...Still MORE Columbus District/Georgia Division Fun

[peachfuzz]

We're back... ;D

This time NS 136 snatched a drawbar out at 50 mph.  14 cars didn't like that and hit the ground. 

Photos at link:

http://www.rrpicturearchives.net/archiveThumbs.aspx?id=26873

Two serious incidents in less than 30 days?  Hmmm... :

Fuzzy Peach

[Michael Knight]

What would you say the cause of all of these mishaps is? Is McDonough letting too many real winners get qualified to be in the cab?

[TB4JY]

I would think that would be more a mechanical failure then train handling.  After all, a knuckle should break before a drawbar is jerked out.   That's not to say train handling may have played a part in it...  Just that there are other issues going on with that derailment.  On the issue of engineers who don't belong behind the throttle...  There is a lot of that going on.  To make things worse, the company is rushing these guys though training.  People who are not ready are being marked up as engineers.  We have had a lot of problems in the past few months here in Atlanta.

284 by a stop signal at Finch GA.

Mty grain train by a stop signal at Hiram GA (engineer said he thought it was a intermediate signal).

Mty coal train speeding 39 over a 10mph slow order (engineer said he forgot about the slow order). *new engineer*

209 through a banner after crew swap (engineer said he saw the clear signal, so he gassed em).

Yard job through a stop signal at Oakland Jct GA  (engineer said he never saw the signal).

Yard job through a banner at Inman Yard  (engineer was not looking).

52A grain train, speeding 57 with a 50mph train. *new engineer*

288 speeding 39 though a 30 mph area (loss of dynamics down a hill, engineer decided to ride it out). *new engineer*

282 through a banner at Bolton GA after crew change (engineer saw the clear signal and gassed em). *new engineer*

It's getting kinda of ugly out there.  In all the instances above, the crews have been or will be terminated (labour board).

I was talking to a CS guy at Brown TN the other day and he said things were getting the same way up there.

[E.M. Bell]

While there is pretty much no excuse for speeding that far over the limit, the speeding from loss of dynamics was, or should have been preventable.  I know the company doesnt like you to touch the air brake unless you are gonna stop, but they NEED to teach these green horns how to use the air if they dont have a good dynamic.  They can preach all they want about the evils of stretch braking, running releases and so forth, but the new guys atleast need the knowledge to get them selves out of a bad situation should it arrive.  While the company will always blame them for what ever happens, its not entirely the new guys fault all the time... Your only as good as your training.

I guess I am old school, but most of the power I have run did not have dynamics, and the when we did have it, I would never use it. I came up using H6, 14ET, 24RL non maintaining automatics, and you had to use your head with those. Most of those new guys probably do fine with a 10,000 ton train with three big engines and good dynamics, but let them try taking a 25 car train down a 2.5 mile 3% grade with one engine and a 24 brake at 10mph without pissing your air away making a bunch of sets. Draw em down and drag the crap out of it....

When I was working in knoxville for the KXHR, the NS was ANAL about speeding, and we would see a TM or RFE out with the radar gun atleast once a week. You learn real quick there is no need to run right at the limit..5 under can save your hide sometimes...