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Re: (erielack) Speaking of radios & Speed Signs on the..... SOUTHERN
- Subject: Re: (erielack) Speaking of radios & Speed Signs on the..... SOUTHERN
- From: Charles_Walsh_@_Berlex.com
- Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2005 07:10:02 -0400
Walter,
Some harrowing stories there... Any guess as to why more roads don't use
the speed restriction signs? We'd all be appalled if we were talking about
interstate highways without them...why not our railroads? It almost seems
that there should be a law.
Chuck
"Walter Smith"
<wsmith5957_@_hotmail
.com> To: s.kay4_@_verizon.net
Sent by: jananran_@_mymailstation.com
erielack-owner_@_list erielack@lists.railfan.net
s.elhts.org ormondcath_@_aol.com
cc: snopercod_@_citcom.net
PapaG1954_@_aol.com
04/25/2005 10:19 PM johnkluge_@_citcom.net
Please respond to pemchugh_@_aol.com
"Walter Smith" alfred_runte_@_msn.com
terryem1762_@_yahoo.com
bvolkmer_@_herzogcompanies.com
Subject:
Re: (erielack) Speaking of radios & Speed Signs on the..... SOUTHERN
Speaking of speed signs......Speed signs are a great help - especially
nowadays when engineers are required to run much further than the 100 mile
day. Years ago, it was possible to have the railroad in your head like a
videotape. Scranton to Hoboken on the former DL&W was app 120 miles (via
the
cutoff), Scranton/Hornell about 150 or so. You had a clear picture of the
road, curves, crossings & other little peculiarities in your head.
Binghamton to Syracuse on the DL&Ws Syracuse Division was about 80 miles.
No
problemo - I can still take you there in my head.
Now lets look at Amtraks' Zone 5 - Washington-Florence, S.C.. In the 80s,
this involved RULEBOOKS of the Washington Terminal Co., then when you
crossed the bridge over the Potomac River you entered the territory of the
Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac Railroad (different rulebook), then when
you left Richmond S/B, you entered the territory of the CSX (former ACL)RR.
Not only was it over 300 miles of territory to (try &) remember, but 3
DIFFERENT SETS OF RULES. Kind of like the old kids game - SIMON SAYS.
OOPS, THAT INTERPRETATION OF THE RESTRICTED SIGNAL APPLIED TO THE RF&P..YOU
FORGOT YOU'RE ON THE CSX....HA HA- YOU"RE OUT OF SERVICE!
For those of us from a railroad like the former DL&W which had long had a
grade crossing elimination program, it was even more fun running at 79 mph
through the hot Southern nights past lines of freight cars in a siding
blocking any view of a log truck approaching the 2 lane road with no
flashers or gate......just crossbucks...what fun!!
All this pales compared to getting called for 19 & 20 (The CRESCENT). With
the Norfolk Southern Road Foreman in the cab advice came forth like
"This's
a 50 mile per hour curve, Walt, better take some air." "OK, yew can get
back
to track speed", "Got a 45 mph speed restriction here". I asked where the
'diamond boards' were to show speed restrictions. "We don't have any on the
Southern, you just got to know the road." This appalled me........at least
the CSX whatever their other shortcomings, had diamond boards showing the
speed at all speed restrictions. A few minutes later came this gem....."Oh
yeah, this's where the Crescent wrecked back in 72 (or whatever)... the
engineer forgot where he was & entered this 40 mile per hour curve at 70 &
turned over." I felt this was not the time to mention the lack of speed
boards on the good, ol' SOUTHERN, but resolved to avoid 19 & 20 if
possible.
Keep in mind that this is the very line where OLD 97 left the rails on a
curving trestle giving birth to song & legend (but not necessarily good
operating practice).
Now imagine working one of the jobs that has you down to South Carolina one
day & back the next then the following day working 29 & 30 the Capitol
Limited on the former B&O. This railroad was one of the first built in this
country & it shows it with all the curves, grades, tunnels, etc from
Washington, DC to Pittsburgh, Pa. With all the curves & grades, there were
speed changes almost every mile in some sections in the mountains. The book
you were given to learn all the speeds looked like an encyclopedia. I
finally xeroxed the speeds in order & stapled them together (9 sheets)
& fastened them to the control stand with a magnet turning them over as we
went up the road.
To add to the fun, a railroad like this needs lots of maintainance so you
might gat 30 or 40 orders Eastbound, but these might only apply to track 2
(the Eastbound maintrack) as you went along, the Dispatcher might switch
you
over to run on track 1 at Patterson Creek tower (Just East of Cumberland,
Md.). Now you gotta look through all the trainorders to see which apply to
track 1.
Can you see the infinite possibilities for screw-ups here???? HMMMM. Are we
having fun yet???
I worked with a great group of engineers, many of them with years of
experience on the ACL, B&O, & RF&P, but they all said "EVERYBODY gets in
trouble on the B&O side, no matter how good you are." My final run over the
B&O was in 1988 & on that trip, we got over 80 trainorders Eastbound. I
carried them into Al Scalas' (Supt.) office & said "It's just too much ,
Al."
I like to think I'm as knowledgable as most, but it seemed that being in
combat & the more you exposed yourself, the more you were likely to get in
trouble. When I was in the Air Force, the fighter pilots used to talk this
way..........now I understand how they felt. I guess the best thing is not
to think about it.
Any comments, feel free to email me.
Regards to all,
Walter E. Smith
>From: Steven Kay <s.kay4_@_verizon.net>
>Reply-To: Steven Kay <s.kay4_@_verizon.net>
>To: Janet & Randy Brown <jananran_@_mymailstation.com>,
>"RJFlei_@_aol.com" <erielack@lists.railfan.net>
>Subject: Re: (erielack) Speaking of radios & Speed Signs
>Date: Mon, 25 Apr 2005 16:52:20 -0400
>
>If the sign is a "last ditch reminder" then the engineer should not be
>running trains. Technology is fine but only as a backup to a well trained,
>well rested engineer. Too much technology CAN be a distraction. Reckless
or
>stupid engineers should be fired.
>
>Steve
>--
>The railroad's best safety device
>Is a well trained, well rested engineer
>www.ble272.org
>
>
>
>On 4/25/05 3:01 PM, "Janet & Randy Brown" <jananran_@_mymailstation.com>
>wrote:
>
> > Last ditch? :/
> >
> > Randy Brown
> > --------------------------------------------------------------
> >
> > Bob,
> >
> > I see your point that the signs could easily be out of date,
>particularly if
> > superelevation were changed. Still, as with this morning's Japanese
> > catastrophe where 50+ people were killed--and the engineer was thought
>to have
> > been doing 75 mph+ on a 45 mph curve (he was late and making up time)
>--I'm
> > wondering if the signs aren't a good last-ditch reminder. . .
> > Chuck
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > The Erie Lackawanna Mailing List
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>
>
>
> The Erie Lackawanna Mailing List
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