Re: D&RGW #375 Caught Switching In Durango!
| January 04, 2017 02:13PM |
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We on NZR rode the footboards right up until the Yanks bought it around '93. I can't see that it makes any difference so long as the employee knows how, after all whether the driver can see him or not makes no difference so long as the driver knows he's there.
Only unsafe thing about it was don't cross the coupler when moving forwards. Hanging off the sidesteps was way more dangerous given the angle to step off instantly. As for riding the wagon, always on the trail step not the front, and stepping off, no problem either, even at a good clip. If you look at our Diesels, no walkways or platforms apart from a few that had rear platforms(Aussie-built Da, Db, Dbr, Df).
Crossing between units at trackspeed, no problem under 40mph, just make sure you have a firm grip of the next loco before letting go of the one you're stepping from. One of the fireman that was a trainee with me in '77 fell between two locos after about 6 months on the job, I don't know the circumstances. Only once the one man shunting remotes came in did we start having run overs and fatalities.
Hows this for casual ? Quay and Queen Streets in Auckland1971, obviously stopped at a traffic light.
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Only unsafe thing about it was don't cross the coupler when moving forwards. Hanging off the sidesteps was way more dangerous given the angle to step off instantly. As for riding the wagon, always on the trail step not the front, and stepping off, no problem either, even at a good clip. If you look at our Diesels, no walkways or platforms apart from a few that had rear platforms(Aussie-built Da, Db, Dbr, Df).
Crossing between units at trackspeed, no problem under 40mph, just make sure you have a firm grip of the next loco before letting go of the one you're stepping from. One of the fireman that was a trainee with me in '77 fell between two locos after about 6 months on the job, I don't know the circumstances. Only once the one man shunting remotes came in did we start having run overs and fatalities.
Hows this for casual ? Quay and Queen Streets in Auckland1971, obviously stopped at a traffic light.
[transpressnz.blogspot.co.nz]
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488 stops for water at Los Pinos tank on closing day Oct. 1979. Photo courtesy Don Richter
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