Metrorail Shows Good Thinking

Just got my November '08 copy of Railway Track and Structures, and was pleased to read a story about how Metrorail dealt with a Track Inspector who failed to identify poor track (scroll down to October 17) that ultimately led to the derailment on June 9th of Train 905 near their Court House Station. I read this article wondering if that Inspector was "let go" as a result. I was gratified that such was not the case!

I was even more gratified to read that Metrorail has put into place a great deal of effort to insure that a similar superficial inspection was less likely to happen again. The inspector was not fired, but retrained. Further, Metrorail has installed a new Track Inspector Certification Program involving both written and other practical exams, and has made the Program mandatory for not only new but also current Track Inspectors. I was amazed to read that Metrorail employs a total of thirty-seven track inspectors, and that they all had completed the new training program by mid-October.

To be sure, as you read the article you will learn that the inspector failed to comply with many existing directives. To be sure, readers of Rip Track have, in the past, been critical of some of Metrorail's policies and operational practices. But this has to be seen as a step in the right direction when compared with what was traditionally done.

When I was climbing up the engineering organizational chart, the normal procedure was to send a new recruit out to inspect track without much more training than that recruit had learned as a laborer/machine operator/foreman. Such training could be good or bad, depending on who the recruit had worked for. In other words, a good boss equaled good training, and vice versa. If the new recruit was lucky, and learned the nuances of his trade, survival! If, on the other hand, the recruit shared the experience of our Metrorail Inspector, it was "back to your tools."

Metrorail's approach is better, more proactive. Good on 'em!

And, Happy Thanksgiving, too!

SCRRA Crash Today . . .

Metrolink (SCRRA) is still having bad luck. A Metrolink Train sideswiped a freight train in Rialto, California. The story is here, at least as much as there is now.

There have been recent developments in the Chatsworth disaster, too. Rip is putting together some links and some thoughts that will hopefully be up soon.

Short Lines, not as long but just as wide: Election Results!

Not the results you already know about, but other important results. It was a big day for many Rail Commuter and Transit Agencies last Tuesday. For the most part, voters strongly supported tax and bond issues to fund construction and expansion of Commuter Rail and Light Rail projects. The NRC reviews many outcomes. A blog at Progressive Railroading comments as well.

APTA makes a sweeping comment about the vast number of projects awaiting funding, projects already approved and ready to go.

The old voting patterns remain: Areas that have rail transit know the benefits and support these projects; areas that do not (ie. Kansas City) reject them. Many have wondered if recent lower gasoline prices gave some voters a short memory concerning our undesireable dependence on foreign oil.

An example of a city that has embraced Light Rail Transit is Portland, Oregon. Congrats are in order for the area, as the new Westside Rail Commuter Line is about to be opened. There is no doubt in my mind that cities like Portland will thrive in the future while cities like Kansas City will not, simply due to the investment made in rail transit infrastructure.

Another issue: When will the economy pick up? I have no better idea than anyone else, but I do know an excellent indicator. When centerbeam flatcars such as these are no longer seen stored along lonely desert sidings, the recovery will be underway!

AREMA 2008 Annual Conference

As many predicted, the whole affair in Salt Lake City came off very well. Having noted that, most believed that the Exhibits came off better than the Sessions. The Salt Lake City Convention Center was a wonderful setting no matter what objections or praise could be heard. The exhibit space entrance was sharp, and led attendees into a variety of displays; a choice could be made between visiting old supplier friends and making new ones. I did hear that the total square footage seemed less than one of the major shows from maybe five years ago, but I believe that the Salt Lake City event seemed definitely larger than last year's show in Chicago, and probably larger than the show two years ago in Louisville, Kentucky.

No outdoor exhibits were to be seen, but there were static displays of various heavy equipment in the Hall to offset that fact. While seeing innovations in trackwork machinery actually happening in front of your eyes on track is a great thing, there is no doubt that pulling off these outdoor displays is tough. First, there must be a little used yard facility that can be dedicated for the time required to set up, show, and take down. Little used yard facilities are not easy to find, and this fact alone limits potential sites for AREMA Rail Expos. Second, the logistics of transportation, insurance, basic creature comforts, and the potential for bad weather have to be accomodated. Did we see our last outdoor displays in Louisville? Time will tell.

One thing that worked was the close proximity of the exhibits to the sessions. A quick escalator ride brought attendees to whichever. A quick look over the railing from the walkway going by the session rooms could even be used to locate colleagues.

Enough about the exhibits, how about the sessions? I heard more than one comment that the sessions seemed a bit "lightweight" in comparison to years past. It seems redundant to say that teamwork shortened our project time and saved us money. But I heard it over and over again. Others said that most of the information presented was already available elsewhere, or had been previously presented elsewhere. When I asked one presenter if I should attend his, or another that was in conflict, he remarked that he would like to go with me to the other! One presentation that I had planned to take in was cancelled entirely!

