Kelly,
This incident is just now making th Internet Rounds.
The incident happened over a year ago. The trestle has been replaced.
Yes, it was stupid to stop on the trestle.
In the crew's defense however, without a caboose the crew had no way of knowing whether they were being tested or not. A scanner test is the favorite of many Managers (aka Trainmasters and Road Foremen) and "once bitten twice shy". If I had been "dummied" or "leveled" for not stopping for a scanner soon enough, I probably would have done the same thing.
So... in my opinion the company only has itself to blame.
Rick