They did get notified, but the way that HBD defectors work it was dismissed. They work on limits and ranges. For example, if a temperature is between A and B, its disregarded, but logged as a bad order to be inspected later at a shop. If its between B and C its a speed restriction to 30 MPH, to limit high speed to the worn parts to attempt to bring it to the next yard. If its C+ then its an immediate stoppage for a visible inspection by the crew or for the car to be dropped off where it is for it to be brought to the nearest yard at a later time. A HUGE concern now is whether the detectors were set too high, so a temperature in the range of B to C, mightve been recorded as a temperature between A and B, which threw no warnings.
@@inewyorkcentralrr Do trains still have a caboose? Was there a long, straight section of track where the person in a caboose could have seen a bright fire somewhere up the train? Isn't that what the caboose is for? (I'm obviously clueless about modern freight trains, so I'm asking.)
@@beenaplumber8379 trains no longer have a caboose after they were phased out, as well as the brakeman position, starting in the mid 90s. Straight track wouldn’t have helped in this case, as they were closer to the head end of the train, not the tail end. Caboose line of sight worked best on curves. Not only that, but the flame size and intensity varied so it wouldn’t have mattered even if the conductor (second crew position currently) looked back from the engine as it might have died out some, and being on the wrong side of the consist entirely.
@@inewyorkcentralrr Ok, thanks much for the explanation. I learned nearly all I know about freight trains as a young kid when my dad worked for Burlington Northern in the early 70s, so all I really learned was the kid-level stuff.
Is this an example of how private corporations are supposed to do better than government? Obviously not. Greed at a time of record profits. Disgusting.
There are more advanced detectors out there that could have picked that bearing up sooner, or they could have been linked so two in a row would pick up a steady increase in temperature rise at the same location in the train and message the crew, instead of them making it to the third one and it being too late. That costs money though. Railways will only spend the absolute minimum to keep trains running unless forced by the government to do the right thing. PRS + publicly traded = all that matters is money. money over maintenance, money over safety, money over employees, money over the public. All that matters is greed above all else, at all times. Even look how this has been majorly out of the news. The 3 main ns stake holders are the same 3 as the biggest news outlets. What a strange coincidence...
BlackRock, Vanguard, and State Street, correct? The same ones pushing esg yet giving NS a good rating. so much for that whole we're going to change corporations for the better using environmental, social, and corporate governance scores.
