The train driver in the courtyard

The atmosphere in the conference room was solemn.

When he saw Li Aiguo stand up, Deputy Chief Wang of the Security Department frowned slightly, and a sense of uneasiness surged in his heart.

When Li Aiguo's suggestion reached his ears, his face suddenly darkened, he stood up and said loudly:

"The K16 train was under the responsibility of the K16 crew and driver team. Now that the train has had an accident and two carriages have been damaged, they cannot escape blame.

This has been clearly stated in the investigation report issued by our accident team. There is no need to waste time on this issue. "

Director Chen of the Railway Bureau knocked on the table lightly, his voice steady and majestic: "Old Wang, there has been controversy within our Railway Bureau regarding the investigation report on the train accident.

Now the comrades below have expressed different opinions.

Director Chen from the Traffic Safety Supervisory Office is also here today, so why not treat this meeting as a seminar?"

After saying that, Director Chen turned to look at Director Chen of the Traffic Safety General Inspection Office, with a questioning look in his eyes: "Director Chen, what do you think?"

Director Chen was originally invited by Deputy Section Chief Wang to maintain order, so according to common sense, he should stand on his side.

However, after taking a deep look at Li Aiguo, he nodded to Director Chen and said, "This accident is quite complicated. We should indeed listen to the opinions of all parties. Only in this way can we achieve justice and fairness."

Deputy Section Chief Wang did not expect this result, but if he objected again now, it would be tantamount to opposing the Director of the Road Bureau and the General Inspection Office of Traffic Safety.

Deputy Section Chief Wang never expected this result, but if he expressed opposition at this moment, it would be tantamount to going against the Director of the Road Bureau and the General Inspectorate of Traffic Safety.

Helplessly, he could only bite the bullet and nodded: "In that case, I'll ask Lao Ma to bring all the materials about the accident."

In fact, Deputy Section Chief Wang was not too worried.

After all, the investigation report has been released, so the crew of K16 does not need to bear the main responsibility and will not be severely punished.

However, their suspension is still difficult to revoke.

By then, the actions of Xing Duanchang and others who openly defied the Railway Bureau would be confirmed.

In his opinion, using a crew in exchange for the investigation team's entry into the Qianmen Locomotive Depot was a great deal.

Deputy Section Chief Wang left the meeting and hurried back to the Security Section.

After a while.

He walked in with the deputy head of the investigation team, Ma Dele, holding the investigation materials.

The materials were distributed to all leaders and participants one by one, and Li Aiguo also received a copy.

These survey materials are huge in quantity, and because typewriters were expensive in those days, they were printed on oil paper.

The handwriting on it was a little unclear, but the accident process recorded was almost the same as what Li Aiguo knew.

From this we can see that even Deputy Section Chief Wang would not dare or would not be able to falsify the investigation materials.

Li Aiguo secretly breathed a sigh of relief, placed the materials neatly on the table, leaned back and leaned against the back of the chair.

Not long after, Deputy Section Chief Wang looked at Li Aiguo and asked, "Driver Li, it was you who asked to see the materials. Now that you have seen the materials, you haven't said a word. What does this mean?"

"Based on the contents of the materials, the K16 crew and driver team do not bear any responsibility at all. There is no need to discuss this anymore." Li Aiguo straightened up and said in a firm tone.

Deputy Section Chief Wang almost laughed out loud: "Driver Li, the K16 train had an accident. Don't the crew and the driver have any responsibility? Even a little bit of responsibility?"

Li Aiguo: “No!”

Deputy Section Chief Wang slammed the table and said, "Driver Li, so many leaders are watching, don't even think about protecting the people from your Qianmen Locomotive Depot."

Director Chen waved his hand at Deputy Section Chief Wang and said, "Old Wang, please ask Driver Li to express his opinion."

Deputy Section Chief Wang was a little annoyed: "Director, he is completely denying the findings of our investigation team."

Director Chen knocked on the table again: "Deputy Section Chief Wang, please be careful with your attitude. This is a seminar. Covering someone's mouth and not letting them speak is definitely not the working style of our railway bureau."

Seeing that Director Chen was angry, Deputy Section Chief Wang had to sit back reluctantly.

Director Chen looked at Li Aiguo and said, "Driver Li, you are an outstanding train driver in the country and a national model worker. I hope you can seek truth from facts and set an example."

