Freight Train Crash Releases Toxic Chemical Gas Cloud | Plainly Difficult

[@PlainlyDifficult]

Go to piavpn.com/PlainlyDifficult to get 83% off Private Internet Access with 4 months free! ►Thanks for watching, check out me other bits! ►My new EP: madebyjohn.bandcamp.com/album/retail-simulator ►Outro Song: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iJPTnn2AjdaGhsksi=2_i6bKZUj3bjixzw ►Instagram: instagram.com/plainly.john/ ►Patreon: www.patreon.com/Plainlydifficult ►Merch: plainly-difficult.creator-spring.com ►Twitter:twitter.com/Plainly_D

[@circuit10]

The thing about protecting you on public WiFi isn't exactly true, almost all sites use HTTPS nowadays which means the data itself can't be read by attackers, though they may be able to tell what sites you're visiting, but not the content of the data sent Tom Scott has a video on this

[@chosen1one930]

​@@circuit10that's not true. It doesn't matter when hackers can access routers bypassing encryption on sites. They can do so many things you have no clue about. Did you know so many people and companies never change oem password or login on routers? The oem passwords are all over the internet

[@ginmar8134]

I have PIA. Great app.

[@circuit10]

@@chosen1one930 The encryption is done between the site and your browser, so the router doesn’t even see the data. Look up Tom Scott’s video on VPNs

[@OfficialSamuelC]

PIA is one of the few trustworthy VPNs out there.

[@allanlewin2300]

Being allowed to work 432 hours per month (+/- 14 hours a day with no days off) and given the responsibilty for a train that massive - and with highly dangerous cargo - is just insane.

[@PlainlyDifficult]

It really is!!

[@brucebaxter6923]

Do you want socialism! That’s how you get socialism. USA USA USA capitalism till the bitter end

[@philtheairplanemechanic]

​@@brucebaxter6923yes in fact I do want socialism please and thanks

[@NocturnalTyphlosion]

​@@brucebaxter6923i would like some socialism, actually

[@nickp3402]

@@brucebaxter6923unions are the only reason you have weekends and child labor laws

[@samarnadra]

"People may be dying of toxic gas exposure in those buildings! Quick! Let's argue about who's job it is to go inside!"

[@PlainlyDifficult]

Sadly it’s the reality

[@TheLifeOfJavi]

Fast forward 18 years, and that's pretty much what happened an hour away in Uvalde.

[@ferretyluv]

Same thing happened in Uvalde. “Kids are getting murdered inside! Quick, let’s argue about who’s supposed to go in and how we should stop the parents!”

[@mbvoelker8448]

First rule of emergency response is to NOT ADD TO THE VICTIMS. Rural Fire/EMS volunteers are unlikely to have the correct training and equipment for severe HAZMAT incidents and are specifically trained to NOT rush in blindly and die.

[@andrewtaylor940]

​@@mbvoelker8448This! I can't stress this enough. You are doing nothing good by adding to the bodycount in a hazmat situation.

[@Nat_778]

That emergency call in the opening was frustrating to listen to

[@nlwilson4892]

Yes, you could hear her quite clearly saying a train had derailed. I think this issue is that people often have problems processing something they don't expect to hear. Dispatchers are used to hearing about normal crimes and accidents, so he just wasn't taking it in. That isn't an excuse, just an explanation.

[@Rose_Castle]

I watch a lot of true crime, I have for over 20 years. I have heard a lot of emergency calls. I am not saying all US operators are bad...but the worst operators I have heard are all from the US. They just don't seem to be trained as well to listen and get information out of people. They just seem short and snappy.

[@andreasscharf2531]

Just awful

[@kyleanuar9090]

Even though poisonous gas causing her slurring the words but we can make out what she's saying except the guy who's job is...

[@Darryl_Frost]

You also need to consider that the recording may be clearer than what the operator hears and more sensitive.

[@Soundbrigade]

On a Swedish science show, the hostess had to stay awake for a day and a night and then to drive under rigorous control for a few hours in the evening while a medical team registered her brain activities. It appeared she was awake all the time but the meds could see that several parts of her brain took a nap every now and then, and parts that were responsible for evaluating input and making good decisions. So even if she had her eyes (barely) open and could communicate with the team in the car she was never 100% present. Again a great video, and, though sad, happy to see the hazmat brothers.

[@jooleebilly]

Get off my foot!

[@patrikcath1025]

I have no training whatsoever and actually tend to struggle to understand people when they speak over the phone and even I could understand her...

[@katho8472]

Yep, same here, and I'm not even a native speaker. "I think a train derailed!" should have been followed by an instant push of a red button by the operator and asking more questions later, and rather try to give some advice to them what to do.

[@andreww1001]

This is an edited video. We have no idea of the actual sound and audio of the call the dispatcher was hearing that day. While it's clear here, doesn't me they heard things clearly.

[@clownshrooms]

yeah and regardless of how hard it is to understand her (it wasn't very hard) it's so fucked up and unprofessional to say "you're stuttering too much"

[@ambert.3792]

"youre stuttering too much maam...it sounds like youre choking to death on toxic chemicals--can you clear your throat and tell me your emergency?" jeeeeezus.

[@nope-m4f]

i agree. dispatcher was a fuckin idiot

[@nancyhilty9898]

As a 20 year emergency dispatcher she sure didn't sound like she was stuttering To ,me

[@ambert.3792]

@@nancyhilty9898 right. and to be VERY clear, dispatchers have an incredibly diffocult job, i applaude them (and you) for their role, and even understand people have bad days at work. but sometimes the bad calls are tough to listen to with hindsight.

[@NocturnalTyphlosion]

​@@AvocadoAfficionado okay but it's....LITERALLY their job. like, it's one of the most vital parts of their job. lmao

[@worgan744]

@@AvocadoAfficionado i was out and about listening to it thru headphones and it was clear what she was saying.

[@bentoth9555]

"The US's rail infrastructure is underdeveloped." How dare you say something so true and obvious!

[@silentlyjudgingyou]

He forgot rotting

[@c.s.everett1721]

The best description of the US FREIGHT rail network is “best in the world.” There’s simply comparison; our trains are so heavy the would break the track anywhere but specialized iron ore lines, and can run network-wide. We run 140 ton cars, carrying 110 tons of coal, in trains a hundred cars long. A “very heavy” freight in Europe is “medium-light” here, you don’t see widespread 14,000 tons trains anywhere else. They also wouldn’t fit under other countries bridges either - nowhere else in the world can they stack marinetime shipping contains 2 high, or stack autos in a car 3 high, let alone run them over most of the network. And we run them a hundred cars at a time. Tonnage, ton-miles, efficiency, there’s no comparison. It may not be electrified, but there’s from a rational cost-benefit analysis. Nobody seems to realize it, but American (and Canadian, we effectively share a common railroad network) is the only world-class piece of infrastructure the US -does- have, and if anything should be a source of national pride. Passenger rail is a joke by everybody else’s standards though.

[@kotnapromke]

Потому что он агент Путина!

[@nsahandler]

​@c.s.everett1721 >rational cost/benefit analysis Eh what's a couple of dead taxpayers and workers go for nowadays? Nah. Corporate greed is the reason we HAVE TO stack long-ass lines of cars around. We can't have too many train employees or create better, more-safe routes: Let's work them 400 hrs+- per month and not even bother installing a simple switching mechanism (something so simple that a child could build one from m scratch with parts from Radio Shack).

