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2 Trains Derail I I By MARIA .NEWMAN RIDGEWOOD, N.J,. March 29 - Not all the attention was positive. Some callers toW organizers that they wanted to repeat the ev^t again next year. Theesramittee o o o they were giving the impresston that planned the event is to meet TuesdW c Within 5 Days T I rhard and Jenny Breintog and leir children were lighting candles uesday night at their home here, Ridgewood does not usually care about its families, so it has to set to discuss the next step in what bers sec, as consciousness rawn| 3 CD

By RONALD SMOTHERS B- g ashbulbs went off, a newspaper re- aside a special day for them. On about how a family should apportioi CNN’s “Crossfire,” one host, Robert its time. । NEWARK, March 29 - A freight g jrter furiously scribbled notes and Novak., found it absurd that ft took train derailed in Jersey City this ' le blazing lights of a television cam- “Some people think it should such effort to come up with a single least three times a year,” Ms. Marfa” morning ~ the second derailment in t "a upstaged the tiny flames. night when everyone couW pencil in ft. •A said. “A lot of parents told us ^ey five days at the same spot — and I "Yoh would have thought we were a few hours to devote to family. Conrail police said that vandalism tamining the Shroud of Turin,” were really surprised and impressed “How ludicrous is it for these peo­ by how much their kids liked having, might have caused both incidents. irs. Breining said. ple to sit around for seven months,” There were no injuries, damage to I In fact, they were doing something he said, “to pick one night, just one their undivided attention.” * the tracks or hazardous-material J I much more prosaic; preparing a night, where everybody goes home? Some people dragged out the spills in the derailments, each of I I family dinner, an event that appar- ily photo albums and laughs which sent up to a dozen freight cars ■ ntly has become so rare m modern old pictures. Some played card' tumbling down the same embank­ .merica that to have one is big news. games like Uno, while others roas^,- I Tuesday was Family Night in Ridge- ment near the Newark Avenue tres­ tle of the Conrail tracks. Associated Press j wood, a night ill whtch families were ■ oedia spotlight marshmallows in their fireplaces,, Many fathers and working mothers “Both circumstances were strik­ A firefighter near a derailed train in Jersey City on Monday. A second | encouraged to set aside their hectic ingly similar and there is nothing to train derailed yesterdav in the same spot. Conrail suspects vandalism. I schedules of lacrosse practice and on parents relaxing for the entire family to sit down, tf. made a point of getting home in tiiBS. I book dobs and Girl Scout nieettogs suggest that theft was the motive,” said James McGeehan, a spokesman cars of the train loaded with freight. . , , I to engage instead in activities — any with children. dinner, some over candlelight. ... ' The idea for a family night was for Conrail, which is investigating summoned from as far away as activities - that would get famUy borrowed from Wayzata, a suburb of. the derailments. “It just looks like A computerized system alerted the Pennsylvania to remove and right members to talk with one another. Minneapolis, where parents abo felt malicious vandalism.” locomotive operator to the problem, the derailed cars. Organizers will not know, until Mr. McGeehan said the tratas they conduct a survey, exactly how Isn’t that silly?” that family time was getting tet. He said that because of the height­ and then automatically triggered an But one of his guests, Genevieve One of the organizers there, Barbara ened security growing out of the emergency braktog procedure. were going slowly enough that some­ many families took part in the event, The sudden stopping of the train, one “could have jumped it” and but it attracted nationwide attention. Wood of the conservative Family Re­ Carlson, said they continued Sept. 1.1 terrorist attacks, the freight search Council, said the event was calls from coinmuBities interestefi, io carrier had notified the Federal Bu­ which was moving at about 20 miles caused the damage that triggered Residents were interviewed on proof that Ridgewood was net the holding similar events. “ reau of Investigation about each de­ per hour on the River Line South en the derailment. Someone could have NBC’s “Today” show and ABC’s only community where parents felt railment — something he said it route to Camden, caused the freight also boarded the train as it stopped “Good Morning America,” and In New Jersey, the town of Ber|8B- cars to go off the tracks and down the for one of the many signals along the quoted in USA Today. And they plan so pressured to provide children with fteld, inspired by neaAy RWgew&i,. would not ordinarily have done. as many organized activities as pos­ Special Agent Sandra Carroll, a embankment, where some were up­ route. Such vandaiism, he said, Is not to repeat Family Night next year — spread its family time over the'iV sible that they had limited time to tire week, and called it Timeout, jjge spokeswoman for the Newark office ended, Mr. McGeehan said. uncommon, especially as trains pass perhaps several times. just sit down together and talk. of the said the office was The other derailment occurred through urban areas, he said. “1 think it touched a nerve to our of the organizers, the Rev. Stephc|jX, awaiting additional police reports to about 1; 30 a.m. today when nine cars Investigators discounted theft as a culture, in our families,” said Marcia “If everybody was harming Family Giordano of the CBnton Avenuc K,.; . determine whether it would get in­ loaded with trash bound for a Virgin­ motive, noting that thieves are often Marra, a parent and manager of Night and it was extremely common, formed Church, said famiUes, volved in the investigation. ia landfill cascaded down the same very sophisticated and efficient'in community Initiatives for Children’s then why would it be making the him they wanted to repeat the eye#: _ natiftnal news and whv would ‘Cross- next vear.