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What baffles me is how no one knew how fast he was going. We have GPS systems, I'm sure the train had a nice GPS map display showing all the tracks, switching locations, bridges, turns, etc... GPS will tell you where you are on the earth, how fast you are going and which direction. We also have radio /cellular communications back to Amtrak headquarters where their dispatchers are monitoring all the trains. So not only should the train engineer know how fast he is going and where heis train is, so should his supervisor back at HQ.
Lacking the technology of a GPS system, they should still have the old analog systems that monitor the RPM of the engine and the revolutions per second of the train engine's wheels, to indicate train speed.
As far as I know, they have none of the above. What they should have had is an engineer who is paying attention to the signage. Especially if he has run that route before and knows when to slow before the appropriate signal indicates to slow. I drive freight trains so we don't have to worry about passenger comfort by applying the brakes too quickly or abruptly. Passenger train drivers are supposed to apply brakes at an even pressure so you don't have passengers stumbling and falling while moving around. It also minimizes stress on the equipment.
I do know when approaching that curve, drivers allow the train to coast down to the appropriate speed setting. Easier on the equipment and passengers.
He applied the emergency brakes 5 seconds before the train left the tracks. All indicative he was asleep.
He took a voluntary blood test, I assume they could have forced. He made no statement, he should be fired and more than likely will be fired. 8 people killed and he doesn't know what happened.
There is no choice. He is a DOT certified worker. Like a truck driver, if they are involved in any accident, no matter where the fault lies they take a drug test. And the cell phone thing? That's not a choice either.
If this guy was looking at his cellphone and not paying attention to his job, this is going to be bad for anyone who works under DOT regulations. There will no longer be cell phones at work. They will be staying in your personal cars and that would suck.
There is no choice. He is a DOT certified worker. Like a truck driver, if they are involved in any accident, no matter where the fault lies they take a drug test. And the cell phone thing? That's not a choice either.
If this guy was looking at his cellphone and not paying attention to his job, this is going to be bad for anyone who works under DOT regulations. There will no longer be cell phones at work. They will be staying in your personal cars and that would suck.
When I drive my train, my cell is powered down and in my overnight bag. I don't even pull it out when we are directed to a siding and sitting there for an hour or more while waiting for the ever late Amtrak train, The Empire Builder, to go by. And that sucks since I drive oil trains and "Z" trains and those are time sensitive.
I had a conductor who had a habit of looking at his cell phone until I yelled at him that the next time he looked at it, I would grab it and hurl it out the window. I will not jeopardize my safety record for an irresponsible idiot.
As far as I know, they have none of the above. What they should have had is an engineer who is paying attention to the signage. Especially if he has run that route before and knows when to slow before the appropriate signal indicates to slow. I drive freight trains so we don't have to worry about passenger comfort by applying the brakes too quickly or abruptly. Passenger train drivers are supposed to apply brakes at an even pressure so you don't have passengers stumbling and falling while moving around. It also minimizes stress on the equipment.
I do know when approaching that curve, drivers allow the train to coast down to the appropriate speed setting. Easier on the equipment and passengers.
He applied the emergency brakes 5 seconds before the train left the tracks. All indicative he was asleep.
It does indicate inattention of some sort but, and I haven't been in the head end for almost 35 years, how often does he have to hit the dead man? If it's every 30 seconds then he wouldn't have dozed for that long. At 100+mph he was already in the dirt coming up to that curve, he just wasn't off the rails yet.
When I drive my train, my cell is powered down and in my overnight bag. I don't even pull it out when we are directed to a siding and sitting there for an hour or more while waiting for the ever late Amtrak train, The Empire Builder, to go by. And that sucks since I drive oil trains and "Z" trains and those are time sensitive.
I had a conductor who had a habit of looking at his cell phone until I yelled at him that the next time he looked at it, I would grab it and hurl it out the window. I will not jeopardize my safety record for an irresponsible idiot.
Awesome. That's the way to run a train. I'm a DOT worker as well, not railroad but utility. I work with guys who sit and stare at that stupid phone half the day or another guy who makes all his personal calls at work, even after he comes back to work after 7 days off. I'm afraid for the day when they finally crack down because for those of us who just use them to touch base with family ect...it's going to suck.
