A Sad Day in Chester County (SC)

[Anonymous]

R.I.P. Brother, R.I.P.

Rick

One dead, one injured in separate rail incidents

CHESTER, S.C. -- One man was killed and another lost three of his limbs in separate train accidents during a 12-hour span Tuesday, August 26, 2003, in Chester County, according to the Rock Hill Herald.
John Scott Graves, 29, of 2358 Oxford Circle, Lancaster, died Tuesday afternoon when authorities say he was crushed between two train cars at an industrial plant. Graves was pronounced dead at 1:16 p.m. at the Chester County Hospital emergency room, Coroner Watson Wright said. He died from massive chest and internal injuries.

At 12:10 a.m., Joel C. Brown, 28, of Fourth Street was struck by a train near the Saluda Street train crossing outside the Eureka Mill village. Brown lost both legs and his left arm and was flown to Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte. He also suffered serious head and internal injuries, authorities said.

Tuesday night, he was in critical condition.

Graves, a Lancaster & Chester Railway employee for two and a half years, was at the PPG Industries fiberglass products plant on S.C. 9 when the incident occurred at 12:34 p.m. He and some coworkers were dropping off the loaded train cars and hooking up several empty cars to a train, L&C President Steve Gedney said Tuesday.

As they were picking up one empty train car, Graves was out of sight of his coworkers. As the train backed up to hook up the empty car -- a routine L&C workers perform daily -- Graves was heard yelling over his radio for the train to stop, according to Chester County Sheriff's Office reports.

The train stopped, but Graves was found between the train and the empty car.

"I was very shocked," said Gedney, who was informed of the fatal accident while on vacation Tuesday. "This has been very tragic. We are very upset about it ... Our sympathy goes out to the family."

Gedney said the Federal Railroad Administration is conducting an investigation. He also said L & C staffers will be conducting an internal probe into the incident. It was the first fatal incident involving an L&C employee since Gedney began working there in 1990.

"Railroading is a heavy-industry business," he said. "It's got risk with it. It's very non-forgiving if someone makes a mistake."

Gedney described the 23 L&C employees as a "small, tight-knit group." Graves worked as a conductor, and was employed by Norfolk Southern before coming to work with L&C.

Brown, who lives in the Eure-ka Mill village, was reportedly lying on the railroad tracks about 250 feet from the Saluda Street crossing on S.C. 72, said Sgt. Cathie Bell of the Chester County Sheriff's Office.

The engineer of a CSX train spotted Brown about 250 feet away, and told authorities he blew the train's horn to alert him, Bell said. Brown did not respond to the horn. He was struck by the train as it traveled at slower than the 40 mph speed limit.

It is not clear whether Brown fell down or whether he was intentionally lying on the tracks, Bell said.

Both of Brown's legs were severed at the scene, Bell said. Brown also lost his left arm in the incident, Bell said.

Brown was found unconscious after he was pushed by the train as it came to a stop.

Bell said she did not know if he was intoxicated.

(This item appeared in the Rock Hill Herald Aug. 27, 2003)

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[Anonymous]

R.I.P. Brother, R.I.P.

Rick

One dead, one injured in separate rail incidents

CHESTER, S.C. -- One man was killed and another lost three of his limbs in separate train accidents during a 12-hour span Tuesday, August 26, 2003, in Chester County, according to the Rock Hill Herald.
John Scott Graves, 29, of 2358 Oxford Circle, Lancaster, died Tuesday afternoon when authorities say he was crushed between two train cars at an industrial plant. Graves was pronounced dead at 1:16 p.m. at the Chester County Hospital emergency room, Coroner Watson Wright said. He died from massive chest and internal injuries.

At 12:10 a.m., Joel C. Brown, 28, of Fourth Street was struck by a train near the Saluda Street train crossing outside the Eureka Mill village. Brown lost both legs and his left arm and was flown to Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte. He also suffered serious head and internal injuries, authorities said.

Tuesday night, he was in critical condition.

Graves, a Lancaster & Chester Railway employee for two and a half years, was at the PPG Industries fiberglass products plant on S.C. 9 when the incident occurred at 12:34 p.m. He and some coworkers were dropping off the loaded train cars and hooking up several empty cars to a train, L&C President Steve Gedney said Tuesday.

