FTA:"…Washington, DC - January 13, 2014 - U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Richard Blumenthal today announced, after a significant joint push, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) will begin the required rulemaking process to implement a critical safety monitoring system in trains – inward- and outward-facing cameras in all locomotives and operating cabs – which means there will likely be a rule on the cameras out for public review some time during 2014. This decision comes after Schumer and Blum
Will it be useful for investigating incidents like the Spuyten Duyvil derailment? Undoubtedly.
Will it prevent another incident of the same type from happening again? Not by itself.
The goal of the PTC mandate was to directly prevent injury and loss of life. This is an indirect way of accomplishing the same thing, however I can’t comment on just how indirect or effective it will be.
My perspective is the same as many of us around here…An interested spectator… My feeling is that it is more of an evidence gathering device than a preventative device. [ A blame pointing finger, a device for the lawyers to have their jobs made easier. (IMHO). ]
Some years back I was working in Atlanta area, and was priviledged to work with a number of Operating Employees for a couple of major lines and some short line folks, as well. It was the late 1990s and there was a brewing movement to have camera’s in locomotive cabs.
The device(acessory?) at that the Unions were fighting then was an ability of the camera to record in-cab conversations (or sounds,Brakes, horns,etc) It was definitely a situation of each side developing a ‘bunker mentality’. But as we know the camera was pretty much universally adopted, but apparently, without the in-cab recording option(?). The camera is now a common appliance in locomotive cabs. A silent witness to all the crazyness that happens in fornt of a moving locomotive and its train.( Grade crossing incursions, crossing gates, etc.) It looks to me like this is going to be one of those long-running legal exercises; where the parties involved will each decide how much they are willing to spend and whose lawyers can whip the other sides lawyers.)
I must agree with your last sentence Sam. Rancorous is putting it too politely; it’s likely to be a knock down drag out fight. Useful? Yes, as you pointed out, to pin blame not make things safer. My gripe is that government is always spending other peoples money without weighing the benefits. It don’t take brains to spend other people’s money.
Unless tourist lines get a pass on them, it’s something I’ll be dealing with as well.
I’m of two minds here. Such cameras help could prevent such activities as may interfere with the proper performance of one’s duties - with cell phones coming immediately to mind. Part of the problem may come with defining what interferes with one’s duties. Some things are fairly obvious (again, cell phones).
But at the risk of sounding like Chicken Little, could that be expanded to include non-business conversations (“Hey - how about them [insert team name here]?”)?. Reading non-railroad-business items is already called out in our rules, and it’s a no-no.
On the other hand, an inward facing camera might be useful in the study of fatigue/sleep issues. The technology may exist that would allow for sensing of a sleepy engineer and to provide for some means of ensuring their wakefulness. It would also provide fodder for those seeking to reduce such instances through changes in work rules.
Expanding the mandate to include the trucking industry, buses, and other such conveyances would ensure that it won’t be enacted in our lifetime…
I don’t know what the rules are on exterior-facing cameras, but a lot of safety and operational systems are tied to speed. Cab signals/ATS aren’t needed below 80, one can run up to 59mph without signals, and I can’t find any documentation before a 2017 deadline, but I believe you can run without dead man switches/alerters below 26mph if the controlling locomotive was built before 2002.
Larry, do you have exterior cameras on your equipment?
I’m sorry. I cannot support this concept. Forward and even backward facing on
each side maybe ok…in fact are. But one monitoring the sighs, the scratches,
the farting, whatever, will not solve anything and in fact could lower the
quality of work being performed. Performing for the camera is not far fetched
and could therefore leave out important acts because of self consciousness. Then
there will be the resentment by the subject. Use the cameras to help the
engineer do his job, to defend the engineer when things go wrong. but not to
collar and pre conclude the engineer did something wrong. I won’t be surprised to see a lot of engineers quit. Ask yourself…how would you like to have a camera staring at you reporting every breath, every move, every moment while you work or do anything else. (All those I know who are actors and news anchors are exempt from answering this.)
One question I have is this: when are the recordings allowed to be reviewed? I bet they’d be far more acceptable to train crews if they were locked up only to be touched in the case of an incident requiring investigation. In other words, they can’t become another tool for the “weed weasels” to watch looking for rules infractions when nothing has happened.
Although the camera might be useful in an accident, the potential for various abusive practices by supervisors/employers against operating personnel is very high, even with safeguards.
Someone explain how this will make rail transport safer? If the crew does something illegal and causes an accident, the railroad is still sued. No one goes after the crew members (unless they are multimillionaires – it ain’t worth it). The railroad will still be on the hook. Again we are knee jerking without solving the problem of crew fatigue.
Will be interesting to see how many sleeping engineers catch themselves when the alerter goes off.
Well… yes, they do go after the crews; not for money, but incarceration for crimes.
Wouldn’t it be interesting if these cameras are installed and then there is a horrific accident and the review of the videos show the Engineer and Conductor frantically trying to correct some here-to-fore undiscovered problem with locomotives that causes them to become uncontrollable and is the direct cause of the accident?
Nah… that would never happen.
Also, note the number of insurance companies that are offering discounts if cars used by teenagers have inward facing cameras.
I have surveillance cameras all around my house (for no really good reason, I just got carried away trying to figure out when the mailman came!) but none of them face the inside of the house, I don’t need video of me slack-jawed asleep in front of my TV.
Kansas City Southern and Union Pacific have already received court approval to start installing inward facing cameras. I think both are using the same type of installation, but if not, the Union Pacific installations will be two cameras. One faced towards the controls and a second dome style wide angle camera to view the cab interior. I’ve seen a picture of the in cab cameras, but haven’t seen one in person yet. (I’ve been told our local mechanical department has the cameras in stock but aren’t supposed to start installing them. I imagine since we’re a small terminal, they are for the local/yard switching power.)
The cameras are equipped to record conversations, but that feature is supposed to be disabled/not used. (At least at this time.) The current forward facing cameras (which are more for grade crossing/trespassing liability) have outside microphones. They can’t record inside conversations, but can pick up things said by crewmen outside the cab, like when changing crews. Those images are reviewed and from conversations with one who’s job was to review them at a social function, they pick up a lot of interior activity from reflection off the windshield. They have never been used to pursue a rules violation that I’ve ever heard. However, my understanding is the new inward facing cameras will be able to viewed in real time and have stored images. The stored images will be like the outward camera
Lots of railyards are already under cameras . I don’t see a mass exodus - not like you can just walk into a job that pays this well with decent benefits and retirement anymore.
Our contract crew vans have inward and outward facing cameras. Our primary contract motel (Oak Tree Inn) chain has cameras in common areas, except the crew room/lounge, that are accessible by both Oak Tree and UP management. while the camera outside the crew room can’t see into it, it does have a microphone that can pick up conversations within it. I imagine it’s quite the blooper reel at the management’s Christmas party.
Zug, common area cameras are not the same as a single camera focused on a single person.and his actions. It is much more intimidating and invasive. And nerve wracking. And, Jeff, while cameras in public places have become common and often accepted, the idea of capturing conversations is not acceptable and perhaps not even legal. Single cameras focused on individuals and microphones to pick up conversations…its as if George Orwell signed the purchase order himself!