How Often Do Folks Get Left Behind?

[OlympianHiawatha]

The Texas Eagle Conductors are pretty good about reminding pax if they get left behind the next train isn't until 24 hours and that places like Longview, Marshall or Mineola aren't the most exciting in the world

 

[rail_rider]

Last summer on the TE I saw a passenger get off while his wife stayed on board. Next thing she knows her cell phone is ringing and it's her husband back at the station in Dallas asking her to tell the conductor to back the train up so he could get on. Of course that was a no go. The conductor did work with him and told him to grab a cab and meet the train at the next stop. He missed that stop but made the next one, all but $200 lighter in the pocket. He got a round of applause when he reboarded. He had gone into the station to use a restroom and just lost track of time.

 

[DET63]

He had gone into the station to use a restroom and just lost track of time.

Why didn't he go to the restroom on the train? Did he think that it still had hopper toilets and that they were closed while the train was in the station?

 

[MattW]

It contributed less to dirtying up the train toilets? Less use of the valuable train water/water water storage space? He didn't want to try balancing himself while aiming?

 

[ThayerATM]

It contributed less to dirtying up the train toilets? Less use of the valuable train water/water water storage space? He didn't want to try balancing himself while aiming?

How difficult is it to balance yourself while "aiming" on a train that isn't moving? :lol:

I have to admit that not using up the train's holding tank "resources" is a good idea, but not to the extent of being left behind.

 

[amtrakwolverine]

maybe he was reading bathroom graffiti and lost track of time that way.

 

[GregL]

In May '07 we were on the east bound Empire Builder. The first morning we had breakfast with a couple from the United Kingdom. Later in the day, we were in our sleeper, when they announced there was to be a smoker stop at Wiliston, ND. (I think) We quickly got our shoes on and went into the station to see if they had a pop machine that sold ''real'' diet cola, not the kind that Amtrak sells. We came out of the station and everyone was back on the train except the conductor. The couple from UK had seen us go into the station and told the conductor that we were inside!! It sounds like we were lucky that they waited! My wife will never let me forget that!

GregL

 

[ThayerATM]

In May '07 we were on the east bound Empire Builder. The first morning we had breakfast with a couple from the United Kingdom. Later in the day, we were in our sleeper, when they announced there was to be a smoker stop at Wiliston, ND. (I think) We quickly got our shoes on and went into the station to see if they had a pop machine that sold ''real'' diet cola, not the kind that Amtrak sells. We came out of the station and everyone was back on the train except the conductor. The couple from UK had seen us go into the station and told the conductor that we were inside!! It sounds like we were lucky that they waited! My wife will never let me forget that!GregL

My motto has always been... never get further away from the train door than you can run or jump if the train starts to move. My wife is a bit more daring, and she actually did go into a station searching for that diet cola that Amtrak doesn't sell. I was like a cat on a hot tin roof until she walked out of the station with two of those colas. I had ahold of the handles on the train door, ready to physically hold the train back from from departing. :lol: We weren't even close to being left behind. We had time to finish the colas, and a couple of cigarettes. Still...

 

[rail_rider]

He had gone into the station to use a restroom and just lost track of time.

Why didn't he go to the restroom on the train? Did he think that it still had hopper toilets and that they were closed while the train was in the station?

Had a bad back and tried to kill two birds at once. Stretch and take care of business at the same time. As he found out, it was a bad choice. What got me was that his wife wasn't too upset.

 

[Trogdor]

(The engineer apparently couldn't stop the train, despite public-address requests by the conductor.)

After reading this, I just have to ask, who's in charge of the train?

In general, the conductor is in charge. However, reading the above, I think the OP may have been slightly confused.

The conductor wouldn't have made public-address requests to the engineer, because the engineer can't hear the PA system (the locomotive isn't hooked up to the PA). The conductor would have to communicate via radio to the engineer. More likely, a car attendant made a PA request to the conductor (since car attendants don't have radios), and the conductor decided that they were already past the point where they could safely stop the train and let someone off, and therefore didn't forward the request to the engineer.

Reading the rest of the thread (and hearing plenty of other stories of people being left behind), it always amazes me that folks don't simply look at a schedule. If the train is on time, expect it leave on time (except for stops marked with a "D" or "L" in the timetable, but that's usually not the case), and be on board by then. If the train is late then don't assume that, if the schedule shows a 20-minute stop, the train will actually sit there for the full 20 minutes. Most of the trips I've been on where the train was running late, the conductor was good about reminding passengers that they would try to leave as quickly as possible to make up time. However, logic would tell me, if the train arrives at 9:36, and the schedule shows the stop at 9:37, then the train will probably only be there for about a minute.

My personal rule is to never leave the side of the train (i.e. go into the station) unless the scheduled departure time is at least 10-15 minutes away.

 

[ThayerATM]

Sorry, I didn't mention "Highball" as the actual word used to signal that the train is clear to leave the station.I was just trying to point out that I think the Conductor has the final say so after communicating with the Engineer before the train leaves.

Is that correct?

I put together a little chain-of-command thing. I think it's accurate.

The conductor on the train is the employee charged with the safe management of the train, and is the direct supervisor of the train crew, including an assistant conductor, and all OBS personnel. All train crew personnel work under the conductors supervision.

The conductor is responsible for coordinating the safe movement of the train, in concert with the engineer and dispatcher. The conductor will signal the engineer when to start moving, and where (an important word that will come up later) to stop.

The engineer is the employee who operates (drives) the train, and is charged with train movement, speed, and mechanical operation of the train, in concert with the conductor.

This explanation is deliberately overly simplistic, as there are many other skilled employees necessary to operate a train safely and efficiently, and there are many other things that each employee has to do.