Having done presentations such as these myself, I can attest to the difficulty of doing something that becomes worthwhile to those in attendance. It is easy to simply decide that "something is good enough", but there is a danger here for AREMA. In the end, there absolutely HAS to be value in these sessions and presentations, or our bosses will make it even more difficult for us to justify going. That does neither AREMA nor individuals any good. Simply filling timeslots in an ambitious session schedule will not do at all.

Was the AREMA 2008 Annual Conference worthwhile? Yes, of course! I did, and others I know of, made the event a place where problems could be solved and efforts could be smoothed.

See you in Chicago in September 2009!

Short Lines, not as long but just as wide: Chatsworth and AREMA

Mass Transit Magazine has a very good review of the investigation of the Metrolink disaster up until now. What is the reaction of the politicians? As noted by Railway Age, it is pretty predictable, especially in an election year. I remember Will Rogers once saying that all a politician has to do is "Point with pride and view with alarm". More important, as the investigation goes forward, everyone learns not to jump to conclusions. Hopefully, the media is learning that, but probably not.

The Annual American Railway Engineering and Maintenance Association Conference is happening next week in Salt Lake City.


Rip will be there, of course! I have marked a session on the New Mexico Rail Runner Project, Flange Bearing Technology, and some new technology involving Track Substructure Characterization Using Ground Penetrating Radar as those I want to attend.

Hedge Funds have been rightfully pounded lately. Here are more blows. Last week, before it was known whether Hedge Fund reps would be seated on CSX's Board, the railroad's common stock closed at 61.61. Once speculation occurred that all four Hedge Fund reps would have to be seated according to Court Order, the railroad's common was all the way down to 50.60 before rebounding to 56.65 in today's rally. Doesn't look like investors like those Hedge Fund guys.

Looking for an interesting read? Check out "The Men Who Loved Trains" by Rush Loving, Jr. It cronicles the fall and rise of northeastern railroads from the mid fifties until the present, discussing the personalities, decisions, and directions of the PRR, NYC, Penn Central, Amtrak, Conrail, CSX, and Norfolk Southern as routes were cut up and handed out. One of the basic messages of the book is that the Penn Central was the Enron of its day, and if the government had held firm on its promise to control such abuse, events such as Enron and Worldcom would have never happened. My favorite part is a quote that distills the opinions of many concerning the accounting profession, to wit: “Despite the profession’s protestations that it ensures accuracy, accounting can be notoriously subjective, and one can make a logical case for two opposite treatments of the same business transaction.” Beautiful!

Metrolink Disaster

This morning, our thoughts and prayers are with all of the employees and patrons, and their families, who have been devastated by the head-on collision near Chatsworth involving Metrolink.



Links to various news items will not be posted here, for two reasons. First, you have already read at least one, depending on the depth of your personal interest. And second, the media is doing its usual "jumping to conclusions" with certain aspects of the story, and Rip will not be an accomplice to the spreading of stories that may or may not be true.

Having been a part of the management team of a Class One, and having been involved with the media as they investigate a rail disaster, I understand fully why the usual line, "It is still too early to say what caused this disaster; our investigation is still underway and ongoing, and still inconclusive at this time" is used by the railroad's media contact. My experience is that the media rarely comes back for the facts after reporting the initial sensationalism. However, I do believe that in this particular case, a better job in reporting will ultimately happen. Until then, patience is a virtue.

No investigation or reporting will ease the pain of those who have lost so much in this disaster, as evidenced by the emotion of Metrolink's spokesperson. Once again, let's keep them all in thought and prayer.

Short Lines, not as long but just as wide: A New Riptrack Item

New ideas are good! New ideas can be good. I hope this is one of them. From time to time, there are "one liners" that occur in the railroad industry that don't warrant a full page effort, but are important nonetheless. With that in mind, "Short Lines" here at Riptrack is born.

Some of these items might be nothing more than a simple thought that is derived from an arbitrary, electrical verbage syntax that had occurred in my brain. So here goes:

Can someone please come up with a better one of these?



This is the weak link in everyone's railroad. Figure out a better one and you will never work another day in your life.

Arcady asked what my opinion was concerning the California High Speed Rail Initiative. It should be no surprise that Rip is strongly in favor. California is one of at least three locations where High Speed Rail has been discussed. In Texas, the idea of linking DFW with Houston and San Antonio looked like a distinct possibility. Florida also looked at Miami to Orlando to Tampa, if memory serves. High Speed Passenger Rail will be much like Light Rail, insofar as once the first demo is built, the question moves from "why" to "when are we getting ours?" California is a logical first place because, based on the Amtrak success story there, it will be a success.

Ridership is still going up, not only at DART/TRE but also Amtrak. There are many more examples. The downside is that some Agencies are having to choose between service cuts or fare increases. Here is what Sacramento RT is doing.