zardoz jeffhergert ......When the manager came out to download the engine to find out what happened, the crew fessed up. Nothing bad happened because of this to the crew. They got a talking to, especially the engineer, but weren't taken out of service. That manager has also retired. Now a days, the matter would probably be deemed more serious. Jeff Perhaps the office toilets should be taken out of service, and instead a supply of porta-potties installed outside of office buildings. And then pass rules that says one must ask permission over the office intercom to stop what they were doing in order to take a dump! After all, fair is fair.
jeffhergert ......When the manager came out to download the engine to find out what happened, the crew fessed up. Nothing bad happened because of this to the crew. They got a talking to, especially the engineer, but weren't taken out of service. That manager has also retired. Now a days, the matter would probably be deemed more serious. Jeff
......When the manager came out to download the engine to find out what happened, the crew fessed up. Nothing bad happened because of this to the crew. They got a talking to, especially the engineer, but weren't taken out of service. That manager has also retired. Now a days, the matter would probably be deemed more serious.
Jeff
Perhaps the office toilets should be taken out of service, and instead a supply of porta-potties installed outside of office buildings. And then pass rules that says one must ask permission over the office intercom to stop what they were doing in order to take a dump!
After all, fair is fair.
However, as we know - Doo Doo doesn't roll uphill.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
A tale a conductor told me once. He's still working out of another terminal, the engineer involved has since retired.
One day while going down the track the engineer needed to go down and relieve himself in the toilet compartment. The conductor stayed on his side of the cab. While the engineer was taking care of business, the cab signal went to restricting and the automatic train control audible warning went off requiring action to be taken. ATC gives you six seconds to either press the acknowledgement button if under 40 mph (then have 70 seconds to try to get under 22mph) or if over 40 mph place the automatic brake valve in suppression and press the acknowledgement button. I don't recall how fast they were going, but the conductor told me he had no idea what to do in any case. So the six seconds timed out and the train got a penalty brake application. The slack adjusted and they got a knuckle and broke in two.
When the manager came out to download the engine to find out what happened, the crew fessed up. Nothing bad happened because of this to the crew. They got a talking to, especially the engineer, but weren't taken out of service. That manager has also retired. Now a days, the matter would probably be deemed more serious.
When I worked on the PRR nobody in their right Cotton picking mind would use the great stink hole known as the locomotive toilet. The toilet in the cabin held spare batteries and fusses so, when nature called we would stop the train and "inspect" the air hoses..It was the same on the Chessie(C&O). For the other need we headed for the closest bushes.
There was one exception on a industrial lead where we would stop at a Burger Boy(BBF) and use the rest room and would buy our lunch or a cold pop..
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
some funny comments. Sometimes they need an extra man in the cab or certainly on the rear. Feel sorry for today's conductors who have to walk maybe a mile or more to find a problem, when they used to meet in middle with rear brakeman. I do remember finding it interesting on the trains in old days when you flushed and saw the tracks rushing by. That had to be messy for MOW crews.
radio ranchUnion and company rules!
Yeah, I know.
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
zugmann jeffhergert Even if the conductor is a set-back engineer, they can only run the engine in the presence of the engineer. I'll take "Completely Stupid Rules" for $500, Alex. Sure - you can get called whenever to run that 45,000-foot, 30 billion ton train, but you can't watch the train for 30 seconds so the (other) engineer can take a whizz.
jeffhergert Even if the conductor is a set-back engineer, they can only run the engine in the presence of the engineer.
I'll take "Completely Stupid Rules" for $500, Alex.
Sure - you can get called whenever to run that 45,000-foot, 30 billion ton train, but you can't watch the train for 30 seconds so the (other) engineer can take a whizz.
Thanks everyone, this has been an interesting thread. Sorry if it offended or upset anyone, that was not my intent, however this is something all of us have to deal with.
Today while eating my lunch next to the rails, having my scanner and ATCS going I noticed a westbound freight not moving when it had authorozation to procede after the eastbound Amtrak had passed. After about 10 minutes I heard the dispatcher call the unit and ask if they were on the move yet. The conductor said "no my engineer is in the second unit". Dispatcher said "I understand", and now I do too.
You have to be very careful how you take a leak in live rail territory.
A tip of the Kromer Cap, Randy!
Some are born with it, some work to earn it, and some never find it...Chutzpah![English definition]
BaltACD In history we discuss all the great battles of wars that have been contested - but we conviently overlook that the participants in those battles had to answer natures call - one way or another.
In history we discuss all the great battles of wars that have been contested - but we conviently overlook that the participants in those battles had to answer natures call - one way or another.
