by republic
Does anyone know if this is back on this year, or if it will ever be on again?
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republic wrote:Does anyone know if this is back on this year, or if it will ever be on again?Don't listen to Terminal Proceed. They ARE having a Harmon Open House! But it's a secret! So secret THEY HAVEN'T ADVERTISED ONE IN ABOUT EIGHT YEARS.
Otto Vondrak wrote:Don't listen to Terminal Proceed. They ARE having a Harmon Open House! But it's a secret! So secret THEY HAVEN'T ADVERTISED ONE IN ABOUT EIGHT YEARS.Hey, hey, hey, in an e-mail from MN last year they said they were reconsidering it on a year-to-year basis. They made it sound like will return when the finances make it possible. When that will be, nobody knows.
Trainer wrote:It's interesting how MNCR believes that during tough times they cannot afford to run railfan-focused events while Amtrak and others understand that they cannot afford not to.Comparing Metro North to Amtrak is comparing apples to oranges. That fact the both are railroads is where the comparison ends. Amtrak being a long distance carrier means the same people aren't necessarily relying on them the same way daily commuters rely on Metro North to get them in and out of Manhattan day in and day out. Don't get me wrong, there are those that do. But in all, it's a totally different type of ridership and operation.
RearOfSignal wrote:To say that the railroad should be more focused on railfan events when its employees are being killed on tracks and trains are derailing and side-swiping and the tracks are in abysmal condition is crazy.Well said.
alewifebp wrote:Perpetually underfunded SEPTA does have a limited invitation open house. It seems to be primarily an event for employees, and they let some railfans come along for the ride, so to speak. If you are creative about it, it is possible, even under funding pressures. It's understandable that MN might want to hold off on that right now. Alternatively, the opposite might be true. Show off the hard work and dedication that MN employees stand for is good PR.Commuters don't care about PR, they care about safe, clean and punctual trains. Railroads are like umpires in baseball nobody cares about them until they screw up, and when they don't screw up they don't get praised, people just say 'well that's their job.'
alewifebp wrote:Show off the hard work and dedication that MN employees stand for is good PR.Not to be a party pooper -- as I'd love to see the Open House return as much as any other railfan -- but there are plenty of other, cheaper ways for MTA to show off the work and dedication of its employees. The MTA website is constantly updated with photos and videos of workers maintaining tracks. Even though it seems the subway gets most of the attention, there have been full albums and articles devoted to Metro North.
RearOfSignal wrote:This is a working(sometimes) railroad, not a Chuck E Cheese for railfans.omg best quote ever. thank you.
Otto Vondrak wrote:I really like the "Rear of Signal" quote but I agree with all of this.RearOfSignal wrote:This is a working(sometimes) railroad, not a Chuck E Cheese for railfans.omg best quote ever. thank you.
Folks, the days of fun railfan events are over. This is a state transit agency, not Steamtown. Should the powers that be ever decide to resume tours or any facility, it would be delightful. But I think it's pretty much a dead issue now. Most of the folks who promoted those events were railroaders and they have all retired and moved on. Don't expect anything railfan-oriented to come down Metro-North's tracks any time soon.
-otto-