Railroaders' Nostalgia > New hire screw up

The recent news of the CP conductor being fired after the derailment at Banff reminded me of a new hire that go in trouble at Corwith yard back in the 90's.

We had a new class of switchmen and they had left the classroom and were getting some on the job training. We had a couple of them show up on second trick for their first day in the yard. Each one was assigned to a switch job for the evening. One job in the pig ramp and the other in the yard. The crew in the yard decided to use their extra body to help kick cars into different tracks. They gave him a pakset and a switch and told him to line that switch whichever way they radioed him.

By this time the clerks had all been consolidated in Topeka, so most of the lists of the tracks in the yard were incorrect. They had all the cars listed, just not in correct order. For some reason this always bugged me. When I could get away from my desk I would printout a few tracks and walk them checking the proper order, then come back to the office and sort them in the computer. I thought maybe a switch job might appreciate a good list once and a while.

This afternoon things were humming along nicely so I decided to play yard clerk. I had my lists and was walking down the lead as cars rolled by me and I could see the new guy flipping his switch back and forth. I was going to exchange a few words with him, but when I was about 10 yards from him he threw his switch under a car. As the trailing set of trucks bounced along the ties I started to run after it. With each bounce on a tie the trucks moved a little further away from the rail. I was saying to myself, we can get that back on, we can still get it on, finally it stopped with the wheels up against the wrong rail. I knew I couldn't get it back on the track without help.

I snarled at the new guy, "you're supposed to wait until the car is clear before you throw the switch." I got the car foreman over to look at it and he confirmed my worst fears, we needed a side boom. The point of derailment on the lead blocked access to about 1/3 of the yard and the ATM said he could work around it for a while. I had the pleasure of calling the superintendent to tell him the good news. I explained what had happened and what we needed to fix it and he decided I should call and order a side boom for first thing in the morning. As we were about to finish the call he said, "go ahead and fire the new guy, he doesn't have his 60 days in yet." We talked about it a little bit and he backed off a bit and said we could talk some more the next day, his last words were you know when xxxxx (VP) finds out, he will want him fired.

Later that night the foreman on the job called me and said he needed to talk to me. I met him in a quiet place and he was telling me how bad the new guy was feeling, he was throwing up, couldn't eat his lunch and was worried about getting fired. He said the guy got nervous because he saw the trainmaster coming his way. The foreman wanted me to talk to him, give him a tummy rub and tell him he wouldn't get fired. I had to confide in the foreman that I had already been told to let him go. His eyes got pretty big. I told him not to say anything, that this is what happens when you aren't past your derail of 60 days.

The supt. and I talked the next day and I made a case for keeping the guy. Finally, 3 or 4 days later he told me I didn't have to fire him. I hope he is still working with a good 20+ years of seniority. I never checked any tracks that night.

The kinder, gentler Santa Fe!

Years ago, I was working as a switchman with a crew at 8th Street in LA and I **ALMOST** threw a switch under a cut of cars. Part of my brain was in a "let's hurry along and increase productivity" mode until it was stopped by another part of my brain that said, "Hey, wait a minute Bub. The cars are still going over the switch." I didn't get to the point where I reached down and touched the switch lever, but those two thought processes did go through my mind. Maybe it's just human instinct, but there always seems to be a desire to (1.) increase the flow, (2.) increase productivity, (3.) please the foreman you're working with by doing a lot of work in a short time span, etc. Sometimes you just have to slow down and think things through.

I know of at least two incidences where employees were having trouble "reading the iron" or may have just had a bad case of absent-mindedness and they lined a split-point derail that was in the non-derailing position into the derailing position and gave a "come ahead" for the equipment / train to proceed. OOPS!

There was another tale of another new guy who was decorating the front of a light engine and didn't bother to give a stop sign to the engineer as they went up and over a derail. His nickname after that was "Kerplunk."

There was another thread where they were talking about the skills of dropping cars that was quite impressive ---- sorting a block of cars into different tracks all while being dropped.

Again, years ago, I was working at 8th St. as a switchman and my conductor (who has since gone back to BNSF) decided to impress me (a rookie) and everyone else by having us kick an Amfleet car into a track. Problem was, we didn't give it enough "ooomph" and it came to a stop right on top of an access road crossing and right in front of the Yard Office. That was a little embarrassing having to correct that.

We didn't do it again.

... for the rule requiring standing 20 feet away from a switchstand, preferably on the other side of the track???

