Insufficient brake force blamed in Quebec derailment

LAC-MEGANTIC, Que. – Insufficient brake force was applied before an oil train slammed into a town in Quebec on July 6 and killed 47 people, officials said Friday. Donald Ross, chief investigator for the Transportation Safety Board of Canada, said the insufficient brake force [...]

DeQueen & Eastern yardmasters go SMART

Joining their fellow train and engine workers employed by the DeQueen & Eastern Railroad, the company’s yardmasters July 17 chose the SMART Transportation Division as their bargaining representative. By a two-to-one margin, the yardmasters opted for SMART TD. Train [...]

Pilots challenged by monitoring automated systems

WASHINGTON – Airline pilots spend nearly all their time monitoring automated cockpit systems rather than “hand-flying” planes, but their brains aren’t wired to continually pay close attention to instruments that rarely fail or show discrepancies. As a result [...]

Anaheim regional meeting entertainment set

While the focus of the SMART Transportation Division’s regional meetings has always been on education for its members, attendees are provided the opportunity for a little relaxation as well. Those attending the Anaheim regional meeting scheduled for July 29-31 are in fo [...]

Union says one-man train crews unsafe

HERMON, Maine — The runaway Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway train that plowed through a small Quebec town killing 50 people on July 6 had one engineer assigned to it. The American union of railway workers representing most of Montreal, Maine and Atlantic Railway workers [...]

New website is gateway to rail health benefits

A new and improved site – www.yourtracktohealth.com – replaces the previous Railroad Information Depot (www.rrinfodepot.com). Bookmark the new website address for easy future access: www.yourtracktohealth.com. The new yourtracktohealth.com is your online gateway to informatio [...]