As they were picking up one empty train car, Graves was out of sight of his coworkers. As the train backed up to hook up the empty car -- a routine L&C workers perform daily -- Graves was heard yelling over his radio for the train to stop, according to Chester County Sheriff's Office reports.

The train stopped, but Graves was found between the train and the empty car.

"I was very shocked," said Gedney, who was informed of the fatal accident while on vacation Tuesday. "This has been very tragic. We are very upset about it ... Our sympathy goes out to the family."

Gedney said the Federal Railroad Administration is conducting an investigation. He also said L & C staffers will be conducting an internal probe into the incident. It was the first fatal incident involving an L&C employee since Gedney began working there in 1990.

"Railroading is a heavy-industry business," he said. "It's got risk with it. It's very non-forgiving if someone makes a mistake."

Gedney described the 23 L&C employees as a "small, tight-knit group." Graves worked as a conductor, and was employed by Norfolk Southern before coming to work with L&C.

Brown, who lives in the Eure-ka Mill village, was reportedly lying on the railroad tracks about 250 feet from the Saluda Street crossing on S.C. 72, said Sgt. Cathie Bell of the Chester County Sheriff's Office.

The engineer of a CSX train spotted Brown about 250 feet away, and told authorities he blew the train's horn to alert him, Bell said. Brown did not respond to the horn. He was struck by the train as it traveled at slower than the 40 mph speed limit.

It is not clear whether Brown fell down or whether he was intentionally lying on the tracks, Bell said.

Both of Brown's legs were severed at the scene, Bell said. Brown also lost his left arm in the incident, Bell said.

Brown was found unconscious after he was pushed by the train as it came to a stop.

Bell said she did not know if he was intoxicated.

(This item appeared in the Rock Hill Herald Aug. 27, 2003)

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[David3]

Did you find this in the TRAINS news wire?

[David3]

Did you find this in the TRAINS news wire?

[vsmith]

Its a sad and tragic day for the L&C and the family of the poor guy...

What about the other guy??? was he drunk and passed out???
tripped, fell and knocked out? suicide???

Why was he on the tracks in the middle of the night?????
something odd about that story...

[vsmith]

Its a sad and tragic day for the L&C and the family of the poor guy...

What about the other guy??? was he drunk and passed out???
tripped, fell and knocked out? suicide???

Why was he on the tracks in the middle of the night?????
something odd about that story...

[David3]

Never mind, don't answer what I asked, and why was the guy on the tracks in the middle of the night?

[David3]

Never mind, don't answer what I asked, and why was the guy on the tracks in the middle of the night?

[Anonymous]

No idea about why the idiot was on the tracks in middle of the night.

Just sad about the trainman. It is SO easy to slip and fall at the wrong moment. I'm sure Ed and others out in the yard can tell you that. Switching is damn risky. Gotta keep the insurance paid up...

LE

[Anonymous]

No idea about why the idiot was on the tracks in middle of the night.

Just sad about the trainman. It is SO easy to slip and fall at the wrong moment. I'm sure Ed and others out in the yard can tell you that. Switching is damn risky. Gotta keep the insurance paid up...

LE

[David3]

Yeah it is a sad occurance. Do you happen to know how fast the train was going when he got hit?

[David3]

Yeah it is a sad occurance. Do you happen to know how fast the train was going when he got hit?

[Anonymous]

I know what is in the article. Nothing more.

LE

[Anonymous]

I know what is in the article. Nothing more.

LE

[Trainnut484]

My condolences to the crewmans' families and friends.

Take care[:)]

Russell

[Trainnut484]

My condolences to the crewmans' families and friends.

Take care[:)]

Russell

[Willy2]

It's a terrible thing and I feel very sorry for all who witnissed the event and for the train crew.

Willy

[Willy2]

It's a terrible thing and I feel very sorry for all who witnissed the event and for the train crew.

Willy

[edblysard]

We called it the "Dead Zone" when I signed on, now the FRA perfers it to be called the "Red Zone".
Its the area within the plane of any railcar on a track occupied by a locomotive.

The intent is that you may not viloate the zone unless you contact the engineer on the locomotive, and inform him you are entering the zone.

