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FRA issues emergency shutdown order for Oklahoma shortline due to a complete lapse in safety
Posted: Thu Feb 08, 2024 2:54 pm
by David Collins
https://www.progressiverailroading.com/ ... oad--71211
Is there a comparable example of a lapse of safety of this degree happening elsewhere?? I’ve never heard personally of something this bad.
Re: FRA issues emergency shutdown order for Oklahoma shortline due to a complete lapse in safety
Posted: Thu Feb 08, 2024 5:38 pm
by AARR
And I thought MAW was the worse track ever. They never were shutdown...that I know of.
Re: FRA issues emergency shutdown order for Oklahoma shortline due to a complete lapse in safety
Posted: Thu Feb 08, 2024 5:49 pm
by Saturnalia
AARR wrote: ↑Thu Feb 08, 2024 5:38 pm
And I thought MAW was the worse track ever. They never were shutdown...that I know of.
It is almost impossible to get shut down for track conditions so long as you're following the CFR Part 213 requirements on inspection, class of track and operation parameters.
Basically as long as you have declared Excepted Track, inspect at least as frequently as required, don't violate the operation restrictions for excepted track, and do not have gauge over 58.25", you can basically get away with anything.
Re: FRA issues emergency shutdown order for Oklahoma shortline due to a complete lapse in safety
Posted: Thu Feb 08, 2024 6:11 pm
by Talk
They had uncertified minors operating rail equipment... it wasn't just track
Re: FRA issues emergency shutdown order for Oklahoma shortline due to a complete lapse in safety
Posted: Thu Feb 08, 2024 6:29 pm
by David Collins
Talk wrote: ↑Thu Feb 08, 2024 6:11 pm
They had uncertified minors operating rail equipment... it wasn't just track
I heard about that.. They must’ve been very railfan friendly
Re: FRA issues emergency shutdown order for Oklahoma shortline due to a complete lapse in safety
Posted: Thu Feb 08, 2024 7:23 pm
by Talk
David Collins wrote: ↑Thu Feb 08, 2024 6:29 pm
Talk wrote: ↑Thu Feb 08, 2024 6:11 pm
They had uncertified minors operating rail equipment... it wasn't just track
I heard about that.. They must’ve been very railfan friendly
More Minor Friendly..
Re: FRA issues emergency shutdown order for Oklahoma shortline due to a complete lapse in safety
Posted: Fri Feb 09, 2024 10:09 am
by SD80MAC
Letting unlicensed people (some of them minors, to boot) regularly operate equipment, locomotives that were never inspected and or had major FRA defects, multiple crossing protection equipment violations, the list goes on. The final straw was apparently someone operating a high rail truck that failed to protect a crossing and almost caused a fatal accident. This is all on top of the fact that the owner is 30-something with a 15 year old girl friend and is now on the run from Federal Agents!
Re: FRA issues emergency shutdown order for Oklahoma shortline due to a complete lapse in safety
Posted: Fri Feb 09, 2024 10:16 am
by David Collins
SD80MAC wrote: ↑Fri Feb 09, 2024 10:09 am
…and is now on the run from Federal Agents!
He’s actually on the run??
Re: FRA issues emergency shutdown order for Oklahoma shortline due to a complete lapse in safety
Posted: Fri Feb 09, 2024 10:26 am
by SD80MAC
David Collins wrote: ↑Fri Feb 09, 2024 10:16 am
SD80MAC wrote: ↑Fri Feb 09, 2024 10:09 am
…and is now on the run from Federal Agents!
He’s actually on the run??
Yes, AFAIK he has not been found yet.
Re: FRA issues emergency shutdown order for Oklahoma shortline due to a complete lapse in safety
Posted: Fri Feb 09, 2024 12:12 pm
by AARR
I didn’t think there could be worse owners than the KBC but this guy might get the award
Re: FRA issues emergency shutdown order for Oklahoma shortline due to a complete lapse in safety
Posted: Fri Feb 09, 2024 7:36 pm
by Mark F
This is a state owned line. Wonder how many boxes this group checked off on the "inclusivity" scale to get the operating contract?
