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General Discussion
#1

I just got this email. Anybody know anything about it ?

June 12, 2009

Our Apologies

Earlier today our promotional team distributed a Father’s Day e-mail advertisement for our magazines, depicting a father and child walking along a railroad track. The photograph was highly inappropriate, and we apologize for including it in the ad. The editorial staffs of Trains, Classic Trains, Model Railroader, Classic Toy Trains and Garden Railways are dedicated to promoting railroad safety in all our efforts and we truly regret the use of this photo.

The Publishers

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Kalmbach Publishing Co. 21027 Crossroads Circle Waukesha, WI 53187

Copyright 2009 Kalmbach Publishing Co.

#2

It’s about sue-happy people and lawyers…

Regards, Greg

#3

Ok, I just found the Ad ! I see nothing wrong with It.

#4

I guess some got their panties in a knot over this pic -

(http://content.mkt932.com/ra/4804/2009/06/4130349/sub1.jpg)

-Brian

#5

who would get upset about that picture. Kind of makes me wont to get merried and have kids. God knows my dogs arn’t going to get me anyting for fathers day.

#6

SAFETY…It seems you guys don’t get the point. IT IS NOT SAFE TO WALK ALONG RAILROAD TRACKS. IT IS NOT SAFE TO SHOW PICTURES TO THE PUBLIC THAT MIGHT SEEM TO PROMOTE WALKING ALONG RAILROAD TRACKS.
IT IS ALSO “TRESPASSING”…those tracks are private property.
It is even worse to show a father promoting (By way of taking his son) the act of trespassing on the private right-of-way, of a railroad.
If you don’t realize the danger involved…PLEASE, get yourself over to the nearest police station, and inquire about the local RAIL SAFETY PROGRAMME…you need it in the worst way.

#7

I understand that Fred. Just this past month in this area we had a high school kid get clobbered by a CSX freight walking along some tracks (they cut through the fence) and a 25 year old pregnant woman stopped her car on the tracks of a commuter line during rush hour. Somehow she survived relatively unscathed even with the crossing gate speared through her car - http://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/Miracle-in-Rockville.html

http://media.nbcwashington.com/images/600*328/050809+Rockville+Train+v+Car+3.jpg

Maybe that pic should have been dad and son standing at a station platform railfanning.

-Brian

#8

Well, they could at least have picked a railway line that looks like it’s abandoned instead of an obvious high traffic volume line with modern ties etc. etc. and … hmmmm what’s with the turnout lanterns and the peculiar signage, eh?

#9

People over analyze everything today.
How many times have we seen the picture of a father and son walking down the middle of a country road with fishing poles slung over their shoulder?
Or Andy and Oppie during the opening scene to the Andy Griffith Show.
The same quaint type scene they were probably trying to emulate.
Ralph

#10
Ralph Berg said:
People over analyze everything today. How many times have we seen the picture of a father and son walking down the middle of a country road with fishing poles slung over their shoulder? Or Andy and Oppie during the opening scene to the Andy Griffith Show. The same quaint type scene they were probably trying to emulate. Ralph
Thats todays society. Cant show or do anything without offending or getting a reaction from someone. Dont get me started on the political corect stuff. GRRRRRR. You cant even buy anything without a warning even though to most the warning is common sense. The sad part is we do this for the few stupid people in the world. How many times do you hear dont drive through ponding water because this will happen. What do some do, drive through the water. In my job I deal with the stuff all the time. I went to a week long High Angle Rescue Course and one of the big companies that makes the gear told us that no matter how many warnings they put on a product their is always someone who will find a new way to use something a kill themselves. Thus making that company put a new warning label.

Like Ralph said a father son walking down a rd with fishing poles. That could be just as dangerouse.

#11

Shawn,

Humour on:

Every product should be labeled “Caution, may imperil stupid people”

Humour off!

As the old German saying goes: “Gegen Dummheit ist kein Kraut gewachsen” (There’s no herb against stupidity)

#12

Andy and Opie would be ok, if Opie was shown wearing a helmet, elbow pads, and knee pads in case he falls down while walking, and they weren’t carrying fishing poles, which can take someone’s eye out, and have sharp hooks, and also promote cruelty to animals. Perhaps they could have been shown carrying biodegradable bags for collecting trash for recycling, thereby promoting environmental responsibility. Oh, and he should be wearing a HEPA mask; that’s a dirt road they’re walking on, and we need to be careful about the fragile child’s respiratory health.

