DC Metro asleep at the switch

[UnderseaLcpl]

Originally Posted by SteamWake

The bleepers go off as you approach signals. Kind of a reminder to take the time to actually look at the signal.

In fact if you enter a 'restricted' section a buzzer goes off and keeps going off till you silence it. If it is not silenced the train is stopped automatically.

US rails do not use this system. They believe and rightfully so in my opinion that they dont need a gizmo to make sure the drivers awake. I guess I am wrong.

As to the dead mans brake, it is / was not uncommon to find a tool box atop them to hold them down

Wait.... what? U.S locomotives are required to have alerters that go off at random intervals(15 seconds to about a minute and a half or so). If you don't silence them, they force the entire train to engage emergency brakes. Putting something atop the button doesn't help either, because that will put the train into emergency as well.
The preferred method of defeating them is to use a length of chain with a weighted ball and hook on the end of it that can be easily obtained from one of the carman shops. Affix it to the air pipes on top of the cab if you have a horizontal control stand, or simply cinch the radio down on top of the fixed end if you have a vertical control stand. The constant swaying of the train drags the pendulum over the button repeatedly, and you don't have to worry about the alerter any more......usually. The catch is that this method is extremely illegal and doesn't work in all cab configurations.

Personally, I think alerters are a a pain in the ass and don't do much good.
They have a habit of going off at inopportune moments, and have a tendency to break and sound the alarm all the time, which is very annoying and requires that you keep a constant eye on the light display for the device. Even worse, it doesn't take long for engineers to develop an "alerter reflex". I have seen fellow engineers dozing comfortably at the controls whilst habitually tapping the alerter with their foot or knee.
Another favorite trick is to simply put the conductor at the control stand while the engineer takes a nap in the conductor's seat, a tactic favored by guys who run on long, flat, boring stretches of track where complex train handling is not required.

There are a lot of safety-related issues like this on the railroad, and they stem from a variety of causes, but I will not go in-depth here. Sufficed to say, most of them have a lot to do with union labor and micromanagement by the FRA.