These people are not railfans!!! Story from CBS News
(AP)WEST SACRAMENTO A train engineer is hospitalized after officials say he was attacked by a mob that dragged him from an Amtrak train it had forced to stop by standing on the tracks.
An Amtrak official says the engineer on the Capitol Corridor train was en route from the San Francisco Bay area and approaching Sacramento when he encountered the group of people blocking the tracks near a signal.
Officials say after the stopping the train, the engineer opened the door, was pulled off and then assaulted with rocks and bottles.
The engineer was taken to the UC Davis Medical Center with head injuries and possible internal injuries.
The Capitol Corridor operates a route that runs from Auburn to San Jose.
Any engineer would have stopped to avoid running over the people. He probably never even considered opening the door to inquire what the problem was would land him in the hospital. I could only image what would have happened if they had done this to a loaded freight doing forty five or so.
I am sure all future incidents now will be called in as a 911 call and this will probably cause any railfan to get noticed and maybe reported.
I reckon that would depend on the rules and procedures of the railway he worked for. Where I work, we are only obliged to run at restricted speed when informed of trespassers in the rail corridor. Whether we stop, or even attempt to stop, is at our discretion.
Heres a mesage I got from rail mishaps yahoo groups
"Capitol Corridor Train 546(16) was delayed at West Sacramento due to
report of trespassers on tracks. Engineer stopped train due to a
trespasser on right of way; he exited to investigate and was attacked
by
five to seven juvenile reprobate thugs who jumped from hiding places
along the tracks. One of them reportedly sustained a broken nose,
courtesy of the engineer. The thugs fled; two were later apprehended
by
police.
Engineer and Fireman operated train to Sacramento, engineer was taken
to
hospital for unspecified injuries."
Now it’s beginning to sound like a gang initiation stunt. I’d like to see the perps caught, tried and sent to Folsom - where they could meet up with some real gangstas!
It is too bad that, in the mind of many lawyers and judges, “cruel and unusual punishment is prohibited” is synonymous with “ANY punishment is prohibited”. IMHO, the most appropriate punishment would be to televise a re-enactment of the crime, then these perps being tied to the tracks and a train running them over. (For extra style points, somebody dressed up as a Classic Villian could do the tying.)
don’t forget to put them in classic “damsel in distress” garb, complete with either blonde or brunette curly wig…
problem is, I don’t think you’d be able to find a working 4-4-0 anywhere… maybe someone will lend something though… I just don’t think it’d be as fitting if it were a shiny new Amtrak loco…
Amtrak engineer dragged off train, assaulted
Michael Cabanatuan
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
– The engineer of an Amtrak Capitol Corridor train was seriously injured Monday night in West Sacramento after a group of people forced the train to stop, dragged the engineer from the train and assaulted him with rocks and bottles, according to Capitol Corridor officials.
The attack occurred as the train from the Bay Area neared the I Street Bridge to Sacramento’s rail station and slowed for a signal, said Eugene Skoropowski, managing director of the Capitol Corridor, said. A group of people stood on the tracks to block the train, which stopped. When the engineer went downstairs and opened the door, he was dragged off the train and assaulted, Skoropowski said.
The engineer, who was taken by ambulance to UC-Davis Medical Center in Sacramento, suffered head injuries and possible internal injuries, he said. He remains hospitalized.
Skoropowski is calling for more police patrols in the area, for all vegetation around the rails to be removed, for federal agencies to consider filing federal charges in the case, for Union Pacific Railroad to take steps to speed trains through the area and for additional security measures, including night-vision cameras.
Well, good bye railfanning…I am sorry if this is against forum rules but it is also a animal so its fine in my mind, those guys are a bunch a jackasses, i appoligize to those who disagree being that upfront with it. Just my two cents. Mike