James v. Chicago, St. Paul, Minneapolis & Omaha Railway Co.

Streissguth, Justice.

Plaintiff was a switchman in the service of defendant at Sioux City, Iowa. While engaged in interstate switching operations, he was directed by the general yardmaster to get onto the footboard of a tender attached to a locomotive which at the time was running backward on the main line on its way to a passing track. The switch controlling the passing track was connected with a “derail,” 195 feet away, in such a manner that the closing of the switch to clear the main line threw the derail onto the passing track. The yardmaster had offered to line up the switches after the…