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Re: The Investigation: Texting Might Not Be the Cause.
Author: Delay
Date: 09-25-2008 - 09:56
I think I've hit a nerve here. Seems like railfans are (justifiably) having a hard time with the notion that railfans might have contributed to a deadly crash. Perhaps there will be even more restrictions on railfans on or near RR property in addition to electronic communication. I remember my first cab ride when the local crew invited me to ride with them while doing some mainline running and road switching. I'd hate to deny that kind of joy to anyone but sadly that has been the direction we're headed.
To rebut these two responders: No one is preventing the NTSB from doing their jobs. I look forward to reading their professional account of this wreck. From an engineer's perspective I always want to know the root causes of these events. It helps me be a better engineer and helps me train the student engineers. There's nothing like pointing out a gruesome incident to hammer home the importance of obeying operating rules to the new hires. We can't bring back any of the dead but we sure can try to prevent future similar errors.
Some of us add our two cents to the discussion in the interest of making railroading safer. I train students all the time--I'm not about to let one or two classes pass by while I wait for the NTSB final report (usually about a year) to confirm suspicions. Without hanging the engineer I can tell others what the result of sloppy railroading can be. Maybe the guy had a seizure--I have no idea--but this wreck could be caused by allowing distraction (and I've seen that so many times) and failure to follow the vital operating rules (an approach signal and delayed within a block).
There's no need for me tarnish the reputation a brother engineer but if a cold hard look at the facts can save injury and lives in the future we have an obligation to examine this incident. I'll wait for the NTSB report before assigning blame but in the meantime I'll try to understand how we can avoid repeating this tragedy in the future.
Also, I don't care why the engineer was texting, railfan, gay or other. It makes no difference. If he was texting or chatting on a cell phone then that was wrong. I once had to pull the air on a student that was having an involved and unprofessional conversation while aproaching a meeting point. I had to tell him that controlling his train takes priority over everything--even a radio conversation with a chatty dispatcher. He could have, and we've all done it, told the dispatcher to wait until he wasn't busy.
T. watcher Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I agree. Let the NTSB do there job. What troubles
> me is the implication that train buffs (would that
> be you and me)may have caused the distraction. I
> tried to hire on with SP in the 70's three times
> . Each time I expressed how much I enjoyed
> railroading. Nothing happened. The fourth time all
> I said was I enjoyed traveling . I was hired. The
> point is there has always been a clear seperation
> between railroaders and buffs (foamers) Add in
> the notion that the engineer was gay and texting
> teenage boys . Well you know .........Its
> starting to sound ugly
To rebut these two responders: No one is preventing the NTSB from doing their jobs. I look forward to reading their professional account of this wreck. From an engineer's perspective I always want to know the root causes of these events. It helps me be a better engineer and helps me train the student engineers. There's nothing like pointing out a gruesome incident to hammer home the importance of obeying operating rules to the new hires. We can't bring back any of the dead but we sure can try to prevent future similar errors.
Some of us add our two cents to the discussion in the interest of making railroading safer. I train students all the time--I'm not about to let one or two classes pass by while I wait for the NTSB final report (usually about a year) to confirm suspicions. Without hanging the engineer I can tell others what the result of sloppy railroading can be. Maybe the guy had a seizure--I have no idea--but this wreck could be caused by allowing distraction (and I've seen that so many times) and failure to follow the vital operating rules (an approach signal and delayed within a block).
There's no need for me tarnish the reputation a brother engineer but if a cold hard look at the facts can save injury and lives in the future we have an obligation to examine this incident. I'll wait for the NTSB report before assigning blame but in the meantime I'll try to understand how we can avoid repeating this tragedy in the future.
Also, I don't care why the engineer was texting, railfan, gay or other. It makes no difference. If he was texting or chatting on a cell phone then that was wrong. I once had to pull the air on a student that was having an involved and unprofessional conversation while aproaching a meeting point. I had to tell him that controlling his train takes priority over everything--even a radio conversation with a chatty dispatcher. He could have, and we've all done it, told the dispatcher to wait until he wasn't busy.
T. watcher Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I agree. Let the NTSB do there job. What troubles
> me is the implication that train buffs (would that
> be you and me)may have caused the distraction. I
> tried to hire on with SP in the 70's three times
> . Each time I expressed how much I enjoyed
> railroading. Nothing happened. The fourth time all
> I said was I enjoyed traveling . I was hired. The
> point is there has always been a clear seperation
> between railroaders and buffs (foamers) Add in
> the notion that the engineer was gay and texting
> teenage boys . Well you know .........Its
> starting to sound ugly
