NYC 0-6-0 6721: 6 Months After Collision With Runaway Hopper

p51 · **Posted:** Mon Jan 25, 2016 7:09 pm

Train Detainer wrote:

The kid was unsupervised, trespassing, and tampering with RR equipment, resulting in a criminal act. IIRC, he was not prosecuted for his actions. I guess we're just blaming it on 'It's not his fault', 'He didn't know', 'His parents didn't teach him about that', 'Public education failed again', or some other such BS.

I can't speak for the courts, but NO railroad or city is going to haul a child into civil court for a lawsuit. The bad PR simply isn't worth it.

Dave · **Posted:** Mon Jan 25, 2016 7:10 pm

Nobody got hurt. A rusting hulk might as a consequence get some attention it wasn't going to get otherwise. Derails don't do what they weren't designed to do even if they are maintained. Kids do dumb things and need to have parents prevent stupidity from occurring. Have we about covered it?

Les Beckman · **Joined:** Tue Aug 02, 2005 1:25 pm **Posts:** 6482

Rusting hulk?

Tails · **Joined:** Fri Mar 29, 2013 11:14 pm **Posts:** 139

it was in pretty good shape when it got hit.....It might actually get worse as a result before it gets better

Ron Travis · **Joined:** Sun May 15, 2005 2:22 pm **Posts:** 1543

In checking around, I don’t find any official report on this accident and nothing to indicate whether the derail failed to work; or whether it had been left open in the non-derailing position. Maybe a report is still being developed, and will eventually state the reason why the derail failed to prevent the collision.

Alexander D. Mitchell IV · **Posted:** Tue Jan 26, 2016 11:11 am

p51 wrote:

I can't speak for the courts, but NO railroad or city is going to haul a child into civil court for a lawsuit. The bad PR simply isn't worth it.

Is the "kid" in question eight years old, or seventeen years and eleven months? Big difference.

More important question: Did the parent(s) have to be restrained from "tanning the kid's hide into next week," or the the parent(s) just shrug and say "kids will be kids"? Also a big difference. The one time I was in a position where I apprehended young boys committing vandalism on railroad property, I said to them "either you take me home to your parents, or I'll have the police do so." They led me a couple blocks to the one's house, where I informed the mother and father what had happened, and they exploded in anger at their son and his friend, got on the phone and called the other one's parents, reduced the kids to quivering, scared tykes, etc. That was the reaction I needed to see, and I said "I trust we won't be seeing this again...." "Oh, HELL, no!!" was the response.

joe6167 · **Posted:** Mon Mar 14, 2016 7:58 pm

Some photos from 2007 that showed up in my inbox today.

Chris Webster · **Joined:** Sat Aug 25, 2007 12:45 am **Posts:** 1087

Repair of the locomotive was discussed at the February U&MV Board of Directors meeting, according to minutes published in the Utica & Mohawk Valley chapter's March 2016 "Tower Topics" bulletin.

dinwitty · **Joined:** Wed Oct 22, 2008 8:18 pm **Posts:** 2226

You may not take the kid to court but your going to show him what his little fun did...

that may be lesson enough. But then after repairs are done, have him sit on the engineers seat, if there's a whistle, air it and have him pull it.