Category: Editorials

  • YouTube link to Gene Skoropowski’s October 24, 2009 Speech

    Part 1 of three parts of edited highlights of a great presentation

  • Another Surfliner Meltdown On The Day Before Thanksgiving!

    RailPAC President Paul Dyson writes; Once again, at the busiest time of the year, the Surfliner service has fallen apart. 769, 12.30pm from LAUS, departed 5 hrs 30 minutes late. No southbound train from Santa Barbara all afternoon, over 200 people on the platform after the Starlight departed. According to eyewitness reports on Trainorders.com this…

  • We May Have Underestimated Mr. Boardman

    Editorial by Noel T. Braymer I know I was pleased that the new interim Amtrak President and recent FRA Administrator Joseph Boardman agreed to speak to RailPAC at our May 2nd 2009 meeting in Los Angeles. I and I’m sure most RailPAC members were very excited that he brought Brian Rosenwald with him to Los…

  • My October Train Trip Report

    By Noel T. Braymer October 12th found me with a day off, so I used it to ride most of the trackage in San Diego County. I particularly wanted to check out the lines of the San Diego Trolley which is planning a major overhaul as it nears its 30th anniversary on July 26, 2011.…

  • What happened on the weekend of October 24-25 on the Surfliners?

    Report by Noel T. Braymer Train 571 left San Diego on time at 10:35 A.M. from San Diego on Saturday October 24, 2009. But by the time the train got to San Clemente around 11:40 the brakes locked up on the Business Class Car bringing the train to a halt. This was just the start…

  • The Never Ending Battle for Truth, Justice and Rational Rail Service

    Editorial By Noel T. Braymer What rail passengers want is very simple. They want trains that are clean, comfortable, safe and convenient. Convenient means trains that run on time at times people want to travel and arrive at times they want to get to were they are going. Convenient means stations that are easy to…

  • The New Transportation Lobby

    Editorial By Noel T. Braymer I wish I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard someone on TV or Radio says something like “The Government can’t do anything right!” Life is never perfect, but we depend on many government services which generally work fine. An example of this would be indoor plumbing. These are…

  • Any Excuse Is Good For A Train Trip

    Report and Photos by Noel T. Braymer Recently I had a free Saturday afternoon. Since I like to go for rides and I always need more photos for the Newsletter it was a good time for a train ride. Metrolink has a weekend train that leaves at 2:10 PM out of Oceanside to Los Angeles…

  • Be Careful What You Ask For, You May Not Like It

    Editorial By Noel T. Braymer This August there have been many news stories about opposition to the construction of High Speed Rail in Northern California. This opposition has even led a Judge in Sacramento to order a revaluation of the Environmental Impact Reports for the High Speed Rail Project between Gilroy and San Francisco. There…

  • Our Crazy Transportation “System”

    Editorial by Noel T. Braymer Photo by Trevor Clarke The Coaster is the commuter rail service in San Diego County running from Oceanside on the northern edge of the county along the coast to downtown San Diego in the south. The Coaster serves downtown San Diego with good connections with the San Diego’s light rail…