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NTSB: Feed truck knocked out rail ahead of ‘Southwest Chief’
I have to wonder if the truck in question was overweight. Maximum weight of a two axle truck should be 32,000 lbs but can legally go to 40,000 lbs under some rules. And that is heavy enough to damage tracks if away from a grade crossing.
I say fine the truck driver if they find them. they caused a terrible accident and should pay.
And, some comments from a few posters to the original story here on Trains Newswire were quick to blame the tracks run down condition…kinda’ like a lynch mob in the western days…
While this is a fairly comprehensive description of the problem, what is not explained is whether the truck was running parallel with the track and somehow ran off the road and wedged the track over out of alignment, or if he hit it head on while crossing the track, either by slipping off a crossing, or by trying to cross where there was no crossing. Either way, it’s difficult to understand why even a culpable person would not report the potential of having damaged the track. This is a gross display of incompetence and/or just general ignorance, which is, unfortunately, all to prevalent these days in all walks of life.
Randall Dyer, Kansas is a ‘Right to Work’ state and thus a haven for illegal workers. Even more so in this part of the state because of the non union meat packing sites. Most illegals don’ t have a drivers license and telling someone that they may have damaged the RR tracks is cause for jail time and an automatic deport.
Really Lawrence, So what if it is an right to work state. That does not automaticaly make it a ‘Haven’ for illegals. Come on. You are correct that someone deserves some jail time, if for no other reason than they didn’t care enough about others safety to do what should have been done.
Mr. Haws makes a good point. Why would you not report this short of being intoxicated, illegal or both?
I remember years ago as a participant on the Internet’s “All Aboard” discussion group I started a list of “trucks wrecking Amtrak trains.” The list was quite extensive and made a strong case that the greatest danger to Amtrak came from truck drivers.
Mr. Haws, I’m not sure what “right to work” has to do with this situation. There are morons in every walk of life doing stupid things daily. All you have to do is turn on your TV and watch the evening news.
My state is also a right-to-work state. Some of the aliens here, legal or otherwise, do work like pulling the guts out of chickens in the Koch brother’s chicken plant so the rest of us can enjoy chicken tenders. While we do not work with chickens, I have employed non-Americans in my business over the years, with good results.
For all of you that don’t understand “Right to Work” . It gutted the legal US work force, both open and closed shops, by cutting wages to a less than working wage. Rather than work for a less than living job, US workers changed jobs. And who do you think filled the vacant jobs? People that thought the wages offered were great, which they are, compared to what they were getting in their original countries. Randell, if you hired illegal workers you are part of the problem with illegal immigration. Bob, where do you find the illegals working in Indiana.
Mr. Haws, my name does not have an “e” in it, but for the record, I have never hired anyone illegally.
And for others who may not know, “right to work” is the way conservatives have of short-circuiting unions in states like mine. Our legislators gave nearly one-billion of our tax-payer dollars to a world-known auto manufacturer to set up a plant in the southeastern corner of the state, on the expectation that it would not be unionized. Unions would, after all, drive away other potential companies wanting to set up here, to reap the benefits of the low wages in the state.
The company surprised everyone by WANTING the plant to be unionized after the fact. In the meanwhile, they also built some cars that cheated clean air, all over the world!
A feasting for lawyers
Some truth to it. Wasn’t it in '14 that a semi tboned a Amtrak sleeper?
Mr. Haws, Right-to-Work is simply the idea that you can be employed without having your wages forcibly surrendered to a third party. You retain the choice to do so if it fits your wishes. Nothing more, and certainly not your stated irrational conspiracy theories.
Lawrence,
Indiana is estimated to have about 50,000 illegals, less then 1% of populanion, .7% actually. That percent is also true for MI, KY, TN, AL, MS, LA, WI, PA, IA, MO, about half the country. You are in a state that has a much greater percentage, upwords of 2.5%, Makes the issue much greater for you than me. Illegals are working in places I won’t and in places no one should, including illegal indeavors, many are working seasonal, agricultural and just don’t go home in winter. That doesn’t mean they should be here, just what they are doing while here. Most are actually very productive. Again, doesn’t mean they should be here.
‘Right to work’ does not ‘GUT’ the US work force! It just stops the unions from extorting money from the ‘Rank and File’ members to use for non union purposes. It allows workers to decide for themselves whether or not the union offers any value to them. Too many unions have become extremely politically active and that is not their job. They are supposed to support and protect their members but seem to have forgotten that. In most instances wages actually have not gone way down and jobs have gone up in states that are right to work.
Lawrence, I grew up in FLINT, Mi., 1959 through 1997, I still work there 5 days a week, and I watched what the unions did to GM and what GM did to the unions. I GREW UP with unions and believe there are places for them, but they are not the answer to all.
NEVER MIND, once you’ve been brainwashed by your union, you lose your ability to think on your own so good luck.
My apologies, I did grow up in Flint, Mi. In 1980 there were 80,000 people working for GM directly in Genesee County. World HQ for Buicck, AC Spark Plug, Fischer Body and General Motors Parts Div. not 8,000, 80,000!
Most were not high skill jobs, I grew up with family, friends and neighbors all working at GM, turned down the job I was offered at “Chevy in the hole” driving a garbage truck to go to college. We still buy nothing but GM vehicles, currently 3 Chevys, a Cadillac and a Saturn.
This Amtrack crash was not caused by right to work, unions, non unions illigal aliens, ufo’s or yoga pants.
Some spineless bozo was too chicken to own up to a screw up and should be held accountable as should his employer and if he is the employer, take away his man card.
@Bob Withorn That was legendary. I have never heard anything quite like what you said, but I wish it was said more
Mr. Withorn, I very much appreciate your “I may not like it, but it is what it is, and I might as well learn to deal with it” attitude. The world would be a much better place to live if others would just treat their fellow beings as human, with all the foibles that entails, and go on about their business.
My whole original point was that if the driver, regardless of his race, creed or ethnicity, had simply called some authority, and said “I think the train track is damaged at point X”, whether he gave his name or not, perhaps there would have been time to send out a crew to fix it before Amtrak came through.
I watched an incident in my home town about two weeks ago, where one of the crossing guards was going up and down, up and down. The approach from one side was blind, and the track signals indicated clear for a west bound at any time. I called the NS 800 number. They had a signal maintainer there within about 40 minutes, and it was fixed, but not before a whole lot of people crossed, even from the blind side, without stopping. And having been made aware of the situation, one westbound did come through at about 15 MPH, blowing all the while.
Nobody else stopped too get the 800 number and call it in. But it only takes one.
I too, drive GM vehicles, and I get great service from them.
Very well said, Mr. Randall Dyer !!!