I'm a CSX Engineer. The train I operated yesterday for 300 miles was 14,000 feet long. Imagine being up all day and then having your employer force you to come to work when you aren't rested. Keep in mind that you have no idea when you're going to work so you can't always be rested. Then they want you to operate a 2-3 mile long train 300 miles over a 12-hour span. It's not humanly possible. Especially if you're alone with nobody to keep you awake. I'll quit my job before I work alone out there. It's bad enough being exhausted with two people, now their greed wants me to work alone?
Imagine having to copy a 6.32.2 or Speed Restriction or a 6.32.4, Track and Time when PTC isn’t working. Not having your Conductor call out signals. Operating your train while looking at PTC screen and looking at signals out in the field. Imagine working Dark Territory. What about Roll Bye Inspections, EOT issues, Hot Box Detectors, Dragging Equipment, Hot Wheels, Knuckes, Talking to the Dispatcher, because your conductor does that. Having to stop to copy Mandatory Directives, Medical Emergency’s, Trespassers, Bad Weather. How is a conductor supposed to drive to a train being in emergency out in the middle of swampland America with no crossings. Just woods and swamps. Are Engineers going to block clear and hand throw switches. What about reverse movements/back up pick up moves. I think these CEO’s and VP’s need to be a Conductor for a month. Not on a business train where we stop everything to run them.
Wow can’t quit watching this video so amazing. Nice knowing this video is out there when I go to work. Really hit the nail on the head where is everyone gonna work if everything is automated. How can it make things safe how are they gonna cut a crossing???? Safety is preached but not implemented
Great job calling them out on their BS statistics. We all see how well one man crews have worked for Amtrak in the last few years. Hundreds have died because of it.
Carl i survived a head on train crash when I worked for UP- other crew failed to stop and hit us at 2:30 am- both died. One person crews are a disaster that will happen. Not if, but when. These RR execs make me sick.
The point made about the inadequacy of one person crews and cutting a crossing with emergency vehicles at the crossing is a powerful one. And btw, Amtrak & commuter railroads may have one person in the cab, but at least one other onboard the train. The guy at the end of this clip is full of bs.
1. Go to SMART-UNION.org/td Click on the Red button support two person crews on the right side of division home page. 2. Enter contact info ( this is needed to direct the email to your member of congress. 3. Click Send. The pre-drafted message will be sent directly to your member of congress. 4. This effects railroad retirement, retired railroaders currency railroaders there’s even a spot for the general public to make there voice be heard. Please take action there is 175,000 conductors and 59,000 engineers that need this support not to mention public safety at risk.
You have all got this wrong when it come to 2 man crew verses one man crew when all you do is worry about losing jobs. Its common sense thousands of railroad workers will lose their jobs if all the railroads are allowed to go to 1 man crews. That's an issue you need to take up with TRUMP! He claims he is creating jobs then let him do something about people keeping the ones they have! This is about safety. This is about saving lives. Not just crew lives but the American people as well. Railroads preach safety every single day. Its in their rule books and in their advertising. Its 24 hour a day safety...safety....safety. Well let them put their money where their mouths are. Pay for safety. Keep 2 men in the cab. The public has no idea what we deal with. Tell your neighbors about how many cars we hit and people are killed every year when they are hit by trains. Explain to them how the engineer is in the cab calling the dispatcher and getting 911 called. He is taking care of anything that may be wrong with the locomotive. He stays with the train. Tell them how the conductor gets down and rushes to the vehicle to see if he can possibly save a life. Maybe a baby is in the car and needs to be helped or maybe the parents can be removed and need CPR. Maybe he can comfort someone who is dying or in shock or screaming because they are severely injured . Tell them about how we hit live stock and large deer. Tell them how people love to put junk on the tracks. Shopping carts, bicycles, steel barrows, wheelchairs and even abandoned cars. Tell them about how many trees we hit a year and do extensive damage to the locomotive. The engineer stays with the locomotives and assess the damage and does what is necessary to radio dispatchers for help while the conductors gets down and removes debris and check the rest of the train for any damage or signs of derailment. Tell them about the territory that is in the middle of TIM BUCK TWO! The places where no one can get to you fast unless you have a helicopter. How will they go bathroom now without two people to