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I had earlier stated the head end was diesel-electric. I stand corrected. That line is electrified. Having never set foot in an electric locomotive, I can't comment what was installed in the cab.
At least you have experience and knowledge, whereas the rest of us are just throwing darts at the board here.
I'm wondering how the 106 mph was arrived at if passenger trains are to be "driven" smoothly. With only a few lightly loaded cars I might incorrectly surmise setting the power supply to ultimately attain that speed would give his riders quite the thrill below the beltline.
Not knowing how much torque is instantly available from what I would assume are fairly significant horsepower DC motors, and what power curve limits are built in, I'd be just shooting more darts into an already crowded board.
At least you have experience and knowledge, whereas the rest of us are just throwing darts at the board here.
I'm wondering how the 106 mph was arrived at if passenger trains are to be "driven" smoothly. With only a few lightly loaded cars I might incorrectly surmise setting the power supply to ultimately attain that speed would give his riders quite the thrill below the beltline.
Not knowing how much torque is instantly available from what I would assume are fairly significant horsepower DC motors, and what power curve limits are built in, I'd be just shooting more darts into an already crowded board.
According to the reports the speed increased approximately 36MPH (70 to 106) over a 1 minute period, you'd never feel that.
Brandon Bostian is a symbol of everything both right and wrong about Amtrak; most people who've never been exposed to the inside of the rail industry (I was, on Amtrak, and in the same area -- but was helped to recognize it wasn't for me); have no idea of the culture and mindset it engenders.
An operating railroader is tethered to his/her job. Until he/she can land a regular assignment, the call to duty can come at any hour of day or night, and the time a junior employee will be required to work usually falls on a weekend or holiday. That condition takes a heavy toll on family life; the divorce rate for railroaders mirrors that for police officers and others in high-demand occupations.
And as with just about any heavy-industry job, the fact that one can do things correctly for hundreds of times, but be noticed only if something goes wrong, tends to underwrite an obsessive-compulsive streak.
The initial report of "106 MPH" speeds might have originated, in part, from a misread of Amtrak's "Train Tracker" website; below is a link to railroad.net, which has a core clientele of people with greater familiarity with the industry (Link in question is at the top of Page 8). Note, if you will, some of the ridiculous oversimplifications by a supposedly-responsible media. (And admittedly, there is little doubt that the speed limit was exceeded -- but just how?)
The possibility of deliberate damage to the locomotive, and possibly, an impact severe enough to cause a blackout, is yet to be investigated, but having experienced a blow to the head from a mugging about 15 years ago (and not regaining full consciousness and memory until I was actually standing up and talking with a police officer) I can't discount the possibility of a similar event for the engineer, and it's possible the throttle was pushed forward during that time.
Whatever is discovered, it needs to be recognized that Mr. Bostian remained at the scene, accounted for the storage of his personal cell phone in a locker, as mandated, volunteered for drug tests, and has fully co-operated with investigators; this is in direct and disgusting contrast to Ricky Gates -- the engineer who caused a fatal collision while watching a football broadcast while on duty, and who fled the scene.
The single most disgraceful action I have witnessed in this media circus is the depiction of Mr. Bostian as what the more serious of railroad enthusiasts describe and deride as a "foamer" -- an overly-introverted person who presents himself as knowing everything there is to know about an industry which, for some not-fully-explainable reason, is attractive to the eccentric personality.
There are a large number of questions to be answered here and, as has always been the case in a highly concentrated, capital-intensive, and closely-watched industry, the central focus should be upon learning from the mistake and fine-tuning the mechanisms of safety.
But we're not going to get much help from "teenybopper" media personalities who don't discern all the facts, pander to insecurities, compress too much information into short sound bytes, and encourage the pursuit of scapegoats.
Last edited by 2nd trick op; 05-17-2015 at 12:04 PM..
At least you have experience and knowledge, whereas the rest of us are just throwing darts at the board here.
I'm wondering how the 106 mph was arrived at if passenger trains are to be "driven" smoothly. With only a few lightly loaded cars I might incorrectly surmise setting the power supply to ultimately attain that speed would give his riders quite the thrill below the beltline.
Not knowing how much torque is instantly available from what I would assume are fairly significant horsepower DC motors, and what power curve limits are built in, I'd be just shooting more darts into an already crowded board.
The traction motors supplied by electricity are supposed to give smooth increases in acceleration. So does the SD70ACe that I drive. Less stress on the equipment specifically the drawbar to which the couplers are attached. You can tell a good driver when he applies power, you don't hear the couplers crashing.
As long as there is electricity, you can advance the throttle to maximum and the unit will continue to accelerate until the traction motors are maxed out. I understand the pantograph collects AC power from the overhead lines and is converted to DC power by the motive unit. My diesel electric power unit uses AC power in the traction motors. The traction motors in my power unit are limited to the horsepower of the prime mover.
Brandon Bostian is a symbol of everything both right and wrong about Amtrak; most people who've never been exposed to the inside of the rail industry (I was, on Amtrak, and in the same area -- but was helped to recognize it wasn't for me); have no idea of the culture and mindset it engenders.
