It was actually 1995. I remember it well as I was on the train that
passed the ill-fated crew (two out of three died) at the top of Cajon
Summit. I was going east and they were going west to Long Beach with a
train full of poisonous chemicals that burned for days. My conductor and
I were the last people to talk to the conductor on that train before he
died. It's the reason I am VERY cautious on that hill.
Mike MacLean
Glen Byrns
>
> Of course the Cajon grade you speak of was the site of a terrible
> overspeed
> rail accident just a few years ago. I'm sure that has made the railroad
> extra cautious on that particular grade.
>
> Glen
>
>> Yes, I'm sure that is more pertinent to level ground. I am "dinged"
>> with
>> delaying a train if I drive too slowly, but it is after the fact when
>> they
>> read the tapes from the black box back in Fort Worth, Texas. When I
>> refer
>> to overspeed I am talking about safely operating a 7-10,000 ton train on
>> a
>> downhill grade over 12 miles. As we say, "It's not a race to the
>> bottom".
>> You just want to get there safely. After that I am tasked with driving
>> at the legal operating limit dictated by maximum track speed, any speed
>> restrictions due to track condition, track repair gangs, etc.
>> Mike
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