The FRA's Railroad 2 Person Crew Regulation Is HERE!

The main reason that the class one railroad want one man crews is their greed; they think if they can cut the crew to just one person then they can give that money to the CEO and the board of directors as profits.

I’m just a van driver for a company transporting railroad crews around Missouri and Illinois. But, I have family and friends who have worked for Union Pacific. The thought that this was so close to passing that this would have allowed 1 man crews is just scary. I’m glad this is stopped for now. I will never be able to be a conductor or engineer. So, I have so much respect for what railroad crews do. The eot device has eliminated the need for a caboose and a third crew member. But, I just don’t see trains ever being run by one man crews. There’s just so much to do. I wouldn’t want to work for a railroad if I had to be solely responsible for all that has to be done to run a train. Keep up the good work guys!

Going to a one man crew would put the railroads in the same situation as Boeing now is in.

unrelated to the video but, do you live in a 5th wheel?

Honestly, the railroads need to bring back the damn caboose with 2 crew members too! Not only for safety, but for security as well!

Let 'em be p____d. This isn't pre-Staggers when the industry as a whole was about to lose out to truckers. This is a new era where people want more rail service to try and reduce road traffic and carbon emissions plus reap the benefits of better efficiency in transportation over long distances. Railroads are raking it in right now and are more interested in serving their investors over customers and employees. It's about time they get raked over the coals by the FRA, STB, and eventually Congress for all the shenaniganry they've been trying to pull since Hunter Harrison put PSR in effect at CSX. I love the railroads and trains in general but I'm disappointed and disturbed by the decisions on the part of management that are obviously driven by cost-cutting rather than safety and quality service.
Now I get that what the industry is really scared of is self-driving trucks taking all their business because shippers wouldn't have to pay truck drivers which would make road haul theoretically more cost-effective over rail transport, but that's only theoretical and the railroads cannot reasonably cut crews down even further and expect things to work out well. They're only looking at numbers, not what's behind those numbers and refusing to factor in that life is not a vacuum. Things go wrong, equipment breaks down, there will be glitches in some system somewhere that "no one could have possibly accounted for" because they couldn't quantify it in data.

I am not surprised railroads wanted one-person crews. The less people they can have on the payroll the more they like it, even at the cost of safety.

Humans can't always control when they have to go or get sick

Bring back caboose's and three man crews for all trains over 6000 feet.

Until Wall Street is regulated out of the equation, you are just tooten' in the breeze.

The Rail Industry serves the Investor,
while ignoring Shippers.
That is the problem

The cost of business is cut to insure Dividends.
The Employment of People who can spot defects
in Rail Cars, Tracks, and any feature that reduces profits.

Without Car Knockers and Towermen as well as Section Crews who
handle assigned portions of track,
the cost of doing business increases.

The Greed of Investors killed the Rail Industry in 1967.

Regulations carry the same weight as law. Federal agencies have been allowed to make their own regulations and make them have the same affect as law since a Supreme Court Ruling in the late 80's. The FRA, EPA, FBI, ATF etc... use this power for their own power rather than safety, efficiency, clean environment etc... Yeah, two man crews are the way to go but don't ever think the FRA did that for the safety of the public or the crews. It was to demonstrate to the Railroads who is in power.

Until congress aproves the rule it still hasn't been set in stone so don't hold your breath

As a retired US Locomotive Engineer now running high-speed trains in China, I am so glad that my friends on the railroads in the US have won a battle. Now it's time to win the war.

1 person trains are INSANE: what's next 1, pilot aircraft, one-person submarines, 1 person military aircraft and ships - what are we going to have 1 person in control of America's nuclear systems - yea, yea, I get it, but 1 person control is INSANITY, and it's not safe As always, its the dollar which is KING.

Now I guess all the switching railroads with single remote control operators will have to apply for exemptions?

The thought of a engineer having a medical emergency and no one there to help them is crazy

Requiring a two person crew on a one mile train should not be a big deal. You have hundreds of thousands of dollars of merchandise and materials on a train. One more salaried employee on a train wouldn't rise costs very much.

