I wonder if the crew was in the practice of calling the switch positions when approaching them? When I was with TVRM, the practice was to call the position of each switch as the train approached it. The switch was either in the right position for the move or the wrong position. In all the years I was there, I can only recall one incident where a switch was run through-the Road Foreman of Engines inadvertently went through a switch lined against his move and derailed the pilot truck of the locomotive. That incident served as a reminder to always check the position of the switch.

To respond to anything relating to any special bulletins or notifications relating to the excavator being placed on that spur, I would note that a check of Google Earth shows the flatcar into which the locomotive pushed the excavator sitting in the spur at least since mid-August, the date of the most recent GE imagery. If the railroad has been issuing daily track bulletins or the like noting such occupancies, I doubt the addition of the excavator would have triggered anything new at least on the paperwork end as the spur has been occupied by m/w equipment for at least three or so months.

Jeff Moore
Elko, NV

I’ll also add the switch stand is very clearly on the engineer’s side of the locomotive. I’m not sure how anyone who has watched the video could be remotely confused about that.

Jeff Moore
Elko, NV

Minor switching accidents aren't uncommon. The only reason this is newsworthy or being discussed outside the relevant employees is because it was a steam locomotive, in view of passengers, and captured on a camera with a perfect vantage point. Had this same scenario played out on any other railroad with modern power, or even out of view on a tourist railroad, it would not be newsworthy.

I find it quite telling that this event that did not involve the passenger consist, nor result in any injury has garnered 7 pages of comments. Meanwhile the accident a week ago at a theme park that saw passenger cars overturned and 7 individuals hospitalized only made it to 25 comments. The perceived drama captured by the video makes all the difference.

A well-known steam locomotive collided spectacularly in front of several video cameras.
How could anyone be surprised at the use of bandwidth in response to that?

Agreed. One of our illustrious Class 1s has scattered cars across the rights of way six times (that I know of) so far this year in Ohio alone and there hasn’t been a whole lot of chatter about that. But bonk a steamer off a trackhoe and capture it on video - hoowee, watch those elections fly.

Further:
We can see the nature of the mistakes made here, and use it as a potential MAJOR "teaching moment" or warning of "THIS could happen to YOU!!!", and we normally have in this forum a dearth of the utterly useless reactionary commentary such as usually found on YouTube, Facebook, VirtualRailfan chat, etc.

In a sense, I would compare it to the differences between watching a live TV news reporter's report on an accident, a newspaper report the next day, and a final NTSB or emergency-management agency report on the incident. True, we have to wait ages for the latter, but I already chatted with one magazine editor on prospective coverage--"We just put the next issue to bed the day before, and given this is Strasburg they'll have it fixed before we put together the next issue......"

For all it is worth, coming from a retired FRA Inspector/Investigator (not much), I refuse to speculate on fault or cause without having all the facts. Even though I have some thoughts, based on what I (and a million others) have seen on the various videos, I will not, or ever draw any conclusions regarding fault or cause without all the facts and relevant information. This would include:

• Crew and Employee Interviews
• Reviewing Railroad Operating, Safety, MOW Rules, Special Instructions, Track Bulletins, etc.
• Clarification of main vs. other than main track for this location
• Reviewing employee history and post-accident tests as applicable
• Reviewing railroad training and operational testing programs
• Reviewing railroad operational testing data
• Other relevant information

I no longer work for FRA, and I am not privy to any of these or other pertinent data regarding this incident. In my world, it would be irresponsible to speculate without investigating thoroughly. Historically, railroads, and others were quick to find “blame” without really drilling down to the “root cause” of the incident. In many accident investigations that I have worked, sometimes there is more than what we see on the surface. I am sure there are lessons to be learned resulting from this incident, but I won’t guess as to what they might be without having all the facts.

I do not know, but have no reason to believe that this incident would be investigated by FRA as there were no injuries (that I know of) and similar incidents happen on railroads all over the country all the time.

Off Soap Box….....

