edblysardA guess, and only my opinion, but... If you ever sat and watched a crew start a locomotive, you dont have to take a lot of notes to figure out how to do it yourself, and if they did have one of those plastic or metal things that should not have been left in the cab, then geting the motor to move is easy...I would bet on a railfan knowing the line was dark territory and knew that there was no traffic at night...no mention if the siding was protecetd by a locked derail, but if it was, and the perp had a key....some local fan is in trouble when the law catches up to them.
A guess, and only my opinion, but...
If you ever sat and watched a crew start a locomotive, you dont have to take a lot of notes to figure out how to do it yourself, and if they did have one of those plastic or metal things that should not have been left in the cab, then geting the motor to move is easy...I would bet on a railfan knowing the line was dark territory and knew that there was no traffic at night...no mention if the siding was protecetd by a locked derail, but if it was, and the perp had a key....some local fan is in trouble when the law catches up to them.
On the contrary, there is a difference between starting a loco cold, and just getting one ready to move.
I doubt a railfan could learn how to start one cold just from watching a crew do it. On older units at least.
Mechanical Department "No no that's fine shove that 20 pound set all around the yard... those shoes aren't hell and a half to change..."
The Missabe Road: Safety First
.
Ohhhh CSX.....
Dan, you said it best last night with that hilarious acronym too. Surprised you didnt post it here
Your friendly neighborhood CNW fan.
When the engine was found, were the brakes set? If so, someone moved it. If not, someone may have moved it (though, as PDN commented, the terrain is flat, and not conducive to gravity-powered movement).
The event is not to conducive to good relations between railroads and railfans.
Johnny
I'm curious if any of the computer train simulators out there that people can play on their PC's would give a novice enough info as to how to operate a locomotive like this one that was ripped off.Anybody know?
I can just see it now - picture this:
Judge: "Alright, Officer Krupke, what's the defendant charged with ?"
"Grand Theft Loco !"
Maybe this will inspire a new video game series by the same name . . . nahh, it would be pretty dull, unless greatly speeded up (a la the History Channel's "Extreme Trains" episodes) and spiced up with snazzy paint shemes like Florida East Coast's new one and with the pretty girls added . . . uh oh, I'd better stop now.
- PDN.
Somebody is going to get fired over this...if the locomotive was indeed stolen. Homeland Security may also take an interest in this..
just glad no one was hurt.yes csx has had runaways before(8888).
stay safe
joe
Deshler Ohio-crossroads of the B&O Matt eats your fries.YUM! Clinton st viaduct undefeated against too tall trucks!!!(voted to be called the "Clinton St. can opener").
23 17 46 11
That part of Florida - Homestead Air Force Base area - is pretty flat, if I recall correctly - not enough "relief" = hills in the terrain to provide much of a higher place to roll down from. While I wouldn't rule out it drifting down a short grade for a mile or two at most - not 7 miles. It was under power for at least some of that distance.
Unless the reporter got the story wrong:
CSX Transportation spokesperson Gary Sease said it appears the locomotive was taken by an 'unauthorized individual', but as most people don't have experience starting and driving one of the behemoths, investigators believe their thief is someone with more than with a passing fancy for trains.
(Emphasis mine)Maybe someone did figure out how to start one and thought it would be fun. Better watch Youtube for a "Driving a CSX Loco At Night" video. What motivates some folks...I dunno....wow. At least it didn't turn into a Kismet-type (head on) incident.
Dan
Won't stop somebody real determined, but slows down most people.
Also, wonder if it was shut down, or left running...I would think Florida would be warm enough to shut it down. The event recorder might be neat to look at.
Mike WSOR engineer | HO scale since 1988 | Visit our club www.WCGandyDancers.com
It is possible tht the theif already had the proper tool for starting the locomotive. I have seen these for sale at train swap meets.It is also possible that the loco drifted off by itself.This has been known to happen if the loco was not tied down properly.
zugmannBy your logic I could steal a PA state police car, and as long as I never left the state, it'd be OK since it is owned by the state of PA. Not going to fly.
Maybe not stolen, but certainly unauthorized use. If all else fails they could get him for operating a locomotive without the appropriate license....
If I remember the story correctly (and it happened before I started volunteering there), some of our folks looked out one morning at where the train had been parked the previous night. It wasn't there. Apparently the brakes let go enough (there was almost certainly a handbrake or two set) to allow the train to creep downgrade (the station and environs are on a slight grade). It didn't get far.
Apparently a car did get completely loose once. A steep upgrade a couple of miles down the line stopped it from going further than it did, and it settled into a "bowl" between the station and the steep grade.
I kind of wonder if the locomotive in question didn't get were it was all by itself...
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...
Sounds like they are describing a branch line that is run by track warrants.
By your logic I could steal a PA state police car, and as long as I never left the state, it'd be OK since it is owned by the state of PA. Not going to fly.
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
"Even though the locomotive was driven without the approval of the CSX train tracking system, there was no traffic on the line at the time and luckily, no collision." (From the news story)
Perhaps I am dense, but I cannot quite follow the logic(?) in the quotation. We do know that, nowadays, few reporters know much, if anything, about railroad operations, but this assemblage of words makes no sense to me.
Was it really stolen? It never left the property (I think this plea has been entered when a man was accused of stealing a locomotive after he had moved it from one place to another on a railroad).
mudchickenWas or was not a certain particular thing, plastic or metal in nature, left in the control stand?
Was or was not a certain particular thing, plastic or metal in nature, left in the control stand?
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)
My first reaction was: "Get your bad self outta here - no way that happened !"
But yeah, it seems like it really did happen - somebody took it on a 7-mile joyride late Sunday night. Did it go over any grade crossings ? Why stop he/ she stop where they did ?
Wonder if it was properly "secured" ? While I've always wanted to know more about operating a locomotive, I haven't pushed too hard to learn, because I recognize that the professionals won't want to tell all the tricks and secrets so as to prevent things like this from happening, if in fact it was a railfan that did it. On the other hand, it might have been a disgruntled (laid-off) employee, or some guy who knows how and was trying to impress his friends or girl with what he can do, or mash a lot of pennies, or whatever.
Good thing there was no damage or injuries - maybe just some embarassment. And we can't even say "Here, Chessie kitty, kitty, kitty . . . " now, either.
- Paul North.
http://cbs4.com/local/locomotive.theft.CSX.2.942230.html
Another black eye for railfans.
Our community is FREE to join. To participate you must either login or register for an account.