BaltACD If you are correct - things have changed....Tower operators historically have been required to perform a rolling inspection of anything that goes past the tower, no matter the ownership. All towers that affect the operations of two or more carriers have part of the cost of operating and maintaining the tower and its personnel shared by all the carriers served and tower operators normally have radio communications with all carriers trains that the operators signals affect. The reality is that any railroad employee that is out on the right of way is required to perform a visual roll by inspection of any passing train and take action to communicate any defects observed to the train. In the 'olden days' hand signals could be communicated with the crew members riding the caboose. Today other means are used. The most direct way is to call each carriers Emergency Contact number and the report will get routed through internal channels to the proper train. Such procedure are established and explained in training videos that employees must watch as a part of their yearly rules qualifications. CShaveRR: The tower operator at West Chicago is a CN employee, and is only required to inspect the trains on his railroad. However, those guys have a connection to the UP, and if anything untoward cropped up, he would be either on the radio or on the phone, you can bet.
If you are correct - things have changed....Tower operators historically have been required to perform a rolling inspection of anything that goes past the tower, no matter the ownership. All towers that affect the operations of two or more carriers have part of the cost of operating and maintaining the tower and its personnel shared by all the carriers served and tower operators normally have radio communications with all carriers trains that the operators signals affect.
The reality is that any railroad employee that is out on the right of way is required to perform a visual roll by inspection of any passing train and take action to communicate any defects observed to the train. In the 'olden days' hand signals could be communicated with the crew members riding the caboose. Today other means are used. The most direct way is to call each carriers Emergency Contact number and the report will get routed through internal channels to the proper train. Such procedure are established and explained in training videos that employees must watch as a part of their yearly rules qualifications.
CShaveRR: The tower operator at West Chicago is a CN employee, and is only required to inspect the trains on his railroad. However, those guys have a connection to the UP, and if anything untoward cropped up, he would be either on the radio or on the phone, you can bet.
The tower operator at West Chicago is a CN employee, and is only required to inspect the trains on his railroad. However, those guys have a connection to the UP, and if anything untoward cropped up, he would be either on the radio or on the phone, you can bet.
It's also not a bad idea to get out of the tower on the ground, just in case something bad happens. The CNW operator at Tama, IA found this out when a Milw Rd train derailed on the diamond and destroyed the tower. The old heads tell me that when people started showing up on the scene, the opr's car was still there but they couldn't find him. They thought he had been in the tower and was trapped in the debris. He had walked up town to have lunch.
Going thru Tama now you can barely tell that two double tracked main lines and a branch line crossed there. Except for two or three easily missed remnants, there's nothing left to mark the spot.
Jeff
CShaveRR The tower operator at West Chicago is a CN employee, and is only required to inspect the trains on his railroad. However, those guys have a connection to the UP, and if anything untoward cropped up, he would be either on the radio or on the phone, you can bet.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
Sawtooth500 In another post, someone wrote that when rolling out of the CN Joliet yard it is standard practice for someone lineside on the way out to give the train an inspection. My questions are: 1. When are trains inspected and what are people looking for? 2. On a RR, are only their own trains inspected or are trains of foreign roads inspected as well? 3. Are only originating trains inspected at yards, or are run through trains inspected as well? 4. I hear West Chicago tower always giving roll-by's to trains on the CN tracks in west chicago, whether it's a CN train or not. However, they never give roll-by's to the trains on the UP tracks. Why not? 5. Do passenger trains also give roll-by's? 6. My understanding is whenever a train passes a RR employee, even like MOW people in the field, they are required to stop their work and give a roll by. Is that actually standard practice and how often does it actually happen? 7. Are there any other "standard inspection points" other than what I have listed above?
In another post, someone wrote that when rolling out of the CN Joliet yard it is standard practice for someone lineside on the way out to give the train an inspection.
My questions are:
1. When are trains inspected and what are people looking for?
2. On a RR, are only their own trains inspected or are trains of foreign roads inspected as well?
3. Are only originating trains inspected at yards, or are run through trains inspected as well?
4. I hear West Chicago tower always giving roll-by's to trains on the CN tracks in west chicago, whether it's a CN train or not. However, they never give roll-by's to the trains on the UP tracks. Why not?
5. Do passenger trains also give roll-by's?
6. My understanding is whenever a train passes a RR employee, even like MOW people in the field, they are required to stop their work and give a roll by. Is that actually standard practice and how often does it actually happen?
7. Are there any other "standard inspection points" other than what I have listed above?
This is actually a very complicated question. Since others have commented speciafially about West Chicago, let me give a more general response.
1. Under FRA rules, a railroad is required to give a train a complete "initial terminal" brake inspection (technically called a "Class I" brake test) and a complete mechanical inspection at the train's "initial terminal"
2. A railroad is also required to give a train an "intermediate": brake inspection (a Class IA brake test) at 1,000 miles.
3. For designated "extended haul" trains, a railroad must provide the Class IA inspection at 1,500 miles.
4. There are special rules for brake and mechanical inspections for events such as pick ups and block swaps which occur at points other than a train's initial terminal
5. "Roll by" inspections are governed by a railroad's individual rules., not by FRA rules,
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)
carknocker1 On a train inspection we are looking for anything dragging , missing or broken , in operateive brakes , making sure all of the hand brakes are released , bad wheels ect . On a railroad all trains oringinating in a yard recieve an intial terminal airtest reguardless if it is a home road train or a foreign road train .Roll through trains are given a roll by inspection . Passenger trains are given roll bys and yes any Rail road employee is required to observe a train rolling by . You can find more information in FRA Rule 232
On a train inspection we are looking for anything dragging , missing or broken , in operateive brakes , making sure all of the hand brakes are released , bad wheels ect .
On a railroad all trains oringinating in a yard recieve an intial terminal airtest reguardless if it is a home road train or a foreign road train .Roll through trains are given a roll by inspection .
Passenger trains are given roll bys and yes any Rail road employee is required to observe a train rolling by .
You can find more information in FRA Rule 232
Johnny
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