"I heard a report that an engineer on the other train was also texting, but was not "in control" of the locomotive. Apparently using any communications device in the cab, besides the radio, is a no-no."

Cellphones are certainly forbidden NOW, but they weren't at the time.

The engineer operates the train while it is moving. The conductor operates the radio to talk to Ft. Worth dispatch, does the paperwork, and handles the worl that needs to be done on the ground (separating cars, checking air, etc). If that train was moving, that engineer WAS in control. Period.

I've had a few of the younger RR crew members get into my van without a word, pull out their electronic toys the moment they've fastened their seatbelt, ride two hours without saying a word, then get out without saying a word, grab their gear and go.

Sue

Yep, last I heard Engineers are there to make the train go or stop, period. They aren't supposed to be doing anything that would distract from that duty, and that would include electronic communiciations, especially personal comms.

These methods of communication may get through where a phone call cannot. I am all for good technology when it makes life simpler or less expensive. In this case it seems to have saved a life. The question remains...would they BOTH be dead if there were no cell coverage at all?

I am not on Twitter, and probably will not join, but in this case it seems Web 2.0 technology comes to the rescue.

I knew phone communications would be down after Ike (we have no landline, only cell), so I set up my cellphone to send txt messages to my Twitter, then sent my Twitter page to my family and friends so they could keep up with how we were doing during and after the hurricane. I also set up a plugin on my WordPress blog that connected it with my Twitter account, so that anything that appeared on my Twitter would also appear on my blog.

We lost cell voice communications before losing power, so I was able to blog for a while, but once power was lost, I was only able to communicate to the outside by texting to my Twitter acct, which double posted to my Twitter and blog. I haven't txt'd to Twitter since Ike.



If was in a remote area that didn't have voice, I'd certainly try txt'ing for help. But if I was going to txt to Twitter, I'd use #hashmarks in front of my keywords (e.g. #mayday #emergency #accident #help) so they wouldn't get lost in all the "drama queen" tweets. I've been hoping to get a ham license, but had difficulties with a few areas of study. But for life-threatening accidents, I think ham would be much better than Tweeting for help. I don't know if ham would have helped with the ski tragedy though.
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An interesting side note: Once I returned online, my chess mentor told me he read about my tweets in two articles of his local newspaper. I searched his online paper and found they reported about us bartering coffee made on the campstove with a stovetop percolator, and charging our neighbors cellphones via car battery/inverter (some didn't have a car charger cable!) in exchange for ice, and one young neighbor mowed our front yard once we removed all the branches.

edit: clarification

Shreela,

Whoa, I never looked into txt-to-tweet. That would have been very useful during Ike's aftermath.

-Blast

Hi Blast. I learned that from a blog that used to post hurricane people's satellite phone emails and twitters (he mostly posts about politics now).

My mom's a big worrier, despite having been through a few hurricanes herself. So I figured if she was able to read that there were no injuries, or major damage to the house, as well as us having clean water and non-perishables with a way to cook them, she wouldn't worry as much.

They were a few hundred miles away after TS Allison, and because they couldn't get through on the phones, she had my father drive her down to check up on us LOL

A cell phone? Why would I want to carry a phone around?

A Telephone? Why would I need one of those when I could just go over and see them.

A Television? Why would I want to sit and watch moving pictures?

A radio? Why would I want to listen to people just blather on?


I understand the age of this place is skewed a little to the top but but some of you need to get out a little more.

That being said, Twitter is a mostly lame.

Its OK Harstad, I am one of the technophobic old geezers.

I am not familiar with twitters and don't know many tweeters.
I am not even sure how it is different from any other text messaging system.

So your comment about the service being lame makes me curious.
What do you find lame about it?

So, how are those animal skins you're wearing?

-Blast, in from a long day outside.

Okay, I am not sure about twitters, and I got tweeters in my speaker cabinet, but I do know that tooters have been some of the most effective communications devices in the PNW. I got to go to their production facility up in Sedro Wooley for a day, and it was at a time while they were upgrading from discrete circuits and LSICs to SMD designs. Very cool stuff back in the day.