General Discussion

Has anybody noticed that a lot of Train Crashes have been happening a lot this year of 2009.

Nothing out of the ordinary.  We just hear more about them.

January to August 2008 train accident total is 1722.

January to August 2009 train accident total is 1222.

Down by 500 accidents.

 http://safetydata.fra.dot.gov/officeofsafety/publicsite/Query/statsSas.aspx

You supply towels with your hosing, Ed?

selector:

You supply towels with your hosing, Ed?

Do you suppose Ed's numbers correlate to a drop in train miles?

edblysard:

January to August 2009 train accident total is 1222.

Gee, that's only 153 per month, just over 5 per day. Keep up the good work, fellas!

From the linked-to page:
A train accident is an event involving ontrack rail equipment that results in monetary damage to the equipment and track above a certain threshold.  Lading, clearing costs, environmental damage is not included.

I wonder what the threshold is.

tpatrick:

Do you suppose Ed's numbers correlate to a drop in train miles?

zardoz:

edblysard:

January to August 2009 train accident total is 1222.

Gee, that's only 153 per month, just over 5 per day. Keep up the good work, fellas!

 

From the linked-to page:
A train accident is an event involving ontrack rail equipment that results in monetary damage to the equipment and track above a certain threshold.  Lading, clearing costs, environmental damage is not included.

I wonder what the threshold is.

Currently $7700 (since 2005-US, $9300Canadian) as a function of 49CFR225 (FRA sets the amount and it is about to go up again, if it already hasn't to $8300)

Which is where the the roadmaster typically gets p-o'd at the local mechanical department or Hulcher et. al when they drag up cars re-railing them or crush them with cat tracks; Making the damage worse. The trainmaster fills out his report as a not-reportable issue when he turns in his report (sorta true - but they rarely stick around when the repairs are made). The roadmaster and the signal guys fix two or three times the reportable anount and have to eat it in their operating budget instead of their special derailment accounts. Less money gets poured into everyday track maintenance and improvements...

[edited by selector]

sunbeam:

Shouldn't the engineer and conductor confirm with each other the switch positions before releasing their warrant?

That's one reason we announce on the radio that the position of a mainline switch has been changed. 

sunbeam:

There seem to be several incidents involving crews that released their track warrants, but didn't restore switches to main track. If so, why is it happening? Shouldn't the engineer and conductor confirm with each other the switch positions before releasing their warrant?

http://www.fra.dot.gov/Downloads/Safety/eo24_notice2.pdf

Didn't intend it to be a hosing, but it bugs me when folks guess at numbers when the real numbers are right there, so I provided a link for the fellow to check his assumption against.

2009 had 2.75 accidents per million miles, 2008 had 3.31 accidents per million miles.

The totals in the link include yard derailments, which every railroader here knows is simply gonna happen no matter what.

Trust me, some where right now, in some ones yard, there is a car on the ground...like the Muddy One said, it depends on how good a pencil whipping the roadmaster and trainmaster can cook up as to it being reportable.

Yes, miles for the reporting period January thru August, 2009 were down.

2009 had 444,143,188. miles, 2008 had 520,896,082 miles for a loss of 76,752,894 miles, which I am sure had some impact on the totals.

ED

   The numbers also dont show that alot of the derailments and accidents are due to the new guys with men being layed off and the ole heads are doing the work things are not finding the ground as fast. but as the new guys keep comming back the incidents will increase.