via E-Mail
For suggestion or comments contact Cy Martin via E-Mail
When more and more engineers and trainmen were being killed or injured by bullets, rocks, bottles and even cinderblocks, the Federal Railroad Administration insisted that missle resistant windows be installed on locomotives,
Unfortunately, however, no one in the FRA or railroad managements bothered to figure out that we can't close the windows when the inside cab temperature is 120 degrees.
Furnishing air conditioning to amelorate the harsh, temperatures of cab environment would be a committment to caring for the health of engine crews.
Some railroad managements claim that air conditioning units are unreliable and hard to maintain. Hogwash. I hate to say it, but you and I know that the Japanese could build a dependable unit.
The railroad industry has to commit, and say, "We are going to air condition our locomotives for the health and safety of our crews. We are going to see that the units work reliably and if they don't work for the whole time between overhauls of the locomotive, we will know why and those responsible will suffer, be they our own engineering and procurement people or the suppliers.
Passenger trains have been air conditioned for 65 years. There is no valid reason why the cold air never made it to the head end of the train except lack of commitment.
Cy is a Locomotive Engineer in Fort Worth.
6-97