Li Aiguo understood Director Chen's good intentions, nodded slightly to him, and then slowly said: "The cause of the accident is very clear. You are all experienced leaders, so I will not elaborate on it here.

In my opinion, the real cause of the accident is that our railway regulations are not strict enough. "

When these words were spoken, all the leaders at the meeting widened their eyes.

Several department leaders who were playing with pens raised their heads and stared at Li Aiguo with surprise.

Deputy Section Chief Wang laughed: "Driver Li, I thought you were going to explain yourself to the K16 crew. It turns out you're going to put the blame on the rules and regulations."

At this time, Director Chen of the Safety General Inspection Office, who had not commented on the traffic accident, spoke up: "Deputy Section Chief Wang, please let driver Li continue speaking."

"But he is just making trouble." Deputy Section Chief Wang wanted to explain, but Director Chen glared at him. He shrank his neck and dared not say a word.

Director Chen looked at Li Aiguo and nodded, "Driver Li, your point of view is very interesting. Keep going."

Li Aiguo cleared his throat and said, "The trains of freight trains and passenger trains are mixed trains. To ensure safety, there are certain requirements for train formation, isolation, and restrictions.

At present, our ministry has many clear regulations on mixed trains, such as hazardous chemicals, flammable and explosive goods vehicles are not allowed to be mixed. "

Director Chen nodded in agreement. For a train driver to understand the regulations of mixed trains, it was obvious that he had done his homework beforehand.

In fact, Li Aiguo did do a lot of homework.

However, it was not specifically for this accident, but because of an agreement with a dispatcher from the Zhengzhou Locomotive Depot.

During this period, I took the opportunity to accumulate points and carefully read all the books related to marshalling in the library of the locomotive depot.

He went on to say: “The combination of a truck with hand brakes and a bus with windshields poses no less danger than those hazardous chemicals.

Unfortunately, our department has not yet formulated relevant systems. "

"Li Aiguo, are you blaming the department for not doing anything?!" Deputy Section Chief Wang took the opportunity to criticize him.

Li Aiguo ignored him, took out several documents from his canvas bag, and handed them to the leaders present for circulation.

"These are the accident cases I have collected over the years involving trucks with handbrakes and buses with windshields."

"On March 2, 1950, a mixed train of the Harbin Railway Bureau was running.

There was an accident where a passenger turned the handbrake of the freight train. Because the speed was low, the train did not derail and one passenger was injured in the accident. "

"On August 3, 1950, a mixed-train train of the Yangcheng Railway Bureau was on the move.

A passenger climbed onto the train using the windshield fence, but was fortunately discovered by the switchman, so no one was injured. "

"On September 12, 1950, a mixed train from the Magic City Railway Bureau stopped at the station.

The passengers pulled the handbrake, and the train wore out five pairs of wheels during the traction process.

"On February 1, 1951, a passenger turned the handbrake of a freight train while a mixed train of the Taiyuan Railway Bureau was running.

The train car derailed, causing ten injuries and damaging two train cars and two passenger trains.”

Li Aiguo paused for a moment and took a breath: "So far, I have collected more than 30 cases related to mixed-train operations.

Many accidents were not reported to the ministry because they did not cause serious consequences.

It can be seen from this that accidents caused by trucks with handbrakes and buses with windshields are not accidental and isolated phenomena.

In the absence of explicit regulations from the ministry that the two types of personnel cannot be mixed, the K16 crew and driver team had no way of foreseeing the possible dangerous accidents that might occur.

No one, whether collectively or individually, should be held responsible for unforeseen dangerous accidents.

Otherwise, I suggest that our train drivers just stop driving.

Because accidents may happen at any time while the train is running.

So I suggest that the ministry should formulate a new mixed system.

It is stipulated that the end of a truck with a handbrake must not be directly connected to a passenger car with a windshield! "

After Li Aiguo finished speaking, the scene became silent.

The leaders of the railway bureaus pondered for a moment and nodded slightly.

In this day and age, trains can never be 100% safe.

Especially some stubborn passers-by who insist on competing with the train to see who is tougher.

If train drivers were held responsible for killing people, it would be the easiest profession to get into trouble.

