click the link and read all the way through…
http://www.sykesvillefire.org/index.cfm?fs=news.newsView&News_ID=71
do you think csx will replace it?
operator error? at least the fire was controled when the train ran over the hose ---------was it CSX’s fault?
Those hoses are expensive! Not to mention the damage to CSX’s credibility.
it was csx’s fault, they had to lay the line over the tracks so they notified CSX and CSX said they had stopped traffic but obviously they didn’t do a very good job of it[:p]
Sucks to be CSX.
ICMR
Happy Railroading.[swg][swg]
This is what liability insurance is for.
I wonder if CSX even knows the meaning of haulting traffic…
“I wonder if CSX even knows the meaning of halting traffic…”
Oh, they do. They call it customer relations.
Jon
Don’t know if they do…So glad the fire was contained before the Train came!
The fire department better get a new hose from CSX, as well as some more for the losses!
Sounds like some of the blame sould fall upon the two fire departments and their dispatch. Was this trackage in dark terr. also crew may have had toubles with their radios. Did the fire crews put out flares 200ft back from their hoses?
That big ol’ fire should have been flare enough! [:D]
This is how it’s supposed to work - Fire dispatch calls CSX Police in Jacksonville who are supposed to halt traffic on the line in question. What usually happens is Jacksonville has no idea where the line in question is!
Honestly, Norfolk Southern is much better run in this regard.
Ok… as a railroad dispatcher I figured I should chime in on this…
Often what the police and fire departments call Place A is either not on the railroad or is in a different place than where Place A is on the railroad. The only 100% guarantee to get the right places is to use the D.O.T. Number on the nearest crossing. Railroads have those listed in computer data bases under mileposts on the railroad.
Don’t crossings have a number you can call, in case you get stuck on the tracks, as well? I think I remember hearing that at one time.
My point exactly - except NS in Roanoke seems to be more familiar with their railroad than CSX in Jacksonville. NS seems to be able to find towns and cross-streets even without a DOT/asset number - although CSX is improving (I guess because things like this keep happening). I think the problem centers on how information is handled - CSX’s emergency number connects you with CSX Railroad Police while NS’s number connects you with the train dispatch department (btw - I know all this because I’m a Fire/EMS/Police dispatcher who has to make these calls).
CSX is also really bad when it comes to traffic on a sub-division (and I think the former B&O “Old Main” is a sub) - you’re better off calling the local tower than the “1-800” number, although they have a fit when you do…
On the other hand - I think responders sometimes forget just how long it takes to stop a train. My question would be how much of a time lag was there between when CSX was contacted and when the train arrived “unexpectedly” - anything less than 10 or 15 minutes would result in exactly what happened here. In addition, I just had CSX incident training and the first rule is always to expect a train on any track at any time (regardless of who was “notified”).
I do commend CSX for trying to improve their performance and providing (much needed) free training for these types of incidents.
That is an amazing story. Pity the poor engineer!
I’m going to check the incident logs for that date, but I think the fire department reported in the clear, and they weren’t. I vaguly remember this incident on the conference call.
Nick