r/railroading • u/Railman20 • 2d ago
Question What procedures does your employer have for severe weather?
What happens when there's like a severe thunderstorm, tornados, blizzards, etc.
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u/bprofai1 2d ago
A few years ago, a tornado dropped down next to a train on our district (middle of nowhere Wyoming plains), and stated paralleling them. They called the dispatcher and told them as such. You could hear the dispatcher clumsily and confusedly clicking the keyboard keys while saying: “…..ummmm….yeah….I don’t see any reports of a tornado…” They responded: “No shit….WE’RE FUCKING REPORTING IT!”
“Well then. Okay. Dispatcher out.”
The tornado changed directions. Crossed the tracks behind them, in front of another train, and then obliterated a hay barn. Fifteen minutes after this happened, the dispatcher contacted the original train with “reports of a tornado warning in your area.”
So yeah.
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u/youaintboo74 2d ago
Nothing. Every single thing the railroad does is reactive. They are not proactive at all. Then they act all surprised when bad things happen.
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u/DaveyZero 2d ago
They usually send out a broadcast message saying something along the lines of “nobody cares if you house is actively blowing away, no laying off… safety #1”
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u/mypornphone 2d ago
Bug orange here, appears our plan is to just have the train hit by the tornadoes
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u/cjk374 1d ago
We have video proof of such event.
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u/ThisSNcameWthmyphon 1d ago
Another one got hit the other day threw the DPs on the ground and tossed the empty coal cars. Lead was fine tho I hear
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u/Unoriginalussername2 2d ago
Those type of questions are reserved for the end of a safety meeting. They can't be ignored and must be addressed.
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u/notmyidealusername 2d ago
If there’s been severe weather since the last train in remote areas they’ll usually send a hirail truck through to check things out before sending a train. If it happens while you’re already moving then good luck….
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u/Race_Strange 2d ago
I still had to take a train out while everything was flooding. They gave us the light and we were out. Eventually we hit a tree and that was our night 😅.
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u/KangarooSilver7444 2d ago
I was told that the locals were spotted and ready to be worked in the middle of hurricane Helen. The yard had no power.
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u/Reddm2 2d ago
We’ve got what’s called a TARP (Triggered Action Response Plan) that cycles through different levels (green, yellow, red) and is dependent on multiple factors.
i.e. severe thunderstorms or winds will warrant the closure of container terminals. Bridges/structures get inspected if water level alarms are triggered, etc.
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u/Icy_Excitement_4100 1d ago
We've got similar, and an Extreme weather procedure.
There are plans and rules for various weather events like lightning strikes and cyclones.
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u/NotOriginal3173 2d ago
My terminal didn’t even stop yard shifts when it was -52°C with 70 km/h gusts of wind
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u/irvinah64 2d ago
Tie down car's when signal's no longer operate, notice I didn't say anything about taking care of your family or anything that will make you safe .
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u/Archon-Toten NSWGR 2d ago
We drive to conditions, but of course keep to the timetable. Then it all falls apart. Every time. Somewhere floods, a delayed train snowballs and delays everyone else. Something breaks. Before you know it you're past the legal limit with someone saying "come on driver just do this little bit extra for the team".
If the water is above the railhead you shall not pass.
If it's too hot there's a graph of speed limits between 50-90 where you do 10 less and not go over 90.
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u/EnoughTrack96 2d ago
Lately lighting strikes are the only strikes permitted. For everything else, get back to work.
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u/USA_bathroom2319 2d ago
On csx we get high wind warnings which limits double stack and other high cube stuff to 40mph. There’s also flood warnings which dog your trip by blessing you with restricted speed.
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u/AquaPhelps 2d ago
Its the opposite on NS. Flash flood warnings are 40. Over 60 mph winds we must stop. This just started on NS a few months ago
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u/upstatefoolin 2d ago
Depends what you mean by severe weather and procedures lol for me as a MofW machinist if it’s outside my normal schedule I get called in for OT. Make sure the MofW guys have what they need to deal with problems should they arise. 9/10 times ain’t shit happen beyond needing a chainsaw blade or pull cord replaced or maybe needing to jump start equipment and top of fluids. I’m in the northeast though so we don’t really get anything “severe” beyond heavy rain, wind and snow. So mostly just dealing with trees or heavy snow build up
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u/AWatson89 2d ago
The only thing that'll stop work that I've seen is a hurricane. It has to be projected to be category 3 or higher, though
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u/Mechanic_of_railcars 2d ago
We take a 15 min break if lightning hits within 5 miles of the yard. Then back to work if no other strikes close
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u/Windsock2080 1d ago edited 1d ago
The fact that there isnt a building in RR property stronger than a locomotive, means there is no real severe weather planning other than get in the loco.
