We've discussed the impracticality of idiot-proof technology before......and how given there are limits on technology but not on stupidity, nothing will ever be developed that somebody can't use incorrectly and possibly do harm in the process.

I'm about convinced that we need to make things more difficult to use, so that a real amount of training and skill is required to be qualified to use things. Now we have cars that parallel park themselves since drivers are supposedly unable to do it themselves - I had to demonstrate that skill to get licensed, along with many others including changing tires, which most drivers today think is accomplished by calling AAA, and have no idea where their jack is stored.

Be pleased they didn't run real steam - imagine the consequences.

dave

I wouldn't call the operator an "idiot", it sounds like she was just under-trained and under-prepared.

This is the reason why there ARE things like the FRA for the real stuff... and curse regulations as we may, almost all of them are written in blood.

I agree entirely. It seems she did her best in a situation which, through no fault of her own, she was not prepared for.

GME

Agreed - I should have better aimed that at the people in charge who set her up for a failure.

dave

What I was impressed by when I looked at that was the documentation and maintenance/operation procedures established by Chance. Considering the number of times that manufacturers get caught up in this stuff (sometimes undeservedly) they appear to have done a pretty creditable job of updating (documentation says 2004) documentation and providing inspection and maintenance procedures. They are also incredibly picky about proper fastener quality, procedures, etc. Eye-opening.

Its probably fair to state that this is unusual from that standpoint. Somebody in Chance should get an award for being proactive, because it just saved them a ton of trouble on this one.

Imagine what it would be like if Baldwin were still updating maintenance manuals and perish the thought 'user guides'..... "WARNING - do not stick hand or extremities into firebox door...."

Exactly, Dave. That reminds me of a story -- my first experience hauling real people.

When I was 13 or 14 I went along to my father's company picnic, but there wasn't much to keep a kid my age interested. In one corner of the park, though, they had set up a 12" or 15" train running on portable track giving rides to little kids. (I don't know that much about park trains - it was a Diesel and two or three cars.) I went over and sat down to watch it. The 18-year old who was running it was obviously bored out of his mind, and he noticed me. So he called me over: "Hey, kid, you wanna run this train for me?" Wow, sure! He gave me about 20 seconds of instruction on how to make the train run and how to stop it, then wandered off looking for beer and girls, I suppose. So for the next hour or so I happily ran the train around the track carrying loads of children. There were no grades or tunnels or other hazards, so nothing went wrong.

But as I think about it now, how stupid was that?!? And why didn't any of the parents speak up?

It was a different world, and when we were kids we learned about using mechanical things just as kids learn about using digital electronic things that defy our use today. I don't think kids today are dumber - just smarter about different things. Our world was also less terrifed of lawyers, accepting of personal accountability, and expected what we used to call "common sense". Every kid I knew mowed the lawn and fixed the mower when it broke down - it is the unusual kid who can fix the family mower now, assuming lawn care isn't contracted out.

If you had tried to hot-rod, I bet several parents would have intervened - and I also bet you would have listened and changed your actions immediately.

You got Frank, so you're doing fine from my POV.

dave

I think if the train operator was only an operator they could pay more attention to locomotive operation & safety. How many tourist operations have the engineer do the Pa system?????

I was at the Zoo last week on business, and asked about the status of the zoo train. I was told that the old train sets that were not involved have been sold, and the new train sets should be on the property sometime this winter. Also, a substantial effort is going into trackwork, but I don't know the details. So far, hopes are that the train will be operational next summer season.

Also stated was that the state safety inspectors will be watching with a magnifying glass.........crew training, and inspection and maintenance logs.

No official announcements now, just conversation with staff in the zoo maintenance department.

This was just posted on the Park Trains email list.
The zoo is going to be using two Sevren Lamb steam outlines, soon:
http://www.courier-journal.com/article/20120906/NEWS01/309060065/Louisville-Zoo-expects-resume-train-rides-year

There's a reason for that. Chance is not just a miniature train manufacturer. Chance builds Carnival Rides, and it just happens that one of the rides they offer is a train.

http://www.chancerides.com/index.html

Apparently they even build, or at least offer to build, 300 foot hyper coasters. They are a huge player in the industry. You may have seen some of their other rides at you local amusement park, zoo, county fair or carnival.

All of those venues have extremely rigorous requirements for inspections, maintenance, operator training etc. Granted, Carnivals can be "fly by night" operations, but they still fall under state jurisdiction in most states, and thus the same rules apply, even if the carnies don't like it.

I'm guessing the main reason the new train isn't by Chance isn't a lack of quality control or safety features so much as "We want ANYTHING BUT THE OLD ONE!" That way they can tell folks that they're using a totally different (and of course safer!) system.

As others have mentioned, it was a different world. I'm guessing it was a G-12, they're quite common as portable trains.

Depending on how it was set up, it may not have been able to go that quickly. More importantly, when set up on flat ground, there's little danger. I was involved in several G-12 derailments as a kid. The train usually just jumped the track due to poor installation. You rode very low to the ground, so they didn't usually roll. Everyone laughed, got out, the operator put it back on, and away we went. No big deal. Today they'd sue!

As I recall, the North Shore Line in the Chicago area used non tapered wheel profiles for their MU passenger equipment, which operated at speeds of around 80 mph. My understanding is that this was a result of tests performed by the railroad to address excessive wheel hunting at high speeds. They hung a movie camera under one of their cars with tapered treads and were appalled at what they saw. At the time, the North Shore and the Chicago elevated system were under common control (as part of the Insull utility/railroad group), which may explain why the 'L followed suit.