Wallaby won't tell you so I will

[Shorty82]

During drive training, I was joking with my trainer about how much the Monorails are designed to distrust the driver. The MAPO system works great, sort of like the system Zazu was mentioning where, you pass a signal, the train e-brakes.

I understand exactly the reason Disney has designed their Monorails to not trust the driver; this is it.

The WDWRR also has a system that stops the train if it runs a red signal. I remember it being tested when I went on the Magic Behind Our Steam Trains tour last year. What happened is that we waited on the switch line going to the barn for another train to pass. Once it was far enough ahead the track was switched and we pulled onto the main line. We then intentionally ran the Toontown signal to test the e-brake. The brake system that activates if you run a signal is different from the regular one. The engineer or fireman has to climb out of the train and reset the brakes from outside the train. That's a safety feature so they can't just reset them and start going again.

Unlike the MAPO system on the monorails once the train is past the signal there is no system on the tracks to stop the train until the next signal. Zazu probably knows all about the system and can explain it better than I can.

[felinefan]

Very true. My remarks were an angry reaction to a rumor, and may well be far off base.

I'm guessing you've never worked a train wreck that included a fire. Finding a small piece of electronic gear amid the mayhem is a herculean task.

Nope, modern locomotives have a "deadman system" to detect when an engineer passes out. Too long without moving and the system sounds an alarm, and if it's not responded to promptly the train brakes go into emergency. There's no sign of that happening.

Untrue. Passenger and freight trains share the tracks almost everywhere they operate. I believe the Northeast Corridor, from Washington to Boston, is the only place they do not.

It won't prevent this sort of problem. In fact, the carnage could have been twice as bad if this train had hit another full of passengers. The presence of freight trains isn't an aggravating factor in this wreck.

What *would* prevent this sort of wreck is installation of an "Automatic Train Stop" system. ATS requires equipment at each signal and on each locomotive that forces the train to stop if it runs a stop signal. The cost for the signal part of the system is pretty minor. The cost to equip passenger locomotives is manageable, but freight railroads have resisted the call to equip every last loco that might run on track shared with passenger trains.

There's somewhat more sophisticated system being proposed, "Positive Train Control". PTC kicks in not only when running a stop signal, but also when passing any control point at greater than permitted speed. Advocates include the National Association of Railroad Passengers. (normally http://www.narp.org, but presently offline due to heavy traffic. Try again in a few days.)

And a miserable collection of horror photos and rehashed newspaper reports it is. It's one of the handful of books I used to keep on a special "beware of this book" shelf when I ran a railroad history library.

Talk to a railroader or read the NTSB Accident Reports online at http://www.ntsb.gov/railroad/railroad.htm. The real cause of the Chattsworth wreck will likely be posted there in six to ten months.

I just read more about the engineer in the Metrolink crash--he had some real messed up stuff in his life. People who tend to be upbeat yet quiet and reserved in talking about themselves usually have psychological problems of some sort. I just hope he didn't neglect to hit the brakes out of a death wish. He may have been happy on the outside, but majorly depressed on the inside. But did he have to take a trainload with him? Or try to, like that fartbrain who left his SUV on the tracks three years ago? I usually don't endorse eugenics, but sometimes, just sometimes.... you run across people that make you wish birth control could be made retroactive.

[Zazu]

The WDWRR also has a system that stops the train if it runs a red signal. I remember it being tested when I went on the Magic Behind Our Steam Trains tour last year. What happened is that we waited on the switch line going to the barn for another train to pass. Once it was far enough ahead the track was switched and we pulled onto the main line. We then intentionally ran the Toontown signal to test the e-brake. The brake system that activates if you run a signal is different from the regular one. The engineer or fireman has to climb out of the train and reset the brakes from outside the train. That's a safety feature so they can't just reset them and start going again.

Unlike the MAPO system on the monorails once the train is past the signal there is no system on the tracks to stop the train until the next signal. Zazu probably knows all about the system and can explain it better than I can.

