[J1 Reduction Pissneck]

The following is my response to the Firedog25's post:

Originally Posted by firedog25 ↗

Happens quite a bit from what I hear. From what I understand engineers are under strict orders to just plow over people if they step in the way. A FOAF is an engineer and said he hits like six or seven people a year.

1)re: the 'strict orders', absolute bullshit, read below.
2)re: 'A FOAF" hits like 6 or 7 a year', again, I call bullshit. I've been a locomotive engineer for close to 10 years, and I've hit 7 people, which is a fairly high number. Some have hit 10 or 11 over a career, some have hit 1, or maybe even none. NOBODY's hit 6 or 7 a year, no way in hell. If they did, the railroad would probably fire the dude just for having the world's shittiest luck.

Ok, here's my rant on the 'plow people over' comment:
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WE ARE MOST CERTAINLY [B]NOT[/B TOLD TO JUST PLOW PEOPLE OVER. WE ARE REQUIRED TO MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO STOP.

That said however, while I'm bouncing along the track at somewhere between 60-90 mph, there are ALWAYS people on the track in front of me (especially along the beach... I work in California). If I were to put the train into emergency braking everytime somebody was in my path, we'd never get over the road, and in nearly each and every case, you toot the horn once or twice and they move, well in advance of any danger. But every once in a while, and you can usually tell beforehand that something doesn't quite feel right about this person, I might tense up a bit as I'm moving along... some lady standing in the gauge ahead of me. I sit up a little higher in my seat, start laying on the horn, and 'cover' the brake handle with my right hand. Still approaching at say... 79mph... (btw, at 79 I'm eating up 115 feet per second!), and she still doesn't move. Now I'm maybe 300 feet away... she now just over 2 seconds to start to move or what happens next will no longer be up to her anyway.... I "set some air" (this means I actuate the train brakes by 10 psi, not enough to actually slow the train, but enough that if I need the brakes, they'll set up just a bit quicker)... horn, horn, 1 second goes by, hooooorrrrrrnnnnn... 2 seconds pass... shit. Now I throw that brake handle into emergency. What happens from here on is an absolute inevitability. Isaac Newton now has complete control... not me, not her, and nothing in the world can change her fate. THUMP! (To simulate this sound, while driving on the freeway over 70mph, take you left hand and pound the side of your door as hard as you possibly can.) If she bounces off the plow, I look in the side mirror to make a mental note of where she landed. If she went under the train, I hear a crunching sound for a second or two. The train is still trying to stop, but that has nothing to do with me. Once in emergency, the train will stop as fast as it can, no faster, no slower, but I can't 'un-emergency' the train... it'll stop when its ready. Generally within 1/5 of a mile (pretty quick actually, but not quick enough... and I'm only referring to a passenger train with disc braking).

Here's a video somebody caught of me hitting a gal when I was working up north. You can't really see anything, but you can hear me on the radio notifying my conductor. BTW, when I notified the dispatcher (which you don't hear on the video) I was much more professional.

My point once again, we're never told to plow people over. Once we hit someone, we're required to stop, and the investigation can take hours, so why would management want us hitting people? Statements like this come from an overall big-company hatred that everyone seems to buy into... run 'em over to keep the train on schedule! Human life be damned. All that said though... in regard to doggies, yes, we are told to just run 'em over and keep going. Don't be late. That part sucks. =(

See ya' along (but not ON) the tracks!! J1
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PLEASE READ BEFORE ASKING QUESTIONS ABOUT THE VIDEO:
First, the video isn't mine. Someone was filming the train on which I was the locomotive engineer, so don't ask anything about the 'foamers' getting all excited they caught a suicide on camera. Secondly, you really can't see anything on the tape anyway, but you can hear me on the radio telling my conductor we had struck somebody. My radio call to the dispatcher (which isn't in the video) was much more professional, or at least I'd like to hope it was. thx. -J1

[blancadon]

Thanx for the expert opinion and insight.

[Caduceus]

Very informative post. Didn't see the lady but interesting information from a conductors viewpoint.

[dreamsneverend]

My cousin works for CSX and says he gets a few days off every time someone decides to take a walk on the tracks and the plow over them.

[J1 Reduction Pissneck]

Yes, you can get 3 days off after a fatality. BUT, if you want the time off you're required to see the company shrink to talk about PTSD. No time off for a near-miss, which can be just as heart-pounding as a hit... example, caught the rear end of a school bus, swung the bus around twice before it hit a billboard and went over. I stopped (obviously) and was certain I had just killed a bunch of children. I sat in locomotive cab shaking and crying. Turns out the bus was empty, bus driver totally unhurt, continue your trip... another 240 miles to go with with a heart that wouldn't calm down. =( -J1

[Tarxus]

Pretty awesome view into something I know almost nothing about. Great post!

[Ghost]

This video seems very familiar I'm sure I've seen this before, when did the incident happen?

[Warack60]

Cool post

[tecumseh35]

What the fuck! Nobody got run over! Who the hell sits there in a vehicle with friends and videos trains going by?

[adammasterc]

Wow, very informative and well-written explanation. This is what the internet's all about
Well, that and porn.