Cab Ride From Hell -- BNSF Cornfield Meet on Tape

I'm guessing that mgt. has had it removed. I can't find it on YouTube now either.

it hasn't been deleted off of youtube. you just have to type in cornfield meet in the search area and it will be the only one to show up.

Why does the tape stop right after impact? Is the white noise about 25 seconds in brake squeal?
I can be easily confused and I think this is one of those cases.
The train with camera did nothing wrong. Am I correct?
The train with the wide nosed BNSF unit was breaking rules. Am I correct?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXUSUAYMwWQ

uhaul, that appears to be the case, i.e., the train in the camera's view has "shit the bed" and run a stop signal. What I don't understand is why the two locomotive crews were not in radio contact with each other at the "meet."

Thanks for the show, guys. That was a rip and I'm glad nobody got hurt. I bet the guy who got hit will never stop that close to a switch again in his career.

D/

Ocala Mike wrote:....... What I don't understand is why the two locomotive crews were not in radio contact with each other at the "meet."

Because they were running on signal indication buddy.

Thats the kicker about working on the railroad, you can be doing everything right like your supposed to, like the crew with the camera was, and still get killed because someone else wasnt "doing it right".

There are times when two trains must talk before they can share the same "track". But everyday railroading aint like that. What you pretty much saw was like you in car going threw an intersection with a green light and having someone else run a red and T-Bone you, and me ask why you did call them on your phone and tell them your coming threw on a green? You just take the signals as you see them....

Dieter wrote:I bet the guy who got hit will never stop that close to a switch again in his career.

Watch it again. They weren't stopped. You can see them jump.

Got you loud and clear, UPRR Engineer. The signals rule, as they should.

dieter, it's not that the guy was stopped TOO CLOSE to the switch, it's that he wasn't stopped at all! Got a feeling that crew is on the railroad equivalent of the "rubber gun squad," maybe on some yard detail somewhere where they can't do too much damage.

Im a conductor for the UP and seeing this video is very disturbing , I know alot of people on here are railfans and enjoy every thing about the railroad. But i must say for the guys who run the rail to see this is very very bad I hope nobody that is a trainman ever has to go through this at any level . Diverging clear then boom signal drops out ALL RED thats scary stuff man .

UPEngineer , watched video a couple of times and I wonder how long that oncoming train was when you see the the signal at the control point at first it is a Diverging Aproach meaning the oncoming train hasnt cleared up yet then for a very short time its a Diverging Clear maybe a couple of hundred feet then he passes the circut and the signal drops out . I knwo you know what the signals mean just explaining them somewhat for people who dont . Just an observation ..

Like I mentioned before my friend works with those guys, they were asleep. At first they tried saying it was a signal malfunction but that camera was all the ammunition the company needed. And it is fairly common in CTC not to say anything over the radio unless you are b.s.'ing with a buddy or exchanging hi ball's over the radio.

I wonder, in this case, if both trains were equipped with a cab signal system, could the accident been prevented? The train coming to the stop-signal would of gotten an audible indication and drop in the cab signal. The engineer would of have to ackowledge it and stop or the train would of dumped. I know that the freights out west don't have to many territories with this feature, but on a single track with signals, I think it would make sense to have it, no?

At present, BNSF locomotives are not equipped with cab signals or any other technology that would have alerted the crew of the violating train that there was a problem. As far as the signal indication at the approach signal, it would be exactly what you would expect to see when you are going in the hole on the old Santa Fe, a double yellow.

I dont know how cameras in both trains would have effected the outcome. I know we don't run any differently with cab mounted cameras v. no cameras. As far as installing the technology, BNSF is working on a train management system that is supposed to do all that and more. Frankly it is just a step closer to one man crew operations. But it would have helped only if the violating train was equipped with it.

Ocala Mike wrote:Got you loud and clear, UPRR Engineer. The signals rule, as they should.

I wasnt being rude eather buddy , my post sounds bad when i read it also, there aint any other way to explain it with out being blunt.

MNRR_RTC wrote: I wonder, in this case, if both trains were equipped with a cab signal system, could the accident been prevented?.........or the train would of dumped.

Cab signals arent fail safe eather, human error can and does still take place. If your still not paying attention to the lights, your hand acknowledges the signal but your brain doesnt. Theres some other situations also where the human factor makes cab signals useless.

Failure to acknoledge the cabs throws you into a penelty aplication, which sets the brakes on the cars ( opens a hole on the headend which allows the air in the train line to bleed out ). Cab signals, alerter, and the overspeed gives you that kind of a stop, an emergeny stop ( dumping it ) is some totally different. That comes from the air handle getting put there, the conductor using his lever, being rough with FREDDY, a dynamiter car, getting an air hose......ect ect

silver 60 wrote:I'm a conductor for the UP and seeing this video is very disturbing. I know alot of people on here are railfans and enjoy every thing about the railroad. But i must say for the guys who run the rail to see this is very very bad.......

I have a relative who despite never having had an accident, the poor guy is permanently freaked from plow duty and it ended his career. I understand where anyone in the industry would find this footage disturbing, but I think you're overlooking it's value as a training tool. Don't let the rookie wonder, SHOW the rookie the price of carelessness. It might spare someone else from becoming an emotional cripple or worse. I haven't worked around tracks in decades and this still sends a chill down my spine.

Where's a link to see the rest of the footage? I would really like to see what happens next, especially since nobody was injured.

D/