[@c.s.everett1721]

Electrification has no impact on safety, pro or con. Neither does the length of the train - it’s just an economic “most efficient way to do things” argument, and in this particular case safety is essentially the same with all choices. Other choices, and most cost-benefit, course, do affect safety, this just happens to be one that doesn’t. As for more crew, that’s another matter, but I’d suspect regulations have changed since then, and the UK a couple decades ago wasn’t much better. We do have positive train control now, at least, so this particular accident won’t reapeat itself. As for safer ways, its either that or trucks, and I think we can tell which is better. As for safer routes, 95% of the time the train was there first. (There weren’t any new lines built after about 1900, for reference.) The railroads also have no control over whether a subdivision gets built next to their tracks. It’s also privately owned, which means they can’t force people to sell property for any new routes the way the government can. If houses shouldn’t be so close, that’s a local zoning problem. And the places shipping and receiving them are often in the middle of cities anyway, so shipments have to go through them.

[@SadSackGaming]

That's no freight train! That's Mervis! In all seriousness, imagine your last moments in life are you trying to tell a police dispatcher repeatedly that you are dying and they are like, I can't understand you even though you are speaking clearly while dying.

[@wheelmanv]

It really is insane how bad they are at understanding callers.

[@ferretyluv]

And similar happened with the Buffalo shooting. A lady is trying to whisper so she doesn’t get found and shot and the 911 operator hangs up on her because she’s whispering!

[@SadSackGaming]

@@ferretyluv there are times when the dispatcher isn’t off, but GD every call should be treated with ultimate importance because…you know, life and death.

[@meagancarmichael3892]

I have a hearing impairment and understood clearly what the lady was saying during the first call.

[@trentlewis1473]

For your bingo card, I would argue Cost Cutting, because the company was unwilling to ensure there is sufficient employees to limit how erratic a railroad's train crew start times can be...

[@lonnyyoung4285]

Definitely. US major railroads are notorious for being as cheap as possible and then failing to take responsibility when their trains create problems.

[@wernerderchamp]

@@lonnyyoung4285 I'd add on to this. Even the ancient German Indusi I 60 protection system (yes 60=1960) would have prevented the accident. On the "advance approach" signal there would have been a 1000Hz magnet, which would have prompted the engineer to confirm the signal within 4 seconds AND verify that the speed of the train was below 40mph after 20 seconds. When approaching a stop signal, there would have been a 500Hz magnet ~700ft before, triggering a check if the train was below 25mph. And of course ultimately the 2000 Hz magnet at the stop signal, which instantly causes full breaks when the signal is blown. Its really cheap to install too (10 magnets total for this intersection), making this easily preventable

[@readmorebooksidiots]

I was surprised that the trains actually had 2 guys, they've been trying to run them on 1

[@alliebean3235]

yep i was gonna say that too - US rail companies are unfortunately notorious for trying to cut costs by hiring as few people as possible, to the detriment of all involved

[@carpemkarzi]

Wait, what? Max time is 432 hours per month? That over 14 hours a day, Everyday. That’s insane

[@Tank50us]

That's the max that one can work. Keep in mind that this limit isn't just for the companies to follow, but also for regular people as well. You ever run into that one guy that never seems to take a day off, or is always working of their own accord? That's what such laws are also applied to. Typically, companies won't schedule you more than 12hrs per day, 3 days per week, unless there's a greater need for people (at which point they typically add one day to the schedule). Of course, the crew were also supposed to get a proper nights rest, but one went drinking (which should've kept him off the train until the following day), and the other had issues getting to sleep. Ergo, if only one was declared unfit to drive, and someone who was fit filled that role, it's likely that the accident would've never happened at all.

[@Tank50us]

@@user-xy6wu3xg2c I never said it was a good idea. I'm just saying we all know those guys, and while they're certainly hard working... they put others at risk because of their own attitude.

[@sindrek8]

"I'm on Nelson rd Train derailed over here There's white smoke everywhere i cant breathe. " "In your house?" Really?? Ive worked call centers for more than 10 years and I cannot believe the lack of attention from a 911 operator

[@splat003]

@@AvocadoAfficionado nope, but a working brain would be nice

[@bobroberts2371]

" I'm on Nelson RD " This could mean that they are " in a car on Nelson Rd " or " that they are in a house on Nelson Rd "

[@spencer6736]

@@AvocadoAfficionado Fun fact no one here said some houses aren't built next to roads. It's because the woman clearly said a train derailed and his question is whether it's in his house (safe to assume that his line of reasoning is there's a fire in her house because apparently she's "stuttering too much" to be understood). Edit: Hey, that was your line of reasoning in another comment too. So your argument here about the dispatcher being psychic is pretty invalid. By your own logic, the dispatcher was not paying attention and was not doing his job properly. :>

[@FurrySpatula]

She said she was in her house at the end btw. He asked is the white smoke in your house, she said yes... So what's your point exactly?

[@spencer6736]

@@FurrySpatula I would've given up at that point as well and just agreed to get help there. What would you have her do? Say there's a train derailment for a THIRD time when the dispatcher is clearly not paying attention?

[@broadcastbard]

As an American I can confirm our rail system is decades out of date. Our infrastructure is crumbling, so you'll have more content soon enough.

[@trentlewis1473]

Railroads: BuT PrOfItS

[@Sniperboy5551]

And Biden’s “infrastructure plan” hasn’t done a damn thing to help

[@lochnessamonster1912]

Hey, reminds me, whatever happened to that railroad safety bill that was before Congress? Did someone not want it passed, or something?

[@camojoe83]

Oh, look! It's mimicking the fear noises from the sewerganda pipe! That's soooool adorable.

[@idrathernot_2]

​@@lochnessamonster1912too busy sending money to Isreal, Ukraine and other such glowie projects

[@skeeterinnewjersey5256]

Apparently the dispatcher didn't catch the "train derailed" part. Also, you are absolutely right about our US rail system. We are way behind other countries.

[@F-14DSuperTomcat]

I disagree. The United States has some of the most developed rail infrastructure - for freight that is. Passenger rail hasnt been a priority here since the late-20th century, it simply isnt profitable enough for the railroad companies.

[@PositiveOnly-dm3rx]

100% incorrect. I can only assume you're comparing Chinese propaganda about their maglev rail system with the reality of our actual rail system. Chinese trains crash all the time. The government just covers it up.

[@LewisAndLewisLawFirm]

We aren't tho? The United States has the most expensive and developed railway system in the world. Passenger trains have NOT been a priority here since the 1970's. The United States is to large for any railroad company to actually profit from a Passenger railway seen in Europe. It's simply impossible.

[@AbelG8781]

"We are way behind the rest of the world". Average libtard nonsense.

[@psmv3]

​@@LewisAndLewisLawFirmYeah, was face palming when he was trying to compare GB's rail system to the US's... The UK can literally fit inside Texas (the state the incident happened in). Plus, besides Texas, there's 47 other mainland US states. It's not comparable.

[@jarigustafsson7620]

railway company: yeah, not our problem...no problem at all. john: what happens when there are two trains on one track? railway company: is this a trick question?

[@PlainlyDifficult]

Sadly true!

[@theshenpartei]

@@PlainlyDifficultare you going to a video on the Merrimack valley gas explosion disaster?

