Re: NNG: Finger Lakes Railway locomotive rolls over after striking portable derail placed to protect track workers

The derail shouldn't be the only protection, instead it is the last layer. There should be track bullitins or equivilent, flags and possibly flagmen.

You can be sure that the FRA will find out what protection was in place, and how it was handled, if the protection including the derail was properly placed, and was the engineer notified that there was work being done, and the protection in place...

I will note that I have had a FRA inspector have us move a derail, away from a bridge approch to assure that if a locomotive or car derailed it would not be in a dangerouse place (like on a fill)

I problem with real railroading (i.e. not models) is that this equipment is heavy, and mistakes will kill...

Randy Hees

Director, Nevada State Railroad Museum, Boulder City, retired
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