Canadian Railroads > Demoralized CP employees start a pool with derailment predictions

A growing list of CP derailments, including the fatal runaway of February 4,
has led some current and past CP employees to participate
in a darkly depressing pool,
predicting the place, time, and train number of the next derailment or serious incident,
with the best guess taking part of the collected money.

Included in the Calgary Sun newspaper article,
is the revelation that another grain train lost control on the Field hill,
just last Monday,
requiring an emergency brake application to bring the train to a halt.

https://calgarysun.com/news/local-news/spate-of-derailments-prompts-cp-rail-workers-to-start-grim-pool/wcm/63ee4dda-cf4b-4a92-bd09-5c9e986d211b

The simple solution is to add more power on those heavy trains. Look how much power BNSF put on there grain and coil steel
Unit trains. Being cheap is literally killing people!

Posted from Android

This is nothing new. People in dangerous jobs have been doing stuff like this for eons.
It's dark humour and it's a coping behavour.

PHall Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> This is nothing new. People in dangerous jobs have
> been doing stuff like this for eons.
> It's dark humour and it's a coping behavour.

Yes.

But it also points out to insurers and share owners how far out on the risk curve the railroad is operating.

Stepping in front of a steamroller to pick up dimes is rarely a good long trm financial strategy.

Lackawanna484 Wrote:

> Stepping in front of a steamroller to pick up
> dimes is rarely a good long trm financial
> strategy.

I don't think picking up dimes is a great financial strategy, full-stop! Trying to find them in front of a steam roller these days is just plain ridiculous!!

I've mentioned from time to time that 2 guys in the cab costs maybe $200 an hour with benefits.

A derailment might cost five million, easy.

Even waiting an hour for a $10 an hour driver makes no sense.

Posted from Android

Can't get that article load, after several tries, browsers, and seperate searchings. I wonder if they removed it.

They yanked it, stiil shows up on google if you search.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/07/19 21:18 by Lkirts.

I tried a Google search but all seems to lead to the paper ... Iand no mention.

need a URL please,



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/08/19 16:13 by Chazcop.

I could certainly see some concern on Canadian Pacific's part about having an article with these conclusions out in the public domain.

It's a delightful gift if you're a lawyer suing CP after some disaster which wiped out a small town somewhere. Poor management of right of way maintenance, overworked and exhausted employees, dispatchers who don't know their territory, etc. Depose a few employees and retirees, document some awful situations.  Lots of gifts under this tree...

If people believe that something bad will happen, then somehow it will.....

Kinda like if you believe you will die by a certain age, then somehow it will happen.

Chazcop Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I tried a Google search but all seems to lead to
> the paper ... Iand no mention.
>
> need a URL please,

https://www.google.com/amp/s/calgaryherald.com/news/local-news/spate-of-derailments-prompts-cp-rail-workers-to-start-grim-pool/amp

Lkirts Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Chazcop Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I tried a Google search but all seems to lead
> to
> > the paper ... Iand no mention.
> >
> > need a URL please,
>
> https://www.google.com/amp/s/calgaryherald.com/new
> s/local-news/spate-of-derailments-prompts-cp-rail-
> workers-to-start-grim-pool/amp

The Sun newspaper chain in Canada is not always the most reliable.
They tend to lean toward sensationalism at times ... after all, they are a tabloid.

 

Will MacKenzie
Dundas, ON