Railroads dealt setback in bids for one person crews.

[zardoz]

QUOTE: Originally posted by TheAntiGates
Just out of curiousity, what was a fireman's duties on a diesel locomotive?

The fireman's job was to keep the sparkplugs clean so the gas was all used.


Seriously,
The job of the fireman was to learn how to be an engineer. Why do you think we have these 60-day wonders running signals and derailing trains (such as the 2 incidents on Metra in the last year or so). There is so much to learn about operating a train that only experience can teach you.

The brakemans job was (is) to do the 'dirty work' like crawling under a car that has sticky brakes so they can loosen the brake rigging, or to carry the knuckle the engineer just broke, or sweeping switches during snow, walking the train checking the brakes after a set-out or a pick-up. Now the conductor has to do all that fun stuff.


The railroads play the odds with crew size, just like they do with other safety concerns. They examine how much it would cost to implement a resolutiuon to a safety issue, versus the cost if they do nothing and hope nothing ever happens. Sometimes they win, sometimes they lose (see above). I'm sure that would be comforting to the survivors of the "accidents" that have claimed lives, knowing that their loved one was killed because the railroad (or any company for that matter) decided the potential for death was not worth spending some of their profits to address the issue....

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by skydome



no matter if the railroad have the technology that one man crew is safew,it is not whgat happens if the engineer has a heart attack will the on board system stop the train, or say if the train goes into emergency, say a broken drawbar or knuckle that has happened. so a two man crew is safer than one man crew. thank you

Oh, I coun't agree more. But like you stated, the power of the unions has been eroding for years. Many union people are not happy that the unions are not doing more to fight for pay, insurance costs, and other issues. We have very good insurance, but mine just incresed about 35 bucks a month.

I think that the might dollar will win for the railroads and we all know that the railroads can definately throw around some money. It seems like the current administration's logo is "Show Me the Money." Sonner or later, they will win on this issue. I am not for it, but that will not stop the railroads from doing it. Few people like the RC locos but the railroads are doing it. Many cities have passed legislation against the use of RC locos (mine included) but since the railroads are Federally chartered the cities have no control. Sometimes a railroad will cooperate with a city in a noise issue such as not blowing the horn during certain hours or days but it is a voluntary thing.

The railroads will keep plugging away at this issue and someday will win. Just how long it takes is anybody's guess. The fact that we don't like it will not matter to Washington DC. We don't have the money to pass under the table like the railroads do. This is just a minor setback now, the railroads will not give up on this issue. They may let it cool for a while, but they will not be giving up.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by skydome

i am a retired railroad conductor ( road conductor) back in the late sixties there was a full crew law in the state of indiana that there had to be five men, the engineer , the fireman the head man and third man, and at the rear was the conductor and the rear brakeman or rear flagman. that is all gone now thanks to the union and the government. before i retired there was the engineer and the conductor. no matter if the railroad have the technology that one man crew is safew,it is not whgat happens if the engineer has a heart attack will the on board system stop the train, or say if the train goes into emergency, say a broken drawbar or knuckle that has happened. so a two man crew is safer than one man crew. thank you

Just out of curiousity, what was a fireman's duties on a diesel locomotive?

And for that matter, what was a brakeman's job (after the airbrake system was universal)?

[Anonymous]

i am a retired railroad conductor ( road conductor) back in the late sixties there was a full crew law in the state of indiana that there had to be five men, the engineer , the fireman the head man and third man, and at the rear was the conductor and the rear brakeman or rear flagman. that is all gone now thanks to the union and the government. before i retired there was the engineer and the conductor. no matter if the railroad have the technology that one man crew is safew,it is not whgat happens if the engineer has a heart attack will the on board system stop the train, or say if the train goes into emergency, say a broken drawbar or knuckle that has happened. so a two man crew is safer than one man crew. thank you

[Anonymous]

That is good news for the present but I believe sooner or later the railroads will win on this issue. Twenty years from now 1-man crews may be the norm. The technology may advance where it is possible. As long as the train encounters no mechanical issues a one man crew is ok. However, just let it go into emergency out in the middle of no where and no road close by.

The link to the article is just a tidbit of the story. I am not going to register just to read this one story. Many other people will also not register just for one story.

It would be nice to have the whole article to be able to read it.

[Anonymous]

http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_pg=46&u_sid=2131454