What did I see?

Yesterday coming home I drove along the NS line in town for a while. There's a section near my office where there is a 2 mile siding that's the last one before the yard, it regularly holds a train one way or the other. Anyway, typically the train is stopped on the siding (the diverging route for both switches, and the lower track), however this day I noticed the train was stopped on the main line. As I got to the end of the train, I noticed something else odd, several hundred feet behind the train, but on the siding track (not the track the train was stopped on) was a PVC pipe frame with a large white banner over the track that said "STOP, Obstruction Ahead". Next to it was a guy with a walkie talkie.

At first I thought, ooohhhh! Testing the engineers. But then I looked some more, he was on a straight where you could see a good mile in each way. He was on the siding with a train stopped on the main. As I drove on down about two miles further I saw a train headed that direction at what appeared to be normal speed (35-40, in that area).

Now, I thought they only did the test when the train was supposed to be moving at restricted speed. Was this a straight line test at full speed, which is why he had the extra visability distance? Was he protecting the rear of the stopped train? Any ideas?
Copyright 2008 Jerry DeBene

 

Hey,
Roadforemen/Trainmasters at work.Restricted speed test.If they hit the sign,30 days on the street.mg:
Copyright 2008 Jerry DeBene

 

Ah good, so my first instinct was right. That makes me feel better. The main thing that made me doubt it was the train moving a normal speed so close (1-2 miles away). Since they very often take that siding, I wonder if they give them a rule to take the siding at restricted speed and so he was testing just inside the siding? Could the other train have been stopped there because he failed the test? Do they pull you off right there and then?
Copyright 2008 Jerry DeBene

 

Nifty. Well, hopefully that engineer had a much better day then the one I saw today. On the way home I found a stopped intermodel blocking the 5-6 crossings just east of the same siding. When I got to the last blocked crossing the police were there, along with what looked like the conductor. No damage on my side, but they were climbing over the train to the other side. Figure they must have clipped a car.

It's the only major road in this area (4 lanes each way, heavily traveled) with no gates. I don't know why it's like that, all the major roads, and 2/3's of the minor ones (including a few driveways!) have gates.

I need to carry my scanner more.
Copyright 2008 Jerry DeBene

 

Hey,
JD,your right about the guy being decent :thumbs_up: . I've had them,like you,around a curve,coming into a yard,with a "restricted speed,not exceding 10 MPH",at night(dusk).:thumbs_down:
Copyright 2008 Jerry DeBene

 

We get them on Tehachapi, but they don't use a banner, they use a standard red flag...
Copyright 2008 Jerry DeBene

 

Hey Hemi,
My guess would be Director of Safety for Locomotive Engineers.We have Senior Road Foremen.Same thing,different title.:thumbs_up: :shade:
Copyright 2008 Jerry DeBene

 

At least I was close.:teeth: :wink2:
Copyright 2008 Jerry DeBene

 

The thing about restricted speed is that you MUST be able to control
your train within whatever the range of vision is. Every hogger can tell
a story, as can I, about operating at restricted speed and discovering
that there is indeed a train occupying the track ahead of you. One of my engineer buddies on a different railroad than I was, always tells his
students about "banner speed". When restricted speed is required, ALWAYS operate your train with the expectation of encountering a
banner, it will keep you safe for the "real" train. If it means operating
your train at 1mph, that is what you need to do!

CT
Copyright 2008 Jerry DeBene