[@AllGoodOutside]

@@PlainlyDifficult I don't know what the emergency dispatchers are like in the UK though I assume they are polite. I'm curious to you have a theory on why more often than not emergency dispatchers in the United states are rude A-holes?

[@KidarWolf]

@@AllGoodOutside They are just as variable in the UK as they are in the US - but generally, recordings of those calls are not ever made public in the UK. It's a bit like the Florida Man scenario - it isn't that Floridians are more chaotic than other Americans, it's that their shenanigans are a matter of public record.

[@marhawkman303]

@@PlainlyDifficult yeah there's a LOT of tracks in the US that are a single line going MILES with nothing to do but stare at scenery. The US protection stuff is more thorough in the more densely populated areas. Thing is... urban sprawl be sprawling... and places that used to be a dirt road in the middle of nowhere... might have a town get built over a few years. Now it went from an area with no people to a small town... and... now you need to upgrade the rail infrastructure to compensate. Or maybe re-route roads..... or both. I've been looking at US train incidents since I was a small child being driven on an overpass over an 8-track wide train switching yard. Yeah, that's a fun road. It's not a crossing, it's a bridge.... that spans an entire switching yard. Why? presumably because the road was there first. Oh, in case you're curious... it's near Portage Indiana.

[@Tyrannosaurus_Wrexx]

I used to operate both the bus and light rail trains in Dallas. Microsleep was a frightening part of my job. There were times I made it to a terminal station, and had no memory of the actual drive. It’s made more dangerous with not having a set work schedule, basically being on-call. Thank goodness for PTC and ATC (positive/ automatic train control)

[@brucebaxter6923]

Glad you are still with us. This is why I fight for autonomous vehicles. They don’t have to be better than a person on a good day, just not as bad as the worst person on their worst day.

[@capitanenterich9845]

As a train driver in Germany it is absolutely mind-boggling to me that there are countries that still don't use or just start to use train protection systems.

[@wernerderchamp]

I mean for third world countries with really simple networks I'd let it slide, but in such a developed nation it is just bonkers. German PZB is such a simplistic and cheap to install system. But it still costs money...

[@Tank50us]

@@wernerderchamp Keep in mind that Germany is about the size of some of the lower-mid-sized US States, so while it's easy for Germany to install them, remember that Union Pacifics area of influence is from the Mississippi River to the West Coast of North America. For context that would be from about the German/Polish Border to the coast of Spain, with a little extra added north/south. That's _A LOT_ of ground to cover, so installing such a system quickly would be prohibitively expensive. I don't say that for the "Hur Dur Muh Profits", I say that because in order to afford it, UP would have to shut down operations for about three years to even come close to the cost of installing the system. The best thing UP, BNSF, and all the others can do is roll the system out from the worst affected areas (IE, the areas that would be impacted the worst by a disaster), to the least. Also, even if the system was properly installed by the major train companies, remember that they aren't the only ones using these lines. Amtrak, which is almost entirely Government Operated, has been slow to evolve its practices for decades now, and even if UP, BNSF, etc installed these systems on all of their trains and rolling stock, there's no guarantee that Amtrak will even bother because the decision to equip it would essentially be up to Congress to even release the money for it.

[@Max_R_MaMint]

@@Tank50us Also the big RRs dont own all the track, either. There are many smaller, locals that run on and sometimes own areas of track. They can't even afford another locomotive; much less "new-fangled safety stuff" /s. US rail is a cobbled together over generations piecemeal way of getting from point A to point B - but only right now, as owners or industrial customers may change and half of this rail line will be ripped out and the other half abandoned...

[@thalamus82]

@@wernerderchampdeveloped nations are one thing. America is another.

[@Tank50us]

@@Max_R_MaMint add to that the fact that the EPA requires environmental impact studies on anything a railroad wants to do, and these studies take years to complete with no incentive on the part of the EPA to make the process more efficient.

[@radwolf76]

Eight months later, there would be another chlorine gas release from a train accident in Graniteville, South Carolina, USA. Nine Fatalities. The track signaling was even more primitive, relying on mechanical switch stand targets that are only visible when it was too late. When a rail switch was manipulated by a rail crew, they were to radio the status to the dispatcher who would alert and schedule other trains on the affected line. A rail crew had parked a delivery on the siding, and radioed in that the job was complete without restoring the rail switch to the main line. As haunting as the 911 call at the beginning of this video was, I've heard several recordings from the Graniteville response, including one from one of the fatalities, and they're absolutely horrific.

[@jillbravo5252]

I live close to Graniteville. That accident destroyed the community- it’s only really coming back now. So horrible 😢

[@radwolf76]

@@jillbravo5252 the night of the accident I was doing late night grocery shopping at the old Kroger in south Aiken (where the TJ Maxx is now). We went to check out and the cashier told us a helicopter had landed in the parking lot and taken back off. Found out later that shopping plaza's parking lot was chosen as first responder command post as it was the largest patch of flat asphalt just outside of the initial incident radius.

[@katho8472]

It is mind boggling that model trains could do train control already in the 90s and before, yet the 1:1 versions couldn't and still can't in some places.

[@rybaluc]

@@katho8472 Unfortunately it's on some places in europe as well. And i am not talking about retro steam trains travel.

[@squirrel8296]

As someone from the US, saying the US's rail network is underdeveloped is an understatement.

[@camojoe83]

You should amend that to say: "As someone from the US that doesn't know anything about trains or industry or anything..."

[@alexanderleslie4226]

Its at least 100 years behind.

[@yeoldeseawitch]

@@alexanderleslie4226 a bit of an exaggeration. especially considering america was one of the first countries to replace steam locomotives with diesel power.

[@camojoe83]

@@alexanderleslie4226 sure. Compared to whom? Remember, we have a bigass country to ship things across, so dont be comparing it to a passenger train in fkn europe or japan.

[@cris_261]

​@camojoe83 America's rail passenger service is ridiculously behind most developed nations when it comes to high-speed service. And what service we do have is dependent on the whims of whichever political party is in control.

[@StupidCatLady]

That was such a clear call, how the hell was the operator having issues? Why were his questions almost like he was talking down to her? Jesus

[@superomegaprimemk2]

It might be the environment that the call centre is in, with just a few people in a large room full of stuff that makes sound bounce can make it harder to hear and you could have people talking over to make themselves heard, you get this sort of effect if you work in a supermarket or any busy shop that has no carpet on the floor and then you got to take into account the operator's headset procession upon their heads

[@StupidCatLady]

@superomegaprimemk2 Fair enough I guess, but if that's true, then the 911 center needs to be redone. If operators can't hear people on their lines, they can't send effective or timely help. That is not ok

[@IdweAnquet]

I am a 911 dispatcher an event like this happens we are getting dozens of calls on it if not more. So they probably had the phones ringing in the background, they had other dispatchers talking on the phones as background noise, they had radio traffic from speakers and/or in their ear, they had dispatchers talking to each other in order to get resources going from other calls. If you want a better idea of what it may have been like. Listen to it with head phones on but you only have it on one ear then you also have some talking behind you, then play a random recording of radio traffic from your personal cell phone and have someone else play a phone ringing and then see if it is as easy to hear. The calls people hear are just the recordings it shows nothing of what else is going on in the room. Some dispatch centers will let you do a sit in so you can see what it is like.

[@nerdygoth6905]

That poor woman making the 911 call at the start never stood a chance.