However, breaking this chain of command, if the train hits a car, it's a pretty safe bet that the engineer is going to stop the train ASAP no matter where they are, without waiting for orders from the conductor.

I also think it's a pretty safe bet that the train isn't going to wait, stop, or back up just because some fool wandered too far away from the train and got left behind. Certainly the engineer COULD stop the train. Certainly the conductor COULD order the train stopped. It's just NOT going to happen that way. :lol:

 

[Tony]

He had gone into the station to use a restroom and just lost track of time.

Why didn't he go to the restroom on the train? Did he think that it still had hopper toilets and that they were closed while the train was in the station?

Well, I have to admit it, but I fall into that category myself.

Yep, I have gone into the station, during a long "cigarette break" stop, to use their bathroom. Yea, I found the station's bathroom to be a bit more better, than the ones in coach. Cleaner. Roomier. And with the fixtures a guy would expect.

 

[guest in LA]

My feeling is that people who miss either getting back on (or non-riders boarding to look around who miss getting back off) are self-centered.

Couple of weeks ago an idiot yacking with a boarding friend didn't get off the Pacific Surfliner in time at Irvine. So the jerk pulled the emergency lever. Everyone is delayed 15 minutes while the brakes are checked. The conductor wanted to arrest the guy but couldn't get ahold of Metrolink cops (Metrolink owns the line) or local Orange County sheriff, and didn't want to run up even more delays, given all the trains running north and south that were being delayed as well.

IMHO the truly accidental misses are rare. Most misses result from caring only about yourself and not paying attention to simple rules.

 

[MattW]

And yet with the exception of non-ticketed on board who pull the e-brake or just end up riding down the line, they're only hurting themselves. Unless of course, the conductor is stupid enough to back the train up for them (not likely, most Amtrak conductors I feel are VERY good, intelligent people). I thought the general policy was "watch the clock, or it's your fault"

 

[RailFanLNK]

I remember sitting on the SWC at a "break" so I thought this would be a good time to grab a magazine, have some quiet time in the bathroom for a few minutes and "get the job done", only bad thing is they unhooked the power or something and I sat in the pitch dark with my shorts down around my ankles and not a pinch of light to see where the ---- my ankles were! :lol: Maybe he's had the same problem I have had! :lol:

 

[Tony]

How do non-ticketed, non-passengers, get on a train to just say "goodbye"? Possibly it is just the trains I have travelled, but there is always some Amtrak person checking tickets (sometimes collecting, sometimes not) before allowing anyone on board.

 

[mucomix]

I have never seen some one left looking at the tail lights on the train my self. But the wife must live in fear of it. Dam she walks fast when it is time to head to the train.

 

[ThayerATM]

I have never seen some one left looking at the tail lights on the train my self. But the wife must live in fear of it. Dam she walks fast when it is time to head to the train.

Smart woman. Follow her lead. Be pro-active. Don't wait for stuff to happen before you do something. Do something before stuff happens. :lol:

 

[Spokker]

How do non-ticketed, non-passengers, get on a train to just say "goodbye"? Possibly it is just the trains I have travelled, but there is always some Amtrak person checking tickets (sometimes collecting, sometimes not) before allowing anyone on board.

The long-distance trains are like this. For shorter routes, such as the Pacific Surfliner, you just hop on and they check your ticket after you are seated. If you don't have a ticket they kick you off at the next station.

 

[Shanghai]

I was on the eastbound LSL and a couple was to disembark at Schenady, NY. The train stopped to let coach passengers get off,

and the couple was told the engineer would move the train forward and then stop again for the sleeper passengers. The engineer

did not stop again and the couple had to go onto Albany. The conductor apologized and told them he would drive them back to SCY

as that was his home.

If you know NYP station, you can get on the train without a ticket. My wife was going to Richmond. We boarded the train through

the mezzanine into the Business Class car. A couple of minutes later, our daughter appeared on board as she was returning to the

city on the LIRR and ran down the mezz to say good bye. My daughter and I got off the train with time to spare.

 

[Neil_M]

October 2007 on the EB EB, stopped at Havre and some muppet thought it looked attractive enough a place to spend 24 hours minus his ticket, wallet, jacket, cash, credit cards, luggage and wife, all of which stayed on the train!

Oh how I laughed...... :lol:

 

[EB_OBS]

I'd say that on the EB, passengers get left behind probably once or twice a month. No matter how many times the conductor tells them to not wander off at certain stops people inevitably do.

 

[EB_OBS]

How do non-ticketed, non-passengers, get on a train to just say "goodbye"? Possibly it is just the trains I have travelled, but there is always some Amtrak person checking tickets (sometimes collecting, sometimes not) before allowing anyone on board.

At some stops the passengers are loaded quickly then, when the train is moving again, the conductors go through and collect the tickets. There was just a lady right before Christmas, came on the train in Everett with her grown daughter. Everett is like a two minute stop. Anyway, she got a free ride to Wenatchee. Luckily she had a sister in Wenatchee and the sister was able to pick the lady up. In that instance we did make a reservation for her the next day free of charge. Certainly didn't have to let her return travel be free though.

 

[Bob Dylan]

On the Sunset Ltd. the conductors announce @ Smoke/Air stops to not wonder away from train side since the train leaves when ready and ".. Next train is in three days!" :lol: I've seen about five folks left and in every instance it was their own fault!

 

[AlanB]

While with the OTOL gang this past summer on the Sunset we saw several older kids get semi-left behind at El Pasol despite the fact that's a very long stop. The station agent called us on the radio just as we were on the bridge over the Rio Grande and we actually stopped for a few minutes on the bridge while they debated what to do. It was eventually agreed that we would proceed a bit further to some very small road crossing at the station would drive them to that crossing, which is indeed what happened.