Considering that brake sticks have been so widely accepted in the indudstry, I would think that the supporting statistics would be well known and readily available.
They are. But much of the basis of the statistics may be carefully chosen to suit proponents’ arguments … that, of course, also being true for the opposition.
And I have always thought that the Bishop coupling knife or something like it was a valuable and essential tool in making up trains with link-and-pin couplers.
Ouch…good one.
Yes the analogy to the link and pin coupling paddle is highly fitting. In that case, it was the industry pushing the device to address a dramatically obvious need. And yet labor widely rejected the safety knife for a variety of reasons. One of those reasons was the feeling that the saftey knives were for sissies and not real men. That same objection was widely directed to the air brake effect of eliminating the need for brakement to “deckorate” the car tops and wind handbrakes on the road; according to John White in his book, The American Railroad Freight Car.
In the case of CSX, I would just like to hear their explanation for banning brake sticks. Their action is just the opposite of the industry push for coupling paddles back in the 1800s. CSX must feel that brake sticks don’t reduce accidents and waste time and money. I wonder if they also feel that brake sticks result in less than fully set brakes. It would be interesting to hear their explanation for such an unusual move as to ban a widely used safety device.