Where is the coverage of What Changed, or What didn't change but should. Railways are not new technology. There have been management metrics for decades on train composition, track maintenance, enroute monitoring, etc. Who owns the railroad and what has their ownership changed?
This whole disaster coverage seems to be tribal bickering. Wh…
Where is the coverage of What Changed, or What didn't change but should. Railways are not new technology. There have been management metrics for decades on train composition, track maintenance, enroute monitoring, etc. Who owns the railroad and what has their ownership changed?
This whole disaster coverage seems to be tribal bickering. When will we see coverage of the details of who are the owners, what are their connections, what changed, and what needs to change. Railroads are going to run through untold thousands of East Palestines. What should be done to reduce this sort of problem? Having spent a life in tech, I see the explosion of low cost microprocessor technology that should be applied to monitor bearing temps, side loads indicating track problems, etc. I suspect that it is not being applied because of the Woke fixation and the incredible incompetence of the Boomer Democrat leadership in government and industry.
Obviously the first line of responsibility is the ownership. Who owns it, who is in charge of setting policy for managing this? There is almost zero coverage of that. I suspect there is a huge story of insider connections that should be reported.
Dick, I humbly think the culprit here is as old as capitalism itself. Cost cutting. There was a railway catastrophe in Quebec a few years ago, taking the lives of forty or so people -mostly vaporized by the exploding petroleum in tanks when a train derailed in their town. What went wrong? The one man responsible (remember one man..!) for the seventy three car train had a sleep break in a hotel and idled the train with the brakes engaged. Well guess what, brakes failed, the train rumbled on the down slope into town, cars derailed, and the ensuing conflagration made the East Palestine fire look like a pop gun.
If there were other employees involved all of it would have been avoided.
East Palestine might not have happened if there were employees for the requisite mechanical train and track maintenance, it might have been avoided if other locomotives were involved so that the train could be decoupled. But that takes more employees to be hired.
It stands to reason that if railways continue to run trains with only one or two people in charge, they will be overwhelmed by events.
The problem is not capitalism, Kevin. Don't reveal yourself to be an idiot as well as insufferable. (Well, I'm sure if someone gets to know you you're okay. Does anyone know you?)
Capitalism is the only thing that works. I think you in a lucid moment would agree. But it does need to be guided. Are you happy with one or two engineers on a train? If so, buy a home near the tracks and wait for the fun to begin. There's only a thousand derailments a year in this country.
But then I do remember you thought it might be Putin behind all this..
An edit: Just to let you know, I did know Stalin in a prior life. He send his regards..
I agree. And the plane situation and airport/runway/FAA situation is scary. As are ships and ports. Makes me wonder what we are getting from a Department of Transportation if they just do the bidding of those they are to be regulating.
Yes on that. I guess it's the price we are paying for the religion of deregulation. Great for free market capitalism, but maybe not so great for safety..
I would say it is the price we pay for overregulation of minutiae to the extent that the stuff that matters falls through the cracks. We have been funding infrastructure since 2009. Where has all that money gone?
Railways have successfully lobbied for bare crews transporting volatile and toxic chemicals. The governments of either party have acceded to that. The stuff that matters has fallen through the cracks, but only because real people are not manning their posts. Because they are not being paid to. It's deregulation.
Coming soon - a commercial 200 passenger plane with one pilot. And after you and I are gone, no pilots.
It's not a problem with minutiae here (always liked that word..) - in my opinion it's the overview that's missing. Think of Tesla with its huge recall of its self driving system. Six years too late because there was no oversight on something clearly defective and misleading. That is the government's fault for letting us be guinea pigs.
There should have been quality reviews after the first several derailment. Steps taken to determine the cause action steps to change/reduce such derailments, etc. if there had been, they would have shared those protocols with the public. At this point it is clear the RR has been ignoring a known defect/fault. This is unforgivable.
I was going to expound but I am so weary of the Boomer hate. Do your own research. It is not simple though so I have no confidence in your ability to do so.
If you do your own research you will find that the Wokesters are driving the capable out of all positions of responsibility. They have taken over HR and have mastered screwing up meetings. They are a plague that is destroying competent management. They are cluelesss and seem incapable of self awareness. Virtue signalling has replaced decisiuon making.
