RE: (erielack) acknowledgement of faxed train orders (somewhat off topic)

["Elaine and John Redden" <ejredden_@_frontiernet.net>]

Steven Kay wrote:

>Facsimile Machines were for many years and are in place in Suffern, Spring
>Valley, and Port Jervis for the receipt of Form Ds. The Conductor was
>required to contact the Operator at DB (before it closed) to verify the
>number and date of each Form D.

>Was this a requirement during the Conrail and earlier EL times?

There was a fatal head-on collision in February 1987 south of Buffalo, on CSX (B&O), and the
cause was attributed to the practice of faxing train orders to unmanned stations, without 
requiring the train crew to acknowledge the receipt of the train orders.  In this case, the 
location of a meet was changed while the Northbound train was enroute.  The Form 31 
(or whatever they used at the time), was erroneously faxed to a station that was behind 
the train.  They never got the order to take siding, and a very destructive head-on collision, 
with two crew fatalities was the result.

It was amazing to me, that after a century of experience with dispatching trains via telegraph and 
telephone, or other electronic means, that this system (without any safeguard to acknowlege
the receipt of orders) could be put into place.

John R.

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