Caltrain apologizes ...

[www.sfgate.com]

But this raises a question: is it normal to shut down the locomotive completely after a crash if there is apparently little equipment damage? Granted, it was going to take a couple of hours to get another crew out, and to clear the car wreckage, and inspect all and sundry. But for an occupied passenger train that ended up on the track and generally operational, why pull the plug entirely? You have 900 people & change in the dark, with no communication from the crew (which is gone) and no a/c (on one of the hotter days on the Peninsula). They can't get off (not at a station). So now what?

One would expect that at least "hotel power" would be left operating even if the traction systems must be disabled. Granted, if it was an unrebuilt F40 that would mean leaving the prime mover running, which perhaps is inconsistent with inspection protocols. But is it possible to shut things down for short times then restart when critical inspections are done? On hot days, this can be more than just an inconvenience for the passengers.

I've been on Amtrak trains with issues. On the trains in my experience they *did* keep the hotel power on unless they were switching (the time with the hotbox on the dining car...), and then only for the time when the locomotive had to be uncoupled for switching. If the train was intact and occupied, the lights stayed on. And yes, it did get hot inside very quickly after the a/c went off, even at night, in the Fresno area.