Strange Accident

[NW Mailing List]

It's not just the general public that do stupid things around railroads.  Sometimes employees get in trouble by making assumptions about when to expect trains.(Doesn't the rule book say something about expecting a train at any time from any direction?)

Back in the my college days (the late '60's) I was visiting a friend in Columbus, Ohio.  His father was the superintendent of the Hocking Division of the C&O, so since we were both railfans, the friend and I went to spend most of the day hanging around the division office (and to get his dad to treat us to lunch too!).

Anyway, at one point there was a lot of bustling in and out of the office and a lot of phone traffic.  Obviously, there had been some event out on the line and we went into the road foreman's office to find out what was going on.

Well, what had happened is that a road maintenance crew was out on the old Hocking Valley line that was now the branch that extended from Columbus to Southeastern Ohio.  They had been operating a spiking machine, apparently a device that straddled one rail and inserted and tightened spikes.  To their surprise, a train rounded the curve and slammed into the spiker, reducing it to scrap medal.

I remember the engine crew coming into the office first and explaining what had happened from their point of view.  Pretty straightforward:  "We're rolling along, close to schedule, rounded the curve and there, with no warning was a crew with a spiking machine.  There was no way we could stop, so we plowed through the machine."

Then it was the turn of the head of the track crew to come in and tell their side of the story.  The conversation went something like this:

"How long you been doing this work?"

"Oh, about twenty years."

"Has anything like this ever happened to you before?"

"No."

"Don't you know to have the line clear in plenty of time to let a train by?"

"Yeah."

"So why didn't you have the machine out of the way?"

"'Cause we didn't expect a train."

"But that's a scheduled train."

Yeah, I know.

"But you didn't have the spiker off the rail?"

"No".

"Why not?"

"'Cause that train's never been on time before!"


Apparently accident investigation was a bit more informal back then.  I'm sure if such an event happened now (you current railroad employees can verify or refute this) it would a very different investigation/interview situation with the involved employees having representatives of the respective brotherhoods with them and without any outsiders sitting in.

Sam  Putney




  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: NW Mailing List 
  To: NW Mailing List 
  Sent: Tuesday, June 03, 2008 11:24 AM
  Subject: Re: Strange Accident


  I just have to tell this story one more time.  Years ago, I attended a NRHS Convention in New Jersey.  One event was a fan trip on freight only trackage along the NJ - NY border.  The excursion train collided with a truck at a remote grade crossing.  When the police showed up, the truck driver claimed the crossing lights did not work; he had no warning; it was not his fault; etc.  Then two "chasers" stepped forward and played their videotape for the police.  Sequence - distant sound of locomotive, view of crossing signal starting, locomotive coming into view, truck starting across without a pause. 
  Police asked if a copy of the video could be available for the court - they were writing a carload of tickets for the truck driver.  The excursion passengers were late for dinner.

  Jerome Crosson

  In a message dated 06/03/08 09:42:42 Eastern Daylight Time, nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org writes:
    Well, I wouldn't be surprised if they sue the railroad. 
    If the facts are as reported (and we know that sometimes the papers omit or gloss over some relevant facts on rare occasion), I would be shocked if they won.  In some jurisdictions, there are provisions under which the railroad could actually counterfile for attorney fees incurred in defending such a suit.  And the engineers suing for negligent infliction of mental distress is not unfounded. 

    Frank Bongiovanni 



    --- On Mon, 6/2/08, NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org> wrote: 

    > From: NW Mailing List <nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org> 
    > Subject: Re: Strange Accident 
    > To: nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org 
    > Date: Monday, June 2, 2008, 10:17 PM 
    > Unfortunally they will probley sue the railroad and WIN. 
    > That is  another 
    > reason the railroad chases everybody and we fans get caught 
    > up in  it. 
    >   If a guy was there taking pictures he probley would have 
    > warned the  dumb 
    > girls that a train was coming.  The train crew should SUE 
    > the girls  for 
    > stress.  It is amazing how stupid people can be. 
    >                     K. Borg 
    >   
    >   
    >   
    >   
    >   
    >   
    > In a message dated 6/2/2008 9:30:26 P.M. Eastern Daylight 
    > Time,   
    > nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org writes: 
    > 
    > Oh for  Pete's sake!  I never cease to be amazed at the 
    > stupidity of some   
    > people.  Thankfully, they lived, so they can go on to 
    > explain to   
    > everyone who asks exactly how stupid and reckless they 
    > were.  Maybe  it 
    > will stop someone else from doing the same thing. 
    > 
    > I'm sorry, but  I have no sympathy for someone who gets 
    > hit by a train. 
    > It's not like we  swerve and attack them (though there 
    > are people who 
    > seem to think  that). 
    > 
    > NW Mailing List wrote: 
    > > 
    > >   The  following item from Trains Magazine News  Wire 
    > for May 29 is  the 
    > >   strangest railroad accident that I have ever heard 
    > of  (Gordon Hamilton): 
    > > 
    > >   Girls sunbathing on railroad  tracks lose limbs 
    > -- 
    > Kenneth Rickman -  krickman1 at carolina.rr.com 
    > Salisbury, NC 
    > 
    > "You're a bubbling wealth of  useless 
    > information!" - Holly  Whitten 
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