Just from watching the trailer...
Any locomotive engineer worth his/her salt would pop that train into emergency at the 1st sight of a car on the tracks, regardless of the geography(curves, grade, ect.). Granted, depending on speed and tonnage, you may or may not get stopped.
By the way, I'm an engineer. I would rather pile jackknife my train rather than hit anybody...
And on the 8th day, God squated down, took a crap, and out came the New York Yankees.
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I don't know which railroad you work for but depending on your train speed and train tonnage, putting the train in emergency while entering a 2 degree curve or greater can very possibly push the track completely off the roadbed. This has happened several times around the country. I personally saw the mess a resulting derailment caused close to Winder, GA on CSX several years ago.
That accident was virtually the same as the film. A three engine consist with about 6500 trailing tons had a vehicle foul a crossing that was about 100 yards down track from a 2 degree curve. The engineer shot the brakes and the rails, ties and ballast slid off the roadbed. The resulting derailment took two days to clear because of HazMat concerns.
Because of this possibility the railroads that I am familiar with teach that when presented with a fouled crossing the engineer should make a full brake application, not an emergency application, to stop the train. This is done because in most cases there is just not enough room to bring the train to a halt even with the emergency brake application.
As for derailing your train rather than hitting someone, you have to remember that if a train is put on the ground that there may be more injuries and deaths due to the resulting release of HazMat cargo than just the occupants of the vehicle. The operator of the vehicle is almost always at fault in a crossing accident. It his or her responsibility to make sure that they can proceed across the crossing safely. When the engine crew of a train is presented with such a situation all they can do is hope for the best outcome. Putting the train on the ground is never the thing to do.
All an engineer can do is reconcile the fact that he did all that he could do and the resulting crash is not his fault. I've been there. It's the most helpless feeling in the world looking out that windshield knowing that no matter what you do that you are going to hit a vehicle and very possibly kill someone. Every engineer that I know has had at least one experience such as this. You live with that possibility every time you sit in that seat. All you can do is pray to God that the drivers that use the crossings in front of you are as alert as you are. This is especially true for the drivers of tankers, dump trucks and log trucks. You hit one of those and you yourself may very well die.
The Shortline R.R. I work for is flat and straight for the most part. Okay then, emergency application may not be the anwser in some cases...
And on the 8th day, God squated down, took a crap, and out came the New York Yankees.
I've only been railroading for a while now. My opinion is this, with that curve and hauling passengers (I believe he was) the thought of emergency would never enter my mind. We're tought in classes (plus after a while you gain your own habbits) of when to dump your train. A general rule is if you feel that applying the emergency brakes would do more damage then if you didn't, don't. Besides all that, I really wish they went a little more nowday's railroad. Set of AC4400's hauling 13,000 tons. Not some little operation with F7's and a passenger train. I haven't seen the movie, is it an excursion or what?
shareI know what you mean about portraying a more modern scenario. You haven't experienced a feeling of dread until you are in the lead AC4400 of a 16,000 ton coal train with two AC4400s on the point with two AC4400s cut-in about 65 cars back as a mid-train DP unit and a two AC4400s as a manned helper on the rear making a run for a 5 mile 2.5% grade at 50 mph and have some idiot run around the crossing gate in front of you. You don't even touch the brakes unless you hit him and if you do hit him you stop with a standard TL reduction with one hand while telling the pusher to come out of the throttle and go to idle at the same time. This will give you a major pucker factor response.
shareyeah, that happened the last time I was leading a AC4400 20,000 ton salt train and manned helper to 3.5% grade at 80 mph.
shareI have no technological experience, just that if I have to weigh taking one life than possibly cause hundreds of deaths &/or injuries, I'm going to take the one. She wanted to die, and it is unforgivable that she wanted to take her son with her.
shareAgree. While that would have to be a difficult decision for the train conductor and they would have only have seconds to make that call, I think they have to factor in the casualties/damage if they derail vs. passengers in one car.
shareEd you obviously know your stuff while Uncle not so much. I am not an operator but it seems logical that the last thing that you would want to do is to put your train on the ground. If you are carrying passengers, hazmats etc this is a no brainer. Its the responsibility of the person on the tracks to get out of the way. Which I am assuming in 99 percent of the cases they will do when they see/hear the train, unless as is portrayed in the film they have a deathwish, in which case....
There is NO Gene for the Human Spirit.
That's right the motorist is always at fault. Doesn't matter if the railroad doesn't adequately clear brush from obstructing the view, or if equipment obstructs the view. Railroads like most businesses will try to skimp where they can, and if they feel they can get away with it at a reasonable cost.
If it's a protected crossing most of the time the motorist is at fault, however even then protected crossings have failed IE: high speed Amtrak train I think it was Indiana that plowed into a car occupied by two teenagers ( freight employee set jumpers wrong on the crossing, gates never came down ).
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