keep the train going down the tracks unless they have to stop not blocking crossings or take lunch. Tell them how radios don't always work in remote locations. Telemetry drops out and communication is lost. How many times does a conductor have to go back and trouble shoot another unit after alarms are going off. The engineer keeps the train rolling the best he can while the conductor checks the computers and checks to see if it is loading. Tell them about the blind curves that only one crew member can see around when your approaching public crossings or trees that block signals so that only one crew member can see them until you get the train right on top of them. Tell them about wash outs from floods, and heat warped rail and fog so thick you cant see a foot in front of you. SO WHAT IF YOU GOT PTC!! PTC does not tell you if a car in stopped on the tracks or a tree is across it or a person is walking in the tracks or there is 5 inches of water over the rail! Tell them how crew members have been attacked and some have even been killed by gang thugs and trespassers. A single man has no chance in hell in these situations. It is better to have someone else with you to keep watch when working in bad areas and ghetto rail yards. The list goes on and on. Tell them how the company took away the right of the crew members to take a power nap. One crew member is supposed to call stopped every 15 minutes while they are waiting on line of road. As long as someone is awake and doing this and paying attention there is no reason on god green earth while a tired crew member cant take a 20 minute power nap. Tell them how crews are run into the ground and some are called out every 10 hours around the clock. They work all hours of the day and night and most have no weekends off. The company wont even let them have a power nap. What is going to happen when there is only 1 man on the train by himself and he is just plain worn out or is sick and afraid to take a day off because of the companies new attendance policy which is just absolutely insane. People come to work sick all the time. Vomiting, diarrhea, fevers and the flu doesn't stop them because they are in fear of losing their jobs. How is a sick man who is all by himself going to be able to make a full run safely and without risking his life or the publics when he doesn't have his other crew member to help keep him alert. The engineer has many roles and duties as well as the conductor. There are times when something happens that it is a must for an engineer to be on board and ready to take instructions while the conductor handles the rest of the responsibilities. There are so many things that go into railroading and running trains that the public doesn't know a thing about. THIS ONE MAN CREW IDEA IS THE MOST UNSAFE AND IRRESPONSIBLE IDEA that has ever been brought forward in the history of the railroad industry. And for what? To save a damn dollar. To line someone's pockets. To make someone rich. Who care who gets killed. Who care about the destruction to family lives. I don't know about you but I sure the hell do and so should every person in America!
I can tell you that 20,000ft coal trains in West Virginia was the norm even 20 years ago. Heavy as hell and requiring a pusher to get them through the mountains. It was insane then and it’s insane now.
Not only should they require key trains to be limited to a 50mph speed.. they should also limit the AMOUNT and LENGTH! Larger than 8-10k trains.. is scary... and DANGEROUS!
@@danielmackenzie9601 2 years later and I've been on a GANG of 16k footers from SA to Del Rio. Lol. Borrowed out to Iowa right now and it's even crazier
Patton didn't need committees and layers of management, to reopen Europe. He just got the experienced crews, and told them to get moving...a tougher task than today.
How about changing a broken knuckle, rerailing a car, providing CPR to an injured person, how about having the company on long hauls because everyone knows that even well rested person can get drowsy on a humming locomotive, digging snow and ice out of switches, or switching out a BO car enroute. At CN we weren't even allowed to book sick without getting hauled in for an investigation and then given 10 demerits even if we were legitimately ill and had a doctors note. You weren't allowed to book of for any reason except rest after you worked (14 hrs. after yard job and 24 hrs. after a road job). How is one to make doctor or dental appt., attend your child's events or family functions when you're on a spareboard if you can't book a day off? No family life what so ever because you can't guarantee you can be there when they need you. Miss all your kids school plays, teacher meetings and Holidays and for what? The money just isn't worth it. After 28 yrs. on the RR I'm glad I'm not there any more.
Guy is talking about Amtrak passenger trains operating on one man in the cab, they still have a whole crew of employees working on the train, as well as a much lighter and shorter train. The issue at hand is freight trains, so what could his point on Amtrak have to do with anything?
