]

Yeah, those were the old times.  Not what we have today.

[Point353]

Can I ask that we chose a slightly less politically charged, or less time deaf, image?
There are lots of people who think the militarization of the civilian police force is not a great thing, and I have a feeling a nicer of them are on the forum here.

You should be glad that they're there to help prevent container loads of model trains from being pilfered while on their way from a west coast port to MBK.