There seems to be a rash of accidents lately where the cause relates to poor judgment on the part of the human operators (the recent DC Transit crash excluded).
There's also a story out of New York where an unauthorized person is alleged to have been at the controls of a LIRR train for a significant portion of the run with the knowing permission of the engineer.
-------------------- Ocala Mike Posts: 1530 | From: Ocala, FL | Registered: Dec 2006
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"Apparently the conductor for one of the trains miscalculated a turn. It's still under investigation right now," a police officer told CNN. He would not provide his name."
A conductor miscalculated a turn?
Sometimes, you just shake your head.
Posts: 41 | From: South Dakota | Registered: Sep 2008
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News media has no clue about railroad operations; they will report anything without any check on their terminology.
Referring to an engineer or a motorman as a "conductor" is just one example. I pointed out in another thread where they refer to a mainline railroad highway crossing as an "intersection"; maybe they expect a four-way stop?
-------------------- Ocala Mike Posts: 1530 | From: Ocala, FL | Registered: Dec 2006
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CNN should have got a more reliable source than a single police officer. A good reporter always gets corroboration; direct quotes in a story like this should only come from "official spokespersons", and I'm sure that cop wasn't one of them though he may have been a witness.
-------------------- Ocala Mike Posts: 1530 | From: Ocala, FL | Registered: Dec 2006
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Both appear to be "one-car trains". I know on the SF cable cars the operator is called a Conductor, perhaps same holds true for these muni cars.
Posts: 406 | From: La Grange, CA | Registered: Sep 2007
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The "trains" were, in fact, single-unit Breda-made LRV's (light rail vehicles), similar to street cars. Don't know how these things are manned, but suppose that the operator could be called a conductor. I also note that the media in some reports called him a "driver" and referred to the ATC system as an "autopilot."
-------------------- Ocala Mike Posts: 1530 | From: Ocala, FL | Registered: Dec 2006
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Henry, if what Mayor Daley meant were written from what I have heard there wold probably have been rioting in the streets
Posts: 1577 | From: virginia | Registered: Jun 2005
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Train Lady, there WAS rioting in the streets in Chicago -- in 1968. Remember what Mayor Daley called Abe Ribicoff from the convention floor? Saw that with my own eyes, and so did other lipreaders.
Ocala Mike, I don't know who said what in that particular accident, but good incident command structure denotes a single spokesman to the media, and perhaps the quote came from the designated horse's mouth. Cops generally know better than to talk to the press outside the command structure.
Posts: 2236 | From: Evanston, Ill. and Ontonagon, Mich. | Registered: Feb 2007
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Henry I do rememer those rather loud demonstrations in '68 now that you mention it.
Posts: 1577 | From: virginia | Registered: Jun 2005
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