by LIengineerBob
VDYard wrote:Last night the train that spreads alcohol on the third rail derailed at Farmingdale. The new engineer messed up and drove the train over the derail on the east end of the north track. He was going too fast and didnt know what the signals ment or that it was an electric lock switch and that the dispatcher did not want him to go east.Before an engineer can go out on the road on their own, we must pass and exaustive battery of tests, signals being the first. If you don't pass the signal test, you don't get to go on and take the rest of the qualifying exams. It's over for you right then and there...period. So for you to say that he/she did not know what the signal meant is rediculous, and it sounds as if you really have no idea what you are talking about, considering that you don't "drive" a train, you operate one. I am in no way trying to gloss over someones mistake, but this sometimes happens with inexperience, and sometimes with experience too. You cannot go too fast on that track, as the ASC only gives you a 15 code, and guess what...the speed is 15 mph on that section of track. From the information I received, the train SLID past the signal and derail (remember it was snowing and rainy Thursday night). Should the crew have been more careful and aware of their surroundings, they probably could have. But to make it sound like this engineer was an idiot and the conductor a sleeping buffoon, is just not right. There was more to the story than you have posted, or I can can post here, as I RESPECT my fellow co-workers. If you are an LIRR employee, you should be ashamed of yourself for posting this type on info on here. If you are from the public, it just sounds like bad apples to me, and an attempt to make us railroaders look like idiots. Most (if not all the) other employees that frequent this board will probably back me up here.
VDYard wrote:The derailment woke up the conductor who was sleeping in the engine on the west end. The conductor saw what happened and wanted to fire the engineer on the spot but a supervisor came and talked the conductor our of firing the engineer. The engineer is very lucky. Also any people on a train passing on the main track were lucky because the engine would have ripped open the side of the train and killed them all.A conductor cannot, and has NO authority what so ever to fire an enginneer, or any train crew member or any employee at any time. Even the president of the railroad cannot fire an employee on the spot. Only a transportation department supervisor can "remove you from service", but not fire an emplyee, pending an investigation.
Again, you show no knowledge of the railroad what so ever, as any other train COULD NOT GET a signal into Farm interlocking while this particular train was making a move into the siding at Farmingdale. If in fact the train did manage to go past the derail, guess what, it would have derailed long before it was in any danger of reaching the main track and striking a passing train (thats what a derail is designed to do!!). A derailed engine, even with several cars, at 15 MPH, drops to the ground and stops dead nearly instantly.
Sorry to ramble on guys, but this just rubbed me the wrong way.