Mike Ramsey
FRA Operating Practices/MP&E/Passenger Rail Specialist (Ret)
Safety & Regulatory Compliance Manager – American Heritage Railways

The difference here is, some actions can lead to an industry wide insurance jolt, one which many shoe string budget tourist operations (well-established ones) could never afford ...so when a "minor switching accident" occurs that involves a pressure vessel near several hundred passenger, and not just a freight loco around freicars, or a gas powered train at an amusement park, it is noteworthy....yes, it wasn't worse - thank God - but it could have been.

It'd be like saying the incident at Gettysburg was minor because it only affected the crew....we see how much has changed since that accident, and in large part thanks to SRC, we can still enjoy Steam Powered Excursions.....but this minor event was inches (unknown) away from being a major event, that in all essence, could have been the one ended the tourist railroad industry as we know it, if not completely, if for no other reason than the probable new astronomical insurance costs resulting from hundreds of lawsuits, had it been a major event.

So yes, there is a difference.

SRC Statement on their FB page, well done:

"Strasburg Rail Road Co. statement regarding incident at Leaman Place Junction, 2 November 2022
On Wednesday, 2 November 2022 at 11:23 AM, steam locomotive #475, owned and operated by Strasburg Rail Road Co. (SRC) was involved in an incident at Leaman Place Junction where the locomotive struck a rail-mounted excavator on a stub siding track. The excavator was placed on the stub track the previous evening for storage by the Maintenance of Way (MOW) crew working in the area. Our internal investigation has concluded that after placing the excavator on the stub track for storage, the MOW crew member failed to realign the track switch and to secure it in normal position. When running the locomotive around the passenger train on the Main Track runaround where the stub track switch is located, the locomotive crew did not notice the misaligned switch and entered the stub track at approximately 10 MPH, the speed limit for that track, striking the stationary MOW equipment and coming to a stop after a short distance. Both the excavator and locomotive incurred moderate damage.
On any given day we have as many as 75 employees working in our operation and several thousand guests ride our trains. We take seriously the safety of everyone who interacts with us in any capacity, every single day. Our decades long history indicates that despite the unique and complex nature of our operation, we have an outstanding safety record when taken in context of the number of employee hours worked, trains operated, and passengers and freight hauled each year. We also take seriously the rules and regulations that apply to our operations. We are cooperating with FRA as they investigate and will comply with their requirements and recommendations. Additionally, we are using this opportunity to perform root cause analysis and identify training gaps, operational monitoring practices, or other factors that may have contributed to this accident.
SRC is proud to have an excellent, dedicated, professional staff who care deeply for the people who work on and ride our trains every day. We acknowledge our mistakes when they are made and learn from them any time they happen. Our front-line staff enjoys the full support and backing of our management team, and we work hand-in-hand to achieve our goals. We do not excuse mistakes, but we acknowledge the humanity of those who make them, as we all do. We live in a world where people are judged too quickly and dismissed by many employers over minor mistakes. We intend to lead by example, helping the valuable, committed members of our team who were involved in this incident learn and grow from their actions. We ask for your consideration before joining the lynch-mob mentality of ignorant or irrational criticism. Instead, we welcome continued support from our community, railroad and otherwise.
Sincerely,
Brendan E. Zeigler
VP – Chief Mechanical Officer
Strasburg Rail Road Co."

It looks like repairs are already underway.

https://www.facebook.com/strasburgrailroadmechanical/videos/491784473007557/
Roger

It looks like repairs are already underway.

https://fb.watch/gzWwWTVu_2/

Roger

Further, the general response from the poster base of RYPN has been "meh," at best, towards park trains - or anything that runs on track narrower than 36", and even that narrow is hit or miss. Based on the vibe I get on here, J&L 58 is a good example of this.

So, not surprising that the other event didn't garner much bandwith.

(deleted duplicate posting)

Further, the general response from the poster base of RYPN has been "meh," at best, towards park trains - or anything that runs on track narrower than 36", and even that narrow is hit or miss. Based on the vibe I get on here, J&L 58 is a good example of this.

So, not surprising that the other event didn't garner much bandwith.