BmSmall92

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Posts posted by BmSmall92

  1. Posted

    Actually I don't know if the dispatchers are covered under the same hours of service laws as Train and Engine service. The only rule I know for sure that the dispatchers share with T&E is guaranteed 8 hours off after a shift. T&E has been subjected to a federal law that divides the nature of the work between Type A and Type B work and the number of consecutive days a worker can work. If the dispatchers are indeed subjected to the HOS rules as T&E then no way they should have been working 14 days in a row without proper rest.

  2. Posted

    I agree that it is silly to use an unarmed fire truck as a crime deterent. Just curious but does the DC's IAFF have the capability to seek out either mediation or binding arbitration? There has to be some rememdy.

    The LT in the medical situation retired something like a week later so she could avoid have her name dragged through the mud. I think there was a washington post article about her current situation

  7. Posted

    From New Haven to Boston the power in the catenary is 25,000 volts and on the Hellgate line the power is 12,500. Amtrak's catenary system besides having more power is a different system than what the M2's M4's, and M6's were designed for. I'm not sure of the technological jargon as I don't work in ET but the style of pantographs Metro-North uses on the previous sets is also a contributing factor. Some of this info here is going on my long term memory as I haven't work up to Boston in 4 years, but I was a qualfied conductor at one time up that way. There have been rumors for a couple of years now on the railroad that Metro-North has ambitions to use the Hell gate line and the Empire Connection to get into Penn Station. Also the M8's wouldn't have to worry about using the third rail in Penn Station as long as they used the catenary.

  9. Posted

    In these type of situations the engineer dumps the train, dives to the floor of the cab and prays that the train doesn't derail. I'm not sure of the speed for that section of track, but most of the country outside the NEC is 79mph. In fact there is a stretch in Michigan where the speed limit is 90mph.

    I hope the engineer is ok mentally because incidents like this is very stressful on them.

  10. Posted

    The Colonial Park engine was put into service in January. The engine is equipped with CAFS. It is also equipped with a seatbelt alarm. This is a safety device to make sure everyone is buckled up. The alarm system is supposed to prevent the truck from moving.

    Thanks for the pics Union 241 and Grumpyff.

  15. Posted

    When you go on the Hellgate line in the Bronx, Amtrak gets dozens of kids during the summer who break through the fences and wait for the trains to come. These trespassers are either going play chicken with the train or they start throwing rocks at the train. These trespassers cut holes in fence and the company can't go out there everyday to make sure the fences are in proper condition because these maintence crews have other duties.

    If this lawsuit does not get thrown out, there is precedence where the railroad is at fault and the trespasser is in the right. Pardon me if I'm cold on this, but all my sympathy goes to the engineer who has to live with this, not to the victim.

  16. Posted

    For the Harlem line to go to Penn would be an extraordinary feat. For the Hudson and New Haven lines not so. The Hudson line can shoot right down through Empire Connection on the West Side. Metro-North and Amtrak run the same engines, but I do not know if the third rail shoes on the MNRR's p32s are compatabile with Amtrak's third rail. The New Have line trains can use the Hellgate line to go to Penn station. But the current problem with that is the M2,M4, and M6 cannot hadle 25,000 volts. When the M8's come out they will be able to handle this power.

  17. Posted

    I worked on the Pelham Bay Bridge earlier this year protecting a group of contractors who were refurbishing the drawbridge. By refurbishing the bridge, they added a new tender house, new cables, and a "state of the art" computer system designed to operate the bridge much better. This refurb was suppose to help the bridge last another 20 years. With that said while I was there I saw top Amtrak engineering managment come to the bridge several times to inspections including the "official" inspection and this bridge passed. Right now Amtrak has this bridge low in priority because there are three bridges in CT that are dire need of being replaced before this one. What Amtrak needs right now is to get funding of 4 billion dollars just to fix the signals, bridges, and catenary.

  18. Posted

    On the New Haven line, The New Haven Hartford and New York Railroad was in opertaion until the early 70's when Penn Central took them over. The Penn Central and Conrail operated the New Haven, Harlem, and Hudson line until 1983 when the big split happened and it gave way to the railroad companies we have now.

    Shortly after the village opened the new entrance into the park, MNRR closed Brook Street.

  19. Posted

    Until the M7's came out the New Haven line had the news fleet of mu cars with m4's coming out in 87 and m6's coming out in 90. With that said the M2 equipment really needed replacement. The Kawasaki plant in Yonkers from the outside has a 5 track yard to store these new m8's. The plant itself produced over hundred subway cars in a couple year period and also refurbished several VRE and MBTA cars in the process.

  21. Posted

    This ordeal was very similar to the blackout of 2003. My train lost power just outside the hudson river tunnel that was at approximately at 8:03 am. It did not arrive into Penn station until 11:40 am. We departed New York around noon when we were supposed depart at 8:30 am. It was a real crazy day.

  22. Posted

    If you want to take pictures there are a couple of legal sites. If you want M-7's go to De Veries Park, Philispe Manor station, or Scarborough station you probably will get some decent action shots of the trains coming around curves. Another site on the Hudson line to get some good action shots would be around Breakneck Ridge in Cold Spring. On the New Haven line, Rye station is a good spot because you have trains coming around two curves. When you are taking pictures of the trains make sure you are a safe distance from the mainline. If you are too close to the tracks engineers from Amtrak and Metro-North will report you and the MTA police will show up. Be safe out there.

  23. Posted

    Judging from the pictures it looks a similar incident that happened in Penn Station a couple of weeks ago when a NJ transit train side swiped another. All it took was the right speed, the right amount of weight, and hitting the track the right way to cause this condition. Since I wasn't there and not familiar with the territory it could be a number reasons besides the one I mentioned, including crew failure or dispatcher failure or the condition of the track or the equipment. It will be interesting to hear what LIRR and/or the FRA has to say about this incident.

  24. Posted

    If anyone goes down Rt 1 in Delaware toward the base you can these giant planes from the road. Its amazing how these things get off the ground. In the picture I noticed the apparatus, you had DAFB fire/rescue with their two crews and you had Dover Ladder 2 which is a 1992 Pierce. Dover FD is first due on most alarms around the base. I hope the condition of the people on board improves. They were all lucky to walk away from this incident.