Does the conductor take over for a few minutes? Or does the engineer bring the train to a stop? Or do they just have to hold it until the next red light? Something I’ve always wondered.
Engineers don’t go to the bathroom. They just blow up when they turn 40.
Most diesel road locomotives have a toilet…
This goes all the way back to the 50’s…or before.
Steam is a different story…
Sheldon
If you can wait for the next stop, fine. If you can’t wait that long, you bring your train to a stop. Even if the conductor is a set-back engineer, they can only run the engine in the presence of the engineer. My employer defines that as being able to immediately take over the controls. If you’re down in the toilet compartment you aren’t in a position where you can take the controls back if you have to.
Jeff
I’ll take “Completely Stupid Rules” for $500, Alex.
Sure - you can get called whenever to run that 45,000-foot, 30 billion ton train, but you can’t watch the train for 30 seconds so the (other) engineer can take a whizz.
WHAT ? ! Are you actually implying that common sense should be applied here ? Geeeeze…next thing you know, those in the cab will want to eat their lunch/dinner while on the job, too. We’ve got rules, ya know ! (sarcasim intentional)
Oh it gets better. We have a retention/reserve board where instead of being completely furloughed, those holding it work two days a week and maintain their insurance. These people, for example, were a full fledged conductor on Monday. On Tuesday they get cut off the regular boards and go to this reserve board. The instructions are that all reserve board people must be within 50 feet of the conductor they are working with out in the field. These people, fully qualified and working as a conductor yesterday, today must be treated as if they are new-hires on their first day after just having a lobotomy. For example, you couldn’t use this fully qualified trainman to ride a shove while the conductor makes the cut when setting out cars. You would have to have both of them ride the shove in and then walk/ride in a van back to the cut. (I think they don’t want these people used as a brakeman because they don’t want any evidence that a second trainman on a crew that has work events makes the work go easier.)
Yet when the extra boards are exhausted they will try to call a reserve board person to work as a conductor for a trip.
Jeff
OK -now we know who’s writing the script for Blade Runner - 3[;)]
Ah hah!
When the Engineer suffers the ‘hydraulic failure’ which craft has the clean-up?
[*-)][%-)]
Does the Conductor have to watch?
Every train crews worst nightmare explosive diarreha and your the engineer on a drag fright in single track territory your train is to big to fit into any passing sidings and if you have to stop your going to tie up the main for miles.
Next crew bad orders the engine for toilet failure!
To boost crew efficiency I have heard that Hunter Harrison is considering having all CSX road personnel fitted for catheters.
Oh! I thought he would be taking the current engineer’s seats out and installing toilets in their place.[:)]
Has anyone noticed that the walkway behind the cab is stained on almost all locomotives?
Batteries are under there, it’s just the leaking acid I swear [:-^]
Move along folks, nothing to see there…
Wonder how these things were taken care of back in the days of steam? I suppose ya just hung it over the side…or maybe ya had to grab a handful of old flimsees and scramble back onto the coal pile in the tender. (" Say, Bob, that’s a funny looking lump of coal there on your shovel…wait a second…PEWEEEEEEUUU.")
From talking to a couple really old heads that’s exactly how it was taken care of. The results were quickly disposed of into the fire.
They went silent when I asked whether the same shovel would be used to fry eggs or bacon.
[(-D] Ahh–a good laugh before going to bed!
On a completely unrelated note, a circuit breaker happened to trip. The conductor is looking for the source of the problem. It should be fixed in a few minutes.