McConnell invites readers to study the transcripts of the telephone conversations between train engineer Tom Harding and a dispatcher from the night of the IED attack and ask themselves how a fail-safe braking system could have failed without an ad hoc remote start of the engine.
Prequel 1: #2082: Marine Links Serco's M2M Ad-Hoc Station Times to Dockland Spot-Fixed 7/7 Bombs
Simulation du déraillement Lac-Mégantic
Satellite-Cellular Connectivity: Exploring Benefits & Applications | SkyWave
"The Lac-Mégantic derailment occurred in the town of Lac-Mégantic, located in the Eastern Townships of the Canadian province of Quebec, at approximately 01:15EDT,[1][2] on July 6, 2013, when an unattended 74-car[3][4][5][6][7] freight train carrying Bakken formationcrude oil ran away and derailed, resulting in the fire and explosion of multiple tank cars. Forty-two people were confirmed dead, with five more missing and presumed dead.[8] More than 30 buildings in the town's centre, roughly half of the downtown area, were destroyed.[2] Initial newspaper reports described a 1 km blast radius.[9] It is the fourth deadliest rail accident in Canadian history,[10] and the deadliest since the St-Hilaire train disaster in 1864.[11][nb 1]"
"CBC Radio-Canada has obtained recorded telephone conversations between train engineer Tom Harding and a dispatcher from the night of the deadly rail disaster in Lac-Mégantic, Que., last year that killed 47 people.
The conversations show that Harding was initially unaware that it was his train that was responsible for the town being on fire.
The seven phone calls took place between July 5 at 11:04 p.m. ET and July 6 at 3:53 a.m. ET — the night the train derailed and exploded in the town's downtown core. They also contain one conversation Harding had with a rail traffic controller in the U.S.
This audio file, which was released to CBC and other media by Harding's lawyer, Tom Walsh, contains all the calls Harding made during that time.
The quotes below are from an edited version of a transcript provided to CBC by The Globe and Mail.
In the recordings, Harding calls a dispatcher — to whom he refers as RJ — at the MM&A offices in Farnham, Que.
At 1:47 a.m., Harding, who had already signed off for the night, calls the office to let the dispatcher know there is an emergency in Lac-Mégantic.
"Everything is on fire, from the church all the way down to the Metro, from the river all the way to the railway tracks...Flames, RJ, are 200 feet high. It's incredible, you can't believe it here," Harding said during the phone call he placed from a gas station after his hotel was evacuated.
It was only about two hours later, at 3:29 a.m., that Harding found out his train had rolled down a hill, derailed and exploded in the town's downtown core.
Harding called the dispatcher for more information about the blast, when RJ told him the news.
RJ: It's uh, it's your train that rolled down.
TH: No!
RJ: Yes, sir.
TH: No, RJ.
RJ: Yes, sir.
TH: Holy f--k. F--k!
Harding insisted he secured the train before he retired for the night.
TH: It was secure, RJ, when I left.
RJ: Yeah.
TH: She was f****** secure. F***!
RJ: That's what I, that's what I got as a news.
TH: And when did you get the news? Just a few minutes ago?
RJ: At 2:25, to be correct.
TH: Oh, Jesus Christ....How in the f*** did that thing f****** roll down, RJ?
RJ: I don't know. How many brakes did you put on?
TH: The units, the V.B., and the first car, seven brakes.
Harding has since been charged with 47 counts of criminal negligence in connection with the incident.
Two other MM&A employees — manager of train operations Jean Demaitre, and Richard Labrie, the railway's traffic controller — and the company also face the same charges."
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December 9, 2012 4:49 pm
December 9, 2012 4:49 pm
Time called on Serco's NPL contract
By Gill Plimmer
Serco, the FTSE 100 outsourcing company, has lost its contract to run the National Physical Laboratory – which built the first atomic clock – after the government said it would seek academic partners to take over the centre instead.
The laboratory has been managed by Serco on a profit-share basis since 1994. But David Willetts, science minister, has decided that the government can "encourage greater interaction with businesses" by ending the contract in March 2014 [Now you know why MH Flight 370 was disappeared], when the company's 17-year tenure comes to an end."
Yours sincerely,
Field McConnell, United States Naval Academy, 1971; Forensic Economist; 30 year airline and 22 year military pilot; 23,000 hours of safety; Tel: 715 307 8222
David Hawkins Tel: 604 542-0891 Forensic Economist; former leader of oil-well blow-out teams; now sponsors Grand Juries in CSI Crime and Safety Investigation
Field McConnell, United States Naval Academy, 1971; Forensic Economist; 30 year airline and 22 year military pilot; 23,000 hours of safety; Tel: 715 307 8222
David Hawkins Tel: 604 542-0891 Forensic Economist; former leader of oil-well blow-out teams; now sponsors Grand Juries in CSI Crime and Safety Investigation
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