Friends and I have received notices reguarding a new safety related railroad book.
RAILROAD COLLISIONS
A Story of Mismanaged Risk
by George Swimmer
It further describes the book as:
An examination of mismanagement and misinformation that endangers lives throughout America's sprawling rail system
Several ads for this book have appeared in the fan publications.
A friend, that has been active in railroad safety circles, challenged the author as to his expertiese on the subject. He received this reply.
" I have been involved in railroad safety for over 20 years as a member of the DuPage Railroad Safety Council (DRSC), During that time I have investigated train accidents, testified in front of governmental bodies, written many articles and op/ed pieces promoting rail safety. The book is edited by a retired UP locomotive engineer, and also by a rail safety specialist who is internationally known. In the book I interviewed many people including the former director of safety for Metra Commuter Rail (Chicago area rail service) who is also a former locomotive engineer, I also interviewed another retired locomotive engineer and BLET officer. I interviewed parents who lost their children in railroad accidents. All of the people I mentioned above are or were members of the DRSC. They are among many DRSC members, many of whom are railroad employees, who are working to improve rail safety. The book took me about 5 years to write and research. It is my hope rail safety will improve because of it."
I haven't read the book yet so I can't comment on its value to enhancing the safety culture. But I find it interesting that he talks about mismanagement without interviewing any safety experts in management. A muck raker?
I'll leave it to you to decide if it's worth your time and $ to have this in your library.
Apparently this book is available as a free download.
Here is a comment from a promotional review:
“Doing for railway transportation what Ralph Nader’s Unsafe at Any Speed did for the automobile industry, Railroad Collisions is a sobering look at how mismanagement and misinformation endangers lives throughout America’s sprawling rail system.”
There are eight reviews here:
https://www.amazon.com/Railroad-Collisions-Deadly-Story-Mismanaged/product-reviews/1517106338/ref=cm_cr_dp_see_all_btm?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1&sortBy=recent
I find this one covering Swimer’s comments on the 1995 Fox River Grove grade crossing accident to be interesting. He cites the following factors of the accident:
“Swimmer contends that the NTSB investigation missed several significant factors contributing to the collision: 1) The cab car on the Metra train did not have the triangular lighting pattern that makes trains more visible and identifiable. The bus driver testified she had not seen the train coming before crossing the tracks. 2) The absence of a two-person crew operating the train, even though the value of such redundancy is well understood in transportation safety. 3) The likely fatigue of the train engineer who worked long split shifts following an 80-minute commute to work. 4) The fact the crossing was in a quiet zone, which the FRA concluded earlier the same year result in 84 percent more crashes at grade crossings than where train whistles are not banned.”
What is the link to the 'free download'? Is it for a review 'copy'?
The list price of the book is just under $25 and there is a $10 ebook version for Kindle, but I don't see any legal free download.
I have the distinct impression that the author of this polemic has an axe to grind.
Northwest Herald, July 17 http://www.nwherald.com
Author Spotlight: George Swimmer
Hometown: Downers Grove
Latest Book: “Railroad Collisions: A Deadly Story of Mismanaged Risk”
Publisher: Createspace
Release Date: November 2015
What’s your book about?
As a citizen advocate, I have spent more than 20 years investigating the causes behind railroad collisions. What I discovered was a tangled mess of both inadvertent and intentional mismanagement. In ‘Railroad Collisions,” I fault the railroads themselves for poor risk management, but the industry is by no means the only culpable party. The Federal Railroad Administration’s timid dealings with railroad companies impairs meaningful changes, while the National Transportation Safety Board’s findings in many of their accident investigations are questionable. I support these arguments with concrete examples, interviews with locomotive engineers, railroad safety professionals and others, and extensive research.
Where did the idea come from?
More than 20 years of being a member of the DuPage Railroad Safety Council and as a citizen advocate investigating train accidents. In the book I not only address the causes of collisions, but I also interview several family members of those killed in railroad accidents.
What genre is your book, and why were you drawn to it?
This is a sensitive, well-researched, hard-hitting nonfiction book. For more than 20 years, I have felt there are far too many rail collisions, and overall there is a poor job of managing risk.
Who is the intended audience?
The railroads, those who ride on railroads, railfans, accident victims and their families, and the general public.
Why is this story important to you?
My involvement in rail safety began in 1989. I was being rushed to Hinsdale Hospital after an auto accident. In the ambulance I was riding in, the radio was blaring – paramedics from a different accident site were trying to save a young boy who had been struck by a Metra train. They were talking to doctors. Jonathan Goers, the young boy, lived many years disabled, cognitively functioning as an infant, and blinded by the accident. He died in February 2016.
