Happened at 7:53 this morning...Amtrak #89 NYC > Savannah hit a backhoe...
http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/real ... ester.html
2 reported dead after Amtrak train derails in Chester (PA)
- Jetlink
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Re: 2 reported dead after Amtrak train derails in Chester (P
Locomotive looks to have proved its crash worthiness. The backhoe is just obliterated. That's saying something. They aren't exactly built for light duty. Sad day.
interested in trains
Patiently waiting for LansingRailfan to antagonize me in his tagline
Patiently waiting for LansingRailfan to antagonize me in his tagline
- SW
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Re: 2 reported dead after Amtrak train derails in Chester (P
Heard a later report on the radio saying the 2 dead were on the backhoe.
Owosso Steve
Re: 2 reported dead after Amtrak train derails in Chester (P
The locomotive almost always wins.SW wrote:Heard a later report on the radio saying the 2 dead were on the backhoe.
Norm
- M.D.Bentley
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Re: 2 reported dead after Amtrak train derails in Chester (P
Rules are rules ! You do not foul any track for any reason without proper on track protection, PERIOD ! A lot, if not all the rules on the railroad are written in someones blood ( if it sounds harsh, because it is ! ) There's no way to bring back the ones lost . Only to learn and move on and hope no one else dies.
Re: 2 reported dead after Amtrak train derails in Chester (P
A sad and unnecessary loss of 2 lives. Also, a sad testimonial to the fact that Positive Train Control (PTC) is not the "magic solution" to railroad safety. This train was operating in PTC territory, but the fatal incident occurred. For the billions of dollars that PTC is costing the railroad industry, is the cost truly providing any benefit over ome of the less costly systems that could have been implemented? With over 43 years working for the railroads, my opinion is that PTC is simply going to lead to bigger accidents, and this incident supports my position.
Wish I were wrong.
Wish I were wrong.
Re: 2 reported dead after Amtrak train derails in Chester (P
There was a short article in the Wall Street Journal that made mention of an ongoing argument between Amtrak and labor over safety. Unmanageable layers of rules, a switch from experienced workers teaching safety to mid-level managers and pressure for track and signal people to work faster. One of the items they mentioned was a decision to discontinue the use of shunts to protect track workers. There was no speculation on the cause of the Chester accident. It was more a report on concerns for Amtrak's safety culture on the Northeast Corridor.M.D.Bentley wrote:Rules are rules ! You do not foul any track for any reason without proper on track protection, PERIOD ! A lot, if not all the rules on the railroad are written in someones blood ( if it sounds harsh, because it is ! ) There's no way to bring back the ones lost . Only to learn and move on and hope no one else dies.
It won't protect what it doesn't know is there.NYCMan wrote:A sad and unnecessary loss of 2 lives. Also, a sad testimonial to the fact that Positive Train Control (PTC) is not the "magic solution" to railroad safety. This train was operating in PTC territory, but the fatal incident occurred. For the billions of dollars that PTC is costing the railroad industry, is the cost truly providing any benefit over ome of the less costly systems that could have been implemented? With over 43 years working for the railroads, my opinion is that PTC is simply going to lead to bigger accidents, and this incident supports my position.
Wish I were wrong.
Re: 2 reported dead after Amtrak train derails in Chester (P
According to NTSB reports released so far, the Maintenance of Way crew had authority to be on the track at the time of the incident. So, it does not appear that there was error on the part of the MofW crewmen that were killed.