UP Tightens Security

Union Pacific Tightens Security Following
Terrorist Attacks

OMAHA, September 11 -- Union Pacific Railroad is tightening security across its system following this morning's terrorist attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C.

A command post has been opened in the Harriman Dispatching Center and security is being increased along Union Pacific main lines and at bridges, tunnels, and other infrastructure. Railroad police are also limiting access to employees only at centralized computer and communications centers, as well as office complexes around the system.

Access to terminal and yard facilities will be limited to employees and to only those non-employees necessary to pick up and deliver customer freight.

"We have a responsibility to keep our nation's vital rail-transport link open," said Dick Davidson, Union Pacific Corporation Chairman and CEO. "That means we will continue to do business in the safest, most responsible manner possible. We'll continue to accept freight and serve our customers at all Union Pacific facilities while we're enhancing security."

"We express our heartfelt sympathies to today's victims of terrorism and to their families and friends," Davidson said.

What does this mean for Railfans? For the time being, stay away from Railroad Property if possible. There is the possibility that our typical activities around the Right of Way could be viewed as a potentially dangerous situation. I would recommend waiting for things to cool down before resuming regular railfan activities, as crews will be likely instructed to report all activity they observe along their routes. Hopefully, in time, things will return to normal...

 

You Betcha fellas! Down here, if you try to take photos around the trains, airports, freight truck terminals etc, the police will arrest you, confiscate your camera, film, and you will be in DEEP doodoo until, and unless you can PROVE you are a U.S. Citizen and had an ACCEPTABLE reason to be there when you were arrested. The ACCEPTABLE part is the clinker the way tempers are going around here right now. We are almost under Marshall Law what with American Airlines Office here as well as The Air Base, Aircraft manufacturing companies, and all the high tech legos we make here. Texas cops are naturally unkind to those who they have to deal with, because so many people have shot at them without warning, and fingers are itchy.

BE WARNED!!!!

 

<blockquote>quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Eagle2:
Guys, don't get too carried away here. Let's remember that an act of war was committed on our soil not 2 days ago.

On a side note, I'm IN the military and it took me 3 1/2 hours to get in to work today as opposed to my normal 15 minutes. Count your blessings.<hr></blockquote>

Thanks for your post, which highlights the point I was making. Our lives have been changed by what has happened, and this includes the way we are used to enjoying our hobbies. We need to be aware that activities that were harmless Monday, now may be viewed as suspicious (loitering near Railroad tracks). It is a small price to pay, compared to the price paid by those in New York and Washington.

Thanks again for the response, and thank you for serving our country in the Armed Forces.

 

Not wanting to be nitpicking at a terrible time of tragedy for many thousands of people (a relative of a close family member of mine is almost certainly dead), but it was an act of terrorism, not an act of war (war is between states, this was a despicable terrorist act by a number of individuals whose mental state to do this is beyond comprehension by normal human beings) and I am more than a little concerned at the continual newspaper headlines repeating "WAR" and the utterances of President Bush.

For sure, every resource must be deployed to find and punish those responsible and involved but this is a criminal investigation (albeit on a scale no-one will ever have envisaged or imagined possible) rather than preparation for war and I am concerned about articles detailing the military resources available to USA and allied countries and the possibility of indiscriminate strikes on other countries. Military action resulting in the deaths of innocent civilians in other countries would make those taking the action as bad as those who have carried out the original terrorist acts.

I apologise for using this forum to express my feelings but I do feelquite strongly about this and have become increasingly concerned at some of the utterances over the past couple of days.

I would also like to express my condolences to everyone who has lost someone or is suffering the agony of not knowing whether their loved one is alive and safe; something like this does put most of our leisure and casual activities into true perspective and I am sure that everyone who has to experience some mild inconvenience in their daily lives or curtailment of usual freedoms and so on will do so willingly to help all the authorities trying to maintain security and order.

Ben

 

Ben I agree with your viewpoint.

We who were born and raised in America really have no conception what average everyday life is like and about religious belief there is in the Middle East countries. Our history is entirely different and way more affluent than they even care about.

Since Bible times these people have been raised in terror and old world traditions without modern education in the humanities. Althou their Koran is against suicide, it is their belief that it is far greater to die for the will of Allah, or God than to endure living here on earth. They are taught from birth that they must suffer here on earth for yet a little while, then if they give their life in the service of God, they will be richly rewarded with pleasures beyond their wildest emagination.

So they have looked foreward to dying because life here means nothing to them. Because we do not believe the same way they do, we are seen as the Devil's deciples and are to be counted as less than dogs, and it is an honor to harm us or destroy us in anyway they can.

If we wish to help them by giving them money when some disaster strikes, that is fine, but it does not change their belief in any way, form, or fashion, they are NOT greatful! They send their kids here to be educated, so they can understand where our weaknesses are, how we think, and discover the best ways to destroy us.

There are, as in any one ethnic group, what we would call, a few nerds that come along. Those are the ones you and I think are "good people" and who we deal with sometimes every day. Those are also the nerds to their own people, but are recognized as an excellent source of information to the homeland intelligence agents. These good people do not mean to do us any harm, because they have become "Americanized", so are neither hot nor cold.

We can not grasp the idea that they will party with you all night, and slit your throat as they get ready to eat breakfast, and not even bat an eye, nor think of you again. The Jap would at least spit or relieve himself on your body before he walked away.

They train their children to subvert, injure, and kill, right along with what we think of as education. You are way off base if you think the Japs and Germans were bad people, compared to the Middle East.

The middle East people are GOOD people who have been educated trained, and Believe, it is their sole purpose on earth, to destroy us, because we are the percieved Devil encarnate to them.

I am wasting my time.

You may someday remember.

You were warned,
but who really takes any warning seriously until after the plane breakes the glass window in your office? Then you say, well, he was correct, How about that?

 

UP E units and steam locomotives are currently not tracable (or so I have heard), and I also heard that any other units being used on a passenger special will not be tracable!?!

Happy Railroading!

Dane

[ 04 October 2001: Message edited by: BC Rail King ]</p>