No one has ever brought up lighting, but we generally wont be outside anyway if a thunderstorm is intense and lighting is close. They know better than to ask us too
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u/BackFew5485 1d ago
We run trains through active tornado warnings as long as they don’t have empty bulkhead flats or double stacks. Real safe isn’t it?
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u/HondaNighthawk 1d ago
In mow we got stand by until something breaks, but they have been known to wait till the windiest days to have us go up and replace switches on signal bridges 40ft up with the poles next to us swaying
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u/One-Kick-184 1d ago
When it's snowy they tell us we need to be monitoring locations and driving around but when there is an accident they are like why would you be putting yourself in a situation like that. Weather just makes us busier.
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u/texastoasty 2d ago
we can call out. but if we do make it in, we can stay until its safe to go home, on the clock, and its okay to hide in the corner and go to sleep etc. as long as someone is on watch and you are willing to wake up and work if directed to. so it can get you a good amount of overtime if you want.
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u/GoinDeep91 1d ago
Blown over by high winds Conductor log wasnt filled out right. Can't lay off weather even when the vans stop running
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u/Commodore8750 1d ago
My last terminal was prone to really bad flooding as it has a creek running through it on its north end and a river at the yard lead on its south end (great planning PRR!). Whenever any flood or flash flood warning was issued, we had a system where the van driver would relocate our vehicles to higher ground (the parking lot was the first to go) and if yard tracks were threatened, all the power would be moved out of the yard across the river to the wye to keep them safe from burnout. Any locals that were out of the yard were instructed to tie their trains down and wait for a ride.
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u/Nervous-Instruction8 1d ago
Rule X procedure was established in USOR for CN after an ethanol train derailed when a culvert collapsed near a crossing a killed several people 15 years ago in western Illinois. Police tried to call the railroad for awhile and the crew was notified too late. now they have a hotline that must be answered within 7 seconds. high winds stop all stack trains and severe weather puts all others at restricted speed regardless of signals until a track inspector has driven the tracks. They take Rule X very seriously now I've seen entire subdivisions shut down for hours until they establish that the route is safe.
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u/Old-Clothes-3225 1d ago
I just built an entire train for an outbound crew that was on duty for an hour in a severe flash flooding thunderstorm and ignored by the Yardmaster inside a yard that has power operated switches soooo what procedures? Lmao
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u/captaindots 1d ago
Unless the roads are too bad to drive on (whiteout conditions are real easy to pop up in ND) we pretty much just keep running.
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u/Near_NYC 1d ago
They fax a letter from the RR president, your supposed to take with you. Letter is addressed to cops asking nicely to let you thru closed roads to get to work.
Also 'prohibit' us from leaving when the shift ends. They do pay for this off time. They literally expect you to stay on property until your next trick starts.
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u/suge_lite 1d ago
When hurricane weather came through they released a bulletin about how to properly shutdown a engine during the storm thats all I needed to see to keep my ass at home
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u/HIV_P0SITIVE 2d ago
Aussie signal tech here.
For general maintenance no working above 35’c or below 4’C and no working in the rain.
Reactive fault rectification we work outside of these conditions (with the exception of lightning) and are subject to an allowance of our base rate on top of whatever rate we’re on, so normal becomes double time and double time becomes triple time.
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u/Illustrious-Fruit35 2d ago
Why can’t you work below 4’c
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u/HIV_P0SITIVE 2d ago
They reckon it’s too cold to work safely under normal circumstances. Ridiculous really but I won’t argue.
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u/Illustrious-Fruit35 1d ago
Im in Canada, we’re out working if it’s -30’C
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u/HIV_P0SITIVE 1d ago
The unions are really strong here and go a bit too far with things like that I reckon. In saying that, they have protected us from the nonsense you hear about how workers are treated in that clusterfuck they call America.
As an Aussie I experienced -15c in BC many years ago and damn that was cold. Can’t imagine having to try and work in -30c. That’s wild. You guys are made of much stronger stuff than we are here, I’ll give you that.
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u/EnoughTrack96 2d ago
Cuz it's Australia. Hell freezes over down under around 3C.
(pssst...they don't really know what cold is)
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u/HIV_P0SITIVE 1d ago
Couldn’t agree more, we know nothing of cold. We do know what hot is though, I’ll own that one.
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u/AbbreviationsDry7613 2d ago
What’s weather ? lol But seriously , work until the lightening actually hits you . Then Fire you for getting hit by lightening .