Pulling the Emergency Break After Missing your Stop?

[diesteldorf]

Yesterday, I was traveling back from Chicago for the weekend when we were suddenly brought to a stop after Wisconsin Dells. It turned out someone missed their stop and took the liberty of pulling the emergency break. We came to a stop. They opened the door and got off without getting caught. The engineer and conductors were pretty ticked, but after a brief track/train inspection we continued on our way. Anyone else lucky enough to witness one of these suddent stops?

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

Yesterday, I was traveling back from Chicago for the weekend when we were suddenly brought to a stop after Wisconsin Dells. It turned out someone missed their stop and took the liberty of pulling the emergency break. We came to a stop. They opened the door and got off without getting caught. The engineer and conductors were pretty ticked, but after a brief track/train inspection we continued on our way. Anyone else lucky enough to witness one of these suddent stops?

Sounds like they might have missed their stop.

Which to the distaste of people on the train and the train crew-- happens.

 

[caravanman]

Nope, it never happened to me. I wonder if they missed their stop, or maybe they were "bad people" who just do bad things to annoy people.. we may never know. (I hope we never know...)

Ed B)

 

[Green Maned Lion]

I've been on a variety of trains that did air-dumps. Usually just before crashing into something at a grade crossing, followed by several hours of delay. I wouldn't call it lucky.

 

[Ryan]

I've had that happen to me on the MARC. At Bowie State (among others) the train is longer than the platform, so not all doors open (a fact that's repeated over and over and over again before and during the stop).

Still, some dingbat didn't get the message on a Friday afternoon, and didn't figure out that when there wasn't any platform outside the door that perhaps relocating to a different door would be a good idea. So, as soon as the train started moving again, we came to an abrupt stop. The conductor (many times) reminded everyone over the PA to not touch the brake, and that all of us were being inconvenienced because a passenger was too dumb to remember that (my words, not hers).

Don't know what happened to the pax in question.

 

[wayman]

I've been on a variety of trains that did air-dumps. Usually just before crashing into something at a grade crossing, followed by several hours of delay. I wouldn't call it lucky.

I've been on a train that did an air-dump and stopped a bit short of whatever was fouling the tracks. I call that lucky.

 

[WICT106]

I also was aboard this train, in coach. At first, the other passengers and I thought that the brake lines had separated, thus "dumping the air," or "Big hole" -ing the trains, and activating the brakes. We sat there for several minutes, and the conductor came through afterwards, very unhappy. Both conductor and assistant conductor had called the local police, where the culprit was arrested. When answering our questions, the conductor indicated that she thought the culprit deserved murder charges for endangering all of the lives of all of the passengers and crew aboard. The rest of our trip went without incident.

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

What's the minimum charge for pulling the break and nearly derailing a train of 200 some pax?

 

[amtrakwolverine]

What's the minimum charge for pulling the break and nearly derailing a train of 200 some pax?

perhaps the same charge as if you pulled the fire alarm at a hotel or something when there wasn't a fire.

 

[AlanB]

What's the minimum charge for pulling the break and nearly derailing a train of 200 some pax?

I'm not sure what the minimum charge or sentence is for pulling the cord when there is no emergency, but it is a Federal offense and you can find yourself doing time in a Federal facility.

 

[amtrakwolverine]

only people allowed to pull it are amtrak employees.

 

[AlanB]

only people allowed to pull it are amtrak employees.

No, that's not true at all.

There aren't many times where a passenger should pull the emergency cord, but there are a few rare situations where you should. Like for example if you see someone caught in the door of a train and it starts to pull out of the station with that person half in/half out of the car.

But missing your stop certainly isn't one of those rare situations.

 

[Green Maned Lion]

I've been on a variety of trains that did air-dumps. Usually just before crashing into something at a grade crossing, followed by several hours of delay. I wouldn't call it lucky.

I've been on a train that did an air-dump and stopped a bit short of whatever was fouling the tracks. I call that lucky.

Yeah, missing it was lucky. Being on a train that does dump the air is not lucky.

 

[amtrakwolverine]

i was on the texas eagle just outside SAN when we hit a SUV that went around the gates. didn't feel nothing and didn't really hear the airdump but we heard the wheels squealing and coming to a stop in the middle of the intersection. there was also a yard conductor who showed up that helps with the switching who ordered everyone back on the train after the conductors had the doors open. she was not in uniform and for all we know she could have trying to get us on the train to hold us hostage and anyone that asked to see her ID she threatened to have them arrested.

