Amtrak train hits 111 mph in test run

cross_thread72 said
As a railroader by trade this thread scares me. I've hit several idiots, livestock, wildlife etc. there is no possible way to effectively improve the safety of every grade crossing in America. Right now we being the railroad are 50 years behind on crossing updates. Most AC powered locomotives are capable of speeds well over 100 mph. I've ran intermodals at 75 mph through west Texas, and that was fast enough for me. Amtrak has several trains that run about 85 mph and I can't tell you the destruction that would cause in a serious accident. Food for thought the next time you see a freight train barreling down on you at any speed imagine the sheer tonnage. The train I was running last night was 15,587 TONS not something I want to dance with, even locomotives running light power tip the scales at 415,000 lbs each. Oh and Obama's point of view on railroads is "let the computers run them". Which brings me to "positive train control" one of the greatest things to ever come out of Washington DC. In the next 5 years it will be in full effect and all trains will be driving themselves, the Obama admin wants to create jobs, but then they turn around and cut millions in favor of a computer. So look twice at every crossing there might not even be a human on that train. I'll get off my soap box now, remember, "look, listen, live" and teach your kids to stay away from the tracks.

I admire your passion on the subject. As a railroader myself, I know what you're talking about here.

I am a signal supervisor and I must correct your statement about being 50 years behind on crossing upgrades. I still have some of the old technology crossings on branch lines which are perfectly safe. They are designed for specific speeds and your timetables will specify that speed and as an operating employee, you know you must follow your rules. That is what keeps the public safe. My new crossings are Invensys/Safetran GCP4000 and they can easily predict speeds up to 100 mph and maintain the minimum 20 seconds warning time required by regulation. Warning devices such as lights, bells and gates are very reliable. My biggest problems with them are motorists who ignore them. An activated crossing is a warning that a train is approaching. Crossings are designed to "fail safe", i.e. they will activate if anything goes wrong with their detection circuits.

PCT will be one of the biggest improvements in railway safety in years. Remember that Amtrak disaster a few years back on the west coast? Cause was a conductor who was busy texting on his phone and did not see the red signal. Think about that when you say that humans aboard trains are the only way to keep the rail service safe. PCT would not have allowed the train past the red signal. Like crossings, if PCT fails, it is designed to fail safe. The train will stop. Physics will dictate how long it takes to bring all that tonnage to a stop. No human aboard a train will be able to overcome the dynamics of all that tonnage and given sufficient speed, all you will be able to do is watch as your train destroys that vehicle and it's occupants that chose to ignore the warning devices in place at the crossing. Obama really has nothing to do with it. PCT was in development long before he was elected.

I am retiring in a few short months. I will not see a fully automated railroad and I have just as hard a time as anyone with adjusting to the technology. I have seen huge derailments, dealt with fatalities, walked miles of ballast and taken my fair share of lumps for bad decisions I have made. The game is changing rapidly and I feel it is a younger man's game than I am capable of managing, but I have confidence in the direction it is going. Don't get blindsided by the potential loss of the job to the running trades. The support of the network still requires many jobs and many new positions are being created. I was in the electronic repair trade before I became a railroader. My old profession has gone the way of the blacksmith. When was the last time you met a TV serviceman? They no longer exist, yet my father was one and 50 years ago, he made a very good living at it. Times they are a-changing.

End rant, exit soapbox.