M3/M7 Track 7/8 Make inpact at Jamaica

Same on MNCR , but rule is no use of Cellphones by employee at controls of moving locomotive. I use a Cingular acount and for $9.99 i got extra phone sharing my minutes, this phone I use for company calls only, with only my Wife having that number.
Entire Phonebook in that unit is all Numbers I may need for MNCR operations, a great tax writeoff.

Is it me, or has Cingular been dropping calls like flys ever since those 'the least dropped calls of any carrier!' billboards went up?

I have no trouble and get phone where rail radio is dead.

M-7 cars involved were 7451/452 and 7465/466.

All the cars are in the big house.

Doesn't look good for 9776. I'll let you know if it does get scrapped.

Tom

Back to what happened. I find it difficult to believe that an engineer just drove his train right into another in clear daylight.

Of course things do happen.. read up on the Andrea Doria-Stockholm collision at sea where both ships had radar and still ran into each other..

But still.. seems like there is some missing information here.

scopelliti wrote:Back to what happened. I find it difficult to believe that an engineer just drove his train right into another in clear daylight.

Of course things do happen.. read up on the Andrea Doria-Stockholm collision at sea where both ships had radar and still ran into each other..

But still.. seems like there is some missing information here.

Without suggesting that the use of a cell-phone was a contributing factor in this accident, I will say that there's never been an engineer born proficient enough to SAFELY operate an engine and simultaneously shoot the $hit on their blower. What the LIRR really needs to do is continue their policy of restricting their hiring to "local residents only."
This will guarantee that they continue to attract only the most qualified applicants.

Why not bring back that policy of to be engr you need to be a qualified cndr, and this time limit it to 5 years as qualified cndr, then you may apply for permotion (no resume needed) and thoes applications would be treated "differenty" as all prespective engr's are already cndr's qualified for 5 years. then training would more or less be like a review class of the BOR and PCs and then they can move on to locomotive handling.

This would limit the in experiance of the engineer. and the mistake if any would be either total neglegance to an honost mistake. (which is not an excuse but still can happen)

Yeah, I kind of agree that engineers should have to be qualified conductors before being allowed to become an engineer. This way, as Joe mentioned, they would already be qualified on most of the Rules of the Operating Department as well as all of the PCs. It's gotta be tough to try and learn the PCs within one year, all while trying to learn the rules, timetables, and other things that go along with becoming an engineer in training.

How long have they been hiring engineers off the street?

I instruct Engineers on my run on MNCR but from records the amount of engineers that went by reds about 75% of those came from Conductor/trainman craft.
Todays Conductors /Trainman are not much more than glorified ticket collectors and unless they worked traveling switchers or yard crews they don't know much about Physical characteristics.

Speaking of blowing by red signals, seems the LIRR has experienced a plethora of these lately.

DutchRailnut wrote:I instruct Engineers on my run on MNCR but from records the amount of engineers that went by reds about 75% of those came from Conductor/trainman craft.
Todays Conductors /Trainman are not much more than glorified ticket collectors and unless they worked traveling switchers or yard crews they don't know much about Physical characteristics.

I absolutely agree with this one, a lot of train people do not and will not
ever really become good engineers. There is a big difference. Of course
some of them will but not as many as you might think. I have seen some
really good conductors go to engineers school and come out as engineers
and unfortunately have problemS of one sort or another.
Over my 41 years in railroad service, the best railroaders both in train and
engine service are the ones who had freight train experience. Experience
in the yard switching out freight cars does not hurt either. There is a lot
more to railroading than handling passengers and punching tickets.
Noel Weaver

There's a whole different level that you experience when you're handling freight cars, especially if the trains are really long. Only being a conductor on a freight railroad for a short time I can't really say that I fully understand what it would be like to be an engineer of a freight train, but observing the engineers that I work with I did learn a bit. I have a lot of respect for the engineers that can manuver and manipulate a really long freight train and still maintain good control over what's happening, including the slack.

Well I guess thats the difference between a "engineer" and "motorman"

So you's are saying that the trainmen becomeing engineers are sometimes un successfull at that craft, Thats understandable.

What would you oppinon be on making it mandatory to work freigh(work trains on LI) and yard jobs? before you can become engineer?

What's you take on Engrs being hired off the street with absolutly no experiance w/ RR operations period.

My cynical take is that too many people take jobs instead of choosing careers. For just a paycheck or because the benefits are good, do not make for good job attitudes. Railroading is not the only industry which is suffering from this blight.

But I don't believe an engineer has to be a conductor first. Again, if a job is chosen as a career choice rather than for just a paycheck, then the pursuit of excellece will follow.

Long Island 7285 wrote:Well I guess thats the difference between a "engineer" and "motorman"

So you's are saying that the trainmen becomeing engineers are sometimes un successfull at that craft, Thats understandable.

What would you oppinon be on making it mandatory to work freigh(work trains on LI) and yard jobs? before you can become engineer?

What's you take on Engrs being hired off the street with absolutly no experiance w/ RR operations period.

For the last time, TODAY, NO-ONE IS HIRED OFF THE STREET AS AN ENGINEER WITHOUT PRIOR RAILROAD EXPERIENCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Your flashing back to the days when firemen were hired straight into engine service with no/none/nada/ziltch railroad experience. Much like friction-bearings, journel pads, 40' box-cars, etc., it ain't happening anymore! It's usually the practice to promote current conductors to engine service. Sometimes, due to lack of trainmen to place in engineer training, or, to save money, railroads will hire engineers from other railroads. When we say "off the street" what we are referring to is the practice of hiring PREVIOUSLY CERTIFIED engineers, from other railroads directly into the ranks. For whatever reason, this is one of the most misunderstood topics on the majority of rail forums.