Every test I performed was a replication of situations a crew might encounter on a reasonable trip. I always thought a signal test was the most realistic condition. During my tenure at Ozol there were three signal test failures. One Engineer accused me of ‘setting a trap’, until we discussed what would have happened had a caboose been 2 cars beyond the Stop and Proceed signal that he got by. That ended the discussion.
While at City of Industry, a favorite testing sight was between West Montclair and East Pomona. A shunt would be placed between these points, and performance observed. One tested train was the PTCIY, which performed as required at East Montclair. Two days later, another PTCIY failed to stop, and sideswiped an eastward pig train. First question Krebs asked was “What are the testing records of the officers on this division?” Jobs saved. Had we been on site on the day of the collision, we would have been eye-witnesses.