Back in the old days when a crew was changed, the head end crew would board, get the train rolling and the train would slowly roll by the conductor and rear brakeman until the caboose came by and they swung on. When rolling the rear end crew may not have always been vigilant (I remember caboose crews reading as they rolled along) but the smell of a dragging brake or a hotbox would get their attention so that they would stop the train and inspect.

I wonder even if just how crew changes are done now contributes to the problem. The train comes in, stops and the crew's swap. With the monster trains the railroads are making now, how often does the relieved crew stay around to roll-by the whole train? Usually, they leave right away. I remember crew changes in Tracy where the outbound crew stood at the end of the platform and as the train slowly came by the head end crew swung on, relieved the inbound crew and the inbound crew dropped off before the other end of the platform. Same with the rear end crew. The train never stopped. When doing a crew change like that a roll-by comes naturally. Even if the guys are talking, they automatically watch for dragging brakes or shifted loads. You ended up having four guys doing a roll-by just as part of the operation.