WIDOW PETITIONS FOR END TO PUSH-PULL TRAIN CONFIGURATION.Byline: Alex Dobuzinskis Staff Writer GLENDALE - The wife of a train conductor killed along with 10 others in a January train derailment derailment /de·rail·ment/ (de-ral´ment) disordered thought or speech characteristic of schizophrenia and marked by constant jumping from one topic to another before the first is fully realized. announced a petition drive Thursday calling for an end to the push-pull configuration For other uses of "push-pull", see Push-pull. An aircraft constructed with a push-pull configuration has a mixture of forward-mounted (tractor) propellers and backward-mounted (pusher) propellers. An early example of a "push-pull" aircraft was the Caproni Ca. of Metrolink commuter trains. Anne Ormiston, the widow of conductor Tom Ormiston, said her husband told colleagues and managers of his safety concerns over the configuration, where cab cars are sometimes pushed by a rear engine. ``For all the years that I knew Tom he was always very adamant about the the fact that the cab cars were the most dangerous place to be on the train,'' Ormiston said. ``I know at least once a week he'd have a nightmare about those trains, something happening, being derailed ... it was continuous. He was just extremely concerned about it.'' The Jan. 26 derailment in Glendale killed 11 and injured about 200 people - the worst Metrolink wreck since 1999. Prosecutors said the derailment was caused by Juan Manuel Several Spanish and Portuguese princes wore this name:
Alvarez has pleaded not guilty to arson and murder charges. Attorney Edward Pfiester Jr., who has claims against Metrolink on behalf of Ann Ormiston and 18 others affected by the crash, said the push-pull configuration made the derailment worse. ``While the investigation is not complete, common sense tells you that had that locomotive hit Alvarez's Jeep it would have flipped it like an empty can of Coke off the edge of a table,'' Pfiester said. Metrolink continues to use a push-pull method, but since the crash the agency has kept passengers from sitting in the first 16 seats behind the conductor in a cab car, and it has applied for federal funds Federal Funds Funds deposited to regional Federal Reserve Banks by commercial banks, including funds in excess of reserve requirements. Notes: These non-interest bearing deposits are lent out at the Fed funds rate to other banks unable to meet overnight reserve to secure the rail line in the area where the crash occurred. ``We are convinced that there are things we can do,'' said Denise Tyrrell, a spokeswoman for Metrolink. ``But we want to do the things that are going to be most effective in protecting our passengers. We can't just react to litigation An action brought in court to enforce a particular right. The act or process of bringing a lawsuit in and of itself; a judicial contest; any dispute. When a person begins a civil lawsuit, the person enters into a process called litigation. .'' The Associated Press Associated Press: see news agency. Associated Press (AP) Cooperative news agency, the oldest and largest in the U.S. and long the largest in the world. contributed to this story. Alex Dobuzinskis, (818) 546-3304 alex.dobuzinskis(at)dailynews.com |
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