NYCT tried to use CBTC signal system as an excuse to to have more 1 man crew on the nyc subway expanded to the rest of NYCT he subway system with a full length trains In the end only one subway got the one man crew the L line for about 1 years NYCT was order to restore the two man crews on that line case they violated the union contract

Sadly since one man crew was place on NYCT I lose a lot of my overtime work to this stupid one man crew crap and since I’m not allowed to work outside my job my pension is low and I have a sick wife and they cut her off my medical Don’t let the the Railroads get away with the one man crew The crew won’t benefit from it Unless you’re get free ice cream and underwear from Warren Buffet

East Palestine with one person in a caboose was very unlikely to happen. Those guys could SMELL a hot box. Congress needs to quit responding to the $$$ and look out for America.

Gotdam son. Explain the regulation to us,, civilians 😅😅😅😅😅😅😅😅

That was the best dressed crew member on an American Railroad, I have ever seen. in your thumbnail.

RR's had 5 member crews in 1956. Fireman, Brakemen, Engineer, Conductor and Rear trainmen. 3,200 tons 76 cars and caboose. 12 hours rest. Now 2 member crew, RR's wants 1 man crew, I guess this helps RR Mgt thinking for Wall street. PSR ,12,000 tons 200 cars trains, rest when they tell you, no time off. RR's killing the profession and people not wanting to do this job now. RR 's got there eyes on that automated freight train in Australia.

This comes down to one thing and one thing only. Money. Simple as that, the class 1 railroads are trying to save a few thousand dollars a year and in doing so they are sacrificing safety. Keep 2 person crews and keep the people around the line safe, as well as the train crews.

Regulations are treated as statutes in court. Regulations can be created or repealed easier and statutes passed by congress are not.

With AI and robotics, get ready for drone trains. Lionel had it right. Conductor/engineer will operate train in a building thousands of miles away.

It is only temporary. Any future president can change it with their administration.

This is the first video of yours I've seen and this raises a few questions for me, but, primarily, something you stated at the end seems to make little sense...

Why would a 1-person crew be acceptable for a locomotive operator ping-ponging back a forth across 20 miles of track for 8 hours a day be acceptable but a 1-person crew on a Class 1 moving across Nevada, Arizona, Montana... for that same amount of time be unacceptable?

Another question would be as far as "hazmat"? You seem to be under the assumption that rail containment is not inherently more safe than highway containment for hazmat materials. Presuming rail containment is 10 times safer than highway containment (the actual number is something like 23.7 times safer if I recall correctly, but 10 makes for easier math), would it not be equally safe just on containment level to have a 10-car train under a single operator as compared to a 53' highway trailer? If the latter is acceptable under a single operator, why would not the former be considered acceptable on the containment safety terms alone without even factoring in vehicular movement, crash hazard, delay in transit, and other potential hazard considerations?

Just to clarify where I'm coming from - I have a lot of rail knowledge but am not a professional railroader, mostly because I detest Unions (there, I said it) and the blanket BS that comes with their activities. I am not anti-labor, I'm skeptical of labor unions (have been in three at various times to zero actual benefit, which is why I left), and am pro-business because it's not any employee that cuts the paycheck but the business entire.

And if you think that railroads can just do as they please... 1). you're a fool, imbecile, or liar, and 2). you've never actually dealt with operations and interfacing with the FRA. I'd much prefer they could do so as they please, so as to make rail once again competitive with government-subsidized forms of transportation.

Lastly, you cite "safety" as something of import. Long experience in a multitude of career fields has taught me the veracity of something I was told by an old (87 years old at that time) machinist - "'Safety' is a figment of the human imagination by which people assure themselves of the correctness of their own risk assessment, and wish to impose those same ideas upon others." What is "unsafe" for you may be "safe enough" for me, as the concept is entirely subjective, not objective, which is why it can never be attained no matter what is done.

Just my thoughts, such as they are. I look forward to any and all responses.

One man crew should be allowed for small operations tbh, like a terminal railway, when you're only pulling a couple of car and have full visibility.