Director Chen had picked up a pen and wrote down Li Aiguo's speech in his notebook without knowing when.

He closed the pen cap and said with a smile: "Driver Li, in fact, since the accident, our Traffic Safety General Supervision Office has also realized this problem and has been discussing whether new rules and regulations should be added.

Your suggestion is very good. When I return, I will immediately organize people to conduct in-depth discussions. "

After saying that, Director Chen closed his notebook, stood up, and seemed ready to rush back to the department immediately.

When Deputy Section Chief Wang saw Director Chen was about to leave, he immediately became anxious, and quickly stood up and grabbed Director Chen's arm: "Director Chen, the K16 crew violated the regulations..."

Director Chen stopped and said with a smile, "Ah, I almost forgot. On behalf of the General Supervision Office of Traffic Safety, I would like to give the following advice.

The real cause of the K16 train accident was the lack of system.

The K16 train crew and train driver have fulfilled all their responsibilities and are not responsible for the accident."

Upon hearing this result, Deputy Section Chief Wang found it hard to accept and wanted to continue to pester him, but Director Chen ignored him, turned around and left in a hurry.

"The handbrake end of the train must not be directly connected to the passenger car with the windshield... If this rule can be implemented one day earlier, it may be possible to avoid a major accident. The train driver's suggestion is really great."

You know, writing rules and regulations is an extremely arduous task.

We must ensure safety while taking into account the difficulty of implementation and various practical factors.

There are many buses with windshields in the country nowadays. If it is strictly prohibited to mount them on buses, it will lead to a huge waste of transportation capacity.

Now Li Aiguo has accurately grasped the root cause of the accident and pointed out that the end of the truck with the handbrake cannot be mounted on the passenger bus.

In this way, it can prevent passengers from climbing the car body with the help of the windshield and shaking the handbrake, and it will not affect the transportation capacity, which can be said to kill two birds with one stone.

"Only a comrade like Driver Li, who is on the front line of the battle, can come up with such a simple and effective system. If it were those old pedants, they might have to come up with a lot of long-winded regulations..."

Director Chen got into the car, and after the car started, it drove towards the Ministry of Railways at lightning speed.

At this moment in the conference room, the winner has been decided.

Director Chen of the Railway Bureau proposed a vote by show of hands: "It can now be confirmed that the accident of K16 train has nothing to do with the crew and crew. Comrades who agree, please raise your hands."

After saying that, he was the first to raise his hand high.

Director Liu raised his hand immediately, followed by several deputy directors, and more and more people raised their hands in the conference room.

Deputy Section Chief Wang's face gradually turned pale, and his teeth were chattering, but he still had a glimmer of hope in his heart.

That is, the investigation team is nominally independent.

As the leader of the investigation team, as long as he disagrees, the final result of the accident investigation cannot be changed. Director Chen also noticed this scene, and his face suddenly became ugly.

At this moment, Ma Dele, who was sitting next to him, slowly raised his hand and said, "Director, this time our investigation team did make a bookish mistake during the investigation. I apologize to the bureau."

As the deputy head of the investigation team, Ma Dele's opinions largely represent the opinions of the investigation team.

Director Chen no longer looked at Deputy Section Chief Wang and nodded at Ma Dele: "Our leaders are also human beings. As long as they are human, they may make mistakes. They are good comrades if they know their mistakes and correct them. Deputy Team Leader Ma, I'll trouble you with the new accident investigation report."

"That's what I should do." Ma Dele smiled as usual.

Deputy Section Chief Wang offended the director of the railway bureau and the workers of the locomotive depot. Ma Dele made a fortune this time.

Deputy Section Chief Wang also realized this.

He couldn't quite understand how Li Aiguo managed to turn the tables.

But he realized he still had a chance.

Just as Director Chen was about to announce the end of the meeting, Deputy Section Chief Wang suddenly stood up and said, "Director, are we just going to let the Qianmen Locomotive Depot's opposition to the Railway Administration's decision go?"

"Confrontation? Deputy Section Chief Wang, are you confused about your role as a leader?"

Li Aiguo stood up and said, "The train drivers of our Qianmen locomotive depot are performing their supervisory duties and are monitoring abnormalities in the railway bureau.

In other words, you think you are the leader and you are a different class from us workers, and you don’t allow us to supervise you.”

