RAILROAD TRAIN AIR BRAKES: THE REPORT FROM THE INQUIRY INTO THE 2019 FRASER CANYON CPR ACCIDENT WAS RELEASED TODAY

THREE CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILROAD CREW DIED WHEN THE AIR BLED OFF OF THE BRAKE ACTUATING AUXILIARY COMPRESSED AIR RESERVOIRS. THEIR FREIGHT TRAIN ROLLED AWAY DOWN A STEEP GRADE AND CRASHED DOWN A BANK AT A CORNER NEAR A BRIDGE.

THE WESTINGHOUSE AIR BRAKE SYSTEM HAS A RESERVOIR OF COMPRESSED AIR WHICH WHEN THE BRAKE PIPE LINE PRESSURE IS REDUCED ACTIVATES A MECHANISM THAT APPLIES THE TRAIN'S BRAKES.

Schematic of automatic air brake system.

THIS REDUCTION OR REMOVAL OF PRESSURE IN THE TRAIN BRAKE PIPE LINE ACTIVATES ALL OF THE BRAKES IN AN ENTIRE TRAIN GRADUALLY UNDER THE CONTROL OF THE ENGINE DRIVER OR INSTANTLY IF BRAKE PIPE LINE PRESSURE IS LOST FOR ANY REASON.

THE FAILING OF THE SYSTEM IS THAT WHEN IT IS RELIED UPON TO HOLD A TRAIN IN PLACE THE AUXILIARY RESERVOIRS CAN LOSE PRESSURE OVER TIME, LOOSENING THE BRAKES.

I ALWAYS FELT THAT IT WAS SAFE ONLY TO RELY ON MECHANICALLY APPLIED HAND BRAKES, WHEEL CHOCKS AND DERAIL DEVICES IF YOU WERE LEAVING OR NOT WATCHING A TRAIN AT ALL.

AN ASSIDUOUS FAILSAFE TRAIN OPERATOR WOULD WALK UP THE RAILROAD LINE FARTHER THAN A LURCH, SAY 50 FEET, AND WOULD AFFIX A STANDARD DERAIL, WHICH IS HANGING FROM EVERY LOCOMOTIVE, PRECEDED BY A COUPLE OF TORPEDOS TEN OR TWENTY FEET AHEAD OF THE TRAIN. THAT WOULD HAVE SAVED ALL OF THE CREW'S LIVES. I STOPPED THREE ROLLAWAYS OF OTHER CREW'S EQUIPMENT IN VANCOUVER BC.

Wednesday, February 27, 2019

SERIOUS CIVIL SERVICE

   TRAIN WRECK AT RAMSES STATION CAIRO EGYPT

                                          

                                                         

I was a Canadian National Railways Yardman and Yard Foreman in the 1960's.

Canadian Law provided enhanced penalties for screwing up as a CNR Running Trades Employee. Capital punishment was eliminated for all crimes in the late 1960's but remained for some civil servants, which I was one of.  

Twenty two people were burned or crushed to death today or yesterday in Ramses Station Cairo Egypt, that would with negligence or worse malfeasance, deliberately screwing things up like that in Canada in the 1960`s would result on conviction to suffering the penalty, Hung by the Neck until Dead.

LINDON COLLARD TOTAL RECALL

Wednesday, August 26, 2020

NEWLY CORRELATED: A ROLL OUT AND A FIRE AT THE CNR IN 1969 OR EARLY 1970

 

I HAVE DOCUMENTED THE ROLL OUT OF A PASSENGER TRAIN FROM THE RAILWAY STATION IN VANCOUVER IN 1969. MY FIELD MAN ALERTED ME TO "GO HIGH" AND HE RESUMED THROWING RAILROAD TIES UNDER THE PASSENGER TRAIN'S WHEELS. I SIGNALED MY PINPULLER TO SPLIT MY MAIL TRAIN WHICH I KICKED INTO THE TEAM TRACK SIDING. I REALIGNED THE SWITCH AND CAUGHT THE FOURTEEN ROLLING PASSENGER CARS WITH HE REST OF MY TRAIN. 

WHEN ROLLAWAYS ARE NOT STOPPED BEFORE COLLISION OCCURS THE RESULT IS DESTRUCTIVE AND DEADLY. I AM NOW SUSPICIOUS OF VANDALISM CAUSING RUNAWAY TRAINS. 

The Chemical Plant siding event in East Vancouver at Venables  and Clark was loose Boxcars gliding downhill at a Factory. I was a crew member on a Transfer. We unhooked and ran after the loose Boxcars and caught them and stopped the Runaway Accident from happening right in the densely populated and business area.

The event which has come to mind involved an empty passenger train, all my crew and I knew was there was a TRAIN ON FIRE. The train was rolling out of Glen Yard along the "Y" where passenger trains were turned around to return back to the East. 

We broke in to the train and applied handbrakes and made sure no one was on the train. The fire which was small was extinguished. Had this loose twelve passenger car train rolled further it would impinge on the CNR Main Line and a one hundred car one hundred thousand ton each car train could be coming down the hill not planning to stop for two miles.

IF THERE HAD BEEN COLLISION WITH A MAIN LINE FREIGHT IT WOULD OCCUR TERMINAL AVENUE AND FIRST AVENUE IN VANCOUVER.

IT DID NOT OCCUR TO ME UNTIL JUST NOW: WERE THOSE INCIDENTS NOT JUST ACCIDENTS WHICH WERE AVERTED, DID SOMEONE DELIBERATELY SET THOSE TRAINS LOOSE RATHER THAN BRAKES BLEEDING OFF AND A LACK OF CHOCKS?