Subj : Re: The Train Wreck
To   : RON L.
From : Mike Powell
Date : Mon Feb 20 2023 16:39:00

>  MP> There was a report on the Weather Channel (why them I don't know?) that
>  MP> was posted the week after the derailment that showed supposed security
>  MP> cam footage from ~20 miles away.  That footage showed one of the cars
>  MP> was sparking and possibly on fire.  That would play along with the
>  MP> investigation into whether or not one of the cars had an axle issue.

> Ya, but railroads have sensors in place to detect that.  20 miles away?
> The engineer would have known much sooner than that and stopped the train
> before there was a big problem.

Yes, hot box sensors.  I am not certain how far they are apart, i.e. in
miles.  Supposedly, the train did pass at least one and it was not working.
The train crew was not aware of that fact.  Part of the recent labor dispute
was that the railroads want to start staffing trains with only 1 person, the
engineer.  That means one less set of eyes on things.  IIRC, it is/was the
conductor's responsibility to watch stuff like that.

I don't know if the new staffing suggestion went into effect or not but, if
it did, there are no more conductors on many trains.

I almost attended CSX conductor school back in the 1990's.  Realizing how
many responsibilities a conductor has on a modern 2-person crew really made
me reconsider doing so.

>  MP> The last report I saw (and others before it) indicated that allowing
>  MP> them to drain from the cars and burn was better than keeping them
>  MP> contained in the cars and exploding due to the existing fire.

> That's the excuse that I heard too.  I wonder what "experts" they were
alking
> to.  The ones that are outstanding in the fields, or the ones chosen for
heir
> intersectionality and are just out, standing in their fields.

Not sure.  They made it sound like it was the railroad's decision, which
would make me think they had an idea of what was being hauled and what they
thought was best.  If it was the government, I would expect it to be more
likely the "out, standing" variety.  :)


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