A few nights ago, I had a crew throw their train in emergency, why? Because at 1:32 am there were 6 children on the track waving a flashlight. All we’re about the age of 10yrs old. You have a train going 50mph and weighs over 100,000 tons. They don’t stop like a car. PTC wouldn’t have recognized those children. Children have no idea standing at night in the middle of the track is deadly.
The crew size for Amtrak is 4 crew members. I get the call sheets. I see their names and on duty times. Amtrak is also made a priority on all Class 1 RR. Their schedule time has to be maintained as best as possible. They are not carrying loaded coal, grain, haz materials.A good engineer knows how to run these trains on inclines and declines without slack action. He also has to look at PTC and his Bulletins. Why? Because PTC doesn’t enforce all RR rules. For instance 6.32.4… not enforced. That is on the bulletin or given verbally. How is a Engineer supposed to Block Clear and Work the Switch when switches are malfunctioning? So secure his 8k-10k foot train. Hand throw the switch, untie his train, then pass signal displaying stop indication, then go over the switch. Then get back down secure his train, put the switch back on power, untie his train and get back on the head end? Trains don’t move like cars.
Crew shortages are because of manpower cuts, demanding hours, on call for years and this new generation doesn’t want to live the RR lifestyle anymore. It’s all about stock prices and saving every cent. Look what NS is doing to their people.
Well rested,hahaaa. We barely get 16 hrs at home and we are away from home between 37- 50+ hrs with crappy sleep in hotels and abnormal call times that vary daily.
Maybe the upper management would realize they could save money on expensive computer systems if they just gave their boots on the ground a rest every once in a while.
One man crews would be disastrous. If a train hit a detector and a single man is up in the engine no way it’s going to be a fast fix. Plus I’ve built and had to deal with problems on 3 mile long trains with a radio that didn’t have the range of 3 miles. It’s not easy and it’s the norm in bigger yards. Ridiculous way to run a railroad.
he calls up examples from amtrak and commuter rails but meanwhile there's also a ton of employees on those trains walking the length of them. where else you going to have the second set of eyes and ears but in the cab on a freight train because they can't walk the train... how about make it three man crew and put a caboose back on the back of the train if we're going to be running these three mile long trains
6000 ft trains?!?! Where do they run those at?! I've NEVER been on a train less that 8000 feet unless we are running light power. Mr Jefferies is out of his mind.
And 3 years later from time of this video Nothing has changed what so ever if nothing else the problem has gotten worse ! I hear nothing but hot air blowing an 6k foot length was bullshit lol
I love the railroad industry, but to let a railroad have 3 miles long consist with one crew member is a disaster. I sure as hell do not want a key train being operated by one person.
Getting a answer isn't difficult.. it's impossible. Trust us we'll do it right but we don't need any safty guidelines. Sounds like disaster waiting to happen
I guarantee you that the average train length being 6,000 feet is bullshit. Every locomotive that leaves a yard as light power is also designated as a train and is most likely figured in to the average train length statistic. The better question to ask would be, what is the average intermodal train length? Those are, more often than not, your 15-20,000 ft monster trains. Locals are usually only a couple thousand feet long while most mixed freight trains are in that 5-9,000 ft range. It’s easy to skew the numbers to suit one’s purpose.
You're wasting your time about safety. They plaster safety all over the place but don't you dare act on it. If you do, expect retaliation. Weed watchers, banner tests, etc...
I'm a CSX Engineer. The train I operated yesterday for 300 miles was 14,000 feet long.
Imagine being up all day and then having your employer force you to come to work when you aren't rested. Keep in mind that you have no idea when you're going to work so you can't always be rested. Then they want you to operate a 2-3 mile long train 300 miles over a 12-hour span. It's not humanly possible. Especially if you're alone with nobody to keep you awake. I'll quit my job before I work alone out there. It's bad enough being exhausted with two people, now their greed wants me to work alone?