[@RagingMoon1987]

I read in Reader's Digest that when Lois's body was found she was still holding on to that telephone. Her mom apparently never made it out of bed. I don't know how accurate Reader's Digest is, but if true that's heartbreaking.

[@chrisdooley1184]

Worst 911 operator I think I’ve heard before smh. Telling the poor lady she’s stuttering too much!

[@justingrey6008]

worst part is it was clear what she was trying to say

[@AvocadoAfficionado]

​@@justingrey6008I heard it just fine on my $3000 soundbar with the cleared up and levelled audio. 🫠

[@RCAvhstape]

@@justingrey6008 It's always clear when you are reading subtitles along with it.

[@couch2558]

Yeah, i understand not being able to get every word, but i have APD, wasn't looking at the screen, and even i could make out at least enough of the words to understand a train had derailed on that street.

[@justingrey6008]

@@RCAvhstape I don't watch the videos, just keep them going in the background. Was not aware it had subs

[@theautistictransitfan]

The fact that I had to check the description to figure out which specific one of the dozens of times this has happened is sad. One or 2 incidents might be a coincidence, but the fact that this has happened dozens of times mean we need to rethink how we transport toxic materials.

[@RedtailFox1]

it seems to be a near quarterly occurrence and nothing gets done about it. In fact the rail companies have been making it worse by reducing the number of double tracked sections of line under their control and instead converting them back to single track with passing sidings where they can because 'it is more cost effective'......... Honestly I think it is time that Railroad CEOs and directors started being sent to jail once these incidents happen because unless those at the top are held accountable nothing will change

[@ewill3435]

ahhh, yes, the 2004 train derailment and chemical spill caused by fatigue, as opposed to the 2023 train derailment and chemical spill caused by fatigue... Something, something nickle, something something, weird it happened twice - but in all seriousness, fatigue is rampant across all US freight industries, from trucking to rail to shipping! People making as little as 2/3rds the US average to be away from their families for weeks or months at a time, dealing with the mind-numbing monotony of long hauling, and sometimes with pretty brutal hours. All because some faceless committee somewhere decided that it was more profitable to deal with the occasional accident and ecological disaster than to try and take care of the employees moving cargo across the nation and the globe.

[@jooleebilly]

And ALWAYS blame "operator error" when the problem is systemic and baked into the process. My cousin drives long-haul for DHS and just had his hours cut, but still he's driving across the country and back carrying goods from Thursday in the wee hours to Monday evening. The good thing about his job is that he has a partner so they share the driving, but often the drivers are on their own. It's why one of the top most dangerous jobs in the US are not Police, SWAT or Fire, but Long-Haul Trucking. Yet the police get massive budgets that even put firefighters to shame. Those same firefighters whose job it is to run *INTO* danger, not stand around and wait for it to be "safe" before they go in - which means the most likely person to stop a mass shooting is the mass shooter when they off themselves. Columbine is a great (terrible) example of the uselessness of SWAT teams and the ridiculous excuses for militarizing the police.

[@grandicellichannel]

I hope someday you will cover the Viareggio Derailment Disaster of 2009. I live 25 kms Northwards the Stazione di Viareggio, (in Tuscany, Italy) and I still have vivid memories of me as a teenager waking up from the sleep to the detonation sound of the gas tank cars blowing up one after another from afar, just before around the Viareggio station hell was about to set free in a fire that will forever scar the Versilia Coast with over 30 victims... and of course, still, justice has to be done, even if several trials took place in the following years (for which many of the victims' families had to protest and pay to have), each closed without making true justice, taking aside the one in 2021 - and it took the Supreme Italian Court to punish some culprits. It would be a nice act to highlight such that horrific as well covered-up shame of ours worldwide... thank you.

[@grandicellichannel]

Thanks for the likes. Even if I am not technically a part of the Self-constitued "victims of Viareggio cometee" assembled by those whom saw rip apart from them a part of their souls (may it be a son, a father, a mother, a loved partner, a nephew, a niece, not to talk an innocent infant, etc etc.) I feel the DUTY as a civil engeneer, to scream to the World "Is that what we deserved?". Not to recive personal attention... far from it. But because, from the bottom of my heart... being an extemely emphatic person, I can hear a screming echo from every time I see those still broken-hearted souls whom lost a part of their loved ones, and just like so, an unbearable sence of justice that must pop-off goes off deep within myself. And just like so, after discovering "Plainly Difficult", methinks I found a person to highlight, as said, once fot all, that shameful painful disaster, caused by simple maintenence neglicence, lost in time but that we'll never forget neather forgive, in the same manner he explains the disasters like such: in a simple yet effective technical summary way, just explaining the mere fatcs without pointing a finger to anyone, only naming these involved in the subsequent investigations, and the result of such trials, without making partial comments and saying "It was his fault" or thinks like that... but, at the end, he lefts an open judgement to us, and WE know what and whom was responsable for all of that. That's the right way... not a "personal opinon", but facts to which the watchers can make their opinions on, and it's up to them to point the finger to the real culprit/culprits. And I cannot stress myself enough but repeat: I have ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TO GAIN from the Victims Comitee or anyone else. I just wanted to find, once for all, an impartial, effective, and well-done, as we can all appreceate, YT channel strongly moved also by it's intrest in the rail transports (being also a worker in the field), as the engeneer that I am. Because, at the end, I don't condamn (just like he does, so i can relate) not the machines, neather the ways of transport. but the negligence caused by those who are behind these marvelous technical feats. And that was the case of the Viareggio derailment and the hell breaking loose in the highly populated area sourrounding the station. And, in the end, finally, someone will shotout the facts of that fateful night, sadly not condamned worldwide. THAT will be the JUSTICE of mine. To never forget... in any case, thanks again. Dearly. - "Jo" Gioele Lothar Grandicelli

[@sylvias5087]

There was an I Survived episode about this incident. A couple in one of the houses that was surrounded by the chorine gas eventually survived. But their sister and mother died in an adjacent home. The couple was told by 911 to take a shower to relieve them of the burning sensation the gas was giving them. Big mistake. The water mixed with the gas formed an acid. Very scary situation. Anybody who lives in the vicinity of an active railroad line is at risk.

[@zvosburg0991]

I live in the US, and fully agree with you. We had a train derailment right behind my house a few months ago. All because one train was stopped, and the one behind wasn't notified. Only diesel fuel was leaked into the river thankfully, but scary nonetheless. Infrastructure worldwide is in need of upgrade.

[@Moonlight_Tide]

Not really. That was a failure in attention to communication. That happens all the time here.

[@Geoff69420]

You should also add "time pressure" and "cost-cutting" to the hits for this episode's bingo card. Time pressure, because the Union Pacific crew was overworked; and cost-cutting, because hiring enough personnel so that crews don't need to work 60+ hours a week and modernizing the legacy infrastructure would cost money.

[@paulrasmussen8953]

Add in unions and companies lead by people who went to business school rather then experience business

[@colincampbell767]

Remember that these are Union people. They will block hiring of more employees in order to protect the overtime pay of current members.

[@Tank50us]

@@colincampbell767 Yeah, people love saying that Unions are great, and more companies should Unionize... the problem is that Unions rely on that reputation from the early days (where they were good), to sell that only they can get it done... when in reality they do so little actual work it makes the CEOs look like floor workers at factories. Like you said, they will block anything that impacts the pay of their long term members, in order to keep siphoning those union dues.