When nature calls you gotta accept the charges.
zugmannWe have toilets in our engines. We also have the same engines assinged to our terminal, and the people I work with aren't disgusting slobs. I guess that's a rarity out here.
Those that have little respect for themselves, rarely have any respect for others. Each location I worked was different - some had respect, others didn't.
We have toilets in our engines. We also have the same engines assinged to our terminal, and the people I work with aren't disgusting slobs. I guess that's a rarity out here.
Congrats to you Randy. Most of today's citizenry would take the easy way out and go lie down in the corner.
As a Crohns sufferer I am confronted by two choices. Either laugh about my condition or cry about it. I choose to laugh.
I am eligible for a disability and also fit the requirements for "medical pot". I chose to work instead and take all that goes with it.
I was diagnosed when I was 17, had major surgery when I was 26 and I have 32 years on the railroad doing any job I could get.
Randy
This is a real crappy thread.
In reading the railroad's recrew report, I've seen a few times a contributing factor to running out of time as being the crew stopped to use the restroom. Once in a while it's not because of using the restroom, but the fact that they couldn't use the restroom. The lead engine had a bad-order toilet and they either had to rearrange the consist or find a new leader in those cases.
zugmann Really? We really need this conversation?
Really? We really need this conversation?
As an adult- If one cannot resolve these issues by critically thinking them through, you most likely, are not suited for a semi- outdoor profession; or have not served in the Army or Marine Corps.
I'm with Zugmann ...good grief....worst thread ever.
zugmannReally? We really need this conversation?
Well! NASCAR is having the Southern 500 at Darlington, SC today as a 'throw back' race with 'classic' car paint schemes.
This is just a 'throw back' on answering nature's call. Railroaders in the field have never been accused of bein 'couth' - at least back in the 50's-60's-70's they weren't.
Thank You.
On the WC we did a project to lower the high noses on a group of Southern SD45s. One thing they unwittingly did was cut a rather large slot on the top of the traction motor blower duct (toilet room floor) It wasn't discovered until I had to use the toilet on one of its first trips after rebuilding. Mid pee, the room turned into a vortex and I was turning my body to arc it into the can. Arcing it in stopped working in notch 8.
I almost never use the locomotive toilet. On the WC and elsewhere I would stop the train to (inspect).
I have Crohns disease so it was difficult for me to be an engineer or a conductor. On the RR I worked for in Maine there were many single man crews so stoppping along the way was common. There was also a spot of nice undulating track that worked when I had 100+ train. I could simply leave the locomotives in notch 5 and the train was happy trudling along at 25 MPH for enough time to do what I needed to do (or until the alertor went off).
On one occasion I was engineer on a snow plow and we were having a long day because of tresspassing snowsleds. We had derailed twice so we were more than a little irritated. Towards the end of the trip we came across another pesky snowmobile trail across and along the track and since we had stopped an hour before for hotdogs and coffee I realy had to go. I told the conductor up in the plow I was stopping to do my thing. I stopped the engine directly on the narrow snowsled crossing, went out the rear door, dropped trousers, hooked my arms around the handrails and let it fly like only a post surgical Crohns patient can . There were a group of snow sleds on the other side waiting for us to move. The spot I left in the snow had to be visable from orbit!
My conductor in the plow happened to look back and said that it looked like a big fire extinguisher going off. I guess because it was 15 below zero .
In any case the snow sledders were faced with a choice. There was only one way around.. straight through..
As someone who worked outside in the Florida heat for 25 years, let me shed some light...
.
The cab in a steam locomotive was probably very hot. The engineer probably rarely had to relieve himself. He was probably doing well just to keep up with the fluid he was sweating out.
There would be days I would drink over a gallon of water and never use the bathroom once.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
This converstation reminds me of a line from Arlo Guthrie's "City of New Orleans".
"The passengers will please refrain" was in reference to flushing the toilet while the train was in the station. Of course that was before the EPA got involved and demanded holding tanks. Gotta have compassion for MOW crews back then. I'm sure they encountered some very unpleasant stuff.
Norm
traisessive1 Yeah, no one stops trains just so the engineer can use the toilet.
Yeah, no one stops trains just so the engineer can use the toilet.
With the slight grade through here, Eastbounds tend to crawl, and not too many houses on the south side of the tracks...at least the cut is deep. The Westbounds tend to move pretty quickly (New High Speed switch on Westend).... I guess that is why when they get to Wellington... The engines are parked on track adjacent to the Yard Office..Beginning to make sense.
mvlandsw Has anyone noticed that the walkway behind the cab is stained on almost all locomotives?
Has anyone noticed that the walkway behind the cab is stained on almost all locomotives?
That's why NS paints their engines black. That and to hide the oil leaks. That sound plausible Mr. Z?
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