Mookie wrote: Ok - but it still troubles me that on the face of the whole thing, you have expensive equipment and lives involved and an almost cavalier oops - we almost got together situation. Maybe it was the angle that made them look closer than they were; maybe it was a set up for the benefit of the camera or maybe I just worry too much! Thanx for the info BC
Ok - but it still troubles me that on the face of the whole thing, you have expensive equipment and lives involved and an almost cavalier oops - we almost got together situation.
Maybe it was the angle that made them look closer than they were; maybe it was a set up for the benefit of the camera or maybe I just worry too much!
Thanx for the info BC
A voice of clarity, in a room full of maroons! Any one that would think that even a close call could be funny....Go figure.
I'll tell you a funny RR Story: A truck driver asleep in his cab backed up to a dock to unload When the crew arrives at 7/8AM. Sleeping with the engine off, with the windows and vents open; in what, in the dark, had appeared to be an empty gravel lot. In reality a rail line ran through that lot, little used, but still available; when around about 7 am a switch crew tiptoed their SW1200 right up to the cab of the parked truck. Blew a long loud blast on the air horn, and the truck driver/sometimes railfan, had immediately recognized the closesness of that air horn, and the eminent danger it warned of; that truckdriver/sometimes railfan flew out the right door of the tractor, and was standing in his BVD's, barefoot, in the middle of that gravel lot; looked back to see the entire switch crew convulsed on the front of the switcher in laughter and the dozen or so hispanic maids waiting for their bus, laughing themselves sick!
[Houston Tx, 1973, just north of the Gulf Freeway] It is still painfully funny!!
In a situation like that, the trains operate at restricted speed. That means that the trains are operated at speeds permitting them to be stopped in half the range of vision of the crew. If they can only see 50' down the track - then they must be able to stop their train in 25'. There are a lot of situations where the yardmaster will send you somewhere and tell you "watch out for XYZ crew". But if you can stop in half your range of vision - there is no risk of hitting anything.
It's been fun. But it isn't much fun anymore. Signing off for now.
The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer, any other railroad, company, or person.t fun any
She who has no signature! cinscocom-tmw
(As usual, when Sister Mookie posts, it's time for me to get interested!)
I saw nothing to get alarmed about. The UP crew's vision was obstructed by the standing cut of cars. Both crews had duties to perform that involved this connecting track. Neither crew saw the other coming--it wasn't like the railroads communicate with each other (the crossing was probably an automatic interlocking--no need for dispatchers to become involved).
SJ, apparently no mainline tracks were involved, or else the crews would have had to get permission from dispatchers to occupy each other's railroad. After all went according to Hoyle (or GCOR) in this situation, the crews may have had a conversation over the radio (they could change channels to do that), and the best course of action was decided upon. It looked like UP had a number of options to back into for the BNSF guy to get past him.
I work with a guy who laughs like that--he can be a moron, too. But I wouldn't describe this event as anything beyond "interesting"--watch and learn how it should be done.
Carl
Railroader Emeritus (practiced railroading for 46 years--and in 2010 I finally got it right!)
CAACSCOCOM--I don't want to behave improperly, so I just won't behave at all. (SM)
zugmann wrote: Trust me, this isn't the first time two crews came up nose-to-nose to each other on yard or industry tracks.
Trust me,
this isn't the first time two crews came up nose-to-nose to each other on yard or industry tracks.
Someone want to take some time and explain to me how and where this happens? (remember I am a city girl and only watch a fairly large, well-regulated yard)
Mookie
RR Redneck wrote: Poppa_Zit wrote: Worse than the quasi-near collision is the laughing by the moron who shot the video. Maybe someday one of those engineers will get some video of him being stupid and put it YouTube for us to mock. PS -- He also needs to lube his squeaky tripod head.Dude, LIGHTEN UP. I would understand if they were up to speed on the main line, but they were just going a few miles an hour. It was an honest mistake and if they would have hit, it wouldn't have caused THAT much damage. Besides, it ain like you have seen something like this (a near miss between two cars for example) and wound up making a few comments. WE ALL HAVE.
Poppa_Zit wrote: Worse than the quasi-near collision is the laughing by the moron who shot the video. Maybe someday one of those engineers will get some video of him being stupid and put it YouTube for us to mock. PS -- He also needs to lube his squeaky tripod head.
Worse than the quasi-near collision is the laughing by the moron who shot the video. Maybe someday one of those engineers will get some video of him being stupid and put it YouTube for us to mock.
PS -- He also needs to lube his squeaky tripod head.
Dude, LIGHTEN UP. I would understand if they were up to speed on the main line, but they were just going a few miles an hour. It was an honest mistake and if they would have hit, it wouldn't have caused THAT much damage. Besides, it ain like you have seen something like this (a near miss between two cars for example) and wound up making a few comments. WE ALL HAVE.
Thank you for the sage advice. I needed someone like you to put it into proper perspective for me. I won't let it happen again.
PS -- I still think anyone that would laugh at this is a moron.
snagletooth wrote: I love the two blowing horns at each other as they slam on the brakes.
I love the two blowing horns at each other as they slam on the brakes.
1:55, UP crew: "Better blow yer horn!"
If I was riding the front step of either unit I would have "join the birds" and and then run clear of the pending collision.
Its good there was no collision.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
Dan
Lionel collector, stuck in an N scaler's modelling space.
Two words:
restricted speed
I love the two blowing horns at each other as they slam on the brakes. Wish the scanner transmits came across clearer, though. looks like it was a UP yard, wouldn't that give them priority, as the film suggested when BNSF backed up? All within Y.L. no harm, no fowl, right?
Anyone for a game of chicken?
These appear to be two switching moves within the limits of a yard jointly used by the UP and BNSF. They are almost certainly not controlled by a dispatcher and train speeds are probably limited to no more than 15 mph. Operating rules probably specify trains be prepared to stop at any time. Very possibly one road is designated as superior to the other which provides the basis for resolving conflicting movements.
Mark
Ok, two trains on the same track headed towards each other is not usually a good thing, but its not like they were "at speed" and in danger of a "cornfield meet". They stopped in plenty of time, it looks like.
An accident is usually a result of more than one thing happening (a chain of events). Being alert prevented an accident here...
"You back up!"
"No, You back!"
"I'm not backing up, you back up!"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMQ7mHJSiOA
Who was at fault?
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