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Re: Another UP Trainning video - Getting off on the Right Foot. I don't think they can show this today....
Author: BOB2
Date: 11-14-2018 - 12:51
UP had a series of serious accidents with newly hired young head switchmen and brakemen, over about three year period, and LA for a small part of the UP's workforce, had a large share, including a young railfan turned rail, that I knew personally.
While this is a hoot to watch, from the perspective of the pratfalls, and slapstick, it is also teaches some valuable lessons.
Poorly trained "green" hires during those years, were some of the scariest new people I ever worked with (including myself in this category, as well...) were railfans turned rails in the first 90 days of service, before their first "f#$k up", and first ass chewing by Road Foreman of Engines Roberts.
A booming economy back in the late 60's and early 70's, and the beginning of a gradual "wave" pre WWII and WWII date folk retiring, caused a huge demand for new hires, and a lot of "learning from mistakes", due to poor or in reality no real training (basically fill in the BOR, take your student trips, show them to the RFE, and mark up....). And, there were folks who paid a steep price for that poor training in severe injuries, and carriers who paid a steep price for that poor training in FELA cases they lost.
We railfans turned rails all thought we know what this choo-choo stuff was all about, because we've be watching it for years, and had our first switch key at 14, and threw the switch for Shack a few times on lazy summer afternoons, at the Arcadia team track.... Non railfans were rightly scared to death, because they weren't sure what they were doing,, it all seemed like confusion going on around them, and would generally listen to those who did know what they were doing.
And, yes, I've seen almost all of those pratfalls, including by those likely to have been in various states of intoxication, it is scary. Had a guy with a bum knee, and he made a perfect catch on the fly, and his knee gave out, and he slid from my view under the car, as I plugged the cut. He had deliberately fallen sideways and except for knee surgery, for the underlying condition, was relatively unhurt. Another time, I was taking signs from a field man hanging on the side of a car making a long shove, when the choo-choo and the laws of physics decided it was time to leave the tracks and go merrily cross country, where a good grip probably saved his life.
They can't show this video today, because damn near half of what they're telling you, is no longer permitted. And, no being an unsafe dufus, has nothing to do with being "a little bit pregnant" (boy that one would fly like a lead balloon, in our PC world today...). I saw lots of fools who played the odds, and 95% of the time, they even got away with it. I was the other 5% that created 95% of the "problems".
What is great about this training film, besides the pratfalls, is the great shots of East LA in 1972, in as age when "pig train" still meant trilevel stock cars of squealing "raw material" to make ham and bacon at Farmer John.
Safety is of the first importance, obedience to the rules is required.
While this is a hoot to watch, from the perspective of the pratfalls, and slapstick, it is also teaches some valuable lessons.
Poorly trained "green" hires during those years, were some of the scariest new people I ever worked with (including myself in this category, as well...) were railfans turned rails in the first 90 days of service, before their first "f#$k up", and first ass chewing by Road Foreman of Engines Roberts.
A booming economy back in the late 60's and early 70's, and the beginning of a gradual "wave" pre WWII and WWII date folk retiring, caused a huge demand for new hires, and a lot of "learning from mistakes", due to poor or in reality no real training (basically fill in the BOR, take your student trips, show them to the RFE, and mark up....). And, there were folks who paid a steep price for that poor training in severe injuries, and carriers who paid a steep price for that poor training in FELA cases they lost.
We railfans turned rails all thought we know what this choo-choo stuff was all about, because we've be watching it for years, and had our first switch key at 14, and threw the switch for Shack a few times on lazy summer afternoons, at the Arcadia team track.... Non railfans were rightly scared to death, because they weren't sure what they were doing,, it all seemed like confusion going on around them, and would generally listen to those who did know what they were doing.
And, yes, I've seen almost all of those pratfalls, including by those likely to have been in various states of intoxication, it is scary. Had a guy with a bum knee, and he made a perfect catch on the fly, and his knee gave out, and he slid from my view under the car, as I plugged the cut. He had deliberately fallen sideways and except for knee surgery, for the underlying condition, was relatively unhurt. Another time, I was taking signs from a field man hanging on the side of a car making a long shove, when the choo-choo and the laws of physics decided it was time to leave the tracks and go merrily cross country, where a good grip probably saved his life.
They can't show this video today, because damn near half of what they're telling you, is no longer permitted. And, no being an unsafe dufus, has nothing to do with being "a little bit pregnant" (boy that one would fly like a lead balloon, in our PC world today...). I saw lots of fools who played the odds, and 95% of the time, they even got away with it. I was the other 5% that created 95% of the "problems".
What is great about this training film, besides the pratfalls, is the great shots of East LA in 1972, in as age when "pig train" still meant trilevel stock cars of squealing "raw material" to make ham and bacon at Farmer John.
Safety is of the first importance, obedience to the rules is required.
