Train - hazardous cargo "accident"

[aczlan]

Links to the AP report on the press conference:
Rail Chief Blames Employee In Quebec Train Crash : NPR
Rail chief blames employee in Quebec train crash | CharlotteObserver.com

Aaron Z

 

[3930dave]

First this CEO blames the firemen, now his engineer.

I guess he missed the "Keep your mouth closed, until you know what you're talking about" lecture at Bschool.

That last link reports their accident rate at 2x the average. Two big factors are (lack of) consistent staff training/oversight, and (lack of) consistent equipment maintenance - same as any Industrial sector.

A complete investigation needs to be concluded before this executive throws any more accusations around.

Rgds, D.

 

[aczlan]

That last link reports their accident rate at 2x the average. Two big factors are (lack of) consistent staff training/oversight, and (lack of) consistent equipment maintenance - same as any Industrial sector.
A complete investigation needs to be concluded before this executive throws any more accusations around.
Rgds, D.

They also state that those incidents (almost without exception) are/were on sidelines or private sidings, not on the mainline, so (in the case of a derailment to broken track) they may not have owned or been responsible for maintaining the track that broke.

Aaron Z

 

[3930dave]

They also state that those incidents (almost without exception) are/were on sidelines or private sidings, not on the mainline, so (in the case of a derailment to broken track) they may not have owned or been responsible for maintaining the track that broke.

Aaron Z

I did read that. Perhaps that factor is true, perhaps not. Call me a Canuck from Missouri on that one.

I've been following this disaster for a few reasons, not the least of which is there is a lot I don't know about the rail industry. Direct experience and good quality discussion are 2 of the big reasons I hang out on TBN. Thanks to all that have posted, esp. current and former RR men.

So.... keeping my limited knowledge of rail in mind...... I would find it hard to believe that many of the the other RRs in that Safety survey don't have to deal with a similar mix/quality of non-proprietary sidings.

Maybe it's just my ears, but I'm hearing way too many Bart Simpson ("I didn't do it" tm) like responses out of this company, too early in the game.

Rgds, D.

 

[Cub 7274]

What I would ask Mr Burkhart is how a one man crew with a robot locomotive could even do a push pull test to test the handbrakes????
This guy is out of his league
Unless they have special instructions a "full set" air brake and a handbrake on the locomotive would be sufficient to hold the train.
I think the fire played a big roll in this especially since it's a Remote Control Locomotive

 

[3930dave]

From a BBC article today:

"MMA, which is headquartered in Chicago, has a long history of accidents in Canada, according to Transportation Safety Board data, which shows 129 accidents, including 77 derailments - some of them minor - since 2003. It is one of only two rail companies in Canada, both of them small, that is allowed to operate trains manned by a single engineer."

UPDATE 3-Railway head faces devastated Quebec town, points to train brakes | Reuters

I'd like to think that our government has already suspended the One Crew Member Only waiver for the other, non-named RR company.

Rgds, D.

 

[Scooby074]

The president of MMA . Mr. Burkhart, that owns the train, just admitted in a press conference that the engineer of the train did not apply the parking brakes before he left the train.
The police had to interrupt the press conference and escorted him out ,for his own security,as the crowd and the press were getting a little aggressive.

Wow, just wow.

 

[City Farmer]

It's crazy there isn't a device mounted to the wheels of the parked engine to detect wheel movement and its crazier theres only one operator. If the wheel moves, it automatically engages 100% of wheel lockdown and the whistle starts blowing. It couldn't be very expensive to implement. I work in the sheet metal stamping business and there's no way you could get close enough to a running production press (at our plant) and get hurt. As soon as you cross a light screen, step on a safety pressure mat or open a safety gate/door that thing will stop in mili-seconds.

 

[crazyal]

I still say that the train was tampered with. The fact that there's so much conflicting information, the engineer says he applied the brakes including the hand brakes while the owner is saying he didn't. The fire department is saying they informed the owners of the train after they put it out yet the TSB says that there was a member of the railway there as the fire was being put out. Nobody is saying they went into the cab but someone did after the engineer left the train.

 

[PILOON]

The 'one man crew' is expected to set the manual hand brakes on all those cars? (probably rusty and stiff at that)
That sequence would probably take 1/2 the night to perform! and next morning release them all?
No way do I think that ever happens, it would end up as overtime for sure.