1903 saw a train accident that had not only great importance in railroad law, but also a large cultural impact. On the Sept. 27th, Southern Railway ordered engineer Joseph “Steve” Broady to make a particularly dangerous run. The train hauled mail as part of a lucrative contract between Southern Railway and the US Post Office. The train, known as Fast Mail, earned a reputation for timely delivery. Southern Railway wanted to maintain this reputation. They ordered Steve to drive the route at increased speed. The engineer obeyed despite warning signs about treacherous turns. On one such turn, the train jumped the rails plunging into a deep ditch. Eleven people died in this accident. Southern Railway placed the blame on the engineer. This has…
The first ever Transcontinental Railroad in America was completed with the help of the Chinese who contributed greatly to its construction. Despite the major role that the Chinese had in the construction of the railroad, they were not able to escape prejudice in America. One notable act of prejudice done by America against the Chinese prior to the completion of the railroad is the signing and passing of The Chinese Exclusion Act by President Chester A. Arthur on May 6, 1882 discontinuing Chinese laborers. Before this law was passed, between 1869 and 1882, many events happened that factored into the decision of passing the Chinese Exclusion act. Examples of these factors were that the Chinese were receiving more job than American citizens,…
In 1877, there was a national railroad strike that effected the transportation throughout the Northeast. Railroads required a large amount of capital investments and relied on a large management system. Railroad companies had competed against each other. Rival companies built expensive lines which could have been parallel to their competitors. They fought for business by promoting a faster and cheaper service. Not only that, but laborers had to work 15-hour days with low wages and in extremely dangerous working conditions. The railroad workers were quite violent, attacking railroad yards, burning trains, and tearing up tracks. This time period was a shock for most Americans, but for the workers on strike, it was educative. The workers learned…
extremely important to understand that a train has the right of way in any situation.…
Rail Road is very important to understand as a driver. If you do not follow rules that are set to protect you from danger, you can face fatal consequences. It is tragic when you see on the news of train related accident because most of all of them are fatal. As a driver you need to be on the look out when you come to a rail way. On the Warning Devices section of Unit 5 rail road crossing it states,"Public railroad crossings have been marked with warning devices for your safety by highway departments and the railroad companies." They are safety devices out there to keep us safe paid for by the highway department. The same section states," Learn what the warning devices are and watch for them. With these warning devices and caution on your part, you can avoid a railroad-crossing crash." These are all part of car and train…
It was the Summer of 2010, I had recently discovered a camp online called "Railcamp" after stumbling upon a video about the camp, this particular camp was hosted by the State of West Virginia's Operation Lifesaver Agency. I have always had an interest in trains since I was very young, I lived right beside a Mainline until when I was around 3 years old. One day, I was browsing on the internet and found a YouTube video about Railcamp. This immediately caught my attention. The camp was supposed to last about a week in late June/Early July. This camp would be full of interesting surprises. The drive to the camp was about 5 hours long and approximately 300 miles. The Camp was located in an unincorporated community called "Cabins", in West Virginia.…
Railroad crossing can be very dangerous and can kill people even if you are not in a…
Train industry was one of the most important industries in the modern human culture since it was a very useful way to transport goods and people, which was the concern of many scientists in the last 2000 years. Matthew Murray and George Stephenson made great contributions in the train industry. Matthew invented the first steam powered locomotive train while George came up with the idea of coal transporting trains. Old trains were depending on steam for power. In 1829, the Rocket was the first steam locomotive train built and it carried passengers between Liverpool and Manchester in England. In 1940s, another steam train was built but with very strong engines that it could pull freight trains with hundreds of cars of cargo across the United…
A vital factor in the communicational development of the West was due to the completion of the Trans-Adlantic Railroad, of which was completed in 1869. The railroad created a new leash of exsistance in American, how the once baron, urban land, now to be industrialized and inhabited by all those who seek a new life. The Railroad however spelt disaster for the Native American Indian Tribes, whose lives were to be devastated…
Railroad crossing may seem extremely simple at first; however, their are a few factors that come into play that you may not be aware of. You should use extreme caution at all railroad crossings. They are warning devices that inform you of upcoming railroads and trains. Advance warning signs are posted before railroad crossings to allow you to prepare for them. The pavement also is painted to warn you of upcoming railroads.…
You would think it would be easy to avoid colliding with a giant 200 ton train, well apparently it’s not. According to operation lifesaver, a nonprofit organization that promotes railroad safety, a car or pedestrian is hit by a train every 3 hours. Obviously some education is needed on being safe around railroads.…
I found out that the train was coming when I saw the crossing guard blink red. I slammed on the brakes just in time, so that I was a safe…
Despite efforts made by the Federal Safety Appliance Act to increase safety for rail workers, injuries and fatalities were still all too common. The average fatality rate for railroad workers was one in three hundred. This didn’t seem to bother the railroad companies who paid very little, if anything at all, to the families of employees that died. Due to public outcry over wrong doing by the railroad companies, the…
The examination and the research on the Transcontinental Railroad has led many to the realization of the significance of the Railroad in American history whether it be positive or negative. The Great Railroad was created between the years of 1863 to 1869. It all had begun with a charter granted to the Central Pacific and the Union Pacific Railroad Companies through the Pacific Railroad Act of 1862. In the seven years, the two companies raced toward the meeting point in Promontory, Utah; one starting from Sacramento, California and the other from Omaha Nebraska. This massive system became the symbol of that time period, being the biggest construction project of that time. Along the way, many buffaloes were killed by hired hunters because, the…
Japanese railway workers check an overpass, keeping it safe for the "bullet train" below. (Kyodo)…