I do, but your explanation is complete and accurate. Apparently the guide for your Behind the Magic of Our Steam Trains tour did his job well.

We test the ATS system on each locomotive every day. Unfortunately, we only do the tests at two of the six signals, so who knows if the other four triggers work?

[Elena (aka: Bubble Lady)]

[font="Palatino Linotype"]i know one of the emt's who was there...she said it was absolutely horrific...she'll be having nightmares for years to come (and she's only 26) [/font]

[felinefan]

I finally was able to get the train operations report for the week of the accident, and a few things stood out:

On Sept. 9th, for train 106, there was a 15 min. delay due to a railroad switch/signal malfunction problem on the Union Pacific, for the Ventura County line. So they had a signal problem on the affected line a few days before the accident.

On Sept. 15th, on the Antelope Valley line, for train 203 they had a switch or signal malfunction, and in the notes it said defective rail; this caused a 35 min. delay. Same line, train 208 had "other", for 17 min., congestion/meeting late trains; and train 210 the train couldn't depart until its engine and cars arrived, 40 min. delay, late turn off of train 203.

Same day, Inland Empire/Orange County line, train 804 had a near miss/ADA/ Burlington Northern Santa Fe mis-route.

Also, the Ventura County line had another signal malfunction, defective rail/cascade, for train 103, and later that day, another signal malfunction involving a signal problem. Amtrak had a similar problem with a defective switch signal and defective rail.

There's more, but I wanted to focus on those problems. Oh, in addition to the accident in Chatsworth, the Inland Empire/ Orange County line train 804 struck a car at milepost 24.34, causing cancellation of service for a while on that line, at north main Corona.

Man, I'd hate to have been in traffic that day--one of those days when nothing went right. One train hits another causing a major catastrophe, and another one hits a car.

What they're saying now is the engineer who was killed was texting while driving, but they can't be sure if he was texting at the last minute. They also said he was working a split shift. That's a major problem in the transportation industry--not getting enough sleep puts you into a state of constant jetlag.

[mechurchlady]

Some smart people have proved that the engineer on the metrolink train was texting. They took logs of when he was using the device and was texting. It is very clear that he was on duty while texting on numerous occasions. The records also show that it was not like he was in the toilet texting while on duty but while actually at his assigned work area while he was supposed to be doing his job.

Logs and other records showed this and you see thing online but I NEED MY NAP.

[Elena (aka: Bubble Lady)]

[font="Palatino Linotype"]yesterday on the news they said a text was sent from his phone 22 seconds before the crash (i think that's what i heard)[/font]

[felinefan]

You heard correctly. I read where his family had him cremated, and according to his wishes, they plan on dumping his ashes alongside the railroad tracks. Can you imagine a stiff breeze coming up, and getting some of that jerk in your eyes--or worse, your mouth or nose? EWWWWW!

[DisneyMom]

You heard correctly. I read where his family had him cremated, and according to his wishes, they plan on dumping his ashes alongside the railroad tracks. Can you imagine a stiff breeze coming up, and getting some of that jerk in your eyes--or worse, your mouth or nose? EWWWWW!

Better there than at Disneyland!

[mechurchlady]

I been reading up on this subject. His partner commited suicide in 2003 and he loved life and italian greyhounds. We do not have people who work on trains on this board or they been hiding. Does anyone know the stress on the body and mind of and engineer can be? He was at work at 6 am and got a 4 hour break then was on until the accident after 9 pm. I hear CMs who talk about the hours of their job. It seems that the engineers are often getting split shifts which do not give them a full 12 hours to sleep, shower, and stuff.

For me what get me through the sadness and pain and loneliness is online people. It seems that the engineer had friends who were teen aged railfans. It was something that put a little light in his life. I read about him and wonder what his life was like especially losing a loved one, diabetes, and lonliness. He made a mistake and hopefully others will learn from it but I doubt he was the first person ever to be on a cell phone chatting or texting or what ever.

http://www.wpbf.com/family/17521023/det ... tionalnews