Imagine having to copy a 6.32.2 or Speed Restriction or a 6.32.4, Track and Time when PTC isn’t working. Not having your Conductor call out signals. Operating your train while looking at PTC screen and looking at signals out in the field. Imagine working Dark Territory. What about Roll Bye Inspections, EOT issues, Hot Box Detectors, Dragging Equipment, Hot Wheels, Knuckes, Talking to the Dispatcher, because your conductor does that. Having to stop to copy Mandatory Directives, Medical Emergency’s, Trespassers, Bad Weather. How is a conductor supposed to drive to a train being in emergency out in the middle of swampland America with no crossings. Just woods and swamps. Are Engineers going to block clear and hand throw switches. What about reverse movements/back up pick up moves. I think these CEO’s and VP’s need to be a Conductor for a month. Not on a business train where we stop everything to run them.
Wow can’t quit watching this video so amazing. Nice knowing this video is out there when I go to work. Really hit the nail on the head where is everyone gonna work if everything is automated. How can it make things safe how are they gonna cut a crossing???? Safety is preached but not implemented
Great job calling them out on their BS statistics. We all see how well one man crews have worked for Amtrak in the last few years. Hundreds have died because of it.
Carl i survived a head on train crash when I worked for UP- other crew failed to stop and hit us at 2:30 am- both died. One person crews are a disaster that will happen. Not if, but when. These RR execs make me sick.
The point made about the inadequacy of one person crews and cutting a crossing with emergency vehicles at the crossing is a powerful one. And btw, Amtrak & commuter railroads may have one person in the cab, but at least one other onboard the train. The guy at the end of this clip is full of bs.
Operate safely.. meanwhile my trainmaster ordered us to double out train up and with a FRA defect on the engine 2 brake pads didn’t even touch
1. Go to SMART-UNION.org/td
Click on the Red button support two person crews on the right side of division home page.
2. Enter contact info ( this is needed to direct the email to your member of congress.
3. Click Send. The pre-drafted message will be sent directly to your member of congress.
4. This effects railroad retirement, retired railroaders currency railroaders there’s even a spot for the general public to make there voice be heard. Please take action there is 175,000 conductors and 59,000 engineers that need this support not to mention public safety at risk.
You have all got this wrong when it come to 2 man crew verses one man
crew when all you do is worry about losing jobs. Its common sense
thousands of railroad workers will lose their jobs if all the railroads
are allowed to go to 1 man crews. That's an issue you need to take up
with TRUMP! He claims he is creating jobs then let him do something
about people keeping the ones they have!
This is about safety. This is about saving lives. Not just crew lives
but the American people as well. Railroads preach safety every single day.
Its in their rule books and in their advertising. Its 24 hour a day
safety...safety....safety. Well let them put their money where their
mouths are. Pay for safety. Keep 2 men in the cab.
The public has no idea what we deal with. Tell your neighbors about how
many cars we hit and people are killed every year when they are hit by
trains. Explain to them how the engineer is in the cab calling the
dispatcher and getting 911 called. He is taking care of anything that
may be wrong with the locomotive. He stays with the train. Tell them
how the conductor gets down and rushes to the vehicle to see if he can
possibly save a life. Maybe a baby is in the car and needs to be helped
or maybe the parents can be removed and need CPR. Maybe he can comfort
someone who is dying or in shock or screaming because they are severely
injured . Tell them about how we hit live stock and large deer. Tell
them how people love to put junk on the tracks. Shopping carts,
bicycles, steel barrows, wheelchairs and even abandoned cars. Tell them
about how many trees we hit a year and do extensive damage to the
locomotive. The engineer stays with the locomotives and assess the
damage and does what is necessary to radio dispatchers for help while
the conductors gets down and removes debris and check the rest of the
train for any damage or signs of derailment. Tell them about the
territory that is in the middle of TIM BUCK TWO! The places where no
one can get to you fast unless you have a helicopter. How will they go bathroom now without two people to keep the train going down the tracks unless they have to stop not blocking crossings or take lunch. Tell them how radios don't always work in remote locations. Telemetry drops out and communication is lost. How many times does a conductor have to go back
and trouble shoot another unit after alarms are going off. The engineer
keeps the train rolling the best he can while the conductor checks the
computers and checks to see if it is loading. Tell them about the blind
curves that only one crew member can see around when your approaching
public crossings or trees that block signals so that only one crew
member can see them until you get the train right on top of them. Tell
them about wash outs from floods, and heat warped rail and fog so thick
you cant see a foot in front of you. SO WHAT IF YOU GOT PTC!! PTC does
not tell you if a car in stopped on the tracks or a tree is across it
or a person is walking in the tracks or there is 5 inches of water over
the rail! Tell them how crew members have been attacked and some have
even been killed by gang thugs and trespassers. A single man has no
chance in hell in these situations. It is better to have someone else
with you to keep watch when working in bad areas and ghetto rail yards.
