Don't try this at home: the solo flying switch

I was watching a two-man crew kicking cars on a steel plant switching operation yesterday. The nondescript EMD switcher had ahold of two gons and the engineman set the engine in motion, left his seat and left the cab, crossed the platform and from the steps tripped the cut lever with his foot and ran back into the cab and stopped the engine and of course the cars went their merry way. I'd be curious to know what their safety/accident record is.

People get hurt almost weekley at a steel mill I'd guess between 5 and 10 accdents at the highest in a month? I worked in an aluminum smelting plant for a few months I think we avraged 1-2 miner accdents a week mostley burns, and scrapes.

Did OSHA take any particular notice? Seems like a very high rate of OSHA recordible accidents.

The company never reported anything they just fired the emploee for geting hurt. I worked with a guy who was fired for haveing a set of rotateing forks snap off of a fork truck it was not his fult that it happened eather. I got into trouble for haveing a tire brake off of the axle of a fork truck. I reported it several times that the fork trucks were not safe the fuel tanks leaked all over the place, the hard rubber tires were half melted with large chucks missing, There was a half inch pice of Plexie Glass for a windshield and that was also called protection from the molton crap that would be poured into the salt pans out of the drum furnice. The horns were broken and at times we had no head lights becuse they would get broken off, smashed or melted. I filed a report with OSHA once after being cheated out of a whole days pay after being 5 minets late due to construction that I was unaware of. The fork truck was so called no where to be found on the mill grounds. I'm guessing that it was melted down befor OSHA could get there not even the Sacurity Cameras showing the Furnices and both Dross Houses were switched on for the following shift. I was fired from the job for haveing a Migrain headace. Go figure that the temp out side was 101 degrees out side with 99% humidity. The temp in the mill its self was around 1000+ degrees.

That engineer must be a new man to do that. Any old timer would tie a rope to the cutting lever and pull the pin without leaving his seat.

Thank god I live in Canada! It blows me away, that the OSHA, is considered a Modern Organization. You guys down south have no workers compensation? or is the OSHA, just a front for BS? If one of the engineers i work with did that, 2 week holiday or worse! mind you, we don't work 2 man crews.

Now Aji dont give all the tricks away ! Hell Up will start issuing rope to put in your grips.

Anonymous wrote: the engineman set the engine in motion, left his seat and left the cab, crossed the platform and from the steps tripped the cut lever with his foot and ran back into the cab and stopped the engine and of course the cars went their merry way.

I didnt even see this topic before......... Ok fine ive done that same thing. lol It was the only way i could show a couple new guys in the yard that you could blast a cut of 20 cars or more into a clear rail and not get them out the other end. One time with trailers and another with hoppers. Besides me being the yard hog, theres wasnt any difference then when i was the forman doing double overs, have my helper get them past the switch then id boot off the cars from all the way off the top of the belt track.

We used to have a move that required a drop. We carried a rope in the engine and the conductor worked the switch, the engineer made the cut with the rope and the conductor threw the switch between the loco and the car.

I'd better not tell about the day I made that move solo - it was a slight decending grade and with just an easy start there was plenty of time to get past the switch, get off the engine, and throw the switch, then catch the car and tie it down when it was in the clear. But now many lines don't even want you to get on while in motion.

Doing things like that is more of a "trick" then a safety issue. We arent suppost to drop cars with the RCL eather,........ ahhh ya. Had the tower tell me to set the car over run around it and then kick it to a rail. I said ok and then we set up for the drop, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"...... "just watch" i said. "well that was easy!!"....."well ya buddy!!!!" New yardmaster lol I've done other things that worked out slick as ____ that had the yardmaster screaming. "Dont look, this is gonna work out just fine." I've been asked to do some crazy stuff also. Pulled a train in with the RCL before, headend got just inside the yard and died, crew stepped off, "click clack", hooked up the air real quick, cut out the lead unit, jumped on the RCL and started pulling her in before the crew made it to the depot door. Yardmaster was yelling on the radio, "YOUR THE MAN, YOUR THE MAN, quickest crew change i ever saw!!!" The UTU threw a fit later when they found out about it of course, my Atta Boy on that one i received was pretty covert, didnt go into a great deal of detail just a thank you for my hard work and dedication.