Train Crash
* Re “1 Killed, 30 Hurt in Truck-Train Crash,” Nov. 5.
Anyone who has ever played with a toy train knows that it is much easier to derail a train when it is going backward, with the engine pushing the train. Also, if you sit something on the tracks, it is much better to hit it with the heavy engine than with a much lighter passenger car.
In the interest of saving time and money, railroad operators no longer switch the engines around when they change directions.
I wonder how much this derailment cost them in down time and track replacement? They also have to look at the possibility of lawsuits from passengers.
ALEX MAGDALENO
Camarillo
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
