Blue Mountain & Reading, A Railfan's Worse Nightmare.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aVE0RHsiYA"]YouTube - Blue Mountain Reading, A Railfan's Worse Nightmare[/ame]

 

At first I thought this was a pun or satire video - thought we would see some clever editing where the guy trackside would be replaced with a dummy that would bounce off the engine and then get up and walk away. Why they didn't stop the engine and ask that guy to move is a puzzle. Looks like the crewman on the front of the engine had no means of communicating by radio with the engineer. Also noticed towards the end of the video that the engine stops to have the brakeman couple the cars - the brakeman has no means of communicating with the engineer other than hand signals - then he gets right between the the couplers and starts to place the air lines in positions they should have been in already - what a disaster waiting to happen! How about some communication with the engineer before getting between a car and the engine to open the couplers to prepare for coupling? I didn't see the crewman use any hand signal or even yell to see if the engineer had fully stopped the engine and applied some braking and protection. Now days you would expect that they would have radios, and the engineer would verify that he had "three step applied" - meaning that he had applied the brakes, put the throttle in "neutral", and placing the "field generator" switch in the open position so that the traction motors won't receive any current before the brakeman got between engine and car. This is very much pushed by the FRA to keep crewmen from being crushed between couplers...

 

I guess the plantiff won't have to enter his video to AFV to win his hundred million dollars first prize!!!! I also like the brakeman/conductor as he couples the loco at the end of the video,maybe he should just put his gloves in his pocket instead of holding them!!

 

If you couldn't see the video, it basically shows a "tourist" type rail operation where the engine is coming down the track at a crossing. There is a "crewman" on the end platform of the engine to act as a watchout as the engine crosses the road. Anyway, there is a person taking pics or video right beside the track - and the engine hits the guy. Guess I'm not sure why the crewman on the end platform didn't see this guy and either signal for the engineer to stop, or jump off and knock the gut out of the way. Doesn't look like this tourist line has trained the crewman very well, since they don't seem to use hand signals - and I guess they don't use radios.
At the end of the video a crewman gets between the engine, which has barely stopped, and a car to get them ready for coupling. Maybe the video skipped for me, but I didn't see any hand signals or obvious communication between him and the engineer - and no radio that I can see. This guy gets right between the engine and car and pulls down the air hoses so that they can be hooked up.
And I know someone is going to be critical of my observation and say that these guys have been doing this for 100 years this way and never had an accident - but it only takes one slip up and that crewman between the cars is dead. This is why the FRA has been training railroads to use "three step protection" to make sure the engine is stopped, brakes are on, throttle is in idle postion, and current is cut off to the motors.

 

These guys haven't been doing it 100 years,they are 100 years old!!!!

I believe are all volunteers,some retired,others weekend warriors ,but as far as reactions and seeing ahead of their work they will all be prone to more mistakes. Also the guy that got run over should have used the buddy system while taking pictures,somebody watching his back as he has that camera glued to his eyeball. Well he is lucky he gets a second chance after learning the dangers.

 

Man! I would have been fired a half dozen times at least if I made the rule infractions those guys did. The trainman riding the point was on the end platform out of the view of
the engineer, I saw no hand signals or radio communication. The trainman should have known that dipstick fan was in the foul of his track and stopped the movement. The coupling manuver was made with less than 50' of separation, that distance being the standard rule distance whenever one is to step inside the gauge of the rails. Are these "trainmen" volunteers or professionals? Just tells you a lot about the difference between union and scab labor.
I hope the dipstick fan got a good shot. Sorry, but I have no sympathy for him, he was
where he shouldn't have been and also not paying attention.

CT

 

THE FUNNIEST VIDEO ON YOUTUBE

I agree the railfan was not portraying a good image of railfanning. Makes me embarrased to be a train buff when i see stupid idiots like that . As far as the train crews they should have no business working in train service. They would be better suited running a bus service. that guy at the end reallly did a no no . i could see his head getting crushed. and everything he did was unneccessary. the knuckle was already open . Another idiot. i almost thought of working for the Reading and Northern but now im glad i decided not to.

 

Had to watch it again. This is the best laugh, the funniest video on trainboard.

 

Hi all,
I'm new to your board. I found it through a search for Blue Mountain & Reading RR.
The video you guy's are talking about has been taken off Youtube ;
"This video has been removed due to terms of use violation." it was flagged as a violent nature.
I'm the guy who posted the video I'm Conrail6370 on Youtube.com My freind Mike took the video. He told me that this guy was warn repeted times to stay off the track, but he kept showing his press pass. The Owner of the railroad was contacted and he said if he wants to get hurt leave him, its on him not us he has been warn. He tryed to sue the railroad Company about five years after this happen. The sueing didn't happen because of this video that my friend took. The conductor at the end of the video was fired for he didn't obay the railroad rules. I was told this by a boss of the railroad Company. Blue Mountain & Reading was a tourist line from 1985 - 1995 its's now merge into Reading Blue Mountain & Northern or for short Reading & Northern.

Len.