I am uncertain how you define Wokesters but since your other comment specified Boomers it takes no research to know that they are being replaced as they are 58 - 80 years of age. It is a natural progression. If by Wokesters you mean hiring by checking boxes I agree. That does not require much research either.
Yes, 💯 agree. Jordan Peterson did a fascinating interview with Temple Grandin. In it she again and again touched on something I haven’t heard much about anywhere else that I believe could have relevance here: that the blue collar experts who run all of our infrastructure are graying and there is no one to replace them. We don’t and haven’t for a long time had much in the way of high school vocational training and everyone is pushed to go to college or give up. We aren’t training enough people to take over when the graying generation retires. My guess is that this is one component of the crash: not enough people are left to maintain the trains and tracks who really know what they are doing.
I’ve never thought about this, but it’s so true! As a former teacher, “college readiness” lingo begins in first grade…yes, you read that correctly. On the one hand we are to “teach to the individual need of each student”, yet at some point it’s easy to see that many students are just not interested in continuing their education beyond high school. Then what happens? They feel looked down upon because they’ve chosen not to go on the path they’ve been told is best for them. I love what Mike Rowe has done to encourage kids to go to trade school where they can have a successful and important profession with good pay. This constant push for college has become so hurtful and wrong.
Ironically, the return on a college education for the price continues to go lower and lower, except outside of certain fields that are certainly not suited for everyone.
BlackRock and Vanguard are two of the biggest investors in Norfolk Southern. They were also huge contributors to Biden. The people of East Palestine are fungible.
Uh, yes—but not in the way you're implying. In fact, BlackRock—like all big financial companies—plays both sides against the other and contributes hugely (to quote 45) to candidates on all sides of the political spectrum.
Where is the coverage of What Changed, or What didn't change but should. Railways are not new technology. There have been management metrics for decades on train composition, track maintenance, enroute monitoring, etc. Who owns the railroad and what has their ownership changed?
This whole disaster coverage seems to be tribal bickering. When will we see coverage of the details of who are the owners, what are their connections, what changed, and what needs to change. Railroads are going to run through untold thousands of East Palestines. What should be done to reduce this sort of problem? Having spent a life in tech, I see the explosion of low cost microprocessor technology that should be applied to monitor bearing temps, side loads indicating track problems, etc. I suspect that it is not being applied because of the Woke fixation and the incredible incompetence of the Boomer Democrat leadership in government and industry.
Obviously the first line of responsibility is the ownership. Who owns it, who is in charge of setting policy for managing this? There is almost zero coverage of that. I suspect there is a huge story of insider connections that should be reported.
Dick, I humbly think the culprit here is as old as capitalism itself. Cost cutting. There was a railway catastrophe in Quebec a few years ago, taking the lives of forty or so people -mostly vaporized by the exploding petroleum in tanks when a train derailed in their town. What went wrong? The one man responsible (remember one man..!) for the seventy three car train had a sleep break in a hotel and idled the train with the brakes engaged. Well guess what, brakes failed, the train rumbled on the down slope into town, cars derailed, and the ensuing conflagration made the East Palestine fire look like a pop gun.
If there were other employees involved all of it would have been avoided.
East Palestine might not have happened if there were employees for the requisite mechanical train and track maintenance, it might have been avoided if other locomotives were involved so that the train could be decoupled. But that takes more employees to be hired.
It stands to reason that if railways continue to run trains with only one or two people in charge, they will be overwhelmed by events.
Cost cutting.
“The problem is capitalism we need even more power.”
-Lee and Stalin
The problem is not capitalism, Kevin. Don't reveal yourself to be an idiot as well as insufferable. (Well, I'm sure if someone gets to know you you're okay. Does anyone know you?)
Capitalism is the only thing that works. I think you in a lucid moment would agree. But it does need to be guided. Are you happy with one or two engineers on a train? If so, buy a home near the tracks and wait for the fun to begin. There's only a thousand derailments a year in this country.
But then I do remember you thought it might be Putin behind all this..