It seems that this is yet another example of bean-counters being clueless about the intricacies of operations. We do not have one man crew in an airline cockpit for the same reason that we should not have one in a locomotive. At the utmost, a one man crew could only make sense if all trains in a given territory are limited to, say, 10 cars, and operate at restricted speed. 2024/04/19. Ontario, Canada.

Would be nice if they took a look at hours.
Rather than just on call, have a set uninterrupted rest time in place.
A tired crew with little sleep is not exactly safe.

I thought about going to school in engineering for train operations but once I learned about the hours and being on call whenever, wherever, I decided against it.

I'd rather drive CDL which has it's own downsides.

What will the Supreme Court rule on this ?

I like to be a rail car unloader for bnsf

Honestly if you are running over a certain length there is a really strong argument to be made for a 3 man crew.

Hey John. I’m waiting to hear on if I got my engineer bid? Do you find out through email or notification on the hub? Thanks for the help!

It might help. How many accidents happened due to a single crewperson? A night, with the new rule, one can sleep while the other drives: still a one-person crew. On the other side, railroads must now service tiny loads in remote areas, two-person crews and necessary safety regulations. Some benefits but certainly higher commodity costs for everyone.

Farmrail has been running 2 man trains for 20+ yrs. Engineer and the conductor in the pickup that follows him.

When I hired out in the 1970's almost every railroad official from bottom up to president started out as railroad men. They were true railroaders, they knew what it took to run a railroad. When that began to end in the 1990's then all the problems going on now and absurdities began to show up. It wasn't a perfect world but it seemed to be a better world for the railroad man, his family, his job, and for railroading as a whole. Locotrol(R) showed up in the 1960's, the predecessor to DPU. Both technologies were designed for better train operation and train handling and that was it. Then fast forward to contemporary times, now that technology is used to reduce costs or heaven forbid eliminate the enginemen and trainmen. The railroad is now getting two bangs for one buck thus over two mile long trains, with power consist in middle of train ( DPU consists absent a trainman and engineman). We had derailments back then, but look at the catastrophic derailments now with these DPU trains! Write off the loss, continue the practice and over the long run make up for it at the bottom line. In North Platte NE Bailey yard, 33 enginemen jobs were eliminated back in the late 90's to remote control yard engines. No matter how many literal crash and burns that had happened during the infancy of this technology was an acceptable part of growing pains by the railroad for this technology was going to make it work no matter what the cost.

