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Crew Information
MBTA Train 906—Before reporting for duty at 4:10 a.m. on December 12, the crew had been off duty for more than 8 hours and were rested in accordance with the Hours of Service Act. The crew was qualified by Amtrak for their respective positions and had attended an operating rules and instructions class in the previous 12 months.
Amtrak Train 66.—Before reporting for duty at 4:30 a.m. on December 12, the crew had been off duty for more than 8 hours and were rested in accordance with the Hours of Service Act. The crew was qualified by Amtrak for their respective positions and had attended an operating rules and instructions class in the previous 12 months.
The locomotive engineer of Amtrak train 66 had been hired by the New York, New Haven and Hartford Railroad (NYNH&H) in August 1957. The Penn Central Railroad, which had acquired the NYNH&H in January 1969, promoted him to locomotive engineer in October 1969. He had been operating in the same territory (now part of the northeast corridor) his entire career in February 1976, he served as a Penn Central classroom instructor who demonstrated the operation of locomotive equipment.
In September 1976, Amtrak employed him as a road foreman. In this supervisory position, he trained and qualified locomotive engineers for passenger service. On January 16, 1979, while moving locomotives, he was distracted when talking to a traincrew and proceeded past a stop signal at Pelham Bay, New York Amtrak dismissed him as a road foreman. He then exercised his seniority rights, returned to Conrail as a locomotive engineer, and operated Amtrak passenger trains under contract to Conrail. When Amtrak hired its own locomotive engineers in January 1983, he transferred to Amtrak
On March 9, 1990, the Metro-North Commuter Railroad banned the locomotive engineer for life from operating on its trackage (New Haven to New Rochelle, New York), except New Haven terminal, for noncompliance with operating rules While resetting a relay switch in the locomotive, he had passed a stop sign. In addition to the ban, the locomotive engineer was suspended and held off duty without pay for 30 days by Amtrak.
On April 9, 1990, the locomotive engineer returned to Amtrak service as a locomotive engineer on the Boston division, operating trains from New Haven to Boston. He had been working Amtrak train 66 on regular assignment since the end of October 1990. His regular schedule was Tuesday trough Saturday, with Sunday and Monday off. On Monday, December 10, 1990, the locomotive engineer, who lives alone in New Haven, had no special activities. On Tuesday, December 11, he deadheaded to Boston on Amtrak train 66 to meet his regular assignment on Amtrak train 153 from Boston, departing 11:15 a.m., to New Haven, arriving 1:36 p.m. He went home and rested, remaining off duty for more than 14 hours 54 minutes. On Wednesday, he reported for duty on Amtrak train 66 about 4:30 a.m.
In July 1973, Amtrak hired the apprentice engineer as a ticket clerk, and in August 1987, he transferred to a position as engine attendant at New Haven. He entered Amtrak's locomotive engineer training program on June 11, 1990, and made regular physical characteristic training trips over the road, until