[@lordpumpkinhead265]

@@Tank50us Unions are extremely useful... if your job is going to work in a factory every day that has very few (if any) safety regulations and is willing to work you to the bone for basically no pay. They had their moment, but they're a relic of an age long since passed and should've been phased out forty years ago when factory work was on the decline. Hearing stories of working for modern-day unions is just frustrating, since a lot of the activities could be done by anyone else, but instead they need a specialized union member to do that specific activity while everything else is essentially put on hold until it gets done. They have benefits, don't get me wrong, but they have very glaring downsides that not many people like to consider when talking about unions.

[@jenndixon1002]

Another American here, no one is insulted by your assessment, you are absolutely right our rail system is crap.

[@ryebread4369]

In the USA RIGHT NOW they are pushing for slashing regulations to allow only 1 mandatory operator even for trains 3 miles long

[@seand.g423]

In other news, water has been rediscovered to be wet and any connection between Unconditional trust and child abuse has been dismissed... Again...

[@ryebread4369]

@@seand.g423 are you okay? That reads like your trying to be sarcastic but you're just having a stroke. I'm autistic and even I know that's cringy! hahaha thanks for the laugh!

[@janisvaskevics93]

That sounded like a horribly incompetent 911 operator. He managed to get on my nerve immediately.

[@garysoap7925]

Nice seeing more rail related content. Though the phone call at the beginning was a bit distressing.

[@PlainlyDifficult]

Thank you!!

[@MonsierMadeleine]

As a US railroad freight conductor I can attest to the fatigue that comes from our shifts and "schedule". Most likely was the culprit in this disaster. PTC (positive train control) has been a life saver, literally, and is a super important part of our major rail lines. It's not fully implemented on every line even yet, but it's super important in keeping crews and civilians safe from disasters like this one.

[@notorioustori]

This is the 2nd incident within an approx 100 mile radius of my current location that you've covered this month! I'm both excited and embarrassed, lol. Thanks for another amazing video, as always!

[@Weaponsandstuff93]

The main reason I'd recommend people buy surplus gas masks/respirators with in date filters not because of some stupid doomsday scenario but corporate negligence leading to a chemical spill.

[@PlainlyDifficult]

Very solid advice!!

[@Weaponsandstuff93]

@@PlainlyDifficult Also congrats on your 1 million subscribers milestone very soon.

[@1tgb4yb25ub5ub]

​@@Weaponsandstuff93i got confused for a sec lol

[@darrellid]

The idiocy of that 911 operator is infuriating. RIP, Lois. What a tragic and senseless way for her and her mum to go.

[@andreww1001]

This is an edited video. We have no idea of the actual sound and audio of the call the dispatcher was hearing that day. While it's clear here, doesn't me they heard things clearly.

[@darrellid]

@@andreww1001 Oh, wow, guess we found out who the 911 dispatcher is.

[@beagleissleeping5359]

Employees: We're working too many overtime hours. Company: Well, you're getting OT pay, aren't you? Here's a pizza.

[@serendipity_hunter3974]

This is all too frighteningly true.

[@type45tomcat21]

I have been working in Aviation for more than 10 years and interested in Railway, also I have just finished my annual fatigue risk management training last week as I am working on Crew Rostering. John’s mentioning all those terms make me remember what I learn in the lesson again, and remaining me that fatigue is always a clear and present danger……

[@TheSolidSnakeOil]

I've never had it happen while driving but have as a passenger. I just call it time traveling instead of microsleep when it's happened to me. One second it's pitch black, I blink and it's suddenly dawn.

[@PlainlyDifficult]

It’s scary

[@shaneclarke6307]

I work night shift with 2 senior colleagues and I believe both of them have a button on their behind. They are getting knocked out as soon as they hit a seat in the truck and sometimes don't even wake up after we arrive to the location. Roads in NYC are bumpy as a roller coaster, we experience no gravity quite a few times when I drive and that still doesn't prevent them from falling asleep. So, I have to shake them upon arrival and they usually wake up very disoriented and confused. I have no clue how they're working on those days I'm off...

[@LordJaroh]

You should cover the Lac-Megantic rail disaster. That was an ugly one here in Canada.

[@Tyrannosaurus_Wrexx]

That one is fascinating to me. Like, how were all the brakes not set?

[@LordJaroh]

@Tyrannosaurus_Wrexx I had read that the basic amount were set, but a fire had killed the hydraulic line to one or more, thus the rest were unable to hold the train from rolling.

[@embersaffron5522]

The brakes were set on the first few cars, and the air in the lines should have kept the rest locked Except for the fact that there's a little air powered light at the end, that light drained the lines, and the train started moving​@@Tyrannosaurus_Wrexx

[@Thecloseriget123]

I was going to suggest this

[@Icewyng]

A TV series has been made about the tragedy and a 4-part documentary as well (both for the TVA channel in Quebec). It is simply gut wrenching. If you can understand french, I can’t recommend both series enough. But yes… I thought of Lac-Mégatic during this video.

[@cobaltcoywolf]

I live off of a major Norfolk Southern Class 1 mainline (intermodal) and it is not uncommon for trains to fail to blow the horn going through at grade level crossings (and they're not designated as quiet zones, so they should be sounding the horn). And I've seen multiple AWDs fail to drop before a train is entering the intersection - automatic warning devices, which are flashing lights and physical crossing gates that automatically deploy when an approaching train trips a track circuit near the crossing. You never forget the experience of not seeing ANY signals, not hearing ANY horns, and slamming on your brakes to avoid slamming into the lead engine of a 200+ car three engine freight train blasting past you at 50mph in the middle of the day. My state, Georgia, has 28 freight railroads and 4 Amtrak routes covering 4600 active rail miles. 3600+ miles are Class 1 tracks and about 1000 is shortline. It's split pretty evenly between NS and CSX. My county alone has 123 level crossings, 101 of them at grade.

[@e.t.anderson4639]

On the bright side, this isn't the confluence of your railroad accident and radiological accident themes.

[@GordonTechno]

Thanks!

[@PlainlyDifficult]

Thank you

[@kevinbarry71]

Love the video. FYI, in the United States we don't call them wagons, we called them cars

[@jooleebilly]

Hey, they said that in Sherlock S3 - a guy who worked for the Tube said "They're cars, not carriages. The lines were made with help from the Americans" or something to that effect.

[@penaughty2]

As ever a great video. Your no-nonsense style and lack of dramatisation are a godsend for people like me who are fascinated by accidents and disasters such as these but can't stand the hyped up shock-style of other creators. A sober look at what happened, and what failures in the system allowed this to happen, are wonderfully delivered by this channel every time.

[@MrBran4]

None of us know how we’d act in that situation, but still that was the least effective emergency call ever - “there’s smoke in my house”

[@PlainlyDifficult]

I agree

[@wessltov]

It might be excessive, but I sometimes practice the information most important to communicate. In order, I do location, situation, needs, information I need (if applicable), and identity

[@nlwilson4892]

Are you blaming the controller or the dispatcher?

