Derailments
- Greg_Lewis
- Posts: 3016
- Joined: Wed Jan 15, 2003 2:44 pm
- Location: Fresno, CA
Re: Derailments
A recent story originally published in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution cites Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio as saying that the NS had 579 safety violations in closed cases, in which they paid an average of $3300 in fines. That totals out to $1,910,700. The article also says that NS spent billions of dollars on stock buybacks “[W]hich safety advocates say could have been spent to instead improve safety.”
As I wrote above, it all comes down to money.
One issue, although not related to the Ohio derailment, is railroads wanting to cut the 2-man crew to one. Many of you probably know about the dead man pedal that was created back in the late 1950s or early 60s after an engineer died at the throttle. I remember that engine crews hated that as it made it hard for an engineer to change seating position, and they quickly figured out how to put a rock on it or wedge a signal flag between the pedal and other cab fittings to hold the pedal down. I don't know about modern safety features but I can't see how two pairs of human eyes and ears in the cab could be replaced by something else. Witness the problems with self-driving cars. (Yes, the cars have more impediments on their journeys than trains, but the point remains.)
The solutions to the problems are obvious but as long as maximizing profit remains the goal, I'm not optimistic that much beyond a few cosmetic changes will happen.
As I wrote above, it all comes down to money.
One issue, although not related to the Ohio derailment, is railroads wanting to cut the 2-man crew to one. Many of you probably know about the dead man pedal that was created back in the late 1950s or early 60s after an engineer died at the throttle. I remember that engine crews hated that as it made it hard for an engineer to change seating position, and they quickly figured out how to put a rock on it or wedge a signal flag between the pedal and other cab fittings to hold the pedal down. I don't know about modern safety features but I can't see how two pairs of human eyes and ears in the cab could be replaced by something else. Witness the problems with self-driving cars. (Yes, the cars have more impediments on their journeys than trains, but the point remains.)
The solutions to the problems are obvious but as long as maximizing profit remains the goal, I'm not optimistic that much beyond a few cosmetic changes will happen.
Greg Lewis, Prop.
Eyeball Engineering — Home of the dull toolbit.
Our motto: "That looks about right."
Celebrating 35 years of turning perfectly good metal into bits of useless scrap.
Eyeball Engineering — Home of the dull toolbit.
Our motto: "That looks about right."
Celebrating 35 years of turning perfectly good metal into bits of useless scrap.
Re: Derailments
Well looks like congress is going to mandate 2 man crews for railroads in law.
Re: Derailments
NS and the class ones are not unique. Airlines and regulators are working on rules to fly commercial flights with one pilot in the cockpit. Cargo flights and long haul international flights would be first. The international flights would have a second pilot during take off and landing. Cruise would be a single person flying. At least in the beginning.
- Charles T. McCullough
- Posts: 396
- Joined: Fri Apr 06, 2007 2:25 pm
Re: Derailments
hee hee... I can understand the 2nd pilot leaving after take-off, parachutes and all, but how does he get back in to be the 2nd pilot for landing?
Re: Derailments
Charles T. McCullough wrote: ↑Thu Mar 23, 2023 7:20 pmhee hee... I can understand the 2nd pilot leaving after take-off, parachutes and all, but how does he get back in to be the 2nd pilot for landing?
Elementary, my friend. A rocket suit!
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Music isn’t at all difficult. All you gotta do is play the right notes at the right time!
Music isn’t at all difficult. All you gotta do is play the right notes at the right time!
Re: Derailments
pat1027 wrote: ↑Mon Apr 28, 1975 7:01 pmAirlines and regulators are working on rules to fly commercial flights with one pilot in the cockpit.
Should be eminently workable...until the plane’s electrical system goes on the fritz and the computers quit computing. I look forward to hearing the regulators’ excuses when that happens and the plane ends up punching a hole in the ground because the lone pilot was overwhelmed by the resulting workload.
Over-reliance on automation has already resulted in a number of commercial plane crashes, as well as close calls. There’s a reason for having human redundancy in the cockpit, and it isn’t to add bloat to the payroll.
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Music isn’t at all difficult. All you gotta do is play the right notes at the right time!
Music isn’t at all difficult. All you gotta do is play the right notes at the right time!
- Dick_Morris
- Posts: 2846
- Joined: Sat Jan 04, 2003 2:09 pm
- Location: Anchorage, AK
Re: Derailments
From the Washington Post yesterday, "A Southwest pilot ‘fainted.’ Then an off-duty pilot stepped in to help." https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2 ... l-landing/
Re: Derailments
Dick_Morris wrote: ↑Fri Mar 24, 2023 4:36 am From the Washington Post yesterday, "A Southwest pilot ‘fainted.’ Then an off-duty pilot stepped in to help." https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/2 ... l-landing/
Yep! I heard about it from a friend who flies left seat for Southwest.
Now, suppose that pilot had been the only one in the cockpit and the FO (first officer) had been in back taking a snooze. Or, worse yet, what if there were no FO? How would anyone else on board had known the captain was in distress and couldn’t continue with his duties? What if there had been no other qualified individual to step into the cockpit and take over? Would this had become a case of the plane continuing on autopilot until the fuel had been exhausted?
I don’t know about you guys, but I ain’t getting on any airliner with only one person doing the driving.
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Music isn’t at all difficult. All you gotta do is play the right notes at the right time!
Music isn’t at all difficult. All you gotta do is play the right notes at the right time!
- Greg_Lewis
- Posts: 3016
- Joined: Wed Jan 15, 2003 2:44 pm
- Location: Fresno, CA
Re: Derailments
They'd just use an autopilot like this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOSfFQW2FLo
They could put those in the locomotive cabs, too.
Greg Lewis, Prop.
Eyeball Engineering — Home of the dull toolbit.
Our motto: "That looks about right."
Celebrating 35 years of turning perfectly good metal into bits of useless scrap.
Eyeball Engineering — Home of the dull toolbit.
Our motto: "That looks about right."
Celebrating 35 years of turning perfectly good metal into bits of useless scrap.
- Bill Shields
- Posts: 10556
- Joined: Fri Dec 21, 2007 4:57 am
- Location: 39.367, -75.765
- Contact:
Re: Derailments
the flip side of that coin:
let the autopilot fly it by default, and let the human be the backup....
not that I would actually passenger on one....
let the autopilot fly it by default, and let the human be the backup....
not that I would actually passenger on one....
Too many things going on to bother listing them.
Re: Derailments
Greg_Lewis wrote: ↑Fri Mar 24, 2023 11:54 am
They'd just use an autopilot like this one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOSfFQW2FLo
They could put those in the locomotive cabs, too.
Let that be a lesson to you to be wary of what they’re serving for lunch.
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Music isn’t at all difficult. All you gotta do is play the right notes at the right time!
Music isn’t at all difficult. All you gotta do is play the right notes at the right time!