(The following article was posted on Fresno, Calif., television station CBS 47’s website on February 16. Tim Smith is the BLET’s Calif. State Legislative Board Chairman.)
FRESNO, Calif. — Mention remote control trains and most of us think about toy trains chugging down miniature tracks. Many people are surprised to learn full-sized locomotives are now being operated by remote in train yards across the nation.
“This is the first time I’ve heard of it” Fresnan Gilbert Aguirre told CBS 47. Aguirre lives less than a quarter of a mile from the Union Pacific yard in Northwest Fresno. “It is a concern” he told us, after learning there are no engineers in the cabs of many trains that operate so close to home.
“The potential is disasterous”, says Tim Smith of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen. Smith says accidents happen when trains are run by remote because the operators often can’t see what’s in front of the engine.
The railroad industry disputes Smith’s claims. They say accidents are down, and efficiency is up.