Metro-North passenger train derails in NYC, leaving some cars in water

[thundley4]

Those unions would of compromised inhibited and undermined the investigation. Anyways, screw them.

FIFY

[DumbAss Tanker]

I don't buy the whole 'Momentarily dozed off or zoned out' BS the engineer and union are selling, my money is on the SOB having worked around the deadman and then fell sound asleep and was out like a light long before he hit the curve, and I look forward with interest to the blood test results.

I saw that greaseball publicity whore Chuck the Schmuck trying to hog as much camera space as possible during the on-scene coverage of a purely-local incident.  What a slimy POS.

[ironhorsedriver]

Tanker, we don't have the old dead man pedal anymore. On cab cars, you have a small button that has to be depressed approximately every 30 to 45 seconds. Same on the P42 locomotive on the train. It can be cut out, but the seal would have to be broken, and he wouldn't jeopardize his job just for that issue. When the button is not pushed, the brakes go into a penalty application, in other words they set at a service rate, vs a full blown emergency application. With a 7 car train, running 70 mph, he would have had to start braking 1/2 mile to make a smooth transition from 70 to 30. That said, he was operating from a cab car. The engine on the rear. When he applies the brakes, he gets blended braking, Car brakes apply, as well as dynamic braking on the engine. You'll stand people up if used forcefully, it brakes that good. 
If, as he said, the jolt of starting into the curve woke him. Then the derailment was a forgone conclusion. Although a passenger train schedule is better than a freight pool, extra board engineers still haven't really got a handle on when they go to work. You could know only 2 hours before sign up. No excuse for nodding, just a possible factor. As with every rail accident, no matter which company, we are always briefed and told known details by Company officials, and told to be alert and careful.
What we where told is, he was clean, no D&A involved. His cell record was clean, no calls, texts, etc. Understandable since we could face 10,000 fines for just having one on. He had a good work record, with no prior discipline or safety violations. As for the speed, I have no doubt the speed given was correct, however, they will have to measure wheel diameter to insure the recorder is accurate. It will be adjusted more precisely when that's done.
As for the Union, it's not their place to block in any way the investigation. 

[wasp69]

Tanker, we don't have the old dead man pedal anymore. On cab cars, you have a small button that has to be depressed approximately every 30 to 45 seconds. Same on the P42 locomotive on the train. It can be cut out, but the seal would have to be broken, and he wouldn't jeopardize his job just for that issue. When the button is not pushed, the brakes go into a penalty application, in other words they set at a service rate, vs a full blown emergency application. With a 7 car train, running 70 mph, he would have had to start braking 1/2 mile to make a smooth transition from 70 to 30. That said, he was operating from a cab car. The engine on the rear. When he applies the brakes, he gets blended braking, Car brakes apply, as well as dynamic braking on the engine. You'll stand people up if used forcefully, it brakes that good. 
If, as he said, the jolt of starting into the curve woke him. Then the derailment was a forgone conclusion. Although a passenger train schedule is better than a freight pool, extra board engineers still haven't really got a handle on when they go to work. You could know only 2 hours before sign up. No excuse for nodding, just a possible factor. As with every rail accident, no matter which company, we are always briefed and told known details by Company officials, and told to be alert and careful.
What we where told is, he was clean, no D&A involved. His cell record was clean, no calls, texts, etc. Understandable since we could face 10,000 fines for just having one on. He had a good work record, with no prior discipline or safety violations. As for the speed, I have no doubt the speed given was correct, however, they will have to measure wheel diameter to insure the recorder is accurate. It will be adjusted more precisely when that's done.
As for the Union, it's not their place to block in any way the investigation. 

Good stuff, thanks.

[DumbAss Tanker]

Tanker, we don't have the old dead man pedal anymore.

Thanks for the solid info, I did not know what sort of system those trains had, out of a half-dozen different kinds that have been used over the years.  I'm just kind of naturally suspicious of operators in any kind of industrial accident, since I have seen so many of them caused by people bypassing safeguard systems.  

[ironhorsedriver]

That's why they got rid of the deadman pedal. The force you had to keep on it would put your leg to sleep. It just became easier to jam a spike into it and forget it to most Engineers. Especially on yard engines. I know that railroads need to watch the bottom line, just like everyone else, but it seems it would be safer to require two people on the engine. I will admit that I've gone into my final terminal running standing up, I was tired, and that was my way of staying awake. At 4 or 5 in the morning, after 10 hours on the road, your whipped.

[catsmtrods]

I heard a story from a friend at work today. True I don't know? Says his uncle had that route for some 20 years. Hey was 70 years old and the company has been trying to get rid of him for many years now. Hoping he would fail his physical and such but he has been hanging on cause it was considered the gravy route of Metro North and he loved it. Story goes a few weeks ago he decided to hang it up and the route went up for bid. Well you know the rest of the story. Old guys rule!