Railroaders' Nostalgia > Train crew, how far to go?

There is currently a thread on the Passenger Board concerning an Amtrak engineer that debarked his engine to warn some trespassers to leave the right of way whereupon he was attacked and severely beaten by gang members while working a "Capitol Corridor" train in CA. This brought back memories of an incident my wife and I experienced while riding a MBTA commuter train in the Boston area in September 1994. We had flown to Boston from Los Angeles to do some sightseeing in New England during the "color" season. We had arrived after midnight via a low cost airline and drove to Haverhill to our motel checking in around two thirty am. After awakening the next day with nothing planned headed to the Haverhill MBTA station to ride a train into Boston. Along with us some leather clad interesting characters boarded with more at each stop. We were wondering what was going on finding out there was a Grateful Dead concert going on that night in Boston with the train rapidly filling with "deadheads" complete with litre cola bottles filled with other than cola and balloons filled with illegal "stuff". The conductor, a short stocky authoritative figure passed through the car and made the announcement that smoking and drinking were not allowed on the train and violation would result in ejection from the train. A warning was made later warning partiers would be put off if caught. The train made a stop (not sure it it was actually a station or not?) followed by the lone conductor entering the car announcing everyone in rear half of car was to get off the train. After a bit of arguing they got off then more arguing on the ground before jumping the conductor and beating him up bad enough that we sat there until police arrived as well as an ambulance to haul him to the hospital and continued to sit until a relief conductor arrived before continuing to Boston North Station. The whole time I wondered about him taking on half the train all by his short stocky self. In this case it would appear he should have called ahead to have police meet the train to get the "deadheads" off instead of taking on the group all alone. As for the Amtrak engineer I vaguely remember this event and wonder too if he should have stayed safe in the cab radioing for help instead of taking matters into his own hands? Just how far do you go in instances like this?
JB



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/14/14 07:14 by 3rdswitch.

3rdswitch Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> There is currently a thread on the Passenger Board
> concerning an Amtrak engineer that debarked his
> engine to warn some trespassers to leave the right
> of way whereupon he was attacked and severely
> beaten by gang members while working a "Capitol
> Corridor" train in CA. This brought back memories
> of an incident my wife and I experienced while
> riding a MBTA commuter train in the Boston area in
> September 1994. We had flown to Boston from Los
> Angeles to do some sightseeing in New England
> during the "color" season. We had arrived after
> midnight via a low cost airline and drove to
> Haverhill to our motel checking in around two
> thirty am. After awakening the next day with
> nothing planned headed to the Haverhill MBTA
> station to ride a train into Boston. Along with us
> some leather clad interesting characters boarded
> with more at each stop. We were wondering what was
> going on finding out there was a Grateful Dead
> concert going on that night in Boston with the
> train rapidly filling with "deadheads" complete
> with litre cola bottles filled with other than
> cola and balloons filled with illegal "stuff". The
> conductor, a short stocky authoritative figure
> passed through the car and made the announcement
> that smoking and drinking were not allowed on the
> train and violation would result in ejection from
> the train. A warning was made later warning
> partiers would be put off if caught. The train
> made a stop (not sure it it was actually a station
> or not?) followed by the lone conductor entering
> the car announcing everyone in rear half of car
> was to get off the train. After a bit of arguing
> they got off then more arguing on the ground
> before jumping the conductor and beating him up
> bad enough that we sat there until police arrived
> as well as an ambulance to haul him to the
> hospital and continued to sit until a relief
> conductor arrived before continuing to Boston
> North Station. The whole time I wondered about him
> taking on half the train all by his short stocky
> self. In this case it would appear he should have
> called ahead to have police meet the train to get
> the "deadheads" off instead of taking on the group
> all alone. As for the Amtrak engineer I vaguely
> remember this event and wonder too if he should
> have stayed safe in the cab radioing for help
> instead of taking matters into his own hands? Just
> how far do you go in instances like this?
> JB


I would agree, Joe. Call ahead and let the authorities handle the problem.


