Safety is his job
Ask Chris Fogus what is the most important thing about railroading in Oregon
'" " M y pnmary^urpose is to make sure things are as safe as possible for the public
and railroad employees.” says Fogus, one of a two-man team o f ra.lroad car inspec­
tors for Oregon Public U tility Commissioner John Lobdell.
Like a pair o f detectives, Fogus and Lee Robertson spend their days probing,
measuring and eyeballing everything from wheels to handholds to make sure
nothing is cracked, loose, missing or worn out.
Fogus' s territory is from Salem south; Robertson works the Portland area rom
the coast east to Ontario. Together they inspect about 3,200 railroad cars a month.
Fogus, who had about 13 years o f experience in railroad car repair and inspection
before joining the PUC staff, says he pays close attention to safety items on cars he
inspects, such as handholds and steps.
When a guy steps up there he’ s got a right to know something is there to hold onto
and that it’s solid," he says.
The PUC inspectors enforce Federal Railway Administration regulations and are
paid partly by the federal government.
„
“ The railroads don't want the cars to stack up and don t want to hurt anybody,
he says, so in most cases ".pairs are made right away. In the few cases where there is
a lack o f cooperation, there can be s tiff fines for the railroad.
Fogus pays extra-close attention to cars carrying hazardous materials. The thing
that scares us most are hazardous materials that go through Oregon,’ he says.
Railroads are required to notify state officials o f any rail car passing through the
state with poison gas or “ A ” type explosives such as missiles
Fogus keeps a separate log o f inspections on those types o f cars and w ill go out of
his way to inspect cars carrying any hazardous m aterial, such as chlorine or
PF MosTof the time defects the inspectors spot are minor - loose bolts or lack o f oil
in a wheel bearing. But Fogus is always on the lookout for serious problems and oc­
casionally gets what he calls a “ good catch.
One “ good catch” recently was a crack in the body bolster, the main support on a
chlorine gas tanker car, a defect that could have caused a serious accident.
(n b d n
n u t
rv I -
n r^ a ro A h a r l tn th p r n m n a n v
for repairs.
“ That's the kind of thing that makes this job worthwhile,
It'» safety first a» Chris Fogus. railroad car in»pector tor the Public Utility
Commission, takes a look.
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Page 14 Section II Portland Observer Thursday. July 16. 1961
Fogus says.