Re: FRA issues emergency shutdown order for Oklahoma shortline due to a complete lapse in safety
Posted: Fri Feb 09, 2024 7:41 pm
by DaveO
Mark F wrote: ↑Fri Feb 09, 2024 7:36 pm
This is a state owned line. Wonder how many boxes this group checked off on the "inclusivity" scale to get the operating contract?
being oklahoma, likely none.
that has nothing to do with blatant disregard of rules and more importantly, safety.
Re: FRA issues emergency shutdown order for Oklahoma shortline due to a complete lapse in safety
Posted: Sat Feb 10, 2024 4:03 pm
by cfriedri
David Collins wrote: ↑Thu Feb 08, 2024 2:54 pm
Is there a comparable example of a lapse of safety of this degree happening elsewhere?? I’ve never heard personally of something this bad.
Believe the FRA shut down the Northwestern Pacific in the late 1990s but otherwise unsure if it has happened elsewhere.
Re: FRA issues emergency shutdown order for Oklahoma shortline due to a complete lapse in safety
Posted: Sat Feb 10, 2024 6:12 pm
by Erroneous Monk
SD80MAC wrote: ↑Fri Feb 09, 2024 10:09 am
This is all on top of the fact that the owner is 30-something with a 15 year old girl friend and is now on the run from Federal Agents!
That's nice
Guess it explains the circus going on over there when there's nobody around to be in charge!
Re: FRA issues emergency shutdown order for Oklahoma shortline due to a complete lapse in safety
Posted: Mon Feb 12, 2024 3:02 pm
by LansingRailFan
Mark F wrote: ↑Fri Feb 09, 2024 7:36 pm
This is a state owned line. Wonder how many boxes this group checked off on the "inclusivity" scale to get the operating contract?
Noah McCann is whiter than you are Mark F, but you better get to the chiropractor after reaching so far...
Noah is also a co-owner of BUGX aka DieselMotive - they lease and repair switchers etc...
It's a pretty scandalous situation with a lot of drama. FRA concerned with rail-related stuff but FBI is interested in the minor-relationship allegations as well. Either way, he's on the run.
Re: FRA issues emergency shutdown order for Oklahoma shortline due to a complete lapse in safety
Posted: Mon Feb 12, 2024 3:13 pm
by LansingRailFan
Re: FRA issues emergency shutdown order for Oklahoma shortline due to a complete lapse in safety
Posted: Mon Feb 12, 2024 5:05 pm
by Erroneous Monk
Thanks for the info, while there are obviously much bigger issues with him that need to be resolved, my little railfan brain sure hopes none of the units he was involved with suffer on his behalf.
Re: FRA issues emergency shutdown order for Oklahoma shortline due to a complete lapse in safety
Posted: Mon Feb 12, 2024 5:05 pm
by David Collins
This guy was definitely a preservationist, there’s NO WAY the roster for the BNGR looked like this by accident:
Re: FRA issues emergency shutdown order for Oklahoma shortline due to a complete lapse in safety
Posted: Mon Feb 12, 2024 5:17 pm
by Erroneous Monk
According to their Facebook page EWLX is not affiliated with McCann in terms of ownership, though there must be some deal between them to store units on BNG property.
Re: FRA issues emergency shutdown order for Oklahoma shortline due to a complete lapse in safety
Posted: Mon Feb 12, 2024 5:24 pm
by David Collins
Erroneous Monk wrote: ↑Mon Feb 12, 2024 5:17 pm
According to their Facebook page EWLX is not affiliated with McCann in terms of ownership, though there must be some deal between them to store units on BNG property.
That doesn’t really matter, all 5 of those units are types that are hard to find and museums/preservation firms are trying to get their hands on as many of them as they can.
It just seems really fishy.