Why is rolling stock safety important?
Why is it important if it is illegal to be on railroads in the first place?
What may happen if you tamper with railroad equipment?
What did each of the three people do wrong in the video?
This video covers several accidents that have been discussed in this webquest. You have some people who were lucky and some that lost limbs train hopping. The other deals with Byron who climbed on a stopped freight train and lost his balance when the train started moving. He fell to his death and a life with so much potential, came to an end.
These people in the video show what has happened by not taking Rail Safety seriously. All of these incidents were the results of poor choices. The deaths in this film are the reason for the text you will be reading in the sections and pages of this webquest. Look at the end of the video and realize that injuries and death happen on the railroad. They happen on trestles, hopping trains, walking on tracks, under the influence of drugs or alcohol and even at crossings.
David's Run also proves a critical point. This is what happens if you tamper with railroad property, equipment or even climb on cars. Linda and her brother thought they knew everything. They didn't. What they knew was that a train was coming and for Linda, it was too late. Whether or not you realize it, you can kill someone by tampering with equipment or climbing a train car that could roll. Trains can't hurt or kill you if you stay off and away. LEAVE ALL EQUIPMENT ALONE!!
The only train cars you are allowed to climb aboard when stopped are PASSENGER CARS at a STATION STOP. Listen to the conductor.
DO NOT climb on any stopped freight train cars on a track. STAY OFF!
Freight trains can start suddenly. You may lose your balance and be knocked off. You do not know all of the movements of trains and when they happen.
Surfaces on the car may also be slippery- especially if wet or oily. This goes for the tops of cars, decks at the end of cars, as well as ladders and grab irons.
If you can trip or slip, you will likely be severely injured or fall to your death if the train is moving.
Stay off the roofs and sides of train cars. Trains have limited overhead and side clearances in spots on the railroad. You risk being killed by decapitation overhead, falling to your death from a roof, and getting knocked off the sides of the cars. Common clearance hazards are oncoming trains at speed, tunnel entrances, and buildings located along the line. Clearances can be less than 1 foot on stretches of track.
Trains also may carry oversized loads, and these will be wider or higher than the standard freight car clearances. Heavy equipment is one such example of an oversized load. You can risk being struck if the oversized load is in the middle of a moving freight train.
If you happen to fall off a moving train and lucky to live, you may not be able to have cell service because you might be in a remote area on the railroad. There also may not be roads to get to you.
Putting items on the tracks to see what a locomotive will do to them is a bad idea. It does not take much to disengage a flange on a train wheel. Some objects CAN CAUSE A DERAILMENT!!! Others can be shot back at you. Ignore the videos you see on YouTube. You will see later on in this WebQuest what happens if you put items on a track.
DO NOT go in between freight cars. A train may start to move suddenly, and you may slip. NEVER go under a coupler. Stay AWAY!!!
DO NOT play with ANY equipment on the cars. This is not a toy or a chance to be curious. Your tampering can cause an accident or major derailment.
You can uncouple a car or locomotive from a train.
You may disengage brakes on cars causing them to run down a railroad. While track may seem level, there may be a slight grade and runaway cars can pick up speed quickly going down a grade.
DO NOT force doors. You may potentially damage cargo or unsecured items may shift within a freight car. This also applies to doors on a passenger train.
Do not pull an emergency brake on a passenger train if there is no emergency. You can be charged with a FEDERAL CRIME.
Visible on NJ Transit coaches are emergency exits. These are windows that can be opened ONLY in emergency and are clearly marked.
Obey all instructions from a conductor and remain on the train unless told to evacuate. This is especially true if the train is running on a section of the railroad with multiple active tracks.
If there is a fire onboard a train, go to an adjoining passenger car. If unsure what to do in an emergency aboard a train, procedures are clearly posted all over the interior of the coach.
Do not hang out in the vestibule of a passenger coach.
DO NOT climb on locomotives, enter locomotive cabs, or play with any of the devices on or in locomotives. PERIOD! Tampering may cause damage to the locomotive or safety features needing to work. This includes all controls and switches in the cab.
Never cross in front of a locomotive or commuter cab car. Engineers are blind by several feet and cannot see you. Think of it as crossing in front of a school bus.
Locomotives are getting harder to hear. They are getting quieter in trains at speed. This is especially true of commuter trains operating in push-pull. The locomotive is at the other end of the train and you will not hear it if you are on the tracks. Commuter cab cars have no tractive power. There is a throttle connected to the locomotive, brakes, a bell and horn.
If you are near the locomotive on a platform with a multiple track crossing, wait until the train is gone. Another train might be coming and you will not hear it over the rumble of the diesel idling.