The second half of Li Aiguo's sentence has risen to the level of a matter of principle.

Even if Deputy Section Chief Wang had the courage of a giant, he would not dare to admit this.

"You, what nonsense are you talking about? Director, I absolutely don't have such an idea. You know that I have the most positive thoughts..."

"Positive thinking is not just about shouting slogans. The more some people lack something, the louder they shout."

"Li Aiguo, you are slandering me!"

When Deputy Section Chief Wang saw that Li Aiguo had launched an attack on the things that made him famous, he panicked and looked at Director Chen: "Director, Li Aiguo deliberately framed the leaders of the bureau."

"You keep calling me bureau leader and regard normal supervision as a false accusation. Deputy Section Chief Wang, you really think you are above the working class," said Li Aiguo.

"You," Deputy Section Chief Wang, are good at putting accusations on people.

But Li Aiguo on the opposite side was a worker with a good family background and was also a nationally outstanding train driver. He could not be labeled as such and could only retreat step by step.

Deputy Section Chief Wang is usually the kind of person who shouts slogans loudly in the railway bureau.

The bureau leaders had long had problems with him, but because Deputy Section Chief Wang's slogans were too loud, they had to give him some distance.

Now seeing that Deputy Section Chief Wang suffered a loss in front of Li Aiguo, the railway bureau leaders were all happy to watch the fun and no one spoke up for him.

"Okay, Deputy Section Chief Wang, if you put the blame on the K16 crew for the accident, it means you didn't find out the truth. Now that the truth has been clarified, you are still making a fuss here. That's a problem with your thinking."

Director Chen saw that the time was right and made a decision he had wanted to make for a long time: "You will be suspended from work for inspection starting today, and Comrade Ma Dele will temporarily take over your work. Meeting adjourned!"

Director Chen did not give Deputy Section Chief Wang any chance to explain himself. He picked up his notebook and left the meeting room.

Li Aiguo, Duanchang Xing and Zhang Dache ignored Deputy Section Chief Wang and got up and left together.

Those directors who used to have a good relationship with Deputy Section Chief Wang.

Seeing that the situation was extremely unfavorable to him, they looked at each other, pretended not to see Deputy Section Chief Wang, and left one after another.

When Deputy Section Chief Wang saw this scene, his teeth started to chatter and he was about to get angry.

He turned around and saw that Ma Dele was still standing there. He felt warm in his heart and forced a smile: "Old Ma, you are really a man who values ​​friendship."

"Well, I'm waiting to hand over my work to you." Ma Dele smiled.

Deputy Section Chief Wang: “.”

He was silent for a moment, shook his head with a wry smile, and turned to leave the meeting room.

At this time, the strong wind outside had stopped, and the ground was covered with fallen leaves and branches, a mess.

Deputy Section Chief Wang was completely confused and couldn't figure it out.

He clearly had the right to speak and was wielding slogans like a stick, but why did he ultimately lose to a small train driver?

When Li Aiguo and his two companions returned to the Qianmen Locomotive Depot, the station yard was surrounded by train drivers, firemen, and crew members.

When the guys saw the three of them getting out of the jeep, they all surrounded them.

Driver Chen rushed to the front, looked at Zhang Dache with some concern and asked: "Old Zhang, what's the situation?"

Zhang Dache pulled Li Aiguo from the back to the front, patted Li Aiguo on the shoulder and said:

"Driver Li argued with the group, and the railway bureau leaders saw through everything and have rescinded all penalties against the K16 package crew and driver team."

Wow!
There was warm applause.

Xing Duanchang pressed his hands down, signaling everyone to be quiet. When the crowd quieted down, he waved his hands.

"The railway belongs to us workers, and this will never change!" The voice of Section Chief Xing was like a loud bell, resounding throughout the station.

"Yes, we workers are the masters of the railway. Those who have bad intentions should be swept out like garbage!" Someone in the crowd echoed loudly.

"We workers have power! We workers have power, we are busy working every day.

Hey, we were busy working every day, building tall buildings, and constructing railways and coal mines.

The world has been transformed. It has changed. Hehe.
The machine started up, it rumbled, the hammer was raised, it clanged."

I don't know who started it, but loud singing broke out at the scene.

On the flagpole, the red flag fluttered in the strong wind.

