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Rider Claims T/O let kid drive train

fordhamkid7721

By fordhamkid7721,
in New York City Subway

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fordhamkid7721

fordhamkid7721 1

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http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/MTA-Operator-Let-Kid-Drive-Train-Rider-Claims.html

 

"Driving a subway is so easy an 8-year-old could do it – and one straphanger claims that's who he saw behind the controls of his train.

 

Jules Cattie, a 41-year-old lawyer who lives on the East Side, was shocked when he saw a young child at the helm, next to the driver, of his Lexington Avenue express train Sunday, according to the Daily News. And the MTA says it's launched "a vigorous and thorough investigation" into the allegation.

 

"I saw him driving. He couldn't have been more than 8 or 9," Cattie told the News. " I thought, 'This is really dangerous.' That has to be the craziest thing I've ever seen."

 

Kids obviously aren't allowed to drive trains; no one's even allowed to be in the cab with the train operator, according to MTA rules. So if what Cattie says he saw wasn't just a figment of his imagination, someone's going to be in trouble.

 

At first, Cattie just thought the train operator was teaching a newbie how to drive a subway because he heard her giving instructions.

 

"It's green, speed up," and "Yellow, slow down," he recalled the operator saying.

 

But when the train stopped at 14th Street and a boy came out of the driver's cab to tell riders they were being held up because of traffic, Cattie was stupefied. He pressed his face up against the glass of the cab to get a better look, and saw what he thought was an MTA operator letting her son have a go at the controls, reports the News.

 

"The kid was standing there with a female conductor behind him. A little, little kid standing there," Cattie, who took a picture of the two with his cell phone, said.

 

Given recent news about devastating train accidents in Washington and California, the lawyer found the sight particularly disturbing.

Related Stories

 

Transit spokesman Paul Fleuranges said authorities wouldn't be able to identify the driver until today, at least, due to weekend shift changes, but promised she would be held out of service pending completion of the investigation. The MTA Inspector General has been notified of the allegation and the investigation will be coordinated with his office.

 

This wouldn't be the first time a transit employee was disciplined for giving someone else a turn behind the controls. Ten days ago, a Long Island Rail Road engineer was suspended without pay for allowing a passenger to drive the train. "

 

 

Seriously? what do you think about this?

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Queens Surface

Queens Surface 434

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First off to start things the accident in Washington which was caused by the ATO malfunctioning and the accident in California was caused by texting not by a kid operating the train and how cold this person see in the cab so clearly to tell a kid was operating. As well as the pic now showing the kid at the controls more in the middle of the cab.

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SubwayGuy

SubwayGuy 2,321

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Pictures or it didn't happen...

 

Actually there is a picture in the Daily News article...

 

My honest reaction is people need to calm down about a lot of things. Society has been pushed towards what I'll term more politely as "panzee-fication" of this country. Bubble wrapping everything and trying to shelter kids forever. Of course, they're allowed to curse and swear and fart, and that's cool, but god forbid they take a risk or do something a little bit daring...

 

Lots of older TA workers that I've talked to operated trains under supervision as kids and for many that was what led them to have an interest in working down there.

 

The bottom line: should the T/O have done it? No probably not. However, the people overreacting saying it was a "major safety breach" have no clue what they are talking about. And believe me, this is coming from someone who definitely understands the T/O is responsible for the lives of the customers.

 

And for the record I know the rule is "no one else allowed in the cab" and when I become a T/O I will follow it because I will want to keep my job. But just musing here, I don't think it sends the best message that T/O's kids aren't even allowed in the cab, even if they're just watching. I know why (MTA) has this rule and mostly it has to do a lot with lawsuits from "perceived" safety breaches. Ironic then that the person who saw this was a lawyer. Get rid of most lawyers and the cost of everything will go down probably at least 25%. The only lawyers that serve any purpose in this life are District Attorneys and criminal defense lawyers. Any others can go to hell in a burning handbasket.

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Y2Julio

Y2Julio 206

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Well a poster made a interesting point. It seems like the kid is ridding in the back. The cab lights are supposed to be turned off in the operating cars, as you can see, the lights are on in the cab.

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fordhamkid7721

fordhamkid7721 1

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Anyone remember Aeroflot Flight 593? the pilot let his kid fly the plane and the plane crashed and everyone on the plane died because the kid disengaged the autopilot? A train may not be a plane but peoples lives are on the line and there isnt any room for letting a kid screw around at the controls. I'm not saying he was driving because I don't have proof. But even if he was especially on the Lexington Line the most crowded line in the system that's a stupid move on the T/Os part....thats my 2 cents...

