[Chat] Disneyland Railroad Conductor Booth

[D3COY]

So, went to DLR today, took a trip around Disneyland on the train and I noticed these new booths.
They aren't as bad as I had expected, but I don't think they look that good. One of the conductors told me that it does limit their vision, and sometimes wants to lean out to see the length of the train.

What do you guys think?

Heres a link to more pictures...
Disneyland Photo and News Report, September 17, 2012

[calsig31]

Re: Disneyland Railroad Conductor Booth

I see nothing wrong with it. It doesn't really take away from the look of the train and looks much safer than the guy hanging off the side of the train.

[Disneytwins]

Re: Disneyland Railroad Conductor Booth

I don't like it, but it doesn't necessarily ruin the experience for me.

[Giant Panda]

Re: Disneyland Railroad Conductor Booth

CM (worker) safety trumps most other factors (except maybe guest safety)

[calsig31]

Re: Disneyland Railroad Conductor Booth

CM (worker) safety trumps most other factors (except maybe guest safety)

Exactly.

[DisneyIPresume]

Re: Disneyland Railroad Conductor Booth

But if the CMs say this limits their vision isn't that putting guest safety in jeopardy? It might be safer for the CM which is great but ultimately might not be such a good thing for the guests.

[explodingboy]

Re: Disneyland Railroad Conductor Booth

I don't like it, but it doesn't necessarily ruin the experience for me.

What exactly don't you like about that?

[calsig31]

Re: Disneyland Railroad Conductor Booth

But if the CMs say this limits their vision isn't that putting guest safety in jeopardy? It might be safer for the CM which is great but ultimately might not be such a good thing for the guests.

I'm not sure how it limits their vision since you can see all the way through the train. If anything, it should make things better since they don't have to split their consciousness between holding on to the train and watching for danger. Now they can just watch for danger.

[Disneymike]

Re: Disneyland Railroad Conductor Booth

I'm not sure how it limits their vision since you can see all the way through the train. If anything, it should make things better since they don't have to split their consciousness between holding on to the train and watching for danger. Now they can just watch for danger.

Unless you have worked the line and have been in a conductors shoes, nobody can say what they see.

[CASurfer65]

Re: Disneyland Railroad Conductor Booth

Unless you have worked the line and have been in a conductors shoes, nobody can say what they see.

Having been a conductor on the Steam Trains years ago and never (personally) having a problem standing on the outside of the train, did something happen that led to this change?

[KellyMcG86]

Re: Disneyland Railroad Conductor Booth

Not nearly as invasive as I thought it would be. I don't mind it!

[bayouguy]

Re: Disneyland Railroad Conductor Booth

Looks good and safe.

[Disneymike]

Re: Disneyland Railroad Conductor Booth

Having been a conductor on the Steam Trains years ago and never (personally) having a problem standing on the outside of the train, did something happen that led to this change?

Nope.

[Steve DeGaetano]

Re: Disneyland Railroad Conductor Booth

I have heard that some conductors are forced to lean out to gain better visibility of guests. FWIW.

As someone who has a bit of experience with real trains, I see this as less safe, mostly for passengers. There have been many instances when conductors have needed to get off the train while it's moving to aissist with guest safety issues.

[CJ2472]

Re: Disneyland Railroad Conductor Booth

I have heard that some conductors are forced to lean out to gain better visibility of guests. FWIW.

As someone who has a bit of experience with real trains, I see this as less safe, mostly for passengers. There have been many instances when conductors have needed to get off the train while it's moving to aissist with guest safety issues.

I don't see the point of this. It worked fine before. I work at a tourist railway and we are trained to be in compliance federal standards for the safe operation of equipment and other road workers, to hop on and off moving equipment, ride sides of cars in yards [at ours its not more than 10mph...] which is faster i think than that at disneyland...

For standard guage equipment, federal law mandates that all grab irons, footboards, etc must be bolted [not welded] to the side of the car, and must be double nutted. Disneyland does not have to follow federal regulations [i don't think...? cause itson private property...?] but hey its worked for years.

As with many other careers, railroading isn't innately safe. You can't make something foolproof. But if you train your workers well and make sure those workers have common sense, what more do you need?

In terms of watching the train...we have a conductor and 2-3 brakeman on board our train, the consist being usually 7 cars. We constantly walk through each car, and monitor passengers, making sure they do not do something stupid. We are required to check, when necessary, [which includes leaning out the sides of cars,] and make visual checks to ensure the equipment is in good working order. We are also trained to pay attention to certain smells [a set handbrake for example, leaving a smoke trail and a burning smell,] and also by the feel and sound of the train rolling...My point is that when I am on train crew, I need to be comfortable with EVERY aspect of the operation. From what it sounds like, these disneyland "conductors" are not comfy with monitoring their train. That is a problem. If I were in this situation, and felt like I could not do my job properly [keep the equipment and passengers safe] I would talk to the management, and if the situation is not corrected, I would leave.

This is one of those mucky situations where the guy sitting in the comfy chair with the huge desk and has not a clue whatsoever about railroading makes a decision that is NOT AN INFORMED DECISION. I'm surprised whoever did the modifications to the cars allowed it to be done...[imagineers im guessing..?] Again...people that don't know about train operation.