I, for one, can’t wait for the pendulum to swing back the other way a bit. Seriously, though, the worst people for this are railfans. I belong to two diffrent lists, one in New England and one in North Carolina, and you should hear these people snipe at each other about perceived “violations” … they’re their own worst enemies. I have a photo that one day I’m going to scan in and put up on the site, that I took while driving on the ROW in Washington, MA … shows a train passing on the adjacent track (and you can see the hood of the truck I’m driving…) Thing is, I wasn’t trespassing… I worked for them at the time, but I can just imagine the barrage of abuse that would no doubt follow.

Matthew (OV)

#13

I have a theory - there was only so much common sense when the world was created. As more and more people inhabit this world, there is less to go around…Those of us here first got the most, each succeeding generation receives less…

You do have to look at some of the warnings and laugh and wonder “There was someone somewhere who actually did that…”

#14
Fred Mills said:
SAFETY.........It seems you guys don't get the point. IT IS NOT SAFE TO WALK ALONG RAILROAD TRACKS. IT IS NOT SAFE TO SHOW PICTURES TO THE PUBLIC THAT MIGHT SEEM TO PROMOTE WALKING ALONG RAILROAD TRACKS. IT IS ALSO "TRESPASSING"....those tracks are private property. It is even worse to show a father promoting (By way of taking his son) the act of trespassing on the private right-of-way, of a railroad. If you don't realize the danger involved...PLEASE, get yourself over to the nearest police station, and inquire about the local RAIL SAFETY PROGRAMME......you need it in the worst way.
Yes, and riding a bike is not safe, driving a car is not safe, running with scissors is not safe. Is walking along RR track more or less dangerous than using a circular saw? Or a ladder. Than cleaning your gtters? I mean, I agree it has some dangers, even though I was doing it when I was 8, but I doubt that statistically it's more dangerous than driving or using the stairs or the bathroom in your house, which are statistically the place where most accidents occur. Can we have a sense of perspective here?

Also it is indeed trespassing and that is indeed a crime. But really, can we have some common sense about it?

True Story: not long ago I was walking along the right of way with my daughter, age 4, to see a really big N&W consist that was waiting for a signal. We walked closer to the engine, the the engineer waved, and then tooted the horn. We sat down on a culvert to wait. Then the engineer got out of the train, and lo and behold it was a woman, and she walked up to my daughter and they had a little conversation and she said “you, know, a girl can grow up to be whatever she wants–she can even drive the big trains.” The she got back in the engine, the signal changed, and she waved as she went by.

This engineer broke all sorts of laws, and so did I. But she did not seem particularly worried about it. I would not trade the experience and neither would my daughter.

#15

Just remember sometimes it’s the perceived fear of litigation Whens the last time you had a cup of coffee and didn’t realize “Caution. Contents may be hot”?

#16

all warning signs should be outlawed. It would reinstate the natural selection processes. Our gene pool needs cleansing…

#17

I am so sick of Big Brother looking out for me!
The freakin Newsgirl on TV:

Wear your hat, It’s raining.
Wear your coat, it’s snowing.
Don’t swim in the river, it’s too cold and rushing.
Etc, etc, etc.

Crimeny! Am I a two year old!
I think that picture is wonderful.

F*&^% big brother is all I can say!

#18
John Bouck said:
I am so sick of Big Brother looking out for me! F*&^% big brother is all I can say!
Let's be even more politically incorrect and mention that Big Sister has a lot to do with it, too.
#19

OK…so some of you still haven’t got it, so…

Put your self in the cab of a locomotive, as an engineer, or conductor. You are moving along at anywhere from 20 mph, to 90 mph, and you see that picture in your windscreen…you lean on the horn…hit the brakes, but you know you can’t stop…just picture that…NOW IS THAT PICTURE AS CUTE AND CUDDLY AS IT SEEMED A MINUTE AGO…?

I know how crews feel after just such accidents…I’ve met some of them…some never are able to operate a loco again…

Too many of the railfan, and toy train community have no idea about rail safety, and some of the responses in this thread reflect that. The same goes for the people that go around the crossing gates…or race to cross in front of a train.

It is not about big brother....it's about common sense, which it appears is not in great quantities on this thread.   As it is often said...."Common sense is not very common these days".
#20

I know Iam going to get hell for this.

Fred if there so stupid as to not see or hear the train then maybe they should get taken out before they bread again.

My god its a fing picture showing a dad with his son. STOP trying to make it something it is not.

Now please forgive my roodness as I leave the room to go beat my head against the wall.