The list goes on and on. Tell them how the company took away the right
of the crew members to take a power nap. One crew member is supposed to
call stopped every 15 minutes while they are waiting on line of road. As
long as someone is awake and doing this and paying attention there is no
reason on god green earth while a tired crew member cant take a 20
minute power nap. Tell them how crews are run into the ground and some
are called out every 10 hours around the clock. They work all hours of
the day and night and most have no weekends off. The company wont even
let them have a power nap. What is going to happen when there is only 1
man on the train by himself and he is just plain worn out or is sick and
afraid to take a day off because of the companies new attendance policy
which is just absolutely insane. People come to work sick all the time.
Vomiting, diarrhea, fevers and the flu doesn't stop them because they
are in fear of losing their jobs. How is a sick man who is all by
himself going to be able to make a full run safely and without risking
his life or the publics when he doesn't have his other crew member to
help keep him alert. The engineer has many roles and duties as well as
the conductor. There are times when something happens that it is a must
for an engineer to be on board and ready to take instructions while the
conductor handles the rest of the responsibilities. There are so many
things that go into railroading and running trains that the public
doesn't know a thing about.
THIS ONE MAN CREW IDEA IS THE MOST UNSAFE AND IRRESPONSIBLE IDEA that
has ever been brought forward in the history of the railroad industry.
And for what? To save a damn dollar. To line someone's pockets. To make
someone rich. Who care who gets killed. Who care about the destruction
to family lives. I don't know about you but I sure the hell do and so
should every person in America!
Exactly. I was once a conductor. I cannot believe the RRs are even entertaining the one man crew idea.
I’m not sure if this will reach anyone, but back in 2019 I had a 20,000ft train on the UP
I can tell you that 20,000ft coal trains in West Virginia was the norm even 20 years ago. Heavy as hell and requiring a pusher to get them through the mountains. It was insane then and it’s insane now.
Not only should they require key trains to be limited to a 50mph speed.. they should also limit the AMOUNT and LENGTH! Larger than 8-10k trains.. is scary... and DANGEROUS!
I just took a 14k+ ft long key train from Houston to hearne yesterday with a mid DPU TF they talking about 6kft trains
@@danielmackenzie9601 14,000 ft... yikes
@@danielmackenzie9601 how many times did it break in two or got an airhose or hot wheel? Have they opened Brazos Yard?
@@danielmackenzie9601 2 years later and I've been on a GANG of 16k footers from SA to Del Rio. Lol. Borrowed out to Iowa right now and it's even crazier
Patton didn't need committees and layers of management, to reopen Europe. He just got the experienced crews, and told them to get moving...a tougher task than today.
Last word common since. Safety comes 3rd.
How about changing a broken knuckle, rerailing a car, providing CPR to an injured person, how about having the company on long hauls because everyone knows that even well rested person can get drowsy on a humming locomotive, digging snow and ice out of switches, or switching out a BO car enroute. At CN we weren't even allowed to book sick without getting hauled in for an investigation and then given 10 demerits even if we were legitimately ill and had a doctors note. You weren't allowed to book of for any reason except rest after you worked (14 hrs. after yard job and 24 hrs. after a road job). How is one to make doctor or dental appt., attend your child's events or family functions when you're on a spareboard if you can't book a day off? No family life what so ever because you can't guarantee you can be there when they need you. Miss all your kids school plays, teacher meetings and Holidays and for what? The money just isn't worth it. After 28 yrs. on the RR I'm glad I'm not there any more.
Malinowski=intelligent good man
Guy is talking about Amtrak passenger trains operating on one man in the cab, they still have a whole crew of employees working on the train, as well as a much lighter and shorter train. The issue at hand is freight trains, so what could his point on Amtrak have to do with anything?
