From the engine RPM sound, it appears to me that this locomotive was pulling a heavy cut of cars (to be switched?). Three things can eliminate wheels spinning like this:
- Use of sand (requires that the locomotive be supplied and the sanders maintained in operating condition);
- If that fails, the Engineer can use a very light independent brake application while power is applied;
- If both of those remedies fail, then tonnage must be reduced.
I can't believe that there was an Engineer on the locomotive. Surely, this engine was being operated from some distance away by a belt pack. Still, operating rules do not permit blind movements. So, somebody, either aboard the engine or on the ground, should have been able to see this wheel spin. Locomotive wheel heating/cooling cycles are a touchy issue, as it has been implicated as a significant cause of broken wheels on locomotives.
Whether the Engineer or Operator was aboard the engine or on the ground, that person is a meathead.
