Train topics

[Gwizz]

Passenger train is damaged when it hits a fallen tree in Northern California
.

The train has to wait for the arrival of another locomotive. It comes and is coupled to the train. The train starts and travels for 6 minutes and is stopped again, this time by the 12 hour rule.
It seems the crew can't work past 12 hours and the train must wait again for another qualified crew to arrive and operate the train.

The news said it is a US government rule. I bet it is a union rule.

[SRV Ron]

It is Big Brother and the unions. There is no common sense allowed any more. They are very anal about following this rule to the second.

http://www.illini.utu.org/board/news-di ... nt=current

The rules, if you can make any sense of them.

http://www.utu.org/depts/RESEARCH/HOURSOF.HTM

http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/homesec/RL34128.pdf

[Hawk]

I have a friend that is an engineer in study (brakeman) for NS and he said that it doesn't matter where you are. At the time limit you get off the train - period. You may have to travel a ways to get a hotel room but that's OK, you didn't break the rules.

[Gandar]

This is one of those occasions when a stipulated rule should have been bent or worked around for the benefit of the already inconvenienced passengers, the problem really lies not with the train crew, but with the the dispatcher who sent a relief train that could not fulfill the duties in the time required. You may think its petty but the whole reason for the regulations is to cut down the number of accidents created by overtired workers.

[Knave]

If the FRA rules on time limits are broken, what are the penalties? Are they placed on the crew or the company?

After thirty plus years in construction I have safety go from just words once a week to really meaning something. Including limits on daily hours worked to length of time on the job for camp jobs. Which placed a max number on how long a man can go without a R&R. I also have seen the difference in people being hurt or worse. And the quality and quantity of work remaining at acceptable levels.