He must respond with "set and centered" meaning he has set the brakes, and centered the reverser, and shut off the generator field to prevent any movement while you are between the cars, weither you are lacing up air hoses, opening knuckles, adjusting couplers, or releasing or tieing a handbrake.

The engineer may not move the locomotive under any circumstance, until you tell him you have cleared the zone.
You may not "piggyback" on someones eles call, in other words, if I enter the zone, my helper must, if he is going to enter the zone, make a seperate signal to the engineer, who may not move till both of us have cleared, and he has heard from us both seperatly.

For most of us who switch for a living, this is the most important rule there is.

While limitedclear's photo shows a very attractive young lady, if that is a active yard she is posing in, she has placed herself in a position to be killed.
If the cars behind her move suddenly, she will not be able to stand up and move clear fast enough to save her very pretty tail.
I am not that cute, but you couldnt pay me enough to pose in that position, no matter what yard or who is controling the cars.

Nothing, and I mean nothing will scare you more than having the cars you are lacing up move while you are kneeling inbetween them.
Or having the cars on the track next to you slam together from another crews kicking.

On the PTRA, you may not enter the zone on any moving car, period.

Ask any old head who is missing a finger or two how it happened, and most likley he will tell you he did something dumb, like trying to open a knuckle or adjust a drawbar on a car while he was making a joint.

This stuff does not forgive mistakes.

Once bitten, twice shy..
only out here, you dont often get the chance to be shy.
Stay Frosty,
Ed

[edblysard]

We called it the "Dead Zone" when I signed on, now the FRA perfers it to be called the "Red Zone".
Its the area within the plane of any railcar on a track occupied by a locomotive.

The intent is that you may not viloate the zone unless you contact the engineer on the locomotive, and inform him you are entering the zone.

He must respond with "set and centered" meaning he has set the brakes, and centered the reverser, and shut off the generator field to prevent any movement while you are between the cars, weither you are lacing up air hoses, opening knuckles, adjusting couplers, or releasing or tieing a handbrake.

The engineer may not move the locomotive under any circumstance, until you tell him you have cleared the zone.
You may not "piggyback" on someones eles call, in other words, if I enter the zone, my helper must, if he is going to enter the zone, make a seperate signal to the engineer, who may not move till both of us have cleared, and he has heard from us both seperatly.

For most of us who switch for a living, this is the most important rule there is.

While limitedclear's photo shows a very attractive young lady, if that is a active yard she is posing in, she has placed herself in a position to be killed.
If the cars behind her move suddenly, she will not be able to stand up and move clear fast enough to save her very pretty tail.
I am not that cute, but you couldnt pay me enough to pose in that position, no matter what yard or who is controling the cars.

Nothing, and I mean nothing will scare you more than having the cars you are lacing up move while you are kneeling inbetween them.
Or having the cars on the track next to you slam together from another crews kicking.

On the PTRA, you may not enter the zone on any moving car, period.

Ask any old head who is missing a finger or two how it happened, and most likley he will tell you he did something dumb, like trying to open a knuckle or adjust a drawbar on a car while he was making a joint.

This stuff does not forgive mistakes.

Once bitten, twice shy..
only out here, you dont often get the chance to be shy.
Stay Frosty,
Ed

[Anonymous]

Very, very sad.
Please be careful around railroads.

[Anonymous]

Very, very sad.
Please be careful around railroads.

[Anonymous]

I agree with you Ed. It is a dangerous job.

In the east we refer to it as "Three Step Protection" in most respects the steps are the same as the Red Zone you describe. The trainman advises the engineer he is "going in" (breaking the plane of the railcar or locomotive) and requests "Three Step Protection", the Engineer applies the train brake in an amount sufficient to hold the train (minimum 20 lbs reduction) and the independent brake and centers the reverser and places the generator field switch in the off position. The protection is held until released by all requesting it.

As to the photos, they were all taken with equipment fully secured according to the photographers site. I have no reason to know otherwise.

LC

[Anonymous]

I agree with you Ed. It is a dangerous job.

In the east we refer to it as "Three Step Protection" in most respects the steps are the same as the Red Zone you describe. The trainman advises the engineer he is "going in" (breaking the plane of the railcar or locomotive) and requests "Three Step Protection", the Engineer applies the train brake in an amount sufficient to hold the train (minimum 20 lbs reduction) and the independent brake and centers the reverser and places the generator field switch in the off position. The protection is held until released by all requesting it.