[@bravo795mp]

I agree; I worked ems in nyc for like 6 years and I’ve called 911 like 20 times for various things. Even I felt a bit nervous at first. But the key thing is just ask for the TYPE of assistance you need and WHERE you need it. Everything else is supplemental. If your like extremely anxious speaking on the phone; see if your area has E911 where you can text 911. If not I got an app called Noonlight (I think it’s worth it for like 5$ a month). In emergency or if your in an iffy situation (walking to car after work at night; after a night out alone, ect.. and maybe someone is following you). There is a button you hold down on phone or watch until you are safe; if you let go and don’t type in your passcode or type it wrong; they text you and ask if your ok. If there is an emergency or if you don’t reply they call you; or give you option to text them what the emergency is and they will relay to 911 dispatch along with your location. Also they can connect Uber/lyft and send all driver info/car info if you’re in a ride and your ride is putting you in danger. As well as detecting crash from gyro in phone. I’ve been happy with app; I’ve accidentally sent it off a bunch of times and they always immediately texted and then called if I didn’t respond. :) I’m not affiliated with them at all (I have medical issues and just like the app).

[@samarnadra]

it actually makes sense to get "smoke in the house" across if nothing else because if they get fire trucks closer they will know what is going on andthey won't dally for fire

[@skree_skii2755]

16:04 My Aunt was killed in October of 2019 by another driver falling asleep at the wheel. She didn’t do anything wrong, she had gotten up and gone into work right before sunrise like usual. She was killed on impact, she would have never had the time to process it. She had just been married, her son was planning on moving out to live with her and her new husband. And then one morning she was gone. The other driver in the collision has fallen asleep, in the same way she hadn’t seen it coming, he didn’t either. He woke up to the accident happening all around him. And he lived. He’s probably still alive somewhere, knowing and living with the fact that he killed someone. If you’re tired, don’t drive. You think you can. You think it’s not that far, you think your experience and muscle memory will kick in even if you are sleepy. It won’t. Don’t drive.

[@katiekane5247]

Such a tragic story 😞 my sincere condolences for you and your family 💞

[@papaquonis]

432 hours a month allowed? That is utterly insane.

[@Moonlight_Tide]

What's crazier is that he accepted those hours under that responsibility.

[@steinarjonsson_]

When he said the limit for railway workers was 432 hours per month, I had to rewind the video twice in disbelief. That amount of hours is insane!

[@jamescarlson4676]

That operator at the beginning made my jaw drop. I hope he found a different profession

[@andreww1001]

This is an edited video. We have no idea of the actual sound and audio of the call the dispatcher was hearing that day. While it's clear here, doesn't me they heard things clearly.

[@EppelheimTV]

As a chemistry student with a huge interest in trains and disasters, I think Plainly Difficult is the perfect YT channel for me, featuring both chemical and train-related accidents.

[@I_like_planes252]

“Squidgy meat puppet” is the best description of a human I have ever heard lol

[@moselleconger4156]

My husband has been a freight train engineer for CSX/Conrail/Norfolk Southern for 23 years now . My biggest fear is something like this happening. Running a switch when dispatchers the engineer or the conductor fail to recognize the error used to be my biggest fear! Thankfully, my hubby now has so much seniority he can pick his work location and chooses to stay in the rail yard that is 1 min from our home. He never leaves the yard.

[@NeonDreams7]

"911 Dispatcher: Please don't talk to me until you can meet my standards" Seriously though, this lack of the ability in 911 dispatchers is everywhere in the US. There's enough that it could be a Plainly Difficult video

[@ferretyluv]

911 dispatchers have high turnover due to stress, odd hours, and PTSD. For their own sanity and the sake of professionalism, they’re taught to stay detached. However, this results in unempathetic and stupid calls like this. This is also a small town so they can’t exactly get the best of the best.

[@MMSMLUNWINPP]

Just finished ordering my RBMK shirt and I couldn't be more excited! I've been eyeing that shirt since I first started listening a couple years ago. I cannot wait to wear it and get your name out there even more. You are the man Plainly D, thanks for the killer shirt brother!

[@DANNYonPC]

The chemical train crossover, always a banger

[@PlainlyDifficult]

Scary subject collab

[@robinauseer499]

i was involved in a car wreck in the last year, and i was the one who called 911. the worst things hurt were both of our cars; my worst physical injuries were small-ish first-degree burns. i was, however, very rattled, and when i called, i was stuttering up a storm. if the dispatcher told me i was stuttering too much, i probably would have started crying, bc how the hell am i supposed to not stutter after getting scared half to death!?

[@Trainfan1055Janathan]

I think there should be laws requiring houses to be a minimum distance from freight railroads.

[@seand.g423]

What an incredibly Gulf-Coast sole takeaway...

[@dirtfarmer7472]

I used to drive a truck hauling Anhydrous Ammonia. It was standard practice to pipeline the AA from TX, OK to the Midwest 1 day a farmer noticed a cloud of gas in his field, went to investigate never made it home, he died, then the RR quit hauling the AA, now it’s transported by truck, the trailers are carefully inspected every 5 years inside and out, and every year outside. They’re as safe as they can be made to be.

[@magdovus]

That call handler was shit. I did it for years and she was perfectly clear. Compared to many calls I took she was very clear and understandable.

[@andreww1001]

This is an edited video. We have no idea of the actual sound and audio of the call the dispatcher was hearing that day. While it's clear here, doesn't me they heard things clearly.

[@TescoRoadman]

@@andreww1001found the dispatcher

[@majikglustik9704]

16:06 white line fever is what Lorrie drivers call it. Having worked as a Lorrie driver, pilot, and railroad engineer, I don't understand this 430 hours a month. The Code of Federal Regulations sets forth a 60 hour 7 day method of figuring recaps of service hours; otherwise, the rule for figuring recaps is 70 in 8 days. Most use 60 hour 7 day method. Without getting too complicated in this discussion, 60 hours times 4 weeks (per month) equals 240 hours. The math seems balls up. This also explains why UP was fined and not BNSF (who I worked for), who caused the crash. Happy New Year John, and everyone, wherever you are.

[@meghanhause9435]

Wheen I saw the thumbnail and the tilte, I thought that it was about East Palestine, OH train derailment, then I saw that it was Union Pacific Not Norfolk Southern.

[@tim3172]

Nah, this is just one of the many other red state rail disasters. Never forget! Trump killed the law that would have mathematically caused the bearing that failed in OH to have been been scanned at least twice for defects in the time between the law being killed and the bearing failure. But but but MUH FREEDUMBZ!

[@Word-Eatr]

I don't think you've ever done a video of the Lac-megantic rail disaster from here on Canada, but worth a look. Pretty big death toll attached and lots of repercussions

[@solandri69]

Rail service in the U.S. is substandard partly because of the national highway system. It's estimated that trucks cause 90% of the damage to the highways, but they only pay about 50% of maintenance costs (via fuel taxes). This essentially causes car users to subsidize transporting cargo via trucks, which makes them more economically competitive against rail than they truly are. Which starves railways of business revenue and volume.

[@wernerderchamp]

yup. There is a rule of thumb that the damage of a vehicle on the road scales with the axle wight to the fourth power times the amount of axles. So 2t SUV = (1^4)*2=2 40t semi truck (5 axles) = (8^4)*5=20480 Assuming 1% of vehicles are fully loaded semis, they would deal 99% of damage.

[@nopenope8418]

@PlainlyDifficult You might want to investigate the Megantic disaster in Québec, Canada. Train went wild downhill and derailed in a village, oil wagons ruptured and the oil lit on fire, many of the survivors were speaking of a river of fire or a lava flow. Sadly many dead and most of the village center got completely charred.

