Protect Your Local Lakes, Conservation Lands, And Your Families

[JustinK]

Hello All,

There has been a recent proposal to just have one person, the engineer, on each train. Big business is trying to cut out the conductor. This proposal puts our families, waterways, lands, and everyone we know at risk. I am posting this because I think it's a big deal and I personally don't want to take a chance of a 10,000 ton crude oil train derailing and blowing the whole area to smitherines.

Also, The tragic accident in Lac-Megantic, Quebec, Canada could have been avoided if two people were working on this train. Two crew members are IMPERATIVE for safe train operation; 47 lives were lost because of corporate greed.

That's why I signed a petition to The United States House of Representatives, which says:

"HR 3040 mandates two person freight train crews."

The link to the petition is posted below:

http://petitions.moveon.org/sign/support-hr-3040?source=s.fwd&r_by=11086846

As of now, the petition has received 20000+ signatures! To really make a difference, we need a lot more people to join in. Please share this petition with all of your family and friends.

Click here to share it on Facebook:

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Then, forward the email above to everyone you know.

Tight lines and thanks for everyone who supports this petition!!

Sincerely,

Justin

[Chief Grey Bear]

To say the tragedy in Quebec could have been avoided if a crew of two were on the train is disingenuous. The person in charge of that train did not follow the rules. He himself took a shortcut and did not properly secure the train.

Well over 99% of railroad accidents are not human caused so to speak. There are relatively few accidents of trains running into one another causing devastation. Most are traced to track conditions, poor train handling or equipment failure.

And it doesn't matter how many people you have on the train.

There is not much difference between one person on a train and one person in a semi truck.

Other than trains can't go just anywhere and they are not running up and down your freeways.

But make no mistake, I am no fan of this either. It is the UTU and the BNSF that are going to force this. I really don't see it happening though.

[JustinK]

The engineer in Quebec tied a sufficient amount of handbrakes. It has been discovered in the investigation they performed. What happened is that he was unable to perform a proper brake release test to see if the train would roll. Eventually, the air bled off of the cars and it went rolling into town. A conductor now ties all hand brakes and stays out bye the train while the engineer in the cab does the brake test to ensure it doesn't roll. There are many reasons there should be two men on the train at all times. I am a conductor, I know what goes on. There have been several times things could have gone wrong if there weren't two sets of eyes, two brains, and two mouths in that train. What if the engineer is running solo and has a heart attack, becomes unconscious, chokes on food, or whatnot? If there is another human in that cab, the chances of his survival are greatly increased. If he is alone, the dispatcher would not know anything of what is happening and probably won't for another 30 minutes to an hour. By then, he is more than likely dead while the train is running by itself. I have grown up in a railroad family and I now work on the railroad. It is common sense to have more than one qualified person on each train at all times. There is too much at risk. If you believe otherwise, then come with me to work for a week and witness everything that could go wrong on a 10,000+ pound crude oil, or any train in that matter, running down the rails.

[Chief Grey Bear]

The engineer in Quebec tied a sufficient amount of handbrakes. It has been discovered in the investigation they performed. What happened is that he was unable to perform a proper brake release test to see if the train would roll. Eventually, the air bled off of the cars and it went rolling into town. A conductor now ties all hand brakes and stays out bye the train while the engineer in the cab does the brake test to ensure it doesn't roll. There are many reasons there should be two men on the train at all times. I am a conductor, I know what goes on. There have been several times things could have gone wrong if there weren't two sets of eyes, two brains, and two mouths in that train. What if the engineer is running solo and has a heart attack, becomes unconscious, chokes on food, or whatnot? If there is another human in that cab, the chances of his survival are greatly increased. If he is alone, the dispatcher would not know anything of what is happening and probably won't for another 30 minutes to an hour. By then, he is more than likely dead while the train is running by itself. I have grown up in a railroad family and I now work on the railroad. It is common sense to have more than one qualified person on each train at all times. There is too much at risk. If you believe otherwise, then come with me to work for a week and witness everything that could go wrong on a 10,000+ pound crude oil, or any train in that matter, running down the rails.

Bull!

If a sufficient amount of handbrakes had been applied, the train would have never moved!

You show me where in the investigation it says that a sufficient amount of handbrakes were applied and the train still rolled away!

Don't even to sell me that line of crap. Not only was I in train service for well over a decade, I used to investigate derailments also!

Do you have any stats on how many lives have been saved from choking and heart attacks in the cab? NO!

Look, I'll say it again, I am against this but don't try and blow smoke up the publics butt either.

Who do you work for? From your posting you sound like a railfan not a rail!!!

[Guest]

deleted

[Jerry Rapp]

I think common sense would say at least 2 people. Heart attack, stroke, seizure by a lone train engineer would lead to a very tragic ending no matter where the train was.

[Chief Grey Bear]

Yeah it does. But that is how capitalism works.

So where were you two and kid wonder when they took the engineer out of the cab and stuck a remote control pack on the conductor

that has never operated a locomotive??

Plus just so you two are aware, there will be very limited territory that this could even be done on even if it were to come about. Which is years away at best. This will only be in CTC territory that also has PTC.

And as more info, all locos are currently equipped with alerters. If there has not been any contol movement by the engineer, ie, blowing horn, a service or independent brake application, dynamic braking operation or trottle movement in the last 30 to 60 seconds, depending on RR, an emergency application of the brakes will occur if the engineer fails to acknowledge the alerter.

[jdmidwest]

So what happened here? 2 trains on the same track hit head on. I have not seen any more as to why they were on the opposite track heading towards each other. Seems like there may be some safeguards missing somewhere.

http://www.aol.com/article/2014/08/17/2-dead-2-hurt-in-arkansas-freight-train-collision/20948143/

[Chief Grey Bear]

The investigation is not complete.

But what we do know is there were two employees in each loco.