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Whatta Mess!

Started by Jeff, August 03, 2013, 03:46:01 AM

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Jeff

Next time you think YOU'VE had a bad day model railroading, consider being the 'owner' of this-

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/08/02/19839295-us-issues-emergency-safety-order-after-canada-railroad-disaster?lite

Hint: That's not a pile of logs left after a forest fire...  :o ::) ;D
Later,                                                AnyRail Fanatic
Jeff                      and Unofficial Guy Who Knows Almost Everything About It

RhB_HJ

That happened some time back when we were on our Yukon/Alaska trip, my very first comment "the engineer will carry the can on that!". I didn't even know which railroad it was or that they are one of two railroads authorized by Transport Canada to have "One Man Crews".
A whole lot transpired in the meantime, latest development: investigators from the Transportation Safety Board are heading to North Dakota to find out just what exactly is in the product they're shipping.

BTW when CN 5779 had to set out the cars in the "Thompson" siding last Saturday, part of securing the cars - apart from setting hand brakes - was positioning derail(s).
MM&A's Ed Burkhardt's statements - right from the start - have certainly hit the wrong notes in a big way.

Reading this article just confirms whatever impressions that guy made so far.

And to put not to fine a point on things read this.
Hans-Joerg Mueller
Coldstream, BC   Canada

http://www.rhb-grischun.ca

My train videos

Win7Pro 64bit; 8 GB RAM; i5 2.67GHz; 1920x1080 22" display

RhB_HJ

Hans-Joerg Mueller
Coldstream, BC   Canada

http://www.rhb-grischun.ca

My train videos

Win7Pro 64bit; 8 GB RAM; i5 2.67GHz; 1920x1080 22" display

Mike from CT

Look, I'm not going to argue for or against one man crews (I'm all for redundancy when lives are at stake), but there was *no* crew on that train when the disaster happened. It was supposedly parked for the night....




Jeff

I think the mess is a very graphic example of what happens when dollars become more important than human lives. No doubt the builders of the Titanic felt the same way... And I don't mind at all indicting one-man crews. Any one person is too prone to faults both physical and mental to allow sole control when other peoples' lives are at stake. You might as well allow one-man aircraft crews if it makes no difference.
Later,                                                AnyRail Fanatic
Jeff                      and Unofficial Guy Who Knows Almost Everything About It

RhB_HJ

And when one is too cheap to spend the money on crew training as far as safety is concerned one would be better off to run a hamburger franchise where the health inspector will just close you down if you're not up to scratch.

Ed Burkhardt has a record of practicing the same stuff at Wisconsin Central back in the '90s. Seems to be cut from a similar mould as Hunter Harrison; shareholders first, everyone else get out of the way so we can carry on as we see fit.

Hans-Joerg Mueller
Coldstream, BC   Canada

http://www.rhb-grischun.ca

My train videos

Win7Pro 64bit; 8 GB RAM; i5 2.67GHz; 1920x1080 22" display

Mike from CT

#6
Down here in the lower 48, its been axiomatic that a CEO had two missions:

       
  • Make as much money as he could for his shareholders, and
  • Have someone else to blame for not making more.
It was rather short sighted as the steel industry executives learned when the competition overseas had to rebuild from scratch, using the latest technologies, while the domestic production was still working, using older technology; consequence  was that the US steel industry is a shadow of its former self.  But it keeps the salaries rising - especially once we started rewarding senior executives with stock options, which gave them serious skin in the game.

The idea of responsibility to anyone else (employees, communities, suppliers, customers, whatever...) disappeared, if it ever existed.  Ford decided it was cheaper to pay insurance claims than recall Pintos to keep them from catching fire in accidents and killing the occupants.  Coal burning electrical producers figured acid rain was a problem for states to the east so they didn't need to put scrubbers on their exhaust stacks.  Walmart discovered Chinese sweatshops could squeeze workers even harder and no one would notice as long as the deaths were in China.  (Apple isn't much better.)

To quote Kurt Vonnegut, "And so it goes." :(
 

Jeff

"The idea of responsibility to anyone else (employees, communities, suppliers, customers, whatever...)" -Mike

In fact, this ethical concept has never been part of Chinese culture. I once came upon a well-known shareware outfit that I discovered was supplying a known piece of spyware as an "add-on item" with their browser. When I pointed this out in print, online, I was not-so-politely told to buzz off. They had no intention of changing the way they did business. Once it was discovered and exposed, they eventually had to come around. I'm guessing it hurt their bottom line more than the kickbacks they got from the spyware bunch. Just goes to show why I won't do business with any Chinese companies unless someone is breathing down their necks.
Later,                                                AnyRail Fanatic
Jeff                      and Unofficial Guy Who Knows Almost Everything About It