WASHINGTON - "The best closing pitchers in baseball blow saves, off-duty policemen receive speeding tickets, and human beings make mistakes," said UTU International President Mike Futhey, responding to National Transportation Safety Board revelations here March 3 of text messaging by a locomotive engineer and the engineer's permitting unauthorized people to operate a train.
"The most effective means of reducing the probability that train-crew members make mistakes or violate federal and carrier safety rules and maximize situational awareness is to have two sets of qualified eyes and ears -- an engineer and a conductor -- in each locomotive cab," Futhey said.
The two-day NTSB hearing commenced Tuesday, March 3, as part of an investigation into a commuter-rail crash in Chatsworth, Calif., last Sept. 12 that killed 25 persons and injured 130.
As reported by the Associated Press, the engineer of that commuter train was planning to let a railroad fan operate the locomotive on the day of the accident, according to documents from federal investigators. The engineer also sent and received 57 text messages while on duty that day, including one the NTSB said he sent just 22 seconds before the head-on crash with a Union Pacific freight train.
A transcript of the text messages by engineer Robert Sanchez was released by the NTSB at the start of the hearing, during which investigators sketched out the events leading up to the deadly crash.
The texts indicate Sanchez had allowed the rail fan to ride in the cab several days before the crash, and that he was planning to let the rail fan run the train between four stations on the evening of the crash.
"I'm gonna do all the radio talkin' ... ur gonna run the locomotive & I'm gonna tell u how to do it," Sanchez wrote in one text released by the NTSB.
The documents do not identify the fan, but after the crash two teenage train buffs told KCBS-TV that they received a text message from Sanchez minutes before the crash.
Investigators said the pattern of text messages was not uncommon for the engineer, who died in the crash.
Investigators said there was no sign of mechanical error involving the Metrolink train that was carrying 220 passengers.
"All the evidence is consistent with the Metrolink engineer failing to stop at a red signal," investigator Wayne Workman told the NTSB.
Workman said text message records also indicated Sanchez had allowed unauthorized individuals into the locomotive cab three days before the accident. One of those individuals was allowed to sit at the controls while the train was operating.
"Both company and federal rules prohibit these activities," Workman said.
The Associated Press also reported that investigators found that the conductor of the Union Pacific freight train also received and sent numerous text messages while on duty. The conductor tested positive for marijuana, according to the NTSB.
The crash prompted a Federal Railroad Administration-imposed ban on the use of cell phones and other electronic devices by crew members while on duty.
The NTSB panel conducting the hearing focused on cell phone use by train crew members; the operation of trackside signals designed to prevent collisions; and oversight and compliance with safety procedures during the crash.
President Futhey's statement:
Following are additional comments by President Futhey, which were released to the media at the start of the hearing:
"The United Transportation Union neither condones nor defends the violation of operating rules intended to ensure safe operation of freight, passenger and commuter trains.
"The assignment of a qualified locomotive engineer and qualified conductor to the cab of every freight, passenger and commuter train helps to ensure situational awareness, which is essential to safe train operation and protection of passengers and the public.
"When a locomotive engineer works alone in the locomotive cab of a passenger or commuter train, and the qualified conductor -- who has charge of the train -- is in the passenger cars performing other duties, there is not a second set of eyes and ears to interact with the locomotive engineer in observing track signals and ensuring compliance.
"A two-person crew, which includes a qualified locomotive engineer and a qualified conductor, also provides increased assurance against lapses in judgment by one crew member, who, for example, might otherwise permit an unauthorized person in the cab of the locomotive.
"Human beings possess frailties, and every individual has a tendency to fail at some point. Having two qualified crew members in a locomotive cab significantly reduces the probability of life-threatening failure.
"Indeed, the professionalism and safety operating record of more than 100,000 train and engine service employees each and every day in the United States is compelling testimony that horrific accidents such as occurred in Chatsworth, Calif., are extremely rare.
"Having a second qualified individual in the locomotive cab further reduces the probability of a repeat occurrence."
UTU International Vice President J.R. "Jim" Cumby will be called by the NTSB March 4 to respond to questions. Members of the UTU Transportation Safety Team, of which Cumby is chairperson, assisted the NTSB in its initial investigation of the accident.
This whole deal is an example of everything that can go wrong did. Recall back in the late 60's-early 70's when I was a teen hanging around trackside, that some friendly hoghead sensed that I was going to be a rail someday and was happy to share his knowledge with me. I must of made 20 or more trips riding around in the cab of the Bellingham Switcher. He trusted me like the long lost fireman he was used to working with. Even though my career with RR wasn't as an engineer or train crew member, that experience went a long ways. Part of having a Libra Moon is feeling what each side of the equation experiences. How many of you out there knows what its like to be a clerk/opr?
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If you are in a horror movie, you make bad decisions, its what you do.
The Krink wrote:How many of you out there knows what its like to be a clerk/opr?
