Outcome of 2/20 near miss in Syracuse

I believe that trains should be required to have 2 people in the locomotive cab. Maybe an exception could be made for routes with cab signals and train control like the NEC, where engineers not acknowledging a restrictive signal will get penalty brake applications. The FRA has all kinds of onerous, sometimes silly, "saftety" rules designed to counter far-fetched possibilities. However, the rail industry is notorious for running trains in such a way that crews are frequently exhausted and sleep-deprived. Why won't the FRA make a rule to deal with this widespread problem? If planes need copilots, so do trains--the safety of more people is imperiled in a train crash. The second person in the cab doesn't have to be a fully qualified engineer. He could be a trainee, a brakeman, etc.
In the fifties and sixties, the AAR ran a nasty campaign charging "featherbedding", etc. to aid its campaign to get rid of firemen. Now, it may be that a rule requiring another person in the cab would be held up to ridicule because of memories of this campaign. But now, freight trains usually have 2 crew members (compared to at least 5 in the old days) but, since there are no caboooses, both men ride in the cab. So only passenger trains have only 1 person in the cab. This doesn't make any sense--the most at-risk trains have no "co-pilot".

To Roadster: The post above about your deadhead time is correct. Quoting from the 49 CFR 228, Appendix A (this is the Code of Federal Regulations)

"DEADHEADING Time spent in deadhead transportation from the final duty assignment of the work tour to the point of final release is not computed as either time on duty or time off duty. Thus, the period of deadhead transportation to point of final release may not be included in the required 8- or 10-hour off duty period."

So it's not a violation of the 12-hour law if you are riding the taxi home after 12 hours on duty, but your rest does not begin until you are off duty at your final terminal - in your example, Rochester. AFTER you get out of the cab at Rochester, you START your 8 or 10 hours rest as the case may be.

Thanks for the info. guys. I'll be watching that from now on.

As far as the horns are concerned, at least with the Genesis locomotives, the horns are barely audible with the almost soundproof cabs. The loudest noise in the cab is usually engine drone and radio traffic.

I am also not condoning or rationalizing what happened. But having been on a couple of cab rides myself, I can say that the nice low rumbling inside the cab of an engine is quite soothing, if you're tired! The last ride I was on was relatively short, and even so, I felt a little weary on the return trip, mostly due to the fact that white noise lulls me right to sleep. I could see the point above about being just awake enough to know that you have to blow through a crossing, etc.

It was carrying !?!? That would have topped Madrid!