P80 is a local that transfers cars between Chamblee and Gainesville and mostly uses older equipment like these SD40-2's. On this day the train was very long and one of the units was having problems with the anti-slip system. This section of track is on a hill and long trains often have trouble with it. 154 for example has broken knuckles several times on this hill. If you walk down the track at Suwanee you will find several broken knuckles left rusting by the side of the tracks. Sand is used to help the wheels get traction but in this case the problem was not sand. Once the wheels start to slip the anti-slip system should have stopped the wheels from spinning but it didn't. The crew was aware of the problem, the noise was intense and the sparks could be seen from the front of the train. The proper course of action would have been to stop and ask dispatch for assistance. Additional power could have been added the the front or another train could have pushed on the rear to get them over the hill. Once the train was over the hill it was able to move properly again. The track in this section was severely damaged by the grinding wheels and had to be torn out and replaced.
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Comments are blocked on this video for several reasons. Because people keep asking the same questions over and over again when they have already been answered. Sand was not the problem, the anti-slip system was not working. And because of general stupidity. People who have no idea how trains operate were saying that I should have warned the train crew about what was going on, as if a bystander is somehow responsible for the conduct of the crew. First of all there is NO WAY IN HELL that the crew did not know what was going on. The noise was deafening. You could hear it a mile away. You could also smell the smoke from the metal grinding and see the sparks flying. I DID go to the front of the train, the windows were open and the engineer stuck her head out and put her hands up saying "what can I do about it?" Also there are indicators in the cab that would have warned her about the wheel slip. It is the responsibility of the crew when it comes to the handling of their train, not people passing by on the street. They should have called dispatch and asked for assistance as would be the proper procedure.