Real trains, real physics, real accidents. How very sad for everyone, especially at this time of year.

Truly tragic.


"You can get killed just as dead by a museum train as by a 'real' one."
--- once said to me by the late William "Windmill" Young.

"You need to be careful around the cars and respect them --- they don't know that they are in a Museum."
--- what I tell my students/trainees.

railroad rule and use it anywhere else

stay at least 10 feet or further of any stationary car, engine, it could move at any moment.

It's really hard to get all of the facts from the news reports. Reporters often screw up the details badly. It sounds like he was caught between the moving train and some fixed object. One report said the train was empty and the other said there were 40 people on the train, one even reported he was killed in a train crash. The sad fact it that this volunteer, husband, and father lost his life.

On the bulletin boards of most Class One railroad crew centers, yard offices, etc. I've been to in the past decade or more, there has usually been, VERY prominently placed along with the bulletins, a synopsis of EVERY fatal railroad accident in the U.S. that can be reported upon. It lists the who, what, where, how, and why of every such accident, often in explicit detail. The synopsis ends with a reiteration of what measures could have prevented the fatality, and the work rules and regulations applicable. The more effective versions also have a photo and tell who the railroader left behind. Some railroads also post reports of disabling accidents, where a railroader loses a hand or leg, especially if it's on their own railroad.

The railroaders I know or have known have paid a lot of attention to these postings, and said "The guy you have to worry about is the guy who doesn't pay attention to those bulletins."

I would hope and pray that this article or a similar report on this accident, should it be made available, should be posted prominently on the volunteer/crew/etc. bulletin board, internal e-mail list, or whatever of EVERY excursion operation or any museum that has ANY equipment moving EVER. I fear, however, that some in our community will suggest downplaying it with the excuse of "dirty laundry" or "we don't want to scare away our volunteers)..........

This is what gets posted:

http://www.aslrra.org/images/news_file/SOFA_4Q_11.pdf

Subscribe, and make sure it is on your bulletin board.

Ah, yes, the SOFA reports! I love those. There's a lot to be learned from those reports.

I thought that the rule was 20' when crossing in front of or behind any equipment and to expect movement at any time. Makes no difference though as expect movement at any time is the key here.




[quote="dinwitty"]railroad rule and use it anywhere else

stay at least 10 feet or further of any stationary car, engine, it could move at any moment.[/quote]

We use the three-step tiedown procedure as well, before anybody goes between cars. Simple things will help keep us safe, but the biggest key to safety is constantly being aware of one's surroundings and not getting into a bad position.

We don't know what happened to this man, though. Did the operating crew realize there was any possibility he might be in in a bad spot? I would imagine not.

There is no point speculating- eventually, the true story will filter out and we can all learn and revise procedures if required. In the meantime it reinforces what I tell my crewmembers: "In railroading, there are no small accidents".

My condolences to the family, his friends, and fellow crew. They will all be a long time adjusting to this tragic loss.

Steve Hunter

Union Pacific produced a movie called "Getting Off on the Right Foot." The film showed a series of accidents that can happen when yard crews are not paying attention. A couple of classic scenes include a crew member riding the hand rails of a freight car while not realizing that the car is a approaching a close clearance of a bridge abutment or warehouse. Or the case of the guy using a coupler as a stepping stone to cross between cars when suddenly the train moves and a (wooden) foot gets crushed.

I've borrowed the film from UP, and I'm sure it's still available from the PR Department in Omaha. It's a sobering reminder of railroad safety issues.

Sloan

Getting off on the right foot,The safety video with the Archie Bunker looking guy who quotes the famous(in our safety training at least) saying, "Being a little bit careless is like being a little bit pregnant"
Railroads no longer teach getting on and off moving equipment. At least not any I've been around.

Should they not be reporting this to the NTSB?

At Grand Canyon Railway, train crews are taught how to get on and off moving equipment, and they do so on a regular basis when they're on the job. During my rules class there, the instructor showed us "Getting Off On The Right Foot", and mentioned that in the last rules class, there was a guy from the UP who said they still show this video. It does still have several relevant safety pointers.

I do not know what the video shows, but I believe there are two different schools of thought about which foot should hit the ground first. So not everybody does it the same way.