An operating railroader is tethered to his/her job. Until he/she can land a regular assignment, the call to duty can come at any hour of day or night, and the time a junior employee will be required to work usually falls on a weekend or holiday. That condition takes a heavy toll on family life; the divorce rate for railroaders mirrors that for police officers and others in high-demand occupations.
The initial report of "106 MPH" speeds might have originated, in part, from a misread of Amtrak's "Train Tracker" website; below is a link to railroad.net, which has a core clientele of people with greater familiarity with the industry (Link in question is at the top of Page 8). Note, if you will, some of the ridiculous oversimplifications by a supposedly-responsible media. (And admittedly, there is little doubt that the speed limit was exceeded -- but just how?)
The possibility of deliberate damage to the locomotive, and possibly, an impact severe enough to cause a blackout, is yet to be investigated, but having experienced a blow to the head from a mugging about 15 years ago (and not regaining full consciousness and memory until I was actually standing up and talking with a police officer) I can't discount the possibility of a similar event for the engineer, and it's possible the throttle was pushed forward during that time.
Whatever is discovered, it needs to be recognized that Mr. Bostian remained at the scene, accounted for the storage of his personal cell phone in a locker, as mandated, volunteered for drug tests, and has fully co-operated with investigators; this is in direct and disgusting contrast to Ricky Gates -- the engineer who caused a fatal collision while watching a football broadcast while on duty, and who fled the scene.
The single most disgraceful action I have witnessed in this media circus is the depiction of Mr. Bostian as what the more serious of railroad enthusiasts describe and deride as a "foamer" -- an overly-introverted person who presents himself as knowing everything there is to know about an industry which, for some not-fully-explainable reason, is attractive to the eccentric personality.
There are a large number of questions to be answered here and, as has always been the case in a highly concentrated, capital-intensive, and closely-watched industry, the central focus should be upon learning from the mistake and fine-tuning the mechanisms of safety.
But we're not going to get much help from "teenybopper" media personalities who don't discern all the facts, pander to insecurities, compress too much information into short sound bytes, and encourage the pursuit of scapegoats.
Another explanation is the throttle setting may have indicated the speed it will reach but it may have never reached that velocity when the cars left the rails. In my power unit, when I select notch eight, highest power setting, the top end speed will be displayed however I never reach that speed because I retard the throttle once the consist is in motion and I am at the speed limit of the track. So I have two speed indicators, the speed my throttle setting indicates and the actual speed of the consist. I always keep the those figures in balance adjusting for upgrades and downgrades. On down grades I use dynamic braking. In short, I place the reverser in reverse and apply power to uses the engine to retard speed on down grades. That way, the consists brakes are not burned out.
Bostian was an openly gay activist, according to sources: He posted the following:
In 2012, Bostian took to a rail message board to complain about improving rail safety.
“It shouldn’t take an act of Congress to get industry to adopt common-sense safety systems on their own,†Bostian wrote of the 2008 Metrolink train crash in Chatsworth that killed 25 people and injured 135 after an engineer ran a red stop signal while texting on his cellphone. That disaster prompted a national effort to develop positive train control to prevent similar disasters.
The openly gay activist also campaigned against California’s Prop 8 that banned the rights of gays to get married. He was very vocal about his support of gay marriage and actively sought out media attention.
“It’s kind of insulting to have to beg people for my right to marry,†he told The Midtown Gazette newspaper in 2012. “I feel like we shouldn’t even have to have this fight.â€
But many Twitter.com users reacted angrily to Bostian’s sexual lifestyle. Some users accused the government-funded Amtrak of hiring Bostian to fill a “diversity quotaâ€.
Some observers believe Bostian deliberately crashed the train in a narcissistic bid to bring attention to the need for rail safety improvement.
Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter called Bostian “reckless,†adding, “There’s no way in the world he should have been going that fast into the curve.â€
Part of the NTSB’s investigation into the fatal crash includes Bostian’s state of mind and his online presence on message boards.
Some suggest he crashed the train to bring attention to the rails and he was narcissistic in his online posting...
(The fact that he was gay did not crash the train---I realize this... but could there be some underlying agenda behind his activism and bringing attention to the media?)
I ran trains for many years, first for the S.P. and later, the U.P. Sorry about the font change; don't know how to fix it.