V

SLOCONDR

I think I would call ahead and get some help lined up at the next station. Taking on a group drunk rowdy people in coach by himself could result in either the conductor or someone else get hurt. I know when I have blocked road crossings and a indignant crowd started to build up, I would call the engineer an have him call the dispatcher and have him call the local police and have them come down and defuse the situation. I remember back in the late 70's, a brakeman dropped of to cut a crossing, and while he was in the process of cutting the crossing got into a verbal confrontation with a person stopped at the crossing. It got heated and resulted in slugging match and the brakeman getting his butt kicked.

3rdswitch Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>The
> conductor, a short stocky authoritative figure
> passed through the car and made the announcement
> that smoking and drinking were not allowed on the
> train and violation would result in ejection from
> the train. A warning was made later warning
> partiers would be put off if caught. The train
> made a stop (not sure it it was actually a station
> or not?) followed by the lone conductor entering
> the car announcing everyone in rear half of car
> was to get off the train.

It's so much easier when the jerks are the only occupants of a car. There was a fabled GN Montana Division conductor who solved the problem of drunk college students running amok in the train by waiting until he managed them to get them all in a car, get everyone else out in the process, then set the car out at Gunsight MT - https://goo.gl/maps/8Zz79.

As you can see, were there nothing at Gunsight there would be more than there is. The conductor sent a wire on the setout...from Havre a couple of hours later.

TAW

I'm taking the 5th on this one. ;-)

You definitely don't do what that knucklehead Amtrak engineer did.

Hey Conductor we hit them they were in the foul all of a sudden ;-)

I'd hate to see the inside of the set out car when authorities arrived. A bunch of pi_ _ ed off drunks can cause a lot of damage.

3rdswitch Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> There is currently a thread on the Passenger Board
> concerning an Amtrak engineer that debarked his
> engine to warn some trespassers to leave the right
> of way whereupon he was attacked and severely
> beaten by gang members while working a "Capitol
> Corridor" train in CA. This brought back memories
> of an incident my wife and I experienced while
> riding a MBTA commuter train in the Boston area in
> September 1994. We had flown to Boston from Los
> Angeles to do some sightseeing in New England
> during the "color" season. We had arrived after
> midnight via a low cost airline and drove to
> Haverhill to our motel checking in around two
> thirty am. After awakening the next day with
> nothing planned headed to the Haverhill MBTA
> station to ride a train into Boston. Along with us
> some leather clad interesting characters boarded
> with more at each stop. We were wondering what was
> going on finding out there was a Grateful Dead
> concert going on that night in Boston with the
> train rapidly filling with "deadheads" complete
> with litre cola bottles filled with other than
> cola and balloons filled with illegal "stuff". The
> conductor, a short stocky authoritative figure
> passed through the car and made the announcement
> that smoking and drinking were not allowed on the
> train and violation would result in ejection from
> the train. A warning was made later warning
> partiers would be put off if caught. The train
> made a stop (not sure it it was actually a station
> or not?) followed by the lone conductor entering
> the car announcing everyone in rear half of car
> was to get off the train. After a bit of arguing
> they got off then more arguing on the ground
> before jumping the conductor and beating him up
> bad enough that we sat there until police arrived
> as well as an ambulance to haul him to the
> hospital and continued to sit until a relief
> conductor arrived before continuing to Boston
> North Station. The whole time I wondered about him
> taking on half the train all by his short stocky
> self. In this case it would appear he should have
> called ahead to have police meet the train to get
> the "deadheads" off instead of taking on the group
> all alone. As for the Amtrak engineer I vaguely
> remember this event and wonder too if he should
> have stayed safe in the cab radioing for help
> instead of taking matters into his own hands? Just
> how far do you go in instances like this?
> JB


The chances of beang beaten or stabbed by Deadheads are almost zero. Annoying, smelly, and dirty, perhaps. But not prone to violence. Not your 'usual suspects'.