5000 Series P-Switches: Don’t Touch!
Dear RTOs, Switchmen and URS: Resetting P-switches that are not tripped on 5000 series trains will cause longer delays and possibly entangle you in unjust Procedural or Safety violations.
On the last page of the Rail Equipment Troubleshooting Guide for 5000 Series Troubleshooting Guide, you may recall seeing this:
Me and my fellow Repairers are re seeing more and more unnecessary defects because CTA mismanagement is having them reset P-switches. We are not against having steady work, but when you reset P-switches that are not tripped, you are worsening the delays.
Depending on the actual defects—and which P-switch you reset—the reboot process may take much, much more than three minutes to complete!
In some cases, you are creating network faults that lead to totally unrelated defects and delays. Those Monitoring P-switches (P37, P38, P39) should never, ever be touched! We use those in a very specific manner for very specific purposes—and it takes a long time for the system to recover after they are reset.
The Rail Equipment Troubleshooting Guide for older series trains actually instructs us to reset certain P-switches. However, they have very different technology. You cannot apply the same steps to a 5000 series train.
Stick with the Troubleshooting Guide. Please report ALL defects no matter how small to the Control Center. In fact, according to the Introduction of the Troubleshooting Guide, we cannot leave a terminal with any defect.
Yes, CTA mismanagement hates defects. They would rather we just run the trains into the ground and get written up and fired (I am not exaggerating). Yes, you will get annoying short-range calls and nagging from certain Controllers. CTA mismanagement wants you to hurry, hurry, hurry. Rush, rush, rush!
However, not reporting defects is fundamentally unsafe, not good for the rider and it actually leads to job cuts over the long-term.
If they harass you about it, contact me directly and I will help you beat them back. I have no patience for mismanagers who give you all trouble for doing your job by the book.
If you feel pressured by them, tell them you will call me if they have a problem with you doing your job. Some will back off right away!
When I was an RTO, I took great offense to nagging voices on the radio. I called in every defect. I tried my best to follow the SOP and Troubleshooting Guide. I was not a "good" motorman. But I cared about my safety—and the riders' safety. Frustration was a daily occurrence. So I know how you feel.
Operate by the book. Call in all defects. That includes dark lamps, cracked windows, Network and System Offline yellow faults!
When CTA mismanagement instructs you to reset un-tripped P-switches on a 5000 series train, remind them that the Troubleshooting Guide forbids it. Hopefully they will comply. If not, that is harassment and you must deal with it accordingly (or it may lead to unjust writeups).
Let us handle the repairs in the Shop. Together, we will make a safer, more efficient public transportation system—and preserve all of our jobs.
Comments
Post a Comment
Please post your uncensored comments and questions.