[SIZE=4] Fatigue is a big issue with train crews, and has been for quite some time. The railroad companies spin things to appear that crews are allowed plenty of time off, but that is far from reality. Train crews are mandated by federal law to work no more than 12 hours at a time, however it's not uncommon to sit in a siding fro 12+ hours waiting for a ride to show up. You are not allowed to sleep, read (unless it's the rulebook), or use your phone during your wait; it's called limbo time, btw. So, say I've ran my train from San Antonio to just west of Houston and the dispatcher puts us in a siding and we "hog out" (railroad lingo for working 12 hours) and tie the train down. We've worked 12+ hours and now we are sitting there for hours waiting on a ride. I've sat in a siding for 17 hours and several co-workers have sat over 24 + hours. Finally, your ride comes and the driver is exhausted too and can't drive any longer, so one of us has to drive (drivers work for companies contracted out to move rain crews around but are not governed by federal safety laws). We get to the hotel, log off duty, shower, eat, try to get some sleep and are called back to work in 12 hours. If I work 10 hours, I can't "kick" for 12 undisturbed, I'm subject to be called out in 6 hours for a train. Railroads allow a 2 hour call- so I get a call in 6 hours after tying up to be on duty in 8 hours after logging off duty. In addition, if I am 10 times out and rested, the crew callers can "roll" the board if my co-workers aren't rested yet. You never know when you'll be called and although railroads claim differently, on the U.P., if you lay off more than 3 times in a rolling 91 day period, you are written up. 3 violations and you're "fired." It takes about 6 months to get back to work and railroaders rely on job insurance to help with the bills.
The Amtrak engineer wouldn't stand a chance against the railroads and was smart, IMO, to retain an attorney so quickly.
Additionally, since the horrible accident in CA where a sub-contractor texting caused the death of 21 people, anyone caught using their phone while on duty, is fined $27,000 a pop. Certainly discourages phone use.
[/SIZE]
[SIZE=4][SIZE=4]
When U.P. took over the S.P. in 96'/97', a series of head-on collisions forced the FRA to make changes to the U.P. rest rules, however, the S.P. had it's own agreement with train crews that was hands-down the safest in recent history. Once the U.P. took us over, fatalities increased. [/SIZE] UP 4211, 5981, 6143, and 9186 were involved in a wreck on 22 June 1997 at Devine, Texas (MP 291.50, 32.4 miles south of San Antonio on the Texas Division's Laredo Subdivision line between San Antonio and Laredo). UP 9186 was lead unit on the southbound ZYCMX-21 (Intermodal, Yard Center, Chicago] to Mexico), with 62 cars. UP 5981 was lead unit on the northbound MLDLI-22 (Manifest, Laredo to Livonia), with 86 cars. The UP dispatcher at Omaha issued incomplete instructions for the proper meet of the opposing trains, resulting in a head-on collision that destroyed both units on the southbound (UP 9186, leading, and UP 6143) and two of the three units on the northbound (UP 5981, leading, and UP 4211). UP 5084 was the third unit on the northbound and was to be repaired. The collision took place on the railroad's bridge over Texas State Highway 132, with the resulting fire damage and collision debris completely blocking the highway. Two crew members were killed and two crew members were injured. Two trespassers, riding in cab of one of the trailing units were also killed. UP 5981, 6143, and 9186 were retired on 14 July 1997; UP 4211 was retired on 21 August 1997. See two photos of wreck site in Diesel Era, Sep/Oct 1997, p. 5. (see also Diesel Era, Sep/Oct 1997, Volume 8, number 5, p. 5; CTC Board, Sep 1997, Issue 227, p. 10; and NTSB report RAR-98/02)
On a trip to West Texas in 1996 after bring transferred down to the Lone Star State, Frisco Joe and I followed the Southern Pacific between Del Rio and Sanderson. Way out in the middle of nowhere, east of Marathon, is the siding of Haymond, an unremarked place on an unremarked piece of railroad. That is, it was until sometime July 25, 1994, when the location gained infamy as being the scene of a deadly head-on collision between two SP trains. An eastbound freight ran the switch at East Haymond, running into the westbound just about to head into the siding. Crew fatigue played a factor; the eastbound was facing the rising sun, and the crew's rest had been irregular and the train delayed leaving El Paso.
This was not too long after Sanderson was bypassed as a crew change for the long Del Rio-El Paso district.
In March the 1996, a westbound SP train passes a monument honoring the four railroaders killed. One couldn't help but get a chill realizing what happened here, miles from the nearest paved road, in the middle of the West Texas desert. And one also couldn't help but notice the monument was dedicated "to our friends."
[SIZE=4] I don't have time to search online for the head-on collision outside of Houston in '96, but the crews survived, thanks to one engineer's warning the other train that he couldn't stop the train. He had been forced out of Englewood yard (Houston) with a bad air test. Before departure, the engineer performs a required air test to ensure the air brakes function properly. If air leakage exceeds 5 pounds during a 3 minute time period, the brakes are subject to failure. In this instance,the West bound engineer reported the failure to the Yardmaster but was told to depart anyway. As he approached West Junction, heading to San Antonio (double track turns into single track), signals required him to stop the train in 4 miles to allow an East bound train to enter double track. The WB engineer, unable to stop the train, warned the East bound crew that he couldn't stop the train. Both engineers plugged (put the train in emergency) their trains and everyone jumped. The engineer of the East bound train told me he'll never forget watching the trains collide and lift up (picture two L's- ll) in the air. He's the only one that eventually returned to work. [/SIZE]
If you were going to make a bet between him or some 50 year old on their phone who are you betting on?
Neither one
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Bostian was openly gay activist...