I was aquainted with many people when I was in the USAF. I was not a barracks rat, when not working or sleeping I got up and got out. People who hung around the barracks got rounded up from time ta time to do shit jobs. Just like a Barber Shop, or gas station, used to have "Loafers", Train Stations often were frequented by people just "shooting the shit". At one time the railroad station was the meeting place in town. You could still get a glimpse of those times in small places in out of the way areas, back in the 70's. Being stationed in several different places I made friends with people who worked in those train stations and was invited into many places that you would NEVER see today. I had many cab rides as a kid, it was not allowed but MANY people did it anyway..No one ever got fired for it, That I know. Most of the offices that clerk/operators worked in, in these small slices of Americana, were old, paint peeling off the ceilings, walls etc. Everything you looked at was old, well worn but serviceable, and some things on top of cabinets were covered in a thick layer of dust. I've seen train order typewriters that Mickey Spillane would have considered obsolete. Several Ops I was aquainted with preferred to write out the orders long hand, but were irked when they had to make a lot of copys, then they had to use the typewriter. Set up the TO signal, hoopup the flimseys, then go stand about 5 feet from the track and hold up the hoop so who ever was hanging out the window or off the steps would be able to get thier hand thru the hoop and take delivery of thier orders. This was in the days of real pulpwood, when things were liable of falling off on you, and I never met an op who didn't have several close call stories to tell. Don't forget to take the TO signal down, if ya stopped somebody and had no orders for them they could get quite upset. Gettin a train lined up thru the plant and OS'ing them by when the DS was busy or copping an attitude was a whole other aspect in an Ops life. Penmanship was a big deal back then, before computers ran it all, clerks used to either walk up and down every track, or stand in one place while a train went by (sometimes too fast) recording the reporting marks of each car. This in all types of weather. Then someone had to make up a master track list for the YM and then for traincrews. Someone had to keep track of the waybills ( the actual paperwork that went with each car). It is still amazing to think about how many pads of paper, how many pencils, how many times things got written down and copied, copied, copied,every time a mistake could compound an error. Like the example of taking a classroom full of people and tell the first one something and ask them to repeat it to thier neighbor, until you ask the last person in the room what the message was and its no way near what ya told the first person. The bottom runger clerks back then, and now the guys and gals with whiskers just trying to get to retirement, were in charge of sweeping and mopping. These guys were the liason between Management and the Train Crews, and things could get hot and heavy real quick. Operators could make your life as a trainman easy, and they could make it a living hell. I know many instances where a quick thinking Op saved a mans job. how's that fer starters Krinkster?
I'm the son of an operator, actually, when I was born, both my parents were operators but my father gave it up and went on to something else. I was in many interlocking towers, literally, almost from the time I was born. Calvin has described it quite well and his next to last line is very true, I know of specific instances where an operator did save a man's job, several of them, in fact, another intervening human touch, so to speak, that we've lost today.
I used to like to go through the bills and read the routings, sometimes they sure seemed convoluted.
I know of one instance where an operator was killed hooping up orders, something sticking out got him.
Calvin and Cy...your words got me a bit veklempt. I know my job during a certain time of railroad history was important. I've always thought of myself as the "Radar O'Rielly" character that many stations/terminals posessed. As a clerk, there were some basic things that would go a long way toward proficiency. The Manifest clerk had a lot to do whether a train sailed through town or had to make an emergency stop. The manifest clerk ran the wheels and pulled all the waybills for the cars to be picked up. Wrapped them up with strong rubberbands and tied a string (with a good knot) and placed in a Y-hoop. At Everett, we had a stand to place the hoops in. Things usually went great when you had the time to get the hoops inserted in the stand. Then there were the times when the fucking computer went down for an hour or two and the manifest clerk was about 8 trains behind. Things got real crazy. Sometimes you'd have the rear end crew in the office drinking pop and eating a candy bar watching you pulling waybills like a blur. They get happy and leave town. Then the next train by you'd hoop up by hand because you barely got it done. Sometimes even though you'd swear you didn't fuck up, a train would call up after an emergency stop that they didn't have a waybill for dangerous tank. Had many a 20 train shifts. Overall it was a fun job. My stories as an operator are abundant. Dealing with cranky dispatchers, antique typewriters, antique depots, high speed hoop-ups, one man stations, rail bridges, being the "voice", working on Christmas, New Years, and every other holiday you can think of, piss tests, working border stations with customs officers, I got to work the operator position in it's last phase. Hand typed train orders and clearances and track location line-ups, to hand written track warrants. Being the dispatchers right hand man. Fielding every 911 call for broken or malfunctiong crossing gates. A reliable person roll-by'ing a train. Modern railroading somehow has made into 2009 without many of the jobs that were essential in the good ol' days. I enjoyed my time.
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If you are in a horror movie, you make bad decisions, its what you do.
