It seems to me to be worthwhile to discuss the following question:

If I witness and happen to videotape an incident involving a preservation-related rail movement which I think may be dangerous, even if it is only a "near miss", what should I do?

I think the answer is:

Bring it to the attention of the organization's ( railroad's) safety officer and share the tape with him. If there is no safety officer, try to bring it the attention of a senior manager. Give them your name, address, and phone number and be willing to speak further about the incident if they want to follow up with you.

Modern safety practice at large firms in the construction business and other industries with significant safety hazards recognizes that investigation of "near misses" is essential to reducing safety incidents. Employees are required to report near-misses for that reason.

So if you believe in preservation railroading and want to help it be as safe as possible, make sure that responsible management is aware of the incident. Even if it was reported to them internally, the tape may reveal that the facts are not exactly as reported by those involved. Or their investigation may reveal that there was no incident at all and no reason for concern. If management has the right attitude about safety, they will thank you for sharing you concerns with them.

I do not think it is productive or appropriate to publicize the incident or the tape. That just puts everyone involved on the defensive for no reason.

What do others think?

Pete Schmidt

The most powerful use of this board is to bring the rail preservation community together and share important information. Sharing photos and news is fun and interesting but learning from each other helps the preservation movement as a whole. Much can be learned from incidents, failed projects, and jobs well done. Keeping the focus of this board on learning is the best things everyone can do for the good of the cause. Sometimes I see things posted that I wonder about but I ask myself if there is a real need to "call someone out". If the video was posted by someone under a fake name, so what. I take away what can be learned and move on.

The video was sent around my by pm/email by a number of members and I for one did not see a need to post it on the board. It did indeed show that you can never let your guard down. Keeping things in perspective is very important. In the railroad business there is a responsibility for the safety of passengers and even bystanders. This is never to be forgotten.