It does indicate inattention of some sort but, and I haven't been in the head end for almost 35 years, how often does he have to hit the dead man? If it's every 30 seconds then he wouldn't have dozed for that long. At 100+mph he was already in the dirt coming up to that curve, he just wasn't off the rails yet.
BNSF has a 30 second delay before the brakes are applied and as you know, once applied, you are not overriding it until its stopped. All our track is 70MPH max. Amtrak wants to go faster but BNSF is unwilling to pay to upgrade the track for just Amtrak. BNSF has their timetables set for 70MPH with enough slop set in for waiting in sidings and so on.
I don't know what the time delay is for Amtrak. I recall a train simulator that had Amtrak resetting the switch every 60 seconds. At speeds approaching 100MPH, that is too long an interval. So, yeah, I agree, he was in the dirt and behind the power curve before he left the rails. I still say he was dozing.
As far as I know, they have none of the above. What they should have had is an engineer who is paying attention to the signage. Especially if he has run that route before and knows when to slow before the appropriate signal indicates to slow. I drive freight trains so we don't have to worry about passenger comfort by applying the brakes too quickly or abruptly. Passenger train drivers are supposed to apply brakes at an even pressure so you don't have passengers stumbling and falling while moving around. It also minimizes stress on the equipment.
I do know when approaching that curve, drivers allow the train to coast down to the appropriate speed setting. Easier on the equipment and passengers.
He applied the emergency brakes 5 seconds before the train left the tracks. All indicative he was asleep.
So what the hell has Amtrak been doing with all the billions we give them? So my car, with a Garmin Nuvi, has more information about my driving than a train does, with hundreds of paying passengers????
From what I know, hitting the emergency brake has a delay, so for the first few seconds it locks the wheels of the train cars in the front, causing the rear cars to slam into the front cars. Going around a curve too quickly and having the rear cars slam into the front?.... no wonder the engine jack-knifed and jumped the tracks.
There is no choice. He is a DOT certified worker. Like a truck driver, if they are involved in any accident, no matter where the fault lies they take a drug test. And the cell phone thing? That's not a choice either.
If this guy was looking at his cellphone and not paying attention to his job, this is going to be bad for anyone who works under DOT regulations. There will no longer be cell phones at work. They will be staying in your personal cars and that would suck.
From what I heard, the speed limit for the straightaway was only 70 mph, and the turn was 50 mph. If true, then he was speeding for a very long time, and taking his eyes off the controls to look at his phone would not have been much of a factor at all, if any.
So what the hell has Amtrak been doing with all the billions we give them? So my car, with a Garmin Nuvi, has more information about my driving than a train does, with hundreds of paying passengers????
From what I know, hitting the emergency brake has a delay, so for the first few seconds it locks the wheels of the train cars in the front, causing the rear cars to slam into the front cars. Going around a curve too quickly and having the rear cars slam into the front?.... no wonder the engine jack-knifed and jumped the tracks.
Each car has its own air reservoir so when the emergency system is applied, all brakes are applied across the train. What caused the telescoping was the front of the train leaving the tracks with the rear telescoping into the front. Had nothing to do with the brakes. Amtrak has been spending money on new cars and motive power and bringing PTC (which is not the cure-all Congress would have you believe) on line. All the managers in the control center can do is advise the engineer but the engineer is ultimately in control and if dozing, is not in control.
BNSF has a 30 second delay before the brakes are applied and as you know, once applied, you are not overriding it until its stopped. All our track is 70MPH max. Amtrak wants to go faster but BNSF is unwilling to pay to upgrade the track for just Amtrak. BNSF has their timetables set for 70MPH with enough slop set in for waiting in sidings and so on.
I don't know what the time delay is for Amtrak. I recall a train simulator that had Amtrak resetting the switch every 60 seconds. At speeds approaching 100MPH, that is too long an interval. So, yeah, I agree, he was in the dirt and behind the power curve before he left the rails. I still say he was dozing.
A 30 second delay? Hmm, the person I heard from said he was a conductor for a passenger train, but maybe it was a light rail, or some other configuration. Freight train, passenger train, subway or light rail, maybe they all have different specifications for applying the emergency brakes?
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