The horrible high speed wreck of Amtrak 188 in Philadelphia surely has many people -- myself included -- thinking about passenger train derailments in general. It's just the way I'm "wired", but, whether as a passenger, a member of the engine crew, or a supervisor, I always have thought about what action to take in case of a derailment. These days, I am a passenger, and, when boarding and getting seated, I always look around and try to think of a primary and secondary escape plan. When walking in the train while underway, and especially when passing between cars, I use part of my brain to revise my action plan. This is not from fear, but, as a former railroader and lifelong student of railroading I am always aware of what could happen (but almost certainly won't). Maybe you do something similar. Being aboard a passenger train, one has a feeling of being aboard the safest mode of intercity transportation. But the Five P's are branded onto part of my brain -- Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance.
So, this wreck took me back to 1984, when I was appointed Road Foreman of Engines on Santa Fe's Needles Subdivision, between Barstow and Needles, 170 miles of high speed double track through very sparsely populated desert. Amtrak Nos. 3 and 4 met every night on the Needles Subdivision at a combined speed of 180 MPH. When getting adjusted to the new assignment, there were a lot of things to do: learn the railroad (grades, curves, bridges, signal locations, station names and milepost locations); learn the main and secondary roads that allow motor vehicle access to the railroad at all locations; get to know the people who operate the trains, maintain the track, and maintain the signals; pay a courtesy call on the Sheriff's Department. There were three possible scenarios that seemed to me to be the worst that could happen on the Needles Subdivision:
- A train collision. We had good crews with good rules compliance, and the likelihood of a rear-end collision was low. But a failed journal or a broken rail could possibly have caused a train to derail and foul the adjacent track with an opposing 90 MPH passenger train or 70 MPH freight train too close to stop before colliding with the derailed equipment.
- A washout. The railroad runs parallel to desert mountain ranges and is crossed by numerous dry washes that become channels for flash floods during the early summer monsoon season. They can happen in the dark of night.
- A passenger train derailment at high speed out in the dark of the desert. Emergency responders would have difficulty locating the wreck in many locations if all the lights on the passenger train went out during the wreck.
Fortunately, during the nine years that I was assigned to the Needles Subdivision, we had only two freight train derailments, no passenger train derailments, and no injuries as a result of derailments. But there was still a plan for action floating around in part of my brain. And the first thing I did upon awakening was to call the Dispatcher and check on Numbers 3 and 4.
The actions of passengers and first responders in the Philadelphia wreck show that there was good preparation and clear thinking by people who went into action, beginning as soon as the train derailed. We all hate to see a wreck like this happen, but can take comfort that it is a rare event, and that millions of passengers have traveled safely at high speed on that route. And a tip of the hat is definitely due to the Fire Department and Police Department, as well as several clear-thinking passengers, for their actions in getting dazed or injured people from the train to safety and/or medical treatment. The news is not reporting anything about Amtrak's employees, but you can bet that a number of them had a plan for action in case of this, and their behind-the-scenes actions in getting equipment into place to clear the wreck and to allow access by emergency vehicles is surely a factor in getting the passengers to safety and restoring train service as quickly as possible.
Finally, think about the performance of railroaders, passengers, and first responders in this wreck, and then think about the miserable performance of the railroad which caused the Lac Megantic oil train wreck. Quite a contrast.
She was never involved in a derailment, but had been on trains that hit vehicles at crossings, and people on the tracks.
