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I saw this video when it first hit YT and thought it was too much of an coincidence that this person just happened to be on site railfaning a seldom used industrial siding when the accident occurred.
Terrible. Hopefully he will be made accountable for his actions...
"A train conductor...tried to make an emergency stop." Not THE engineer??
But he couldn't stop the train "before reaching the spot where the missing switch should have been." WHAT!! The entire switch was missing??
"The investigator later found that a padlock that was supposed to be attached to the switch was missing--indicating that it had been tampered with." That's the only conclusion??
Some of today's journalists should just look for other, less intellectually-challenging work.
@smd4 posted:"A train conductor...tried to make an emergency stop." Not THE engineer??
But he couldn't stop the train "before reaching the spot where the missing switch should have been." WHAT!! The entire switch was missing??
"The investigator later found that a padlock that was supposed to be attached to the switch was missing--indicating that it had been tampered with." That's the only conclusion??
Some of today's journalists should just look for other, less intellectually-challenging work.
Hey at least the grammar was ok?
The switch was beamed out that’s why it was missing……or maybe they picked it up? Was it a tinplate switch or Ross custom?
The logic was OK, too. I'm not sure what else one could deduce from the fact the padlock was missing, except that the switch had been "tampered with." By whom and for what purpose would not be revealed by the mere fact of the missing lock.
@B Smith posted:The logic was OK, too. I'm not sure what else one could deduce from the fact the padlock was missing, except that the switch had been "tampered with." By whom and for what purpose would not be revealed by the mere fact of the missing lock.
There are obviously other reasons why the lock might not have been there. Malicious "tampering" is only one of those reasons. When and if they find the lock with the shank cut, then we can go to tampering.
@smd4 posted:...Some of today's journalists should just look for other, less intellectually-challenging work.
Journalism has been dead for a LONG time. This story is a shining example.
Of all the various occupations in this world, today's "news" people (TV, digital, and print) rank at the very bottom of my list. I cannot watch local news any more. It is SO bad. And the big networks aren't much better.
This Youtube video has some more information on it. (Graphics and cuts are a little annoying though....)
@Rich Melvin posted:Journalism has been dead for a LONG time. This story is a shining example.
Of all the various occupations in this world, today's "news" people (TV, digital, and print) rank at the very bottom of my list. I cannot watch local news any more. It is SO bad. And the big networks aren't much better.
Yes. I can't imagine that schools are teaching future journalists to interview all parties on both sides, asking Who, What, When, Where, How, and Why. After the story is written it would be nice if the headline concisely and truthfully summed up the reporting in the story.
John
What’s with the media bashing? The local TV news I watch does a great job.
@JimFMB posted:What’s with the media bashing? The local TV news I watch does a great job.
You sir, are then definitely in the minority!
I would like to see this person tried as a juvenile. After the evidence convicts him, give him a 2 year sentence and suspend all but 2 weeks of it. Let him serve that in the County jail. Also give him 2 years of probation, and 300 hours of community service. Given that he virtually confessed to doing it, it's a chance to teach him a lesson and make him into a responsible human being. Sending him to state prison will harden his attitude and further his education (not in a good way).
If he straightens out, great. If not, he should serve the remainder of his sentence at a state correctional institution.
First, last, and only chance.
George
@JimFMB posted:What’s with the media bashing? The local TV news I watch does a great job.
Watch any news reporting on pretty much anything to do with aviation. If you have no idea what you're talking about, you really shouldn't be talking! I'm sure Rich knows exactly what I'm talking about, talk about clueless reporting! That's not only local news, but the national news as well.
Don’t wish to debate this on a hobby forum. On more than one occasion I have been personally misquoted by the media and part of the reason is that the journalist is not an expert on the subject matter. Like any vocation there are good, competent, and incompetent people in every field. God must have made a point of scattering idiots and horses butts in all walks of life.
@JimFMB posted:Don’t wish to debate this on a hobby forum. On more than one occasion I have been personally misquoted by the media and part of the reason is that the journalist is not an expert on the subject matter.
But,,,,,,,,,,,,wouldn't you think that the people that write the scripts that the "talking heads" read on the air, would/could do just a little research on the subject they are about to report on? For example, how many decades and decades has it been that the media CONTINUES to refer to the Conductor "did such and such", when reporting on railroad subjects? Plus, the same "reporters" CONTINUE to make the same mistake!
Like any vocation there are good, competent, and incompetent people in every field. God must have made a point of scattering idiots and horses butts in all walks of life.
@Rich Melvin posted:Journalism has been dead for a LONG time. This story is a shining example.
