Calderon Says Mexico Violence Stoked by U.S. Weapons

[Cutter68CB]

Not to offend but you are basing your theory on one individual, I've known people who neither drank OR did drugs who just as screwed up as that. I could also point out that Pot never gave any one cirrhosis of the Liver. No one has ever died of an overdose of pot, it is not physically possible.
But all that is beside the point and ignores the fact proven for the past 80 years, Prohibition is a waste of our money that only profits criminals and politicians. Without having any effect on use except possibly INCREASING it through the lure of "forbidden fruit".

Trident, your post is pathetically misinformed, growing tobacco is no more difficult than growing pot, and Booze has been involved in more violent crime than any other drug. In fact, it has been proven that smokers deprived of butts become more violent and suffer longer lasting withdrawel than junkies coming off Heroin. Do some research or stick to what you know .

    No offense takin' Tom...I had alot of time last night at work to think on this subject and could argue it the other way as well. We have all seen or dealt with a scenario like this were it comes down to an individual with an addictive personality to something. I have a step daughter who's father hasn't paid any child-support in years and no job. He spends all his time playing games on a computer...In law enforcement, I saw alot of battered mothers/kids abused by an alcohalic husband/father. The list of addictions just goes on and on. But no one can convince me that lagalizing pot or other substance is going to make the USA any better. So my theory has alot more thought than just one individual. Just the one I pointed out.

     I saw an article on growing tobacco a while back that pointed out that even though growing it isn't much harder than growing many other plants, the trick is in the curing. It takes weeks in a curing house to properly dry tobacco for use. Dry it out too fast and it become bitter. Dry it out to slow and it is at risk to disease. So it might be that you could use a little more reading up on the subject too.

                                                                                                                                              Carlton

[tombogan03884]

3 things Cutter, First, I'm not saying that legalization will make America "Better", I'm arguing that it will not make America any worse and will save the Tax payer a butt load of money in the process.
Second, +10 on the tobacco curing, up here in NH my Dad grew his own a couple times He just cut it and hung it in the Kitchen over the woodstove. My God that sh!t was horrible  
Third, Another second shifter huh ? That's where I do most of my best thinking  

[Cutter68CB]

     Hey Tom, I am glad we can see the issues from each others veiw points! Trying to (walk in anothers shoes) is what I feel these type forums are all about. Without communication there can be no wisdom as a group...
    As for the 2nd shifter!   The truth is I am a locomotive engineer and am on call 24/7/365...I spend half my time in hotels in another state. My wife says that I am gone just enough that she doesn't miss me too much and not home long enough to get on her nerves...LOL.
                                                                                                                          Carlton

[tombogan03884]

 Make sure the Brake man keeps the batteries charged in his light, so they know where to find you  

I do have a serious question, totally off topic, We hear about crashes where the Engineer on a train or driver on a subway was texting, or talking on his cell phone, it makes me wonder, I can understand running into an obstruction that you should have seen and tried to stop for, but other wise, you're on rails, do they require that much attention ?
I hope I don't come across as a jerk saying this but can't you do like I do on CNC machinery, hit the start button and go get something from the munchy machine ?

[TAB]

It can take several miles for a train to stop/slow dowm.  the bullet train in france takes 20 miles to stop from top speed. 

[Sponsor]

[tombogan03884]

 I understand that part, but it doesn't seem like it would miss a corner or anything like if you were texting while driving your car.

[Cutter68CB]

