Re: Railroad "Investigator" Comments-Target Audience.....
Author: ex-BN
Date: 12-24-2017 - 10:35
BOB2 Wrote:
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>
> I did have those sixty demerits for
> insubordination, for telling HMC to GFHS, when he
> wanted me to take that train out of West Colton,
> with a bad order pressure maintaining valve.
>
I'd call that a badge of honor. Insisting on safety despite threats from those charged with ensuring safe operations.
One more point about the alleged lack of training. Did any engineer complain that they didn't feel comfortable operating a train on that segment and request more trips? And would an engineer that wasn't properly familiarized operate at 79mph on track he didn't feel comfortable on? He had to know there was a 30mph somewhere out there. Why barrel along at 80 per not knowing where it was exactly? This really does take the wind out of the law firm's suggestion that training was at fault. I was once tasked with running a train on a section of track where the signals and some control points had been significantly altered since my last trip. Since I knew the grades and curves well I said I could run along on clear blocks at track speed (60) but if I got a yellow I'd slow down and "find" the next signal. This isn't rocket science after all. Let's wait to get the facts before hanging the engineer. Consider all our comments to be hypothetical.