(The following story by Lauren Leach and Sammy Fretwell appeared on The State website on May 17. Chris Seeling was a member of BLET Division 85 in Columbia, S.C.)
COLUMBIA, S.C. — Worries about railroad safety gnawed at train engineer Chris Seeling in the months before the Graniteville disaster killed him and eight others, his parents said.
Rebecca Schmidt of West Columbia said Monday her 28-year-old son had written letters to Norfolk Southern, voicing his fears.
“He was concerned about how people were haphazard sometimes. I think sometimes he was concerned that co-workers were sloppy, and he would always tell his buddies to stay safe.
“He would talk to me about how some people would follow regulations and others would kind of take little shortcuts.”
Schmidt declined to elaborate, saying she didn’t want to get anyone in trouble. Schmidt, who has been unable to find copies of the letters, said her son read them to her on the telephone.
“The railroads say they are safety-minded, but we are kind of learning a different side to this. It is not pretty.”
Railroad industry officials maintain they are safety-conscious and have said the Norfolk Southern wreck was an unusual accident.
Tom White, a spokesman for the Association of American Railroads, said the industry has invested millions of dollars to improve safety “without any pressure from the federal government.”
Engineer Seeling died about three hours after his 42-car freight train slammed into a two-car parked train about 2:40 a.m. on Jan. 6. He died from inhaling the leaking chlorine from one of the tankers.
The engineer’s father, Steve Seeling of Lenexa, Kan., recalled that his son was focused on “making sure things were done right and proper.”
The engineer’s mother and older sister, Carolyn Seeling-Tomlinson, spoke with U.S. Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta outside the State House on Monday. Near her heart, Schmidt wore a gold train pin given to her by one of the conductor’s wives after her son’s death.
“It was Chris’ passion. He loved his job,” she said.
Schmidt encouraged Mineta to make sure the railroad issues air supply respirators to its crews transporting hazardous materials.
“A hazmat consultant told me at the time a respirator could have saved his life,” Seeling told Mineta.
She and her family said they also hope officials will take a closer look at train speeds and make sure crews have the proper training if a collision occurs.
She said it’s important to note that fatigue can be a threat to train safety. Schmidt said she did not fault the crew of a parked train for her son’s death.
“I don’t have any vengeance toward them at all. He knew those people. And they all worked together. Sometimes, (train crews) had to work such a long day and they would get very tired.”
The small train had been parked overnight on a railroad spur after the crew quit work, but investigators say a switch from the main line had not been returned to its original position. The Norfolk Southern train Seeling was driving ran off the main track, onto the spur and smashed into the parked train.
Schmidt, Steve Seeling and his wife, Patty, are heading to Washington, D.C., next week to meet with Don Hahs, president of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, and legislators, Seeling said.
Seeling said he is pleased the issue is being discussed but won’t be satisfied until “whatever (Mineta) comes up with is carried through.”
“We do not ever want this happening to another mom or dad,” Seeling said.
Seeling, who lives near Kansas City, Kan., which he said is the second-largest rail center in the country, never realized railroading was “as dangerous as it is.”
“We were more concerned with him working all these crazy hours and falling asleep. … We never, ever conceived of a collision like that.”