rrman . railroads have train masters and or compliance officers that are constantly performing these observations as well as FRA and DOT inspectors. The FRA develops Regulations and the railroads have to build a program that uses them , the railroad can make them more restrictive but not less. compliance checks go on all the time ,yes radar guns for speed and many other tests that are required to make sure the crews follow all the regulations. the railroads take it very seriously as fines are very high if the FRA catches you while doing an observation and finds you at fault. Fines are also given to railroad workers who willfully violate rules. the railroad is an incredibly dangerous world where if the rules are followed (and yes there are lots of them) disasters can be avoided. I spent 25 years as an engineer and then a Trainmaster who as part of my duties was rules compliance. there are no rules for operations , hazmat or train handling that are not absolute. its hard to look in as an outsider , Railfan or model railroader and make sense of it , my first year of railroading was an eye opener as I thought that having followed railroads most of my life I new a fair amount. boy was I wrong. one last thing, a large number of the regulations have been the results of major incidents across the county.
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