In Other News

In other news, Police are investigating the discovery of two skeletal remains found on a BNSF Train in rural North Dakota. Anonymous sources indicated that the train had been parked in the New Salem siding since early last summer. The gruesome discovery was made by a train crew that had been dispatched from Mandan to relieve the crew on board the train that had expired under the federal hours of service act. Conductor ID Kickum commented that although they were told that the crew had died, they were surprised at how long the crew had been dead. Trainmaster IB Smart with BNSF Railway said that the railroad had been having problems with the new Volume and Velocity program and that they apparently had slipped through the cracks, Smart went on to say that this incident scores the importance of complying with the rules, had the train crew reported to Ft Worth VTR their location and let the dispatcher know when they had less than 2 hrs left to work they would have been immediately relieved," It has long been our policy to relieve train crews long before going on HOS". The identities of the corpses were being withheld until ''availability" investigation notices can be issued?

Site Updates

FOR IMMEDIATE DISTRIBUTION! Signal Aspect and Indication Rules Change 9.1.8 Approach Effective immediately, rule 9.1.8 approach is changed to read; Proceed prepared to stop at next signal, trains exceeding 30 mph immediately reduce to that speed. Exceptions; all Amtrak and all commuter trains 40 mph unless operating with a foreign line railroad?s engine then speed is limited to 33 mph, All engines designated with the letters TFM, FURX, will be limited to 29 mph unless they were former BN, BNSF, ATSF or SF which will be restricted to 19 mph, unless operating on track with jointed rail in Double Track TWC territory in which case the speed will be Immediately reduced to 13 mph and will be governed by SSI item 1b as amended by System Safety Supplement #99, (revision # 43). All engines, regardless of ownership, weighing in excess of 416,000 lbs and less than 420,000 lbs, equipped with ditch lights ,will be required travel less than 36 mph unless a BNSF crew is operating the engine and it is not being operated in the following subdivisions; Glorieta (mp 775 to mp 842.0) Cajon, Gateway, Mojave, Scenic, Stampede, BNSF crews operating on these subs will be restricted to 20 mph or less, unless the ambient temperature does not exceed 55 degrees Fahrenheit for 1 hour or fall below 47 degrees Fahrenheit for 1hour and 5 minutes, then they will be restricted to a speed not to exceed 14 mph for not less than 1 mile prior to the next signal, all foreign line engineers operating BNSF, BN, ATSF, SF units will be allowed to travel at RESTRICTED SPEED , (see attached rule revision) or faster if the train has more than .25 horsepower per ton and does not contain the following empty tank cars; ACFX 17451 thru 17495 or any bulkhead flat not contained in the conductors wheel report, unless amended by; System Special Instruction, System General Order, Subdivision Special Instruction, Subdivision General Order, Subdivision General Notice, Track Bulletin, Track Warrant, Track Condition Message, Dispatchers Say So or Company Officials instruction as long is it is not in writing or witnessed. RESTRICTED SPEED RULE REVISION Restricted speed is changed to read; A speed that will permit stopping within one-half the range of vision, short of train, engine, railroad car, stop signal, derail or switch not properly lined, looking out for broken rails, shunts, and bushes with radar guns attached, not exceeding 10 mph, except when using foreign line engines (because they stop faster than BNSF engines), not to exceed 20 mph unless there is a fog or descending grade within 30 miles, in which case 2 mph cannot be exceeded unless, of course, the conductor wishes to walk ahead of the move then not exceeding 4 mph, except if the conductor is a former switchman, then a speed of 3 mph must not be exceeded, or if you have less than 375 cars, 5 mph may not be exceeded because the train length permits (see Special Instructions for exceptions, additions, changes, errors or omissions they should be somewhere in the first 150 pages of rules changes, as amended by General Order and supplemented by specific instructions on certain subdivisions as put into effect by Superintendent Notice), except if in signaled territory and track is seen to be clear to the next signal and crew is short on time, then 40 mph must not be exceeded.