OPRRMS wrote "My understanding is that Sanchez had a clean discipline record." Well, quite possibly -- I read on another board that Veolia/Metrolink crews had essentially dropped the practice of calling signals. This is borne out by I believe a report in the LA Times that immediately after the Chatsworth tragedy, Veolia sent out an internal memo saying that crews really ought to be calling signals after all.

So we have what by the accounts that get into these kinds of discussions a system-wide laxity over calling signals. Can't see any other good explanation -- the flashing yellow and the yellow prior to the stop at Chatsworth weren't called, for instance. Both Sanchez and the conductor were in violation of that rule.

Now, if this were a general thing, OPRRMS, wouldn't a supervisor out on the road notice it on his or her radio? Apparently railfans were completely aware of it on their scanners. Seems to me that lots of rule violations must have been going unnoticed -- so how could a lot of these guys help but have clean discipline records? I mean, just from the events of the past month or so, seems like guys on Amtrak and Metrolink both have clean discipline records, right up until they sideswipe a freight after not reducing speed at a yellow, or until they fail a banner test, or until they back up after running a red down in sunny Florida.

You've said they can't be everywhere -- but they gotta be somewhere.