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LOS ANGELES — Commuter train engineer Robert Sanchez and his young rail fan became fast friends with their constant chatter in text messages about their shared love of trains.
Sanchez exchanged dozens of messages with the teenage boy while driving his locomotive and even made plans to let him take the controls.
"I'm REALLY looking forward to getting you in the cab and showing you how to run a locomotive," Sanchez wrote about the plan.
But it never happened. While they texted about the final details, the Metrolink commuter train ran a red light and collided head-on with a freight train, killing 25 people and injuring at least 130 others. Sanchez died in the collision.
A transcript of the text messages released Tuesday by the National Transportation Safety Board detailed the close relationship between the two, with Sanchez acting as a mentor to the unidentified boy.
The messages revealed that Sanchez had allowed him and a friend to ride in the cab and sit at the controls four days before the crash.
"Touching the controls ... i was frothing at the mouth," the teen wrote in one text message.
They also showed that Sanchez intended to