The bright sunshine shines through the red flags and onto the workers, giving them a layer of faith.

Li Aiguo also clenched his fists tightly, facing the color of faith, and sang loudly the songs belonging to the workers.

After it was determined that two driver teams led by Li Aiguo and Huang Jing would participate in the grain transportation mission.

The maintenance workshop of Qianmen Locomotive Depot immediately began intensive maintenance work on grain transport vehicles.

Li Aiguo specially selected two of the most powerful Aiguo 2 steam locomotives to participate in the mission.

The Patriotic 2 is the latest locomotive modified by the Datong Factory specifically for heavy cargo transportation.

The locomotive uses a double-jointed round-bottomed wide firebox.

The horsepower can reach 5000, the coal capacity of the coal-water car is 25t, the water capacity of the coal-water car is 55 kiloliters, the curb weight is 126t, the adhesion weight is 82t, the driving axle is 30.6t (average), the wheel peripheral power is 3475 horsepower, and the modulus traction is 6897kg.

It can be said that the Patriot II has surpassed most of the heavy freight trains of later generations in terms of traction, and is perfectly suitable for the task of transporting grain.

The maintenance workshop was busy, and Li Aiguo walked into the workshop with his hands behind his back.

"Master, can I really drive a train?"

At this time, Huang Jing was still in the studio, waiting for Li Aiguo to take her back to taste the delicious tomato and egg noodles.

When she heard the news, she was stunned at first, and then her eyes were filled with uncontrollable surprise and excitement.

"I am the master, how can I deceive my apprentice?"

Li Aiguo picked up a tomato casually. This tomato was grown naturally without any pesticides, so there was no need to wash it.

He simply wiped it lightly with his sleeve and then opened his mouth to bite it.

As you take a bite, the sweet and sour juice flows freely in your mouth.

While chewing, he said, "The grain transport truck is still under renovation, and we will start the driving mission in seven days.

Before that, we need to go to the site for an on-site survey to confirm all the details of the operation. You will go with me to the Tanggu operation area of ​​Jincheng Port tomorrow."

Hearing this, Huang Jing was stunned at first, and then her eyes were filled with irrepressible excitement and joy.

Her eyes were slightly red, and her voice trembled slightly with excitement: "Master, thank you so much!"

"Oh, who made me your master?"

This tomato is an old variety, with a sandy and sticky texture, just the right sweet and sour taste, and is extremely delicious.

Li Aiguo finished a tomato in just a few bites, and then reached out to the basket of tomatoes.

Huang Jing grabbed the basket first: "Master, we still have to eat tomato and egg noodles tonight."

"I am your master"

"Even the master can't do it." Huang Jing showed no sign of weakness.

Li Aiguo looked at his apprentice who was running away with the basket and shook his head helplessly.

"The disciples nowadays don't listen to their master. Isn't this going against Tian Gang?"

Night falls.

In Li Aiguo's kitchen, warm yellow light shines on the stove, illuminating his busy figure.

After a while, Chen Xueru placed a bowl of egg noodles in front of Huang Jing.

"Thank you, Master."

In the hot mist, Huang Jing took a deep breath, and the fragrance went straight to her heart.

Huang Jing picked up a piece of noodles with chopsticks and put it into her mouth. The noodles were chewy and firm.

The soup is rich and mellow with the sweet and sour taste of tomatoes and the tenderness of eggs.

Various flavors blend perfectly on the tip of the tongue, like a feast for the taste buds.

Especially Li Aiguo and Chen Xueru were both sitting next to her.

Every bite is filled with the warmth and comfort of home.

Huang Jing ate with satisfaction and happiness, a bright smile on her face, even her eyes slightly narrowed, immersed in this delicious food.

"Master, this is the most delicious noodles I have ever eaten in my life." Huang Jing said while holding her stomach while burping from eating.

"Now that you're full, go wash the dishes. I don't want a lazy apprentice."

After suffering a critical hit from the master, Miss Huang Jing quickly stood up and started to help Chen Xueru.

Li Aiguo poured a cup of tea, picked up the materials borrowed from the Qianmen Locomotive Depot, and began to study the section of railway from Tianjin to the Tanggu operating area.

The content of the information made Li Aiguo frown: "This mission seems a bit unusual."

(End of this chapter)