Ford Automobile Assembly Plant, 1960

Hazardous condition due to Ford management requiring train cars be delivered during employee lunch hour. They crossover in front of locomotives from both engineer and fireman's side of locomotive. Shows the Ford Automobile Assembly plant. This assignment is extremely hazardous. To minimize idle time of its employees, Ford management requires us to put cars into the plant when its employees are on their lunch hour. The fireman and I have to maintain constant lookout for these employees who cross over in front of the locomotive at all times. In addition, when we pull out of the plant, signals frequently have to be given on the fireman's side. All of the switch movements there are under pressure because of the time limitations imposed. A large number of people who reside in the area or who work in adjacent plants, walk across the lead and main tracks shown here even though there is an overpass. As recently as April 27, 1961, at about 4:00 PM, my fireman prevented a serious accident here. We were switching a draft of cars which we had taken out of the Ford Assembly plant. I had backed the locomotive down the track and stopped. Just after I received a signal from the brakeman on my crew to go ahead, my fireman hollered for me to stop. I immediately stopped the locomotive and as informed that a man carrying a bicycle under his arm was crossing over about two or three feet in front of the locomotive. I had no way of knowing that anyone was crossing over so close to the front of the locomotive except by having an alert fireman on the left side of the locomotive. I have every reason to believe that the alertness of my fireman prevented me from killing this person.