Train Engineer, the dirty downside

[KidA]

Holy crap I never even gave this a second thought. This has to be one of the suckiest jobs ever:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/01/AR2009100102404.html?hpid=topnews

Bruce Evans has learned to look away. Hoping to keep his mind free of yet another image that will linger for a lifetime, he has learned to avert his eyes as his train barrels down on a person on the tracks. In 20 years at the controls of Amtrak locomotives, Evans has watched a dozen fatalities unfold in agonizing close-up.


"After the first time you strike somebody, you just turn your head and wait for the impact," said Evans, an engineer based out of Washington's Union Station.


"Everyone reacts differently," Evans, 61, said. He told of a colleague who struck a mother and her four children on the tracks near Providence, R.I., a murder-suicide. "He never worked again."

The driver of a train doesn't steer, and it can take a half-mile or more to stop. Evans has conditioned himself not to hit the emergency brake, a futile gesture more likely to injure passengers or derail the train than protect the person out front.

[CombatWombat]

There's a movie about this. It was pretty good, if not exactly uplifting throughout. One of Kevin Bacon's better movies.

http://www.amazon.com/Rails-and-Ties/dp/B0019NJ288

[CarbineM1]

Very true,
Had a neighbor whom was an Amtrak Eng said this happened several times in his career including one unfortunate incident when the windows were open...."like cracked egg" splashing on on his mug.....no thanks


Train driving 99.9% boredom 0.01 gore

[Scotty]

One of my best friends is a train conductor, he loves the job but is lucky enough to never have had this happen. Yet. He's a tough bastard, and I know he would survive the emotional trauma of something like that, but I hope he never has to.

Scotty

[heavyguns1/1]

Are there cow catchers on the front of Amtracks?
Another argument against highspeed rail. The braintrust in Washington will probably suggest elevating the tracks.

[Le3]

Saw a Tv report about this exact topic a few month ago.

I don't really remember the actual numbers, but it's safe to say you are going to see your train run over someone AT LEAST twice in your career.

[Dark Helmet]

One perspective is that you could get a front-row seat for some pretty interesting suicides. I actually think that would be pretty cool....but that's how I roll.

The kids in the car? That would suck. But, they are just there and cannot really do anything about it. Wouldn't it be like working in a big city ER as a janitor? You know, close to it all and not really being able to affect the outcome(?)....

[Jimbo]

Another argument against highspeed rail.

If these are the kinds of arguments that are preventing us from having highspeed rail in this country, we don't deserve to be a world leader in anything.

[Spinner]

I met an engineer for Union Pacific a few years back, who had just retired after close to 4 decades of service.

In his many years of service, he struck down well over 20 pedestrians and whacked countless vehicles at crossings. Basically, if you ride the rails for any length of time as an occupation, you're going to hit a few.

He took it in stride, although he told me that one of his coworkers retired after 25 years because of a bunch of fatalities that were spaced pretty closely together, all suicides.

One perspective is that you could get a front-row seat for some pretty interesting suicides. I actually think that would be pretty cool....but that's how I roll.

It's the Moose suicides that are the worst. Really tug at my heart.

In this case the Moose didn't mean to end it all, it was really a cry for help.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4CKJ5eEoEc

[DC Photog]

The picture of the poor SOB on the front page looked a bit sadder to me. The same stuff happens* to Metro employees. I just doubt anyone has the same amount of accidents under their belt as this Amtrak Engineer. The photo lab I worked at in college used to develop the film for the WAMATA Police. I was lucky to just end up doing photos of confiscated guns, blood splatter and the occasional heart attack victim, I worked part time though. My full time colleagues saw the nastier ran over jumpers or third rail cookers. As far as the latter is concerned, I don't know which sucks more, running over someone or pulling cooked a-holes off the rail.

[heavyguns1/1]

If these are the kinds of arguments that are preventing us from having highspeed rail in this country, we don't deserve to be a world leader in anything.

Where I live we get around in cars. Maybe drive them to the airport to get on an airplane. I don't know anyone that rides trains. We don't need them in rural America. Cool for freight, but for long distance passenger transportation it's dead.

You scoundrel:cool:

[Fire-Gunner]

Don't forget about the camels.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5WLrvRJCIw&NR=1

[Purple36]

I don't know, it's pretty cool to be able to travel throughout Japan and Europe on a train. Being in the DC area, the Metro rocks...it just doesn't reach out far enough.

[hawkdrver]

It was surprising to me to find out how common suicide by train actually is. A guy jumped in front of a train my wife and I were on in the UK a couple of years ago. There was a substantial delay while the crew was replaced (and, I imagine, while some cleanup occurred), and I asked the conductor how often they see that sort of thing. He said nationwide there it's not uncommon to have two or three a week. :eek:

[Wearman]

Lee, I am with you. But then again it is probably just a product of how we were raised (in the Military) and as such really dont care is some idiot walks out in front of us.

In all honestly I am seriously considering this as a post retirement career. Almost zero responsibility (ok, yes you are responsible for the train fuckers not 100s of people) and the pay is actually pretty damn good to start with and in a short time one can make well over 6 figures depending on the run. Benefits cant be beat as well, especially when agumented with Mil retirement.

Now, should some idiot try suicide by bazillion pound train. Well, I guess they will get what they will deserve and I will be using the pressure washer at the end of my run as I think about the jusy steak dinner waiting for me at home.