This one actually started because of a train accident but I got a kick out of it everytime it happened. Because of the hecktic work schedules of train crews, right around the late 90's the railroads started implementing the 45 minute nap rule. Which was, while stopped in a siding, one member of the crew was allowed to take a 45 minute nap. Back when I was working for CSX a fatigued crew was arguing over the aspect of a signal and wound up running into the back of an intermodal train. This put everyone on high alert plus was the start of something absolutely hilarious. Whenever we were out on a train, and the 45 minute nap came into play, I would always let the engineer take a nap because face it, he was driving. Sometimes the engineers would fall asleep thinking about the incident that happened on the trenton sub between Philadelphia and South Kearney New Jersey. At one particular signal just outside of Chester PA there was a railroad crossing right at the North signal of the siding. If an engineer was asleep, and dreaming they werent asleep and were running at throttle 8,as soonas they would hear an oncoming train blow the hornfor the crossing,they would wakeup ina panic, see that RED signal that they stopped at an hour ago and already forgot, and throw the emergency brake. Then they would get mad at me for laughing. I was laughing partly because it was funny, and partly because this guy just tried to save my life, on a train that wasn't even moving. One guy in particular would always lay claim that he just saved both our lives. How did he do that? I always looked at it as good train handling, and safety conciousness in an unconcious state.|-||-||-|