An edit: Just to let you know, I did know Stalin in a prior life. He send his regards..
I agree. And the plane situation and airport/runway/FAA situation is scary. As are ships and ports. Makes me wonder what we are getting from a Department of Transportation if they just do the bidding of those they are to be regulating.
Yes on that. I guess it's the price we are paying for the religion of deregulation. Great for free market capitalism, but maybe not so great for safety..
I would say it is the price we pay for overregulation of minutiae to the extent that the stuff that matters falls through the cracks. We have been funding infrastructure since 2009. Where has all that money gone?
Can't agree there. Though I respect your opinion.
Railways have successfully lobbied for bare crews transporting volatile and toxic chemicals. The governments of either party have acceded to that. The stuff that matters has fallen through the cracks, but only because real people are not manning their posts. Because they are not being paid to. It's deregulation.
Coming soon - a commercial 200 passenger plane with one pilot. And after you and I are gone, no pilots.
It's not a problem with minutiae here (always liked that word..) - in my opinion it's the overview that's missing. Think of Tesla with its huge recall of its self driving system. Six years too late because there was no oversight on something clearly defective and misleading. That is the government's fault for letting us be guinea pigs.
Same with railways. I'm ranting. Sorry, Lynne.
Rant away. But I think we do agree. Just because I am opposed to big government does not mean I want no government. I want effective government.
There should have been quality reviews after the first several derailment. Steps taken to determine the cause action steps to change/reduce such derailments, etc. if there had been, they would have shared those protocols with the public. At this point it is clear the RR has been ignoring a known defect/fault. This is unforgivable.
I was going to expound but I am so weary of the Boomer hate. Do your own research. It is not simple though so I have no confidence in your ability to do so.
If you do your own research you will find that the Wokesters are driving the capable out of all positions of responsibility. They have taken over HR and have mastered screwing up meetings. They are a plague that is destroying competent management. They are cluelesss and seem incapable of self awareness. Virtue signalling has replaced decisiuon making.
I am uncertain how you define Wokesters but since your other comment specified Boomers it takes no research to know that they are being replaced as they are 58 - 80 years of age. It is a natural progression. If by Wokesters you mean hiring by checking boxes I agree. That does not require much research either.
Yes, 💯 agree. Jordan Peterson did a fascinating interview with Temple Grandin. In it she again and again touched on something I haven’t heard much about anywhere else that I believe could have relevance here: that the blue collar experts who run all of our infrastructure are graying and there is no one to replace them. We don’t and haven’t for a long time had much in the way of high school vocational training and everyone is pushed to go to college or give up. We aren’t training enough people to take over when the graying generation retires. My guess is that this is one component of the crash: not enough people are left to maintain the trains and tracks who really know what they are doing.
So, contrary to Dick Illyes and countless others opinions, Boomers provide a vital service in this arena?
I’ve never thought about this, but it’s so true! As a former teacher, “college readiness” lingo begins in first grade…yes, you read that correctly. On the one hand we are to “teach to the individual need of each student”, yet at some point it’s easy to see that many students are just not interested in continuing their education beyond high school. Then what happens? They feel looked down upon because they’ve chosen not to go on the path they’ve been told is best for them. I love what Mike Rowe has done to encourage kids to go to trade school where they can have a successful and important profession with good pay. This constant push for college has become so hurtful and wrong.
But extremely lucrative for progressive academia.
Ironically, the return on a college education for the price continues to go lower and lower, except outside of certain fields that are certainly not suited for everyone.
The Norfolk Southern Railroad Company owned the train.
The Wall Street Journal has an excellent piece on the company and the other train derailments it's been involved with here: https://www.wsj.com/articles/norfolk-southerns-train-derailment-in-ohio-damages-esg-credentials-esg-insight-eaf909d5
BlackRock and Vanguard are two of the biggest investors in Norfolk Southern. They were also huge contributors to Biden. The people of East Palestine are fungible.
>>They were also huge contributors to Biden.<<
Uh, yes—but not in the way you're implying. In fact, BlackRock—like all big financial companies—plays both sides against the other and contributes hugely (to quote 45) to candidates on all sides of the political spectrum.