As to the photos, they were all taken with equipment fully secured according to the photographers site. I have no reason to know otherwise.

LC

[edblysard]

Well, with assets like that, I would tie everything down!!
None of the new hires ever seem to look like that, and it would make on the job training so much more fun!
Stay Frosty,
Ed

[edblysard]

Well, with assets like that, I would tie everything down!!
None of the new hires ever seem to look like that, and it would make on the job training so much more fun!
Stay Frosty,
Ed

[kenneo]

QUOTE: Originally posted by edblysard

Nothing, and I mean nothing will scare you more than having the cars you are lacing up move while you are kneeling inbetween them.
Or having the cars on the track next to you slam together from another crews kicking.

This stuff does not forgive mistakes.

Once bitten, twice shy..
only out here, you dont often get the chance to be shy.
Stay Frosty,
Ed

No, Ed, you never do forget.

A very good many years ago, we had the hump computer tilt its flanges skyward and had to do the whole thing by hand which meant doing double shifts as a mudhop and then your regular shift. There I was, in the bowl, clearances of 6 inches each side.

The rule was for the track on each side to be locked so not cars could enter it. Well, there I was, checking tracks left and right, working my way back from the crest to the trim retarder. There was a deep carpet of wood chips that had been knocked off the cars and snow on the ground. Imagine my response when without a sound, a cut of empty flats came flying by me on one of the tracks I was checking making a very hard joint.

The company didn't think my response to the yardmaster over the radio met FCC rules for content, so they gave me 30 days. Nothing happened to the culpable.

Keep your insurance up. Job, life and disability!

Sorry Ed, but I can't stay frosty on this one. Not even all these years later.

[kenneo]

QUOTE: Originally posted by edblysard

Nothing, and I mean nothing will scare you more than having the cars you are lacing up move while you are kneeling inbetween them.
Or having the cars on the track next to you slam together from another crews kicking.

This stuff does not forgive mistakes.

Once bitten, twice shy..
only out here, you dont often get the chance to be shy.
Stay Frosty,
Ed

No, Ed, you never do forget.

A very good many years ago, we had the hump computer tilt its flanges skyward and had to do the whole thing by hand which meant doing double shifts as a mudhop and then your regular shift. There I was, in the bowl, clearances of 6 inches each side.

The rule was for the track on each side to be locked so not cars could enter it. Well, there I was, checking tracks left and right, working my way back from the crest to the trim retarder. There was a deep carpet of wood chips that had been knocked off the cars and snow on the ground. Imagine my response when without a sound, a cut of empty flats came flying by me on one of the tracks I was checking making a very hard joint.

The company didn't think my response to the yardmaster over the radio met FCC rules for content, so they gave me 30 days. Nothing happened to the culpable.

Keep your insurance up. Job, life and disability!

Sorry Ed, but I can't stay frosty on this one. Not even all these years later.

[edblysard]

Kenneo, your right, on this one no one should ever be quite.
When we get new hires assinged to train on my job, one of the things I do is take them into the middle of the yard, and have my helper float a few flats down towards the track we are by. It never fail to impress on them how quite some of this stuff can roll, or how easy it is to forget to look down,
instead of expecting the cars to all be tall enough to see easily.
And yes, I do carry life insurance, and my wife has me insured through her policy with the state. Morbid, but if it gets me, they dont have to worry about money, I am worth more dead than alive.
But its going to have to work mighty hard to catch me.
Stay Safe,
Ed

[edblysard]

Kenneo, your right, on this one no one should ever be quite.
When we get new hires assinged to train on my job, one of the things I do is take them into the middle of the yard, and have my helper float a few flats down towards the track we are by. It never fail to impress on them how quite some of this stuff can roll, or how easy it is to forget to look down,
instead of expecting the cars to all be tall enough to see easily.
And yes, I do carry life insurance, and my wife has me insured through her policy with the state. Morbid, but if it gets me, they dont have to worry about money, I am worth more dead than alive.
But its going to have to work mighty hard to catch me.
Stay Safe,
Ed