Bernalillo is 16 miles "Railroad East" (compass North) of Albuquerque.
After such an incident, railroad Train & Engine crews are required to be relieved of duty and administered toxicology screens. According to reports at other sites, the Amtrak crew was relieved at the scene (even though apparently not at fault), and the crew assigned to the Chief Westward from Albuquerque was transported and handled the train through ABQ to their otherwise assigned destination.
What simply astounds me is how someone can deprive themselves of one of their "five senses" and expect to move about safely. How about all the times someone has almost bumped into me (saying sorry; optional) because they were more concerned with what was on the screen of their electronic plaything than their environment.
Most of these incidents simply represent discourtesy; this one was fatal.
Posts: 9976 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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People don't realize that the trains may travel in either direction on the tracks. If there are 2 tracks, most people assume that one is for trains heading east and the other is for trains heading west and that they will see an oncoming train and have time to jump off the tracks.
Also, the sheriff seems to be mistaken about the laws regarding trespassing on railroad property.
quote:Many Bernalillo High School students cross the train tracks as a shortcut when leaving school. Bernalillo Police Chief Julian Gonzales said he hopes the teen’s death is a lesson for kids who use the path as a shortcut.
“It’s always unfortunate when you have a young person to die so tragically and over things that could really be prevented, you know,” Gonzales said. “Look both ways before you cross the tracks, and be more aware of your surroundings.”
My recent trip on the Starlight included an emergency stop near Pt. Defiance. We were moving at track speed when I heard the air pop and we were suddenly making a very obvious emergency stop. After the train stopped the conductor came on and said that we had nearly hit someone walking on the tracks. After a short inspection we were on our way again, but everyone had something to talk about at lunch that day.
Posts: 831 | From: Seattle | Registered: Jan 2011
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I would presume they would remove any posted that actually showed impact.
Posts: 9976 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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quote:Originally posted by Gilbert B Norman: After such an incident, railroad Train & Engine crews are required to be relieved of duty and administered toxicology screens.
Really? I was on the Zephyr that hit a vehicle. As I had a radio scanner with me I listened in on the railroad chatter and the discussions included whether the engineer felt fit enough to carry on until his hours lapsed - which was only a couple of hours later anyway. He was and he got relieved at a grade crossing a few score miles away.
-------------------- Geoff M. Posts: 2426 | From: Apple Valley, CA | Registered: Sep 2000
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Geoff is correct. Being relieved is at the crew's discretion in most cases. The vast majority of the time, they elect to be relieved. But in some cases, they will stay on to a certain point to make the transfer of crews easier (unless they really want/need to be relieved NOW, then that will be done). I forget what the circumstances are for a tox screening. For a suicide, I don't think they get it but I could be wrong. I'm emailing an Amtrak engineer right now to ask so that he can clarify that.
Posts: 2355 | From: Pleasanton, CA | Registered: Apr 2007
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Okay, I just heard back from an Amtrak engineer who operates the California Zephyr on a daily basis. He says that they do NOT draw blood or take a urine sample or do any test of any kind UNLESS there was a rules violation, and/or they suspect the engineer to be under the influence. If it's just a "routine" suicide, then nope, there is no drug/alcohol screening of any kind.
Posts: 2355 | From: Pleasanton, CA | Registered: Apr 2007
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Passages such as this taken from NTSB RAR 12-01 regarding a June 2009 incident at Cherry Valley IL would suggest that relief and toxicology tests were required, but apparently I am mistaken and accordingly stand corrected:
quote:Blood and urine specimens were collected from the train crewmembers within 7 hours of the accident. The specimens were tested and found to be negative for alcohol and illegal drugs. The NTSB concludes that the use of alcohol or illegal drugs by the RTC as a factor in the accident could not be determined because there was no toxicological testing conducted.
Fatigue was evaluated as a possible human factors issue for the engineer, the conductor, and the RTC. A variety of fatigue factors, including sleep (acute sleep loss, cumulative sleep debt, and sleep quality), continuous hours awake, circadian disruption, sleep disorders, medication use, disruptive environmental factors, and shift work considerations were examined. None of the fatigue factors emerged as an indication of significant fatigue for the RTC at the time of the accident. However, the information obtained for the train crew is insufficient to determine whether fatigue for these two individuals was a factor in the accident.
The NTSB therefore concludes that the following were not factors in the accident: mechanical condition of the locomotives and cars on the train; material properties of steels used in the tank car construction; integrity of the track structure, culvert, and rails leading up to the point of derailment; functioning of the signal system and the grade crossing warning system; use of alcohol or illegal drugs by the train crew; training and qualifications of the train crew and the RTC; and fatigue of the RTC.
Note: RTC; Rail Traffic Controller - I think that was a Train Dispatcher "back in my day"
Incidentially, this incident occurred within sight from the home of a long-time friend who is now deceased.
Posts: 9976 | From: Clarendon Hills, IL USA (BNSF Chicago Sub MP 18.71) | Registered: Apr 2002
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Mr. Norman, it's not that you're wrong as such - perhaps some RRs do err on the side of caution and test any employees involved in an accident, even if it's obvious they were not at fault. After all, it's evidence that is dissipating by the minute if drugs or alcohol have been consumed so it's wise to get it and discard it than to decide a day later, "oops, maybe we should have tested him after all".
I suppose some people would be up in arms at their "civil liberties" being taken away with such testing. At the risk of boring you with an analogy, anyone - including non-railway visitors - signs to and accepts that they may be randomly tested for drugs and alcohol whilst in safety critical environments, which include driving cabs on trains and signalboxes (dispatching centers). I never got tested but the opportunity was there.
Thanks for the confirmation, Smitty.
-------------------- Geoff M. Posts: 2426 | From: Apple Valley, CA | Registered: Sep 2000
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Interesting to see only 2 coaches. Must be the slow season.
-------------------- Matt Visit gallery for photos of our train layouts Posts: 579 | From: San Bernardino Subdivison | Registered: Dec 2001
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