If they plan on having only the engineer, what are they going to do with the extra space in the cab? How about a nice salad bar? Or a den?
If the average train length is 6000 ft, the. They are including locals and yard jobs of 500 ft to bring down the average
Yep, it's a fucking lie.
A few nights ago, I had a crew throw their train in emergency, why? Because at 1:32 am there were 6 children on the track waving a flashlight. All we’re about the age of 10yrs old. You have a train going 50mph and weighs over 100,000 tons. They don’t stop like a car. PTC wouldn’t have recognized those children. Children have no idea standing at night in the middle of the track is deadly.
You have Engineers and Conductors looking at PTC screens, Track Bulletins.
I know that 80% of the trains that I run on my territory are 8k ft to 10k feet.
The crew size for Amtrak is 4 crew members. I get the call sheets. I see their names and on duty times. Amtrak is also made a priority on all Class 1 RR. Their schedule time has to be maintained as best as possible. They are not carrying loaded coal, grain, haz materials.A good engineer knows how to run these trains on inclines and declines without slack action. He also has to look at PTC and his Bulletins. Why? Because PTC doesn’t enforce all RR rules. For instance 6.32.4… not enforced. That is on the bulletin or given verbally. How is a Engineer supposed to Block Clear and Work the Switch when switches are malfunctioning? So secure his 8k-10k foot train. Hand throw the switch, untie his train, then pass signal displaying stop indication, then go over the switch. Then get back down secure his train, put the switch back on power, untie his train and get back on the head end? Trains don’t move like cars.
No data on safety of 2 man crew?? Except for when I yell at the sleeping engineer to wake up!
Crew shortages are because of manpower cuts, demanding hours, on call for years and this new generation doesn’t want to live the RR lifestyle anymore. It’s all about stock prices and saving every cent. Look what NS is doing to their people.
Well rested,hahaaa. We barely get 16 hrs at home and we are away from home between 37- 50+ hrs with crappy sleep in hotels and abnormal call times that vary daily.
Maybe the upper management would realize they could save money on expensive computer systems if they just gave their boots on the ground a rest every once in a while.
One man crews would be disastrous. If a train hit a detector and a single man is up in the engine no way it’s going to be a fast fix. Plus I’ve built and had to deal with problems on 3 mile long trains with a radio that didn’t have the range of 3 miles. It’s not easy and it’s the norm in bigger yards. Ridiculous way to run a railroad.
The data guy was a spin doctor
he calls up examples from amtrak and commuter rails but meanwhile there's also a ton of employees on those trains walking the length of them. where else you going to have the second set of eyes and ears but in the cab on a freight train because they can't walk the train... how about make it three man crew and put a caboose back on the back of the train if we're going to be running these three mile long trains
6000 ft trains?!?! Where do they run those at?! I've NEVER been on a train less that 8000 feet unless we are running light power. Mr Jefferies is out of his mind.
No one should ba trsin alone, medical issues track issues multitude of reasons
And 3 years later from time of this video Nothing has changed what so ever if nothing else the problem has gotten worse ! I hear nothing but hot air blowing an 6k foot length was bullshit lol
Derailment ic CHICAGO today crude oil
safety the railroad use that as a punch line they do not care about safety
I love the railroad industry, but to let a railroad have 3 miles long consist with one crew member is a disaster. I sure as hell do not want a key train being operated by one person.
Getting a answer isn't difficult.. it's impossible. Trust us we'll do it right but we don't need any safty guidelines. Sounds like disaster waiting to happen
I guarantee you that the average train length being 6,000 feet is bullshit. Every locomotive that leaves a yard as light power is also designated as a train and is most likely figured in to the average train length statistic. The better question to ask would be, what is the average intermodal train length? Those are, more often than not, your 15-20,000 ft monster trains. Locals are usually only a couple thousand feet long while most mixed freight trains are in that 5-9,000 ft range. It’s easy to skew the numbers to suit one’s purpose.
You're wasting your time about safety. They plaster safety all over the place but don't you dare act on it. If you do, expect retaliation. Weed watchers, banner tests, etc...
Exactly.