Do amtrak locomotives have crew alerter systems?
If they do, then this guy would have been required to keep hitting the acknowledge button to keep the train moving forward.
With a crew alerter system, if you don’t acknowledge the audible and visual warning by pushing a button on the control stand, and the alerter times out, then the locomotive will drop power, and the air brakes will apply in what is called a “penalty application”.
I don’t know about amtrak, but a penalty application against an engineer is usually a career ender.
Basically what i called a dead man switch.