Teen at center of Metra scandal was aspiring engineer
"I wasn't the first, I wasn't the only and I won't be the last" to take joy rides, he says
By Stacy St. Clair | Tribune reporter
October 26, 2008
For as long as he can remember, the 18-year-old at the center of the current Metra scandal has loved trains.
As a small boy standing near the tracks, he enjoyed the wind whipping against his face as the locomotives barreled through town. When he became old enough, he would visit local depots on his own to record videos and snap pictures.
He would wait at the stations for 10 to 20 hours a week when he was in high school, often standing close to the spot where the locomotives stopped. He would wave enthusiastically to the engineers in the cabs.
"If you're lucky, sometimes they open the window and talk to you," he said.
That's how the teen says he met Brian Voss, the 12-year Metra employee now embroiled in a career-threatening investigation. The two eventually established such a close friendship that, according to a report filed with the Federal Railroad Administration, Voss permitted the teen to operate trains carrying passengers.
The teen, who is not facing criminal charges and was 17 when the incidents allegedly occurred, would not discuss the specific charges with the Tribune. But he expressed remorse over the investigation and said he didn't want to see Voss punished for encouraging a young man's dream of working the rails.
"It showed me the life," he said. "If you want this lifestyle, then you have to know what you're going to be dealing with."
Metra officials learned about the alleged rides two weeks ago after someone reported that the teen had posted photographs of his adventures on his MySpace page. The teen says the snapshots showed him inside the cab, but not driving.
In addition to the Voss investigation, two other engineers could face disciplinary action for permitting the teen to enter locomotive cabs.
All three have been suspended without pay, Metra said. A hearing has been scheduled for November.
Voss did not return calls seeking comment.
The teen, who asked not to be named, is unlikely to face criminal charges, Metra officials said. But he believes he's already being punished for the alleged joy ride because he most likely won't be able to fulfill his dream of becoming a Metra engineer.
"I've wanted to work for the railroad as long as I can remember," he says.
The allegations also have made the teen an outcast in rail-fan circles, he said. He has only been to his local train station once since the commuter rail service suspended Voss and he felt a chilly reception from both fellow enthusiasts and Metra personnel.
"It's irritating," he said. "I understand everyone's concern, but it's just a terrible situation."
Permitting unauthorized people in a locomotive is a violation of Metra policy and federal regulations because it can create a distraction. Cell phones, newspapers, music and nonessential items and activities are prohibited to ensure safety.
"This [would be] a case of willful misconduct, and that's what surprises me," said Doug Davidson, the assistant director of arbitration for the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen. "People can make mistakes, but if the allegations are true, he made a decision to engage in misconduct."
Davidson worked on Voss' behalf after he was fired for his role in a 2004 River Grove crash that killed a 10-year-old boy. Federal arbitrators overturned the ruling and ordered that he be reinstated with back pay because he was not allowed to introduce evidence during his investigative hearing and because of media coverage surrounding the charges.
Davidson said he did not believe the River Grove crash played a role in Metra's decision to launch the current investigation.
The allegations offer another glimpse into the often unusual relationship between rail fans and engineers. Rail fans were thrust into the national spotlight last month after a commuter train crash in Los Angeles that killed 25 people and injured 135 others. The train's engineer, Robert M. Sanchez, reportedly sent a text message to a group of teenage enthusiasts seconds before slamming head-on into a freight train.
Davidson, an engineer who operated a commuter line for years, said he often had young boys try to befriend him so they could get closer to the train.
But although Davidson may have shown them the cab while the train was stopped, he said they never operated the train or sat in the cab while passengers were on board.
In contrast, Voss and many other engineers have personal friendships with rail fans through social-networking sites, text messages and Internet forums.
"Things are very different today," Davidson says. "The Internet and cell phones allow engineers to get to know rail fans in a way I never did."
Because friendships between engineers and rail fans are so common, the teen accused of operating Voss' train says he believes other enthusiasts take unauthorized joy rides on commuter lines.
"I wasn't the first, I wasn't the only and I won't be the last," he said.
