[Democrat = party of treason]

“If it is true that this train carried on for over 20 miles with a grinding and sparking axle then the railroad will be way more than liable for all this.”

This is actually true, though how long it takes for the axle to burn off after the bearing locks up can vary a lot. BUT, the real truth is that had there been a caboose on the end of the train with someone in it to be WATCHING the train then at the first signs of smoke and fire the train would have been stopped. So, indeed, the Railroads themselves are to blame for this because they are who got rid of the cabooses and the people in them on the Nations rail roads. They would LIKE to have only one person on the train total, an engineer to run the whole thing. This should put a stop to that crazy...

[Revel]

Right, and just to think that the airlines want to eliminate the co-pilots on commercial flights. Cray world we live in.

[Publius]

The caboose has long since been replaced by the FRED unit, that little telemetry device on the rear of the train with the flashing red light. FRED communicates to the engineer and/or conductor via a mechanical voice identifying defects on the train. It also communicates to the dispatcher via trackside sensors as a fail-safe.

FRED must have identified the defect that caused the accident, but somebody decided not to address it at the time.

[minnesota_bound]

#23 They could install cameras.
The train companies have to be dragged into safety.