What do you people think about 5000 ton and up freight trains or 25cars and up operated with a remote control

Question

many of these trains are operated carrying hazardous materials and are operated by one person who does the switching runs the train does the paper work and is standing on the ground with no one in the cab of the locomotive

Answer 1

What is really strange to me...when a remote locomotive is operated...its by the conductor..why not the engineer...if you do a search you will find a website that list some of the accidents related to remote controlled locomotives,including incidents related to hazardous material........and you can believe this...one day you will see remotes out on line of road.... rwictym....

Answer 2

they are not used on the road.  RC are oprated in the yard only.

Answer 3

They are extremely dangerous, in any situation, but surprisingly more so when operating in the yard.  There is a lot more potentially lethal cargo all over the place.  If they start turning cross-ways from an accident it can blow the h**l out of everything.  Just like on the morning of April 28th, 1973, when a substantial part of the SP rail yard in Roseville, California blew itself to pieces.

The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers has been fighting the remotes since their inception, and continues the fight as the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, as well as the men who run the damned things.

All one has to do is pay a visit to the BLET website and do a little research on the number of accidents, including derailments, spills and fatalities.  We learned long ago that operating a train when you can't see the other end of it is a really bad idea.

Write your representatives and stop this nonsense or, who knows?  You may wind up with a rocketing tank car of liquified petroleum gas roaming your neighborhood.

Answer 4

I think you're trying to scare people. What are your motives?

Such operations are done by a crew member within sight of the locomotive, at restricted speed, and are switching operations. The key here is its a *switching* operation. Its not going over the road through neighborhoods.. Would you rather have such cargoes driven by truck through your neighborhood? The chances of a truck accident is far greater than a train derailment. All the NIMBY's ever complain about is "Hazmat" wether the trains are carrying them or not (as the case around here, NIMBY's were using an "anti-Hazmat" arguement against added trains of...new cars..yeah I don't think they have placards for those..)..

Again, what are your motives in scaring people and not being forth-coming with the truth?

Addition, 12/2: Seeing how I received some off-line feedback on my post, its worth me noting that I'm not supporting the practice of RCO, simply pointing out the facts.

Answer 5

if it works, let it be

Answer 6

Like many others have already said, the trains are limited to "switching activities".    Besides, what does it matter. Everyone knows that a 25 car freight train treavelling at 15 miles an hour can take up to a half mile to stop. It doesnt really matter if there is anyone in there. It'll still hit whatever is its obstacle.

Answer 7

NO, The opertor can not always see the cars he is switching.

Better to have man in cockpit

Answer 8

they dont run cross country by remote

they do use remote shunt engines in marshalling yards  for the railroad as well as on site in non hazmat company sites,