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i see the question 'train vs something' alot. ofcourse it makes me wonder about larger objects of heavier make. like semis, trash trucks, dump trucks etc. there was a time when EMD made a cab that looked like it belonged on the front of a locomotive, not the space shuttle. ergo those sh***y looking safety cabs. id like to also mention the word anti-climber. consider all those when answering the follwing....

1) how much more underware damaging is it to realize a more significant object is in your path than your standard geo?
2) forget all the random variables (speed, weight, grade, braking) and describe how much more damaging a heavier metal hit can be? (im sure up to derailment is possible here)
3) though unlikely because of obvious reasons, is there training provided for impact situations (before hand)?
4) do the safety cabs of 3rd and 4th gen units provide collision safety, atleast adequately for a heavier object collision? (non rail to rail here)
5) if you answered 4 with a no, would you prefer a 2nd gen cab?
6) excluding all other cabs, were the 2nd gen cabs safe, even for their time? 
7) do anti climbers give any benefit in an impact situation, meaning, do/would they stop an object from climbing over the pilot into the front of the cab or are they just strictly for rail to rail collisions?
8) each year test crashes are done and documented. outside of the testers, and some of the general public, are railroad employees directly informed of the findings?
9) since long hood forward is not prevalent anywhere anymore, is it safe to assume this is because is wasnt as safe as hoped in a collision, the oldest reason of: limited sight (unsafe), or the combination of both... long hood forward blocked vision, and didnt provide the protection in a collision as thought?
10) you have bells, lights, horns, plows, anti climbers, a coupler, and a trainload of weight in chinese vcrs behind you.... is there any one more device you can think of you could add to your train that may possibly aid your safety in a collision? (and dont say ejection seats, we all know yall would turn off the passenger side [conductors])


there. thats 10 ques. a point apeice. anyone who feels like answering all ten can get 1 pt for each. closest one to ten gets the ten points. comical answers accepted, points awarded for those worth writing down.

Samurai Hoghead · Accepted Answer

Good question.  All safety questions are.

1. There is no more frightening a prospect than when seeing a loaded logging truck, a truck carrying a large bulldozer or a truck carrying hazmat foul of the tracks.  On the suck leather scale, these are elevens.

2. Damages are often nothing above the frame left, all the way to the electrical gear in the rear of the cab.  A derailment is always a risk.  Even that Geo can cause one, either directly or indirectly, as a result of the engineer having to dump the air.

3. Training?  No.  Even if there was, it would have to be done from the deck of the cab, which is where everyone goes pre-collision.  There is however protocol in the wake of a grade crossing accident, those things one would expect.

4. They make me feel better and more protected.  I've never seen any stats, but I believe they are much safer.

6. Here I would say no.  Again, I've never seen any figures, but the seats in the cab were more foreword than now, and in the case of some models of GE units, you were so far forward it nearly felt you were over the draw bar.  Here the protection was zero.

7. They could help with larger vehicles. But when the motor comes out of that Geo, they won't help keep it out of the cab window, which is why everyone hits the deck.  Check the collision videos on YouTube.  Ever seen anyone in the cab?  Those aren't ghost trains.

8. Some do, some don't.  Is it fed to them?  No.  But BLE&T does an excellent job of keeping us informed of the biggies.

9. Over the years the creature comforts were low on the totem pole.  Most changes were with an eye toward efficiency.  It's the same today with some carriers.  Tonnage matters, crews don't.  Still no stats, but long hood forward was demonized because it did limit sight lines.  But I don't see how it could be anything other than much safer.  But, this is the 21st century.  Many locos have cameras already.  And when the conductor's place in the cab is no longer needed (sooner than later, guys) only one set of eyes in the cab limits sight line too, long hood rear or forward.

10. Fire proofing.  The cab needs to be replaced by the "capsule."  Totally do-able, and it adds cost to what they pass on to the consumer anyway, so why not?  I'll tell you why not.  No bean counter is in danger of getting fried on any given day at work.

And you've got it backwards.  The engineer wouldn't disable the ejection seat on the left hand side at all, but in some instances he would fire it at the earliest opportunity, except in the case of the particularly troublesome, when in such circumstance launch would be delayed until in the first tunnel...

And the answer to the unasked question eleven* is, no.  It will never stop.

*Ten answers were asked for, but #5 was invalid because the answer to #4 wasn't no.

accomacgeo · Answer

a lon hood on the lead engine prevents short vision in front of the unit being operated and really provides no life giving chances when a accident in progress

press · Answer

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