How long did it take you to write? What was your process?
About five years. I would write and research for many continuous hours and days. Then, I would put it down for what seemed like several months, thinking I would never finish it. Then, I would start the cycle all over again.
What did you enjoy most about writing this book? What was the hardest part?
Completing it and being so, so proud of what I had done. It was hard emotionally with many highs and some lows. For example, five people spent many hours helping edit the book. They volunteered their time. They were drawn to what I was doing, and without their support the finished manuscript would have not reached the level I believe it has. I also interviewed many people who gave of their time, knowledge and emotions. Without them, the book would not have reached the level I believe it has.
How are you publishing this book and why (traditional/indie/self-publishing)?
I am an indie through Createspace.
What is your education/background?
I am a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) with various insurance licenses, investment adviser, Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) and author.
Who are your favorite authors?
Ralph Nader, Ernest Hemingway
What’s next for you?
Marketing the book with the ultimate hope that, somehow, it will improve railroad safety.
RME What is the link to the 'free download'? Is it for a review 'copy'? The list price of the book is just under $25 and there is a $10 ebook version for Kindle, but I don't see any legal free download.
It may not be free. I got that impression in looking at this offer. It provides the download button and makes no mention of the price. I have not tried to download it.
http://pdfread.press/go/read2.php?id=1517106338
CSSHEGEWISCH "I have the distinct impression that the author of this polemic has an axe to grind."
"I have the distinct impression that the author of this polemic has an axe to grind."
See [snip]--What is your education/background?
Marketing the book with the ultimate hope that, somehow, it will improve railroad safety. [snip]
Ax to grind? Maybe, A better analogy might be, to harpoon the 'White Whale'.
Sure, sounds like an expedition to find 'Dead Presidents' IMHO.
Mr. Swimmer’s publisher CreateSpace is a subsidiary of Amazon, which offers a very limited preview.
https://www.amazon.com/Railroad-Collisions-Deadly-Story-Mismanaged/dp/1517106338#reader_1517106338
Ralph 'Nadir' is his favorite, nuff said.
"Citizen advocate" says a lot to me. Most of it isn't good.
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
EuclidThere are eight reviews here: https://www.amazon.com/Railroad-Collisions-Deadly-Story-Mismanaged/product-reviews/1517106338/ref=cm_cr_dp_see_all_btm?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1&sortBy=recent I find this one covering Swimer’s comments on the 1995 Fox River Grove grade crossing accident to be interesting. He cites the following factors of the accident: “Swimmer contends that the NTSB investigation missed several significant factors contributing to the collision: 1) The cab car on the Metra train did not have the triangular lighting pattern that makes trains more visible and identifiable. The bus driver testified she had not seen the train coming before crossing the tracks. 2) The absence of a two-person crew operating the train, even though the value of such redundancy is well understood in transportation safety. 3) The likely fatigue of the train engineer who worked long split shifts following an 80-minute commute to work. 4) The fact the crossing was in a quiet zone, which the FRA concluded earlier the same year result in 84 percent more crashes at grade crossings than where train whistles are not banned.”
Point #1: It was the driver’s responsibility to not stop on the tracks, and driver failed to abide by that law.
Point #2: What would a second person in the cab have accomplished? Did the engineer fail to take action in time, and is it assumed that a second person would have intervened sooner and stopped the train in time?
Point #3: What did the engineer fail to do that could be accounted for by fatigue?
Point #4: The statistic attributed to the FRA applies to “whistle bans,” but not to “quiet zones.”
Thanks for the heads up. You just saved me the price of this (insert perjorative of choice.)
Don't you just love bean counters who second-guess qualified accident investigators? Then there's the bean counter/insurance adjustor mindset that everything is a big conspiracy to cause accidents that wouldn't have happened if THEY were in charge.
Just another revisionist historian without the real background (engineering, math and hard science) to know what he's trying to talk about. I'll pass.
Chuck (retired USAF maintenance technician)
tree68"Citizen advocate" says a lot to me. Most of it isn't good.
Says about the same thing to me as 'activist investor' = show me the money, I don't care what your company's business is, SHOW ME THE MONEY!
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
Yes, it does seem like activism. He is shaking the tree of FRA intervention and selling the idea to the public that the evil railroads are to blame for all the perils they inflict on society.
Euclid Yes, it does seem like activism. He is shaking the tree of FRA intervention and selling the idea to the public that the evil railroads are to blame for all the perils they inflict on society.
Addendum to my previous post. Lawyers, politicians and activists seek to assign blame (emphasis on who). Engineers and scientists try to identify and fix problems (emphasis on what, how and why). When and where are matters for chaos theory.
Chuck
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