Passenger Trains > NTSB Live Stream Starts today at 13:00 hrs...

https://www.ntsb.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/NR20190516.aspx

Get your Kool-Aid mixed and chilled before the show starts!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/21/19 07:25 by PC1974.

That is 1300 Eastern BTW

PC1974 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> https://www.ntsb.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/NR2
> 0190516.aspx
>
> Get your Kool-Aid mixed and chilled before the
> show starts!

Expect much tub-thumping about PTC.

Paul Wilson
Arlington, VA

I think this may be the link to the broadcast
http://ntsb.windrosemedia.com
click on the little arrow in the middle of the eagle


Popcorn is in the microwave.
Don't expect much except pre-ordained outcome.
Especially don't expect any discussion of non-PTC heritage type safety devices that would have prevented the accident.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/21/19 10:01 by Englewood.

I wonder if they'll talk about the conductor on the head end who was familiarizing himself with the territory who couldn't tell the difference between an intermediate signal and an absolute signal.   Or his belief that advance speed board signs are only on some, but not all, curves that have permanent speed restrictions.   



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 05/22/19 16:29 by CA_Sou_MA_Agent.

CA_Sou_MA_Agent Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I wonder if they'll talk about the student
> conductor who was on the head end who couldn't
> tell the difference between an intermediate signal
> and an absolute signal.  

It depends on what agenda the NTSB is pushing today.

CA_Sou_MA_Agent Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I wonder if they'll talk about the student
> conductor who was on the head end who couldn't
> tell the difference between an intermediate signal
> and an absolute signal.  

...or the engineer who admitted that he didn't know where he was...at Orillia (where he had been running for years).

TAW

....or if locomotive displays should be designed to look like video game consoles.

I wonder if they'll talk about the manager who felt that an engineer being thrust into operating a locomotive he's never operated before was just like a motorist driving a rental car for the first time.  

Larger advance speed signs is one of the wants for NTSB.

I listened to about 20 minutes of it.  They gave a scathing analysis of the Talgo equipment. 

I agree, its intermission time and I say that Talgo is a DEAD DUCK! Ridem' while you can.... There is that set at BEE that needs a good home, maybe put a repainted Cabbage Patch on each end and park it on some line being ripped up.. It it would be like a modern day version of when they ripped of the the Milwaukee western extension and found a train tied down years later at a remote point...

And how about a hats off to those get it over the road Amtrak "Cowboy" Engineers! He was running 82mph with a max 79mph approaching the curve for last mile and had his face stuck in the screens trying to turn off the alert... CLASSIC!!!!

That's my Amtrak!

NTSB seems to think that PTC is not yet active on the line in question, which seems incorrect to me based on announcements from the past year.

I am still hanging in there 2.5+ hours into the drama.
Have to admit it did put me to sleep a few times.
NTSB showing their consistent lack of railroad knowledge.

In the discussion of the advance speed signs being 2 miles from the restriction the talking head
said that signs at that distance are not useful for passenger trains because passenger train engineers
set the air one mile from the restrictions.  Seems to me the sign two miles from the restriction would be
very useful if I was making my first trip on a new railroad in a new type (for me) of locomotive. At 80 mph
the 30 mph restriction is 90 seconds away.  Time to make a minimum reduction (at least) and feel my
way to the restriction.

After the break some egg head PhD carried on about giving the conductor some moving map software
to track the train's location.  Further discussion makes it unclear whether he meant the conductor or
engineer.  Sounds like he wants the engineer to follow trains progress on the display screens when earlier
there was much conversation about the engineer loosing situational awareness by staring at the display
screen when attempting to discover why overspeed siren went off.  Isn't this moving map function what 
PTC is already supposed to do?

No in depth discussion yet (unless I slept through it) on engineers lack of training.  
Lots of pontificating and one government agency pointing fingers at many other government agencies.

As TAW has stated many times, slowing a train from 80 to 30 is not an unknown action in the railroad industry.
Listening to these NTSB clowns one would think it is akin to Apollo 11 landing on the moon.

Now with straight faces they are discussing seat belts.  One of the NTSB clowns states that he feels very 
uncomfortable riding on a train and not having access to seatbelts.  I feel very uncomfortable having a non-elected
clown like him having any say in railroading.

Toxic masculinity has raised it ugly head when it is revealed that crash dummy testing was done with only male crash dummies. 



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/21/19 12:54 by Englewood.

prrmpup Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Larger advance speed signs is one of the wants for
> NTSB.

Idiotic. Any engineer should be familiar enough on their territory to run properly with NO advance boards. That is a major part of the familiarization process. Signs go missing, fall down, get covered with graffiti. They are not to be relied on. Does anyone in government understand how railroads operate? It's all for nothing now anyway with the almighty savior, PTC, deployed on that route. Wait until the day PTC goes down. Will anyone be able to get a train from point A to point B?

trainjunkie Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Wait until the day PTC goes down. Will
> anyone be able to get a train from point A to
> point B?

Sure...under the one major condition for which PTC is not effective and won't prevent anything - Restricted Speed.

TAW

PC1974 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I agree, its intermission time and I say that
> Talgo is a DEAD DUCK! Ridem' while you can....

I'll be curious to hear that part of the report. The German's recently place a huge order for Talgo equipment.

How old was the Talgo equipment in the DuPont crash?

Posted from Android

I got the impression from early testimony by Sumwalt that the NTSB is sympathetic to the situation the engineer faced because of his piss poor training. 

We might see the engineer getting his job back, but, if I know how the railroad works, he might be limited to working a yard job or something.  At least he'd be bringing in a paycheck. 

I wonder how many heads have rolled at Amtrak management in Seattle and Portland?  One of the Road Foremen who testified for the NTSB (the one who talked to the engineer on the phone prior to the trip) died of natural causes a week or so ago.     

Get your Talgo pictures soon. Looks like they will go away.

Posted from iPhone