This website has been archived from TrainWeb.org/potb to TrainWeb.US/potb.
The Latest Edition: October 21 — Perhaps the greatest disservice I have done to the appreciators of this website was to take a job with the railroad I cover. As many may well have noticed, the regularity of news updates, as well as the content, took a marked turn downward after I began my present employment.
This site was created with the sole purpose of providing information regarding the Port of Tillamook Bay railroad to all interested parties, with the hopes of attracting potential visitors, and enhancing the experience for those who chose to fan the line. It was never intended to be a subject of editorial control for any other parites besides the operators of this site.
The news section was created to fill the up to the minute void for information. It was a way of satisfying my own curiousity, and, as a journalist, giving the effort a familiar spin. My hope was that what was provided gave fans an interesting, personal view of the operations of a very unique shortline railroad.
The main crux with providing news from an inside vantage point has been the problem of disseminating too much information. Exactly how much is too much is a subject of debate. On one hand, you have the General Code of Operating Rules (GCOR), which states that a railroad employee is not to divulge any information regarding train schedules, operations, or other pertinent information to any unauthorized party. On the other hand, you have the Port, which by nature is a public body open to public scrutiny.
Juxtaposed between those two is the grey area of reality. Information which two years ago was included in this site without question could now be deemed to cross those boundaries. The potential jeopardy could be disastrous. Also, there is the possibilty of misuse of the information provided. These troubled times have driven that fact home.
Those arguments notwithstanding, I can trace one of the largest sources of personal frustration regarding my operating this site to the newsline. As I am working plentiful hours out here (and enjoying it thoroughly) I have had very little time with which to maintain this site. Many things - like updating the trackside guide, revamping the rosters pages, etc., as well as creating two new sites - have had to go on the back burner so I could generate news updates.
On average, the sizeable news releases that have come out lately have taken around an hour each to create. Scanning photos and editing them takes additional time. I feel that I have seriously cheated many of you by not editing up the content of the site and getting the information more current, but it has not been possible while I diligently tried to keep the news section current. The bottom line is that I do this as a hobby. No one sends me a paycheck for this. It's all for fun. Worrying about the news, and all of the baggage that comes with it, has taken all of the fun out of it.
In short, an overwhelming buildup of personal and professional reasons have brought about my decision to discontinue the news section of this site effective immediately. Most of you will notice very little change, as even the news hasn't seen an update since August. Also, to avoid any collisions in that grey area, all previous news postings have been removed from this site as well.
I believe that one of the strengths of this site is the description of the line in pictures. (The news section alone includes almost 100, and the site all together has nearly 300.) In the future, I hope to build on that by replacing the news section with a current events photo department. Submissions are always welcomed. It is also my hope that I can dedicate the available time to tackling most of the other projects that I had previously shelved. In the end, I hope that the Port of Tillamook Bay Railfan's Guide will emerge stronger, more complete, and provide a better overall service to fans of this awesome railroad. Thank you for your continued support.
Jody Moore.
The POTB News section, and its archives, are no longer available. We appologize for any inconvenience.
Questions or Comments?
E-mail me at potb101@netscape.net