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mark1447

mark1447 685

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Oh god. geez how the hell does this lady would know if he was driving the train or not. Who knows of the kid was just on top of his dad and the dad was driving while showing him how to drive.. This picture doesnt prove anything:

 

maxh00.jpg

 

http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2009/07/28/2009-07-28_rider_claims_he_saw_childs_play_at_wheel_straphanger_says_a_kid_was_at_controls_.html

 

People react tooo fast just like the LIRR incident!

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fordhamkid7721

fordhamkid7721 1

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Thats the Brooklyn Bridge City Hall stop which is a through station...I can see the beam in the picture(red beige and gold or similar colors) and the platform design also the train appears to be going uptown judging from the red over red which would be the home signal before the Brooklyn Bridge Interlocking

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Maserati7200

Maserati7200 31

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Heh...the plot thickens.

 

Note what also appears to be A BUMPER BLOCK outside and in front of the train, next to the red over red signal

 

maxh00.jpg

 

So, the driver of train is now suspended because some idiot who doesn't know he is talking about claims that child operated the train?? Great! :mad::tdown:

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Queens Surface

Queens Surface 434

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It doesn't really look like a bumper blocker to me. Red over Red could be a Interlock Switch But the kid might not have been at the controls cause you see the yellow signal and then the red which means the train was moving.

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mark1447

mark1447 685

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Heh...the plot thickens.

 

Note what also appears to maybe be A BUMPER BLOCK outside and in front of the train

 

maxh00.jpg

 

how can it be a bumper if it was on the Lex, there isnt any bumbers except relay tacks around:

 

Jules Cattie, a 41-year-old lawyer who lives on the East Side, was shocked when he saw a young child at the helm, next to the driver, of his Lexington Avenue express train Sunday, according to the Daily News. And the MTA says it's launched "a vigorous and thorough investigation" into the allegation.

 

if im correct

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Y2Julio

Y2Julio 206

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So, the driver of train is now suspended because some idiot who doesn't know he is talking about claims that child operated the train?? Great! :mad::tdown:

 

Regardless of whether the kid operated or not, he's not supposed to be there.

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SubwayGuy

SubwayGuy 2,321

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It doesn't really look like a bumper blocker to me. Red over Red could be a Interlock Switch But the kid might not have been at the controls cause you see the yellow signal and then the red which means the train was moving.

 

I'm not talking about the signal, I'm talking about the big yellow thing visible in the window out the supposed "front" of the train.

 

As to the poster who asked where bumper block are on island platforms and "where would it be?" - I know the layout of the A Division which is why it doesn't make sense to me that there would be one in the picture (unless it's something else, and I don't know what else is yellow like that unless it's a messed up reflection of the shoe paddles which would be kind of odd to get considering the photo was taken thru polarized glass, but that's the only other thing I could think of...

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Y2Julio

Y2Julio 206

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I'm not talking about the signal, I'm talking about the big yellow thing visible in the window out the supposed "front" of the train.

 

As to the poster who asked where bumper block are on island platforms and "where would it be?" - I know the layout of the A Division which is why it doesn't make sense to me that there would be one in the picture (unless it's something else, and I don't know what else is yellow like that unless it's a messed up reflection of the shoe paddles which would be kind of odd to get considering the photo was taken thru polarized glass, but that's the only other thing I could think of...

I think it's shoe paddles. Don't NTT trains have 3 shoe paddles in the cab? You can also see the window frame of the door that exits out to the passenger compartment.

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mark1447

mark1447 685

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I think that picture is at Flatbush Avenue (a terminal). The article mentioned it was the Lexington Avenue Express, and the (5) goes to Flatbush.

 

Nope not flatbush, at the end of the station there is a bumper but also an exit at the end. Look at the Pic of the R142A (2) in 2006:

 

img_61666.jpg tho not showing the exit, which is behind the photographer.

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LRG

LRG 217

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I think the MTA is going overboard with the no people in the cabs rule. If authorized personnel are in the cab with regular people then it really shouldn't be a problem. I honestly don't see what wrong a little kid can do in the car, as long as he doesn't TOUCH anything! This goes for any other railfan. Trust me, everyone is going to want to be in the cab of the R44s/R46s/R62s/R68s when they are ready to retire in a couple of decades.

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