I hope they change it back to what it was...and what I remember when I last went there like 5 years ago...if people think that riding some side step [with what looks to be at least one very large grab iron] is not safe, they have no idea what railroading is about. I'm being kind when I'm saying this is borderline paranoia...people sitting behind desks twittling their thumbs in boredom, trying to see what they can pull off next...

comments and feedback welcome, I'm very glad a friend pointed this out to me.

[Disneymike]

Re: Disneyland Railroad Conductor Booth

I don't see the point of this. It worked fine before. I work at a tourist railway and we are trained to be in compliance federal standards for the safe operation of equipment and other road workers, to hop on and off moving equipment, ride sides of cars in yards [at ours its not more than 10mph...] which is faster i think than that at disneyland...

For standard guage equipment, federal law mandates that all grab irons, footboards, etc must be bolted [not welded] to the side of the car, and must be double nutted. Disneyland does not have to follow federal regulations [i don't think...? cause itson private property...?] but hey its worked for years.

As with many other careers, railroading isn't innately safe. You can't make something foolproof. But if you train your workers well and make sure those workers have common sense, what more do you need?

In terms of watching the train...we have a conductor and 2-3 brakeman on board our train, the consist being usually 7 cars. We constantly walk through each car, and monitor passengers, making sure they do not do something stupid. We are required to check, when necessary, [which includes leaning out the sides of cars,] and make visual checks to ensure the equipment is in good working order. We are also trained to pay attention to certain smells [a set handbrake for example, leaving a smoke trail and a burning smell,] and also by the feel and sound of the train rolling...My point is that when I am on train crew, I need to be comfortable with EVERY aspect of the operation. From what it sounds like, these disneyland "conductors" are not comfy with monitoring their train. That is a problem. If I were in this situation, and felt like I could not do my job properly [keep the equipment and passengers safe] I would talk to the management, and if the situation is not corrected, I would leave.

This is one of those mucky situations where the guy sitting in the comfy chair with the huge desk and has not a clue whatsoever about railroading makes a decision that is NOT AN INFORMED DECISION. I'm surprised whoever did the modifications to the cars allowed it to be done...[imagineers im guessing..?] Again...people that don't know about train operation.

I hope they change it back to what it was...and what I remember when I last went there like 5 years ago...if people think that riding some side step [with what looks to be at least one very large grab iron] is not safe, they have no idea what railroading is about. I'm being kind when I'm saying this is borderline paranoia...people sitting behind desks twittling their thumbs in boredom, trying to see what they can pull off next...

comments and feedback welcome, I'm very glad a friend pointed this out to me.

Nice post, the Disneyland "improvements" to the railroad were un-necessary.

[Steve DeGaetano]

Re: Disneyland Railroad Conductor Booth

Excellent post, CJ2472. You make excellent points (oOh, and the old conductor safety position used to have TWO grabirons!). As I frequently have said, if Disney wanted to make sure their conductors were absolutely, 100% safe--then they shouldn't be on the trains at all.

I have been told there have been incidents in the old position with conductors falling off the safety position. That's not an accident--it's a failure to properly train people. And it seems that what is really being saved here isn't conductor safety, but the costs to properly train the people to act and behave around these machines.

[Bruce Bergman]

Re: Disneyland Railroad Conductor Booth

If it's built the way it looks, it's still easy access - I haven't seen a wide shot, it looks there's a separate step and wide open entrance gap to that position, just ahead of where the Conductor stands? Then it's only a second more to go around the post and out of there if they need to go get a Guest.

And he has the railing there he can lean out a little to see up or down the train. Without falling off it.

I'll be getting there sometime in the next week to check it out myself.

--<< Bruce >>--

[fifthrider]

Re: Disneyland Railroad Conductor Booth

This has all the feel of insurance inspectors and liability attorneys looking something over and deciding that they have an idea that will make things "better." It rarely does.

[CJ2472]

Re: Disneyland Railroad Conductor Booth

This has all the feel of insurance inspectors and liability attorneys looking something over and deciding that they have an idea that will make things "better." It rarely does.

Catching up on this thread, seems like they have their own step. So they can still ride on that step. Don't see grab-irons but thats what I'd do. On the equipment I work on crew on, when we start getting into yard limits to our station, or just a quarter mile away, I just open my assigned trap, and ride the step to the station...that's what everybody does if you're assigned to a trap. You just face the direction of travel, and put (say your traveling ahead, stations on the right, and you open a trap on the engineer's side of the train...take your right foot, on the lower step, left foot on the step above, lean back and just hold onto a grab-iron in case theres some weird slack action coming in...). That's the way people did it back then.

Find it funny cause my conductor over the weekend was a former espee freight conductor/brakie, he was telling me all about jumping ship going 30 miles an hour to go line a switch or something...I'm not that crazy but I've gotten on and off going 10-15...and disney only runs their trains at like 5 mph.

But then again looking at this thread it's not all that important. At a tourist RR/operating museum you preserve history, do restoration and dress the part and do all these authentic (but safe and legal) practices that railroaders used to do in the golden age...but the RR at disneyland isn't even history so the park insurance guys can screw it up however they want. As long as they don't touch the baldwin i don't care.

I just think that the dlrr's become wayy to cheesy. And their trains are way too clean on the outside. (Clearly no hardcore railroaders there).

Just some ranting guys. LOL.