Howdy John , UP's president stated the other day that they need to reduce employees so they can make more money to increase dividends to the stock holders more than the 40% range they are paying now . That's insane , they are running a lot of 3 & 4 mile long trains through our state of Arkansas and a lot more states . I'm retired rail train operator that for decades rode our rail trains when loaded and worked all over the UP System as an agreement employee therefore I remained on the train until I arrived at the work site or my train was tied up . I worked so many continuous hours for several days without rest , carrying canned goods to eat and/or getting a chance to run into a 7-11 or fast food store if I was lucky while sitting in a siding waiting on a train meet . Eating a can of Vienna sausage , crackers and bottles of water at 6 a.m. was not uncommon . Running and working on just about all of UP's subdivisions unloading , loading used rail and picking up abandoned rail lines . I saw just about everything , working all hours of the day and night and freezing my butt off as the engineer had his window open so the cool or cold air would help him stay awake . 40, 50 or more hours setting in the seat rolling down the railroad was very stressful . The engineer needs someone to help him run his train SAFELY , calling signals was one thing I did as well as sometimes the conductor would nod off and I would do my job as well as I was responsible for my rail train . I hate to say it but I'll admit one time I had a terrible engineer and conductor , bad attitude and they both were hung-over and mad because I was riding in the lead unit . We were 40m.p.h. speed restriction for our trains , we were running behind another 40 m.p.h. train and knew where they were all of the time . My crew was openly talking crap about me ( hell they didn't know me and I had been extremely nice to them ) and our slow MOW trains . After a while the conductor fell asleep and I was wide awake , the engineer fell asleep , I was blowing the horn at crossings and calling signals to a sleeping crew , as I said we were running blocks and I knew exactly where the train was we were behind . The engineer had been asleep for about 30 minutes and right before we were approaching a Red signal I hollered RED BLOCK , both of them woke up and it scared the Hell out of them . Just before they cold big hole it I told them don't worry the train ahead is plenty far ahead of us . I told them how long each had been asleep and that I had been blowing the horn and they had not woke up . Needless to say they didn't sleep the rest of the trip . I got the same crew a few times after that and they were a totally different crew with a good attitude . I once had a crew get on my rail train on a local subdivision here in Arkansas that my best buddy was a local chairman and I knew a lot of the guys on that subdivision , well the crew had to help the engineer out of the crew van and get him up in the cab . I asked what his job was and the conductor stated the drunk guy was the engineer and that he would be taking his place as the engineer , I instructed him to call the yard office and tell them their engineer was sick and they would have to call a new crew . Words were exchanged and I told the crew i would gladly walk to the yard office at the other end of the yard and make a phone call if needed . It was several hours before my new crew arrived and we come on home here in North Little Rock , Arkansas . While running the crew told me that other crew had been out all night at one of the local beer joints and that I was very smart to do what I did . My buddy that was the local chairman called me a couple days later to get my side of the story , at first he wanted to stand up for his crew and I stood my ground and corrected him about my job and duties . We were ( he died a few years ago and I lost my best friend of more than 40 years ) extremly close friends , more like brothers than friends . After he understood why I did what I did he cooled off and everything was ok . I had to refuse drunk crews three times during my career on rail trains , never once regreting it , my job was on the line as well as theirs and I wasn't getting fired because of them .Kinda went off the rail there but that's part of my story . The UP president is a former CP or CN trainman that knows what it's like out on the railroad but he must be brain washed if he believes all the crap he's saying . The old Missouri Pacific as well as some of the UP rail lines don't have ways to access the different locations the trains could be located and need a man on the ground . A traveling conductor or what ever they might call them would really need a company truck , hi-rail preferred with tools and spare knuckles etc. to get to and correct the problems needed . Travel time to a train and repair time would add up fast , consider more than one train needing help . Their idea of one man crew is too dangerous in many ways , but their almighty desire to make more money is total greed . When I hire on in October 1971 the first thing I was told is ' SAFETY SAFETY SAFETY ' is the most important thing about my job working for the railroad . Doesn't seem like that in this day and age . Too bad our UNION REPRESENTATION doesn't have a backbone anymore . Great to see your channel doing well and growing with over 14,000 subs and growing more and more . Congrats on your engineer promotion and keep them Safely on the rails . Awesome video John .

Hi i jist hired on with UP in Portland Oregon as a conductor im amazed with all the rules with attendance and point system seems to be more to learn there than the actual job!

The shareholders deserve one man crews, now! Hopefully trump will fix this once he gets rid of all the deep state corruption.

How to prepration train conductor job exam can you provide me study material ❤❤❤❤❤

Who cares if the Railroads are pissed? they need to stop pleasing shareholders and start pleasing customers and workers! They're running a Railroad to haul freight! Let them squak but two person crews are a Must!

Good morning, I'm an engineer on NS Railroad. I know this is off-topic. What is the pro and con for nationwide seniority ? NS railroad wants nationwide seniority on the next contract and has stopped coming to the table because of it. Can you make a video so i can show my members? NS Seniority is based on districts ( my Senority is from harrisburg PA to lynchburg virginia)
Thank you, and keep up the good work

Well, as a German, a 1-man crew is normal for freight trains, but we don't have any safety systems or this PTC nonsense.

Since the end of the steam era, we haven't had a 2-man crew on freight trains, with passenger trains only traveling over 160 km/h (100 mph), but that was also done away with in the 90s

This all just sounds like another pitiful attempt by the railroads to save money I mean think about it WHY would you put one man on a 100+ car train and that train encounters a defect in the middle of nowhere such as a broken knuckle, a bad wheel journal or worse, a derailment? What the railroads are proposing by having only one man (or woman) on a train is not only unsafe, but is also downright stupid, which is why I'm glad that the FRA is finally able to step in and regulate this.