Work Tractor Collides with Monorail Lime

[peachykeen]

Unless you are one of the good pilots from pre-2009 who were allowed to back a train onto Shop...

I'm happy to say pre-2009 I was asked to take a few trains back to shop "under pressure," meaning we were needing to get a broken train off quickly before fireworks or a parade dump. Usually this meant backing into shop and not "wasting time" switching ends at Magic Kingdom. I got such a kick out of it. Nothing like inching backwards into shop, especially onto Beam 10 since the paint booth doesn't allow for many visual references.

I backed up into shop once post-2009. I was bringing Gold out and was holding on the spur line when a warning light for a tire temperature came up and there was a "visible odor" (smoke.) The shop manager made the decision to back me into Shop. When I got back to the MK platform all the other CMs were saying "I can't believe they backed you up into shop!"

My favorite "back-into-shop" time was reversing all the way from Epcot, through switches 9 and 8, to MK, through the switches all the way to shop. Full speed in reverse the entire time, except through the switches. Such a thrill!

 

[flynnibus]

Maybe I missed somewhere, but, I was of the belief that the Monorail trains are capable of running in either direction, hence the cabs front and back. And wasn't the big accident on the 4th of July a couple of years back, caused by one train "backing" into another? If so why are we talking about having to turn the trains around?

Considering that wouldn't they be alternating direct just about every day, since they cannot turn around after leaving the barn? I always assumed that is what happened on a daily basis.

Because driving from either end is not 'turning around' but simply going forward or backwards with the train in the same physical orientation.

The conversation is about the orientation of the train since the booth in the shop is at one end.

 

[Goofyernmost]

Because there were questions as to how Monorail Lime was able to get back to the barn since Cab 6, the one hit by the tractor, is the cab used to drive to the barn.

Why is that important? What possible difference does it make. Besides there is a reverse, with proper guidance the can easily get to the barn. We don't even know if the damage affected the train enough that it couldn't be driven to the barn. And again, why do we need to know?

 

[Goofyernmost]

Because driving from either end is not 'turning around' but simply going forward or backwards with the train in the same physical orientation.

The conversation is about the orientation of the train since the booth in the shop is at one end.

Again I have to ask why anyone cares, what secret smoking gun is going to be exposed if anyone knows. Why are we making a simple accident into a world event. It appears that it is a huge nothing, yet here we are discussing the orientation of the train. Please tell me why, number one, it's any of our business and, number two, if we find out, what are we then going to deduce from it.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Why is that important? What possible difference does it make. Besides there is a reverse, with proper guidance the can easily get to the barn. We don't even know if the damage affected the train enough that it couldn't be driven to the barn. And again, why do we need to know?

Reverse has all but been banned since the fatal accident.

 

[Goofyernmost]

Reverse has all but been banned since the fatal accident.

I'm sure that applies to situations that involve Guests being present or on board. A second thought is that the normal drivers are trained and forbidden to use reverse. However, that would not necessarily preclude that fact that maintenance could do it. In the bus company I worked for the regular, experienced drivers were forbidden to back the buses out of the garage, we had to find a maintenance person to do it. Never knew why, but that was the rule. Again, nothing still equals nothing.

 

[lazyboy97o]

I'm sure that applies to situations that involve Guests being present or on board. A second thought is that the normal drivers are trained and forbidden to use reverse. However, that would not necessarily preclude that fact that maintenance could do it. In the bus company I worked for the regular, experienced drivers were forbidden to back the buses out of the garage, we had to find a maintenance person to do it. Never knew why, but that was the rule. Again, nothing still equals nothing.

Look into that accident more if you want answers.

 

[Goofyernmost]

Look into that accident more if you want answers.

That's the point. I'm not going to look into it further because having been in the transportation business for a number of years, I am satisfied that there is nothing to see here. Even if there was, it is an internal problem and not ours. If you want me to know... tell me! I'm just not interested enough except in trying to stop the foolish inflation of a non-topic. I don't even know what point everyone else is trying to make. People throw out statements and word them in sinister fashion with no explanation as to why it's sinister, just that for some reason we should think that evil is afoot.

 

[Figment2005]

Yep, usually each cab is used a few times per day. If you bring a train out of shop, you're in cab 1. If you bring a train into shop, you're in cab 6. If you're driving Epcot or Express, you're in cab 1. If you're driving resorts, you're in cab 6. If you bring a resort train to shop, you switch to cab 1 at the Contemporary, then switch back to cab 6 after going through the switch and ending up at the MK. From there its cab 6 all the way back to shop. Really the only time you move the train in the opposite direction of which cab you're in is to re-align your stop if you over-shoot the station, and in that scenario you have an observer on the ground or at the station or other location to verify beamway behind the train is clear before reversing. The name of the game is operating the train from the same cab as the direction of travel.

We actually have rear view cameras installed in each cab. The days of spotting a train while reversing is pretty much over. Unless a camera goes down for some reason, that is.

 

[Figment2005]

Reverse has all but been banned since the fatal accident.

Reversing actually still happens quite often thanks to the cameras.

 

[WeekendGM]

Also just to clarify it was Cab 1 of Lime that suffered damage. That is the cab that faces toward the Contemporary when any train is at the Transportation and Ticket Center. When a train is in shop it cab 6 is the farthest in and cab 1 is the closest to the doors. The paint beam when you look at shop is beam 10 the farthest one to the east side of shop. The paint booth is at the south end were cab 1 is when a train is parked at shop.

 

[powerstroke1206]

I stumbled on this site , for pure amusement , and after reading the posts , I must say some of the info on here about the thread topic is hilarious . there is so much miss information on here about the crash. i'm glad I know the truth , and for the record I work with the driver of the work tractor involved , the only person on the tractor at the time .

 

[monorail81]

I stumbled on this site , for pure amusement , and after reading the posts , I must say some of the info on here about the thread topic is hilarious . there is so much miss information on here about the crash. i'm glad I know the truth , and for the record I work with the driver of the work tractor involved , the only person on the tractor at the time .

A LOT of us know that there is a LOT of misinformation on this thread...and many others...just chuckle at it and be glad you know the truth.

 

[wdwmagic]

I stumbled on this site , for pure amusement , and after reading the posts , I must say some of the info on here about the thread topic is hilarious . there is so much miss information on here about the crash. i'm glad I know the truth , and for the record I work with the driver of the work tractor involved , the only person on the tractor at the time .

A LOT of us know that there is a LOT of misinformation on this thread...and many others...just chuckle at it and be glad you know the truth.

Feel free to fill us in with the facts.

 

[LAKid53]

I can see the headlines now:

Lime Squeezed by Tractor without Juice

I can't stop laughing - too, too funny!

 

[asianway]

Hearing lime is out today. Is this new news?

 

[zulemara]

Hearing lime is out today. Is this new news?

I saw slimeball on MK Express Dec 7th at the end of MVMCP