 

[Neil_M]

When answering our questions, the conductor indicated that she thought the culprit deserved murder charges for endangering all of the lives of all of the passengers and crew aboard. The rest of our trip went without incident.

Not much of an over reaction there then.........

 

[sechs]

Funny story from a friend of mine...

She was riding Caltrain to work one day. At the Santa Clara stop, you can catch a shuttle to the San Jose Airport. Well, some guy wasn't paying attention and didn't manage to get off there and pulled the emergency cord to stop again. The train was delayed while the crew did a break test, and the local police arrested the guy and questioned the witnesses.

When he was asked what he thought he was doing, he explained that he didn't want to miss his plane. The arresting policeman replies, well, I think that, instead, you've guaranteed that.

 

[VentureForth]

On the Texas Eagle about 7-8 years ago, we hit a tire that was set inbetween the rails on our track. It knocked out an air hose which immediately stopped our train. Not a loud, crashing, stop, but a very fast and steady deceleration. Half the folks sleeping never even stirred. But had someone been inbetween cars, it could have been tragic.

 

[Guest]

There aren't many times where a passenger should pull the emergency cord, but there are a few rare situations where you should. Like for example if you see someone caught in the door of a train and it starts to pull out of the station with that person half in/half out of the car.

I would assume the Attendant had a very good reason for closing the car's door catching a passenger in it, and leave it as that.

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

There aren't many times where a passenger should pull the emergency cord, but there are a few rare situations where you should. Like for example if you see someone caught in the door of a train and it starts to pull out of the station with that person half in/half out of the car.

I would assume the Attendant had a very good reason for closing the car's door catching a passenger in it, and leave it as that.

Actually boarding Amfleets in little stations usually requires one able-bodied person to hoist themselves up onto the trap door stairwell. Sometimes the conductor will signal all clear before the door is closed. It would be quite easy to fall back out the door and end up in an unfortunate position. Thankfully since the train wouldn't be going too fast you'd have a chance at survival if somebody was quick enough to pull the red handle.

As for the handles themselves. They put one or two in every car-- I've always wondered about that-- a "better safe than sorry" move? It would seem that having them everywhere only encourages people to assume they are more along the lines of mundane.

 

[AlanB]

There aren't many times where a passenger should pull the emergency cord, but there are a few rare situations where you should. Like for example if you see someone caught in the door of a train and it starts to pull out of the station with that person half in/half out of the car.

I would assume the Attendant had a very good reason for closing the car's door catching a passenger in it, and leave it as that.

Well most trains in the US, outside of the LD's, have automatic doors, which of course was what I was referring to.

 

[AlanB]

As for the handles themselves. They put one or two in every car-- I've always wondered about that-- a "better safe than sorry" move? It would seem that having them everywhere only encourages people to assume they are more along the lines of mundane.

Well if someone is being dragged, I don't want to have to run to the other end of the car to pull the brake. They could be dead by the time I manage that.

As for mundane, I think not. The handles are painted red, the universal color for emergency/fire engines/stopping, along with the words "EMERGENCY".

The problem is that some people don't seem to actually understand the true definition of emergency.

 

[jack615]

I was on a train in January heading to Newark NJ and apparently there was an incident like that at Back Bay, delaying our train for few minutes, there later was a message asking for witnesses to the incident.

 

[Long Train Runnin']

Now heres a question I've been thinking of. When the handle is pulled is there some way for the engineer or conductor to no which handle activated the brake? Does this vary by the type of car?

 

[printman2000]

On the Texas Eagle about 7-8 years ago, we hit a tire that was set inbetween the rails on our track. It knocked out an air hose which immediately stopped our train. Not a loud, crashing, stop, but a very fast and steady deceleration. Half the folks sleeping never even stirred. But had someone been inbetween cars, it could have been tragic.

I do not understand. What would have happened to someone in between cars?

 

[ALC Rail Writer]

On the Texas Eagle about 7-8 years ago, we hit a tire that was set inbetween the rails on our track. It knocked out an air hose which immediately stopped our train. Not a loud, crashing, stop, but a very fast and steady deceleration. Half the folks sleeping never even stirred. But had someone been inbetween cars, it could have been tragic.

I do not understand. What would have happened to someone in between cars?

Gotten a nasty bruise, broken a bone, moderate injury. Hardly "tragic".