     Hey Tom, I see your in from work! First off I like talking about my job, so ya'll can shoot any question about railroads at me and I will do my best to explain it. Second, You will most likely hear about any train accident that has deaths and large property damage...The problem with it is the reporters really don't understand what their talking about. Nothing new there!!! So with that said I will give you a simple answer and if it isn't enough, I'll come back with the hard answer. Deal?
So to answer your question it is yes and no... Sorry I couldn't pass that one up!  There is a really big difference between your typical Amtrak/Subway passenger style trains that rarely have more than a dozen cars as to a real thru-frieght train with anywhere from 30 to 150 cars of heavy frieght. To give you an idea of the difference, one of the heaviest trains I run is a 136 car coal train that weighes in around 20,000 gross tons and runs 2 motors on the front and 1 motor on the rear to push and uses 13,200 hp. An Amtrak may have 1 3000 hp motor and 7 cars and weigh in at 800 gross tons. Now it takes alot of effort to get that coal train up and moving. And once you do it's like having a Tiger by the tail. About the only time I can walk away is if I am going up a grade and the whole train is stretched out. If I am lucky the grade will be several miles long giving me time to go to the restroom or grab something out to snack on. For the most part I am munipulating the amount of power or bracking effort between the front and rear engines to keep the train from 1. speeding and 2. breaking apart...The knucles that couple each car togather can only handle about 300,000 lbs. of resistance. One of my engines weigh in over 400k and a loaded coal car weighs in around 220k each. Believe me, trying to stop one of these monsters will give you a whole new understanding of the term (A**hole pucker)!!! So There isn't any kind of system to date that can safely control one of these trains.
Now on the other hand, there are systems in most places for Subway systems that do control train movement. There are alot like an airplane auto pilot system known as (positive train control). The accident in New York has that system in place, but I am unsure if it was being used at the time of the accident... The accident in Cal. did not have that system even though FRA had recommended it years before during the last big accident that company had. Now the issue that comes up is that  the subway system in the cal. accident is a contractor that uses non-union employees. Pretty much the (rent a cops) of transportation. Most of the people working there couldn't get on with a real railroad or were terminated from a railroad. This guy was flat out screwing up. Our signals are pretty much the same as automotive traffic signals. Green-go. Yellow- Caution(Be prepared to stop before next signal) and Red-stop. He got by the yellow that told him to be slow down and be ready to stop. Than ran passed the Red where he should have stop at...Yes he was texting on his phone. Most companies have a rule of no electronic devices while moving. Now the FRA has a federal law on it. $10k fine to anyone caught doing it. I hope this helps a little and if not just ask!
                                                                                                                                                          Carlton

[Cutter68CB]

It can take several miles for a train to stop/slow dowm.  the bullet train in france takes 20 miles to stop from top speed. 

Hi TAB! I haven't got to chat with you yet. Nice to meet you and one thing I would like to point out about those Bullet trains is they can stop alot sooner than that. It's that they don't want the passengers to spill their drinks or fly out the window!!!

[Cutter68CB]

I understand that part, but it doesn't seem like it would miss a corner or anything like if you were texting while driving your car.

    Tom the truth is there can be speed restriction on segments of track due to sharp curves or steep grades. Railroads tend to use switchbacks up the steepest grades and in mountain terrain. All main line track have ratings as to how fast with how much weight you can run. A loaded coal train may have to run at a reduced speed due to these type of restrictions. Most all engines are Diesel/Electric. A V16 motor turning a 600 volt generator that can produce up 170kb. of torque spred across 6 electric motors one on each axle. Reverse the polarity and you have giant electromagnets. We use this as one way to apply braking for the train. The other is an air brake system like the ones used on a tractor/trailer. The air line runs the entire length of the train and if it is broken at any point the brakes will apply. Even with all this, Going down a steep grade towards a curve can put a real strain on the braking system. Alot of train accidents do happen from exceeding the the maximum alowed lateral forces on the rail by a train going too fast.

[Pathfinder]

Can't help but de-rail this thread a little bit more.

As one who has been in the cab of a TGV train at 280kph, I can tell you they are intense. You literally pass another TGV going the other direction in the blink of an eye - and that's for a 15-car train. But they do stop fairly quickly, and have an emergency "dead man's switch" - a timer goes off every couple of minutes and the engineer has less than 30 seconds or so to respond or the train goes into full emergency stop.

Fun time in that cab, a RR engineer who looked like a young Jean-Paul Belmondo, spoke zero English, the friend who arranged the ride up front (her former husband worked for the national railroad) who also spoke no English, and me whose French was best described as "hopeless".

I've been something of a train buff, been in the cab of numerous working locomotives across the country, everything from old Alcos to a little SW-1500 to modern wide cabs. The physics involved in a 100+ car loaded coal train are staggering.

Cutter, coming from an amateur, you have a cool job! Especially now that they put a john in the cab nose for you guys!!!