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Midland, Texas - Damn

5K views 40 replies 15 participants last post by  ontherun 
#1 ·
#14 · (Edited)
To start.. I am a locomotive engineer for 9 years now...so

This was VERY avoidable. about ten times a year, people call the Railroad and state they are haveing a parade or event. the Railroad will put out a FORM C in our bullitens stating whats going on and where, and U P restricts our speed in that area, around 15mph...if they don't, wer'e running track speed, which is 70 in that spot,

All they have to do is avoid 53 inches of rail and they will be safe....it takes a LONG time to stop a train at 62mph...


side note: the accident was tragic. I'm sure the crew on the train have some strong feeling to deal with right now, and will be given peer support. you can't amagine seeing something like that from inside the cab,. the Railroad has a standing practice of paying for funerals and medical of victums of rail accidents...my prayers go out to all involved...L
 
#6 ·
If you would actually take the time to read the article you would know why you sound like a complete idiot. But to answer your question the truck could not move foward due to the immediate traffic in front of him (the parade) and the other vehicles could not hear him honking due to the police escorts. Many of the wounded souldiers were not able to run because they were in wheel chairs and the others had various DISABILING features. Hope that helps...


RIP
 
#7 ·
This accident was totally needless.

1. The track section is straight for miles.
2. By FRA Regulation, the locomotive is required to have its headlights, ditchlights, or makers on. It would be clearly visible.
3. You don't park a truck over the tracks just because of a traffic light or stopped traffic. You keep the track clear.
4. He should have pushed people out of the way at that point, or if possible drive off the road. Anything to save the people.

Frankly, having rode the rails for years as a conductor, there is no excuse for not seeing a train, stopping on the rails, trying to beat a train, or running the gates. You can't stop a train on a dime and you certainly cannot gauge the distance of a train adequately, because you don't have any point of reference to gauge the speed, and the heat on the ground, if present, can distort the image.

Terrible tragedy. Absolutely terrible. Hitting someone was my greatest fear as a conductor. I had nightmares about it, and came close one time. If we hit, I would have launched that mini-van into the next county.

My heart goes out to all the families who lost loved ones, the wounded, the train crew, and the community. Simply tragic and not necessary.
 
#12 ·
Yeah, my engineer applied the engine's independent brakes on a 150+ car train and the slack ran out and I was on the end of the train when it happened. Lets just say I got whipped like a raggedy andy doll and wound up fracturing my neck. To this day I still have problems. Sucks. But I live with it.
 
#16 ·
Ya, at 100 tons a car the 200 pounds holding on to the end doesn't stand a chance...hope you hit the FELA lotto, but still not worth it..L
 
#20 ·
WOW Manny. you need to stay inside..and don't stand to close to me....L
 
#22 ·
LOL...I'm not accident prone. There is a reason this stuff happens to me, but I won't go into it here, because most don't understand, or will just mock. That's not meant to offend anyone but I've learned the hard way when I've explained why it has happened.

I can stand next to you and nothing will happen. It's not like an Acme anvil would fall from the sky and hit you. Meep, Meep!

 
#23 ·
lest we forget why this thread was created.. the families and victims of this tragic event. no matter what the cause or who is at fault.
 
#24 ·
It truly is a sad event. The more facts come out, the more evident it becomes that this tragedy was totally avoidable. My heart goes out to the victims, train crew, and all involved.

Interesting note, that the tracks this occurred on where only minutes from downtown Midland. Midland has received a very large increase in rail traffic due to the oil industry and Union Pacific raised the speed limit on that line from 40 mph to 70 recently. The gates and warning systems were working properly. The engineer did everything correctly. There was no failure on any technological part of the equipment. Just sad. Truly sad indeed.

May God have mercy and ease the bereavement of the anguished.
 
#25 ·
i live in midland have seen alot of it first hand and will choose to keep my mouth shut about some of the assumed comments above.

there is footage showing the tractor entering the intersection after the the lights had started operating and the gates began to go down. the biggest fault at this point has been the fact that when the speed limit was bumped recently, the intersection had not been re-calibrated for this, and not giving enough warning time for traffic. They driver just gave his official statement on monday and as far as i know, the details have not been released yet.

the driver is a vet and extremely distraught over the event. it has also been said, coming from a creditable source, the vets that died in the accident were seen pushing their wives off the trailer immediately before the impact.

the ntsb and legal team for one of the injured have been doing extensive recreation of the wreck.
 
#26 ·
bsflg.....and reguardless why did he even consider crossing those tracks if he couldnt clear him and everyone he was hauling behind him??????????????????????????????? end of story big ******* period
 
#30 ·
Slim chance the railroad will release the footage from inside the cab.. but I'm checking...they are equipped with camera and blackbox....and no matter if the speed was changed or not we (the engineers) have a specified blowing pattern set by the Railroad... even if we're going 10mph it's the same...the crossings have a sensor, same as the engine that sends a signal through the rail to activate the signals 2500 feet from the crossing..after a accident any accident the rail crew are sequestered and brought in to be drug tested and de-briefed.
The truck driver, if he was DOT certified, should've been tested likewise, and held responsible for carrying human cargo... on banquet chairs strapped to a trailer, try explaining that to his Insurance company and they will abandon him in a heartbeat... I would like to be a fly on the wall in the courtroom....L

Also,. it was smart pushing their loved ones out of harms way....WHAT WOULD YOU DO? the same I suspect..........
 
#34 ·
I hope for there sake they have a good lawyer, they need to settle out of court or the UP lawyers will eat them alive...they have been protecting themselves for 150 years....L
 
#35 · (Edited)
A note on how the Railroad bulletins Events, when they are notified...L


 
#37 ·
12 pages is nothing. Go work on the CSX. Wasn't uncommon for 20+ pages filled with work orders, slow orders, restricted speed orders, reduced speed orders, hot journal detectors, etc.

Prior to going out to the train, the conductors will visit the yardmaster, or the train masters office, or clerk, get his orders, and then the whole crew sits down and reviews them. Highlighters were usually used to mark pertinent info, such as slow orders, or work areas where you had to stop your train, and ask permission to proceed.

Once you've done it for awhile, you get so familiar with the routes, that you know most of this stuff by heart. Railroads don't fix things as fast as you would think, unless it is a real threat to the revenue. Many slow orders stay up for months on end. Of course, that varies from railroad to railroad. Only events like the parade/event bulletin as posted above, would stick out and would be on all the crews minds, especially in light of the tragic results of Midland.

Even while a crew is on the road, they are constantly flipping through their orders to make sure they didn't miss anything, and they give verbal reminders to each other. On CSX, it was manatory practice to announce all signals, indications, entering slow orders, entering work territory, or passing hot box detectors over the radio. This way, everyone knew where and what you were doing.

I hope this helps. I'm sure UP has similar things, and then they have their own practices, as only certain aspects are universal across roads.

Manny
 
#40 ·
Good Website and information - Operation Lifesaver, Inc. :toast: They will come out for free (they are a non-profit organization) and do Safety Awareness presentations for all age groups and organizations. I have attended one (very informative) and I am setting some up for our company.

The gentleman who is coming in to do ours was the one that got the call from Midland when it happened.
 
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