(Salt Lake City television station KSL posted the following transcript of a story on its website on September 15. The video is available for download at: http://tv.ksl.com/index.php?nid=39&sid=48228)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — A Union Pacific locomotive, run by remote control … got out of control, this morning.
It didn’t stop until it pushed rail cars onto the main line..and in the way of trains hauling -hazardous materials.
Samantha Hayes is on the Nightbeat at Union Pacific’s north yard.
Union Pacific says the operator miscalculated the distance it would take to stop the locomotive.
Cranes lift rail cars back onto the track after they were knocked off from behind by a locomotive that couldn’t stop.
The engine was being operated by remote…someone on the ground pushing buttons instead of an engineer on board.
“Mac Hunt/Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers: They are training these guys to run these engines in eleven days and they are not on the engine. They are on the ground like a remote car that kids play with.”
In the worst case scenario…a runaway locomotive could hit an oncoming car carrying hazardous materials.
“Mac: Down here in south salt lake where roper yard is or north salt lake that could spread really fast? cause a lot of damage to people.”
“Samantha Hayes/Eyewitness News: In August South Salt Lake passed a resolution against remote locomotives operating in roper yard. But Union Pacific is regulated by federal laws…city resolutions don’t mean a thing.”
Union Pacific says the technology is safe..in reference to today?s accident, their spokesperson says quote “In this case the equipment was checked and the technology did not fail. It performed as it was designed to do. The cause of the accident was operator error. And weve never had an accident attributed to technology failure. ”
But engineers say although the technology is not breaking…the premise is flawed.
“Mac: Operating these from the ground they have no idea how heavy it is. They just flip the switch and that engine starts churning away pulling out and they go to stop and they can’t.”
Union Pacific says plans are underway to start operating remote engines in South Salt Lake just like the ones they have here.
Reporting live at the north yard..Samantha Hayes Eyewitness News.