From: calvin@remove.daxack.ca   
      
   John Albert (j.albert@snet.net) said...   
   >   
   >The procedure I described above is EXACTLY how Amtrak   
   >specifies the crew to "test" the brakes to see if the train   
   >is secured against movement.   
   >   
   >That is:   
   >1. Apply hand brakes   
   >2. Release train and engine air brakes   
   >3. Ascertain if the train moves. If it does...   
   >4. Apply -more- hand brakes and re-test as before.   
   >   
   >The train is considered "secure" if all air brakes are   
   >released, and train doesn't move.   
      
   That seems rather "on the edge" to me. Shouldn't some hand brakes over this   
   threshold be set (additional car or two for a short train, or a percentage   
   increase for longer) to cover "just in case" scenarios?   
      
   I'm not suggesting doubling the number of hand brakes (an elevator that   
   has a certificate for 1000 lbs was likely tested to 2000 lbs!), but just   
   a slight addition than just the absolute minimum needed to not move the   
   train.   
      
   --   
   Calvin Henry-Cotnam   
   "Unusual or extreme reactions to events caused by negligence   
    are imaginable, but not reasonably foreseeable"   
     - Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin, May 2008   
      
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