Western Railroad Discussion > Conductor Falls to Death at Navasota, TX

http://www.kbtx.com/home/headlines/Train_Conductor_Falls_to_His_Death_in_Grimes_County__135845848.html

From the news story...

"A train conductor is dead after officials say he fell 50 feet off of a train in Grimes County.

Authorities with the Grimes County Sheriff's Office discovered the body of a white male near Highway 105, along the Navasota River, behind the River Haven Subdivision in Navasota.

Authorities say, he had stepped out of the engine room to check fuel levels while the train was traveling eastbound on the tracks.

He was leaning over the rails when he was struck by a crossbeam from a passing train trestle.

The conductor was thrown from the train and fell approximately 50 feet, where authorities later discovered him."


From the location description in the article...I believe this happened on the BNSF line that runs from Somerville, TX through Navasota, TX and then to Dobbin, TX, where it splits going to either Houston, TX or Conroe, TX.

Ouch, RIP for sure!

Yes, on the BNSF Conroe Sub just west of Navasota Jct.

lynngrove Wrote:
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> From the location description in the article...I
> believe this happened on the BNSF line that runs
> from Somerville, TX through Navasota, TX and then
> to Dobbin, TX, where it splits going to either
> Houston, TX or Conroe, TX.

Fuel gages in the cab? Perish the thought... Symnpathy to his family and the engineer and those who worked with him.

SpaceTrain Wrote:
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> Yes, on the BNSF Conroe Sub just west of Navasota
> Jct.
>

Isn't the BNSF bridge across the Navasota River a rather old thru-truss bridge?

he might've been killed instantaneously from the beam and not from the fall ... dam shame ... you go to work expecting to come home every day ... you just never know

You mean to tell me those $1-2 million diesel locomotives DO NOT HAVE FUEL GUAGES IN THE CAB?????????????!!!!!!!!!!!!

God, that is just idiotic, misery and downright STUPID!!

God rest his poor soul. RR's: PUT FUEL GAUGES IN THE CABS!!!

They don't have fuel gauges in the engine compartment either.

The only thing I can imagine that he was doing was hanging over the side of the engine to see the fuel gauge on the tanks (well below the walkway level).

Posted from iPhone

R I P

That's a terrible way to die. My condolences to family and friends.

This really doesn't make sense. I cannot imagine why anybody in their right mind would lean over the side of a moving train to try and see a fuel gauge; that just doesn't make sense. In my 40 years of doing this I can honestly say that I've never seen anybody do that.

53 years and I also have not seen or heard of that.

Twenty plus years and I've never heard of anyone doing that. Was this a WATCO or BNSF crew? I know guys on both sides of the equation..

Thirty five years and I have never heard of that either. I wonder if he actually went back to look at the cooling water level or governor oil level in the engine compartment and something caught his attention down below.

34+ years, and add me to the list, never heard, or seen that as a way to check fuel levels. He was dead when he hit the bridge, poor guy. You've just got to be on your toes 100% of the time, and fully aware of your surroundings. I feel for his friends and family.

Take Care, Stay Safe, Have Fun!

Larry

And now, the rest of the story. It was dark when he went looking. Never saw it coming.

Posted from Android

As I come into Galesburg, the Outbound Yardmaster wants the fuel levels. I always tell them they will get it if I get stopped, if not, then to he!! with it. Many times I say if
they can auto-scan the speed, horn, bell, how much air is set, throttle position, and everything else, they should be able to "auto-scan" the fuel levels as well! What a crock of crap.

My condolences.

Very true. The newest thing that blows me away: Engines have GPS that tells the company exactly how fast I am going, but I have a 25 year old speedometer and a stopwatch to check my speed.

You can't see the fuel gage from the side of the engine anway. My guess is he lost his balance going over the bridge and fell and and hit steel all the way down. Wonder how fast they were going?

Stacey L. Rieger, 41, of Lumberton, Texas. He was a 4 year member of his UTU local. He is the 10th UTU member to be killed in an RR accident in 2011, so far 2 more at this time than last year. From the UTU News.

Take Care, Stay Safe, Have Fun!

Larry

SPLoopConductor Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Stacey L. Rieger, 41, of Lumberton, Texas. He was
> a 4 year member of his UTU local. He is the 10th
> UTU member to be killed in an RR accident in 2011,
> so far 2 more at this time than last year. From
> the UTU News.
>
> Take Care, Stay Safe, Have Fun!
>
> Larry

BNSF has had a terrible 2011. We've lost more people this year than in recent memory. Four lost their lives due to Crew Shuttle related accidents. Two of those were killed in Montana thanks to a drunk driver. I have heard of crews trying to check fuel levels on the move. Usually, the dispatcher will request fuel levels while a train is en route. I really don't know why we don't have fuel gauges inside the cabs. The comment about timing your speed indicator made me laugh because I feel the exact same way. I check my speed indicator several times throughout my run using my cheap Wal*Mart Timex watch (as per the rules). I usually just run on the slow side to stay safe. We've had too many crews get fired for speeding violations thanks to speed indicators that were off. Here's to a safe and less stressful 2012!!!