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You can blame the locomotive engineer as much as you feel to sate your anger -- still, people have died and been injured. Meanwhile, it is a fact that fail-saf

by mkempe 9y ago

You can blame the locomotive engineer as much as you feel to sate your anger -- still, people have died and been injured. Meanwhile, it is a fact that fail-safe engineering controls would have prevented the disaster. And what if the locomotive engineer has a heart attack, leading to a deadly accident? will you blame him?

nanis 9y ago
My anger is directed towards the press and NTSB who rush to hold engineers harmless in these accidents. As for heart attacks, AFAIK this has been standard equipment for ages: Locomotives have a deadman pedal that must be constantly pressed and periodically released to ensure the driver is still there and awake.[1] So, when a train is traveling at almost three times the appropriate speed, it is being done on purpose. My argument is simple: If engineers will not be held to responsible when people die because of a speeding train, then what's the point of having an engineer? [1]: https://www.quora.com/What-if-the-train-driver-gets-a-heart-attack-while-driving-a-train https://www.quora.com/What-if-the-train-driver-gets-a-heart-...
- nanis 9y ago
  It turns out an "alerter" is required equipment[1]: on or after November 8, 1999 a working alerter or deadman control shall be provided in the controlling locomotive of each passenger train operating in other than cab signal[2], automatic train[3] control, or automatic train stop[4] territory. [1]: https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/49/238.237 https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/49/238.237 [2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cab_signalling#Cab_signalling_systems_in_the_United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cab_signalling#Cab_signalling_... [3]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automatic_train_control#United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automatic_train_control#United... [4]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automatic_train_stop#United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automatic_train_stop#United_St...

by mkempe 9y ago

nanis 9y ago

My anger is directed towards the press and NTSB who rush to hold engineers harmless in these accidents. As for heart attacks, AFAIK this has been standard equipment for ages: Locomotives have a deadman pedal that must be constantly pressed and periodically released to ensure the driver is still there and awake.[1] So, when a train is traveling at almost three times the appropriate speed, it is being done on purpose. My argument is simple: If engineers will not be held to responsible when people die because of a speeding train, then what's the point of having an engineer? [1]: https://www.quora.com/What-if-the-train-driver-gets-a-heart-attack-while-driving-a-train https://www.quora.com/What-if-the-train-driver-gets-a-heart-...

nanis 9y ago
It turns out an "alerter" is required equipment[1]: on or after November 8, 1999 a working alerter or deadman control shall be provided in the controlling locomotive of each passenger train operating in other than cab signal[2], automatic train[3] control, or automatic train stop[4] territory. [1]: https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/49/238.237 https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/49/238.237 [2]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cab_signalling#Cab_signalling_systems_in_the_United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cab_signalling#Cab_signalling_... [3]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automatic_train_control#United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automatic_train_control#United... [4]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automatic_train_stop#United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automatic_train_stop#United_St...