I know when I was braking' on the PRR we was switching cars in a no whistling area after 10:00pm..The engineer blew the whistle several times.The cops came and first tried to give him a ticket..Then tried to arrest him..The conductor called the DS..The DS in turn called the company police..The city cop climb aboard the engine to handcuff the engine..The company cop arrived and arrested the city cop for trespassing on railroad property to wit:A cab of a locomotive more cops showed up as well as 2 PRR Special Agents and the watch commander of the local police..Words was exchanged with apologies all around and nobody got arrested. Now after the investigation by the Division Superintendent the engineer ended up with a verbal reprimand.
Larry, Sounds like "Keystone Cops" to me! LOL. There are loads of stories about jurisdictional rights. This is one of the problems that allow for less than savory characters to slip through the cracks....think 9-11. A lot of Railroad agencies are now giving the local cops jurisdictional rights on their lines to avoid such slip-ups. Russ
If memory serves me correctly, RR police have a Federal jurisdiction. IOW- They outrank local "authority." mg: Boxcab E50
Can't back up on main track without authority. I don't know the circumstances but if they knew they would be stopped for that long the conductor should have bailed at the crossing to cut the crossing, and get a taxi or some other transportation to take him to the diner or back to the head end.
In the context of this discussion what constitutes a back up move. The rear of the train or the front or any portion? i.e. if you split for the crossing then do you have to get authorization to put the train back together again. Birken
You do not need permission to back up to your own train, as long as you do not have to go pass an aboslute signal. (this is in CTC). I belive in most other systems of authority (TWC, ABS, ect) This basicly holds true. By the book, (in CTC) A Backup move is to pick up a member of the crew. The move can be made unproteced (no one has to watch the shove) it is limited to the length of your train and can not foul any public crossings or pass any control points (ie absolutes). You must obtain permission from the DS to make a backup move. A revese move basic changes the direction you are moving. You need permission (or is it authority). The movement must be proteced, and many times this is done on signal indacation. Need more just ask. Adam
According to CROR, a train(a train is defined as an engine or engines coupled with or without cars designated by its operating authority, displaying marker(s)) cannot back up without authority. But when the engines or engines with cars are cut off from the train they can go back and forth as much as they need on the mainline (without going through a signal of course, as permission is still needed to pass a signal) without authority because the train itself is not moving(the marker/EOT is not moving); the movement is not considered a train. Of course there are exceptions, a train can back up if the movement does not exceed the length of the train, and cannot come within 100 ft of a public crossing at grade.