LarryDoyle Wrote:
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> ... for the rule requiring standing 20 feet away
> from a switchstand, preferably on the other side
> of the track???

Didn't that involve the wreck of the Chief when a Brakeman had a senior moment and opened the turnout right in front of the train?

PHall Wrote:
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> Didn't that involve the wreck of the Chief when a
> Brakeman had a senior moment and opened the
> turnout right in front of the train?

Yes.

http://dotlibrary.specialcollection.net/Document?db=DOT-RAILROAD&query=(select+3650)

Mainline yes, yard no.
JB

Same thing happened in the 1930's in far west Texas on the T&P at night. Killed 4 people on two freights.

LarryDoyle Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> ... for the rule requiring standing 20 feet away
> from a switchstand, preferably on the other side
> of the track???


In the yard that would get the trainmaster out of the office and onto the lead asking for an explanation as to why you were screwing the pooch.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/13/15 08:54 by Chico43.

As a kid on my bike in the early '60's, while watching a yard crew do their work, I saw a switch INTENTIONALLY thrown under a car. This was near the Tweedy Yard office/turntable in South Gate, CA. A crew had just arrived from the south and kicked their cars a long ways down a track. One of the crew noticed a switch was not lined down their yard track, but lined across Little Alameda Street leading to the GM plant and the turntable where extra units were kept. He went sprinting down the tracks, switch lists flying about, and threw the switch under a car and derailed the cut. It prevented the cut of cars from possibly plowing into an unsuspecting motorist (only crossbucks guarded the crossing) or against locomotives or into the GM plant.

Chico43 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> LarryDoyle Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > ... for the rule requiring standing 20 feet
> away
> > from a switchstand, preferably on the other
> side
> > of the track???
>
>
> In the yard that would get the trainmaster out of
> the office and onto the lead asking for an
> explanation as to why you were screwing the pooch.

Not on the UP LA service unit, that's their new thing, 20ft from ALL switches even in yard service.

Posted from Android

jkchubbes Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Chico43 Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> > LarryDoyle Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> > > ... for the rule requiring standing 20 feet away
> > > from a switchstand, preferably on the other side
> > > of the track???

> Not on the UP LA service unit, that's their new
> thing, 20ft from ALL switches even in yard
> service.

So how does that work? You throw the switch, walk 20' away, engineer kicks a car, you walk back, reline the switch, walk 20' away, engineer makes another move, repeat ..., repeat ...?

mapboy

mapboy Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> jkchubbes Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Chico43 Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > > LarryDoyle Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > > > ... for the rule requiring standing 20 feet
> away
> > > > from a switchstand, preferably on the other
> side
> > > > of the track???
>
> > Not on the UP LA service unit, that's their new
> > thing, 20ft from ALL switches even in yard
> > service.
>
> So how does that work? You throw the switch, walk
> 20' away, engineer kicks a car, you walk back,
> reline the switch, walk 20' away, engineer makes
> another move, repeat ..., repeat ...?
>
> mapboy

Ha, kicking cars has been gone for years. Can't shove cars unless you can visually see the coupler either, even if it's an obviously clear rail. Switching in the LA service unit is like having two left feet, except both your feet are broken.

Posted from Android



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/14/15 15:28 by jkchubbes.

jkchubbes Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------

> Not on the UP LA service unit, that's their new
> thing, 20ft from ALL switches even in yard
> service.

Cripes...

EO

hogheaded Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> jkchubbes Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
>
> > Not on the UP LA service unit, that's their new
> > thing, 20ft from ALL switches even in yard
> > service.
>
> Cripes...
>
> EO


Cripes is right. Wonder why you retired? There is one of the reasons........


V

SLOCONDR

I'm not a rail, but this appears to be a new hire danger. I once saw a second day on the job brake person throw a switch under a set of power in a yard, which made for interesting photos but required a crane to re rail the power. I don't know what happened to her.

Jim B

CA_Sou_MA_Agent Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> PHall Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Didn't that involve the wreck of the Chief when
> a
> > Brakeman had a senior moment and opened the
> > turnout right in front of the train?
>
> Yes.
>
> http://dotlibrary.specialcollection.net/Document?d
> b=DOT-RAILROAD&query=(select+3650)

I couldn't get the above link to open for me but did see this account of the Chief's wreck via Wikipedia at this link:

http://www3.gendisasters.com/new-mexico/2141/springer%2C-nm-flier-mail-trains-collide%2C-sep-1956

Mark Cole
Temple, TX