[@IdweAnquet]

I fully understand that people are only hearing the recording in a controlled environment and cant comprehend what is going on behind the scenes but the dispatcher is definitely getting more hate than the probably deserve. I am a 911 dispatcher an event like this happens we are getting dozens of calls on it if not more. So they probably had the phones ringing in the background, they had other dispatchers talking on the phones as background noise, they had radio traffic from speakers and/or in their ear, they had dispatchers talking to each other in order to get resources going from other calls. If you want a better idea of what it may have been like. Listen to it with head phones on but you only have it on one ear then you also have some talking behind you, then play a random recording of radio traffic from your personal cell phone and have someone else play a phone ringing and then see if it is as easy to hear. The calls people hear are just the recordings it shows nothing of what else is going on in the room. Some dispatch centers will let you do a sit in so you can see what it is like.

[@Rachel-sm7ym]

The environment you described sounds like an incredibly irresponsible way to run a call centre, especially a 911 centre where there are people calling with potentially life or death problems

[@aprilmorris4588]

Always fascinating, John. I live on a ridge above a spur line so I listen to the train 🚂🚃 whistles at least a couple times a week. I'm glad I'm about three-quarters of a mile away, yet I'm concerned about being down wind of any accidents. By the way, my father-in-law retired from BNSF awhile back and the trains he conducted/engineered weren't that long in the Pacific Northwest part of the US. I'm glad he never had an accident in his career, bit did see some after the fact. It was enough to make him extremely cautious.

[@JFirn86Q]

The train driver acted like most drivers on the road - where apparently yellow light means floor it...

[@goochfitness26]

This is why I like this channel. He isnt biased. His comments about the us and uk are spot on. Most Americans and Brit’s just insult eachother without accepting their own flaws💯💯

[@FlyWithFitz81]

If it has the name Union Pacific, It is a Plainly Difficult waiting to happen.

[@yeoldeseawitch]

that can be said for any north american rail freight company. they only have profit on their mind. people and safety are secondary and tertiary to these businesses.

[@lonnyyoung4285]

I would say Norfolk Southern is just waiting for someone to hold their beer, but BNSF and CSX probably aren't too far behind.

[@Tank50us]

@@yeoldeseawitch blame the rail unions who lobby for it. Rail Company execs know they can afford more people, they can afford the systems that are championed, and they know their profits will increase with the implementation of such policies.... but the Unions only care about the union dues they siphon from paychecks. So anything that impacts that, they will push against.

[@newtome-jessegates6310]

I swear listening to the dispatcher asking her over and over the same question she repeated clear as day was infuriating.

[@nlwilson4892]

My 3 year old nephew was watching a video of a 1.5 mile long freight train. I explained the length to him in terms of being longer than a local train tunnel. He said "That's too long". He has a point but the length istelf isn't the only issue, it inevitably ends up with mixed loads of things that are going to create all sorts of problems if there's a derailment and they end up getting mixed.

[@karkitty202]

What do you suggest we do? If trains were only a half mile long, everything would take longer to get done. Not to mention how many loads would have to wait until there was crew available to haul because they aren't necessarily a bunch of people who are willing to jump up and be train operators. Pointing out a problem is fine but you need to have a solution in mind.

[@nlwilson4892]

@@karkitty202 They have multiple locomotives with each train, do they just have one driver and the controls are linked? Even so, there are plenty of people wanting jobs and with trains that long profits must be decent compared to the wage of one person.

[@andrewyaden5209]

​@nlwilson4892 the train controls are linked. You can have 6+ locomotives controlled by one engineer. The conductors responsibility is taking care of switches and making sure the cargo goes where it's supposed to. Most trains regardless of size in the US only have an engineer and conductor and they're trying to reduce it to just an engineer.

[@Tank50us]

@@karkitty202 The best solution is to hire more people who can operate the trains effectively. The companies have the locomotives and rolling stock to do it, just not the people. And when unions go out of their way to prevent the hiring of new people, it makes it harder to actually hire the qualified people to get it done. DEI measures are only compounding the issues.

[@nlwilson4892]

@@andrewyaden5209 That sounds like cost cutting and probably not that beneficial. At some point the loads need split into their different sections to go to their final destination, likewise they will arrive separately. Maybe that journey is done by road. But that is a lot of hitching and unhitching and possibly delays due to one bit arriving late, then all the calculations of how much traction and fuel will be needed for the different weights. Even at the planning stage it would mean some companies not getting their goods in a timely manner because they have to wait until there's enough wagons for a long train.

[@thoughtful_criticiser]

I learnt my lesson on microsleep way back in 1982, returning from leave for Queen's parade I had an episode just before a sharp right after Reading. I awoke and turned only just missing the wall. Years later I was driven through the same area and subconsciously recognised it because I was was soaking wet with sweat struggling to know why, then I remembered. It suddenly dawned on me why I always resisted doing things like that, it was embedded in my subconscious.

[@awesomefan86]

I'm a train driver and I have to say, there's still something missing. There are train control systems to stop trains at signals and danger points. But there is also the dead man's switch. Either I missed the part where this was performed or it was completely forgotten here. However, I also have to say, it is America. When it comes to security there...well, it's usually non-existent. In Germany, a train control system called PZB is required and installed at every signal on every route

[@wernerderchamp]

Jup. And PZB isn't even expensive to install at the first place. Just some magnets...

[@colincampbell767]

Germany is about the same size as Oregon. Now think of the effort it would take to do this in the entire US.

[@awesomefan86]

@@colincampbell767 That may be the case, but Germany alone has a rail network that is almost 40,000 km long. The USA has almost 300,000 km, but if you compare the entire USA with Germany, the rail network in Germany is much denser. The investment would therefore be relatively low

[@c.s.everett1721]

Besides, after a decade of work the US finally got PTC everywhere - activated just two years ago. So it’s kind irrelevant at this point, surprised Plainly Difficult didn’t figure that out, but not as much as I should be - I was arguing about installation costs when while looking stuff up I was surprised to discover it had been working for a year at that point.

[@AbelG8781]

​@c.s.everett1721 PTC went into full operation on 12/31/2020 after more than a decade of installations.

[@xenoxaos1]

Don't forget that we also have "no train horn" zones as well...

[@MightyMezzo]

Those are often in residential areas, to avoid waking up the chronic complainers. But I’m sure that wasn’t the case with the two grade crossings the UP train blew through.

[@katho8472]

@@MightyMezzo I think John said also he was required to at these crossings. For residential areas, there are bells :)

[@AbelG8781]

Makes zero difference between horn or no horn zones. Get that foamer garbage out of here.

[@neilkurzman4907]

@@MightyMezzo The chronic complainers? So when an accident caused by lack of sleep, your plan is to make more people have lack of sleep.

[@kodomoshawn6729]

​@@neilkurzman4907 my town has lots of train tracks and the trains ALWAYS blow their horns when approaching any sort of crossing because there are some people (usually out of towners) who try to beat the train or park too close to the tracks in places where the tracks cross the road right in front of an intersection, or people on foot try to run across the tracks. So they blow the horn as a warning for anyone about to try anything stupid. If you live by the tracks then you get used to the train horns and learn to sleep through them and tune them out. The only people who complain are either non residents who are staying the night in the area or idiots who decided to move into a house near the tracks and are then upset that the trains make train noises.