Of all the various occupations in this world, today's "news" people (TV, digital, and print) rank at the very bottom of my list. I cannot watch local news any more. It is SO bad. And the big networks aren't much better.
AMEN
@Hot Water posted:For example, how many decades and decades has it been that the media CONTINUES to refer to the Conductor "did such and such"
Exactly. When did "Conductor" come to mean the person operating a train, and why did the perfectly good word "Engineer" disappear?
@JimFMB posted:On more than one occasion I have been personally misquoted by the media and part of the reason is that the journalist is not an expert on the subject matter.
And that's fine--but they should know how to find the experts in order to provide accurate information.
But how about just plain common sense? Did the reporter really think the entire switch was missing? Did she confuse "missing" with "misaligned?" Maybe she didn't really know what a switch was. Is this something she should have asked about? Seems pretty important to the story, so you think she would have asked a railroader about what a switch is, and how it works.
Someone on-line wrote this, and I think it's pretty spot-on:
"If you ever want to see how terrible journalists are read something by them on a subject you know a lot about."
While we can bemoan the loss of journalistic skills until we are out of breath, I am more disturbed by the fact that a teen felt it was perfectly acceptable to misalign a switch, take a video of the train derailing, and then post it on social media. What were they thinking? I mean there is stupid and then there is really stupid. How were they not planning on getting caught and why would they risk the lives of others?
This came to my Google news feed yesterday and I don't remember what the site was, but at least the written article was mostly factual. It did say that local authorities were looking to try the teen as an adult.
"I am more disturbed by the fact that a teen felt it was perfectly acceptable to misalign a switch, take a video of the train derailing, and then post it on social media. What were they thinking? I mean there is stupid and then there is really stupid. How were they not planning on getting caught and why would they risk the lives of others? "
Jonathan, it boggles the mind.
Paul
@Railrunnin posted:"I am more disturbed by the fact that a teen felt it was perfectly acceptable to misalign a switch, take a video of the train derailing, and then post it on social media. What were they thinking? I mean there is stupid and then there is really stupid. How were they not planning on getting caught and why would they risk the lives of others? "
Jonathan, it boggles the mind.
Paul
It really does. And it makes me waver in my thought of trying to save him. Maybe it's more of a prayer than a thought. I don't know anymore.
George
So many 'young' people (of all ages) have been numbed to the effects of violence by movies, TV, and online videos that they have lost touch with reality and the aftereffects of something like this. What if some of the RR personal had been killed or severely injured? Or perhaps the perp would have thought "Now I think I'll do a video More Insane than this"? What might his next project entail? He and his family should pay dearly to cover the expenses incurred here. Set an example for his friends and online followers...
@gunrunnerjohn posted:Watch any news reporting on pretty much anything to do with aviation. If you have no idea what you're talking about, you really shouldn't be talking! I'm sure Rich knows exactly what I'm talking about, talk about clueless reporting! That's not only local news, but the national news as well.
Let not forget the “experts “ who are dragged out after a plane goes down. Model of the jet in hand and away we go…………scary
The child is lucky he is not being brought up on federal charges.
https://uscode.house.gov/view....m=0&edition=2000
His life would most likely be essentially over.
As far as the conductor stopping the train, does not the conductor have access to the Emergency Brake Valve?
@WBC posted:The child is lucky he is not being brought up on federal charges.
https://uscode.house.gov/view....m=0&edition=2000
His life would most likely be essentially over.
As far as the conductor stopping the train, does not the conductor have access to the Emergency Brake Valve?
WOW! That's a serious charge. And the nuclear waste is even worse.....
I'm not a psychologist, (nor do I play one on TV), but from what I am observing many young people have problems separating the virtual world from reality. I have been in traffic situations where cars ("piloted" by young people) are weaving through 3 lanes of traffic at ridiculously high speeds. When you do this on a video game and you crash, you just hit a button and it all resets.
IMO, They need to be held accountable when things don't work out that way in the real world. That extends to their parents if they are minors. When I was growing up we called that the school of hard knocks.
I lmagine most have seen the corn-pone cartoons with the sweet damsel staked to the rails, and the tophatted villian dancing around in glee. Roles here should now be reversed. Was perp wearing a tophat?
@WBC posted:The child is lucky he is not being brought up on federal charges.
https://uscode.house.gov/view....m=0&edition=2000
His life would most likely be essentially over.
My question is why isn't he being charged. We keep letting these bad actors off with a slap on the wrist, so there's no reason the next idiot doesn't step it up a notch since there's no real punishment involved! 
Topic closed...have had too many members alert us to the thinly veiled political posts. Those have been edited/deleted.