[@MultiMightyQuinn]

Another great saturday video! Thank for the story, I do love a good train derailment story (the failure chain, not the injuries). I'll hang out to listen to Mr Music, always something interesting there!

[@stephanieparker1250]

What a cluster F! 😡

[@PlainlyDifficult]

I agree

[@BlueRaven7]

John, I know it's a very small and ultimately inconsequential detail, but I just want to say I really really enjoy your little updates on the current status of weather in South London, I always make sure to stick around long enough to hear how the weather is :)

[@mitchellrivers3645]

Holy shit, as a pilot, seeing engineers working FOUR HUNDRED AND THIRTY TWO HOURS A WEEK is INSANE

[@brucebaxter6923]

It’s insane to leta cleaner work those hours

[@vyshnavreddy9201]

Pretty insane considering these poor fellows have to learn time travel to fit all that work into a standard 168 hour long week.

[@carneeki]

With only 168 hours in a week, I agree, 432 hours in that week is insane. 432h/month is closer to 14.5h/day though, but with no time off.

[@vyshnavreddy9201]

@@carneeki All in jest.

[@carneeki]

@@vyshnavreddy9201 yt hadn't shown your comment when I posted, Amused we were both thinking the same sort of thing at the same time :)

[@proehm]

$580k to the EPA. That's what, an hours income for them? There's a saying here - "Fine for..." means legal for a price.

[@TheLifeOfJavi]

Our rail infrastructure was outdated when this incident happened, and I can guarantee it's even more so now. I live in San Antonio. That mainline splits, and borders the city center on both the east and west sides. If this had happened further up the line, the casualties would probably have been in the hundreds.

[@tim3172]

This sounds like a case of "You get what you vote for".

[@wernerderchamp]

@@tim3172 I am not against rail lines in my area, but install fucking train protection. Even simpler train protections than PTC prevent 90% of this bullshit

[@Izual001]

@@tim3172 You're implying that there is a real choice, and botc parties aren't bankrolled by the oil and automotive industries.

[@MisterPancake778]

I lived through this,in San Antonio I was a kid in scchool at the time, they had us go into a large stadium and kept us there until it got cleaned up.

[@Screamblade_]

That introduction though... eash

[@OpDwagon]

For the people complaining about the dispatcher: Remember that when you're listening to an audio *with* text, it is much easier to actually interpret what is it you're hearing. For an example of how reading affects listening, think about that viral sound where depending on what you were reading you could hear either "green needle" or "brainstorm", two completely different sounds can be heard from the same audio just from what you're reading. Now think about it, in all honesty, if you were the dispatcher, you take in a call and listen to that woman, slurring and stuttering, would you have done a better job? Be honest

[@seymoarsalvage]

Everything is bigger in Texas.. including train wreaks!

[@yeoldeseawitch]

what do you expect for a state that IS a train wreck?

[@colincampbell767]

Not just Texas - most Europeans and more than a few Americans have no real concept as to the sheer size of the US. Great Britain has 21,000 miles of railroad (including light commuter rail) while the US has 140,000 miles of class A (heavy trains) track. Look at how many years (or decades) it takes in Great Britian to make upgrades to their systems then multiply that by 14.

[@StupidEarthlings]

I learned about 'sidings' from Thomas the Tank Engine. REALLY. Watching w my son. Carry on.

[@DrJatzCrackers]

Hey Mr @PlainlyDifficult ! Thanks for another excellent documentary. I enjoy watching a new view each week as part of my sunday morning, "day off" ritual. If you're after more rail topics, have you heard of the 1977 Granville rail disaster in Australia? Any chance you could add that to your list of tail disasters to cover? Thanks and keep up the great content.

[@Jin420]

As someone who lives a block & half away from the train rail & about ¾ mile from the only train station -- I worry more & more about this type of incident happening. It seems to be happening more frequently.... But I also know that much of that is due to relaxed regulations while forcing the workers to work beyond exhaustion. If we don't get rid of lobbying -- nothing will get done. Best wishes to all. ❤

[@tim3172]

"It seems to be happening more frequently...." Nope, you're just aware of it. There has not been any relevant increase or decrease in safety since the 2010s. If you weren't concerned then, you shouldn't be concerned now. Rail safety laws were killed by Trump between 2016 and 2018 which would have improved safety, but even his gross incompetence hasn't caused safety to decrease statistically.

[@StupidEarthlings]

BRO, SO appreciate your vids. Not sure why I don't hear about MOST of these on 'nightly news. 👍

[@WezzleG]

Do they train people to answer emergency calls in the USA? Because along with the great ones you seem to get a LOT that are just awful, cant say I've ever heard a really bad one from anywhere else to be honest.

[@MTGeomancer]

Macdona Tx has a population of 486 people. The volume of 911 calls is likely measured in weeks.

[@absurdengineering]

@@MTGeomancerDispatch will be at a higher level, possibly county or several adjacent counties. They get calls all the time, it’s be a waste of money to operate a dispatch center, however small, otherwise.

[@MustachioFurioso9134]

This exact same type of accident happened in GraniteVille, South Carolina just a year later. Definitely worth looking at that accident as well

[@poeticsilence047]

Crazy I live in San Antonio, and I don't remember this. Maybe because in 2004 I was a teenage nerd who played Yugioh and games. Now I'm a nerd who plays games while watching disaster videos.

[@efnissien]

'Squidgy Meat puppets' mmmmm, I like as a descriptive term... may use on my co-workers. "Oi! You! Squidgy meat puppet!.... No, not you, the other squidgy meat puppet... yes you!"

[@chrisoconnor9521]

Can we just take a moment to appreciate the fact that PlainlyDifficult CORRECTLY called out the US with its ''underdeveloped railway infrastructure''. Absolutely not wrong at all. Yet another thing that makes the US a dump of a place that everyone should avoid.

[@transportromania]

I kinda work for the railway, but not in the USA. At some point, at a conference, we had a Canadian guy explaining us how big and strong is the rail freight transport in North America and how long and heavy the trains are... and he was totally shocked to hear about EU's goal of 740m length and 22.5t/axle, which he kinda considered toy trains. He "advised" us to just give priority to freight and carry people with buses instead, so there would be more room for freight trains and. And, eventually, why install expensive ERTMS, when some basic radio system would work very well? So there's a huge mentality difference between North American (and Australian, for that matter) railway school of engineering and the European one.

[@shermangriffin4668]

I lived in West Carrollton Ohio in the 1980's. We had a train hauling phosphorus derail. I live on the hill above the crash. The entire city had to evacuate. There was a white smoke that settled all around. It was hard to breathe.

[@robertl6196]

I thought it would be East Palastine.......

[@PlainlyDifficult]

That will come soon!

[@Hillwisekid]

I thought so too until I saw 2004.

[@IDFCommander714]

A UP train de-railed in Chappell Nebraska about a month ago. The haz cars near the end luckily didn't but the cargo containers' refrigerator and not got wasted and smelled bad.

[@genericscottishchannel1603]

stupidity on all fronts I see

[@PlainlyDifficult]

Sadly true

[@RuntCaustas]

To be fair, in comparing US rail to UK rail. The US has states that are the size of the entire UK. It would take A lot longer to repair and maintain all of the rail routes when in comparison to UK rail. That being said, with so much nothing between some cities, proper rest and focus would be paramount when driving them.

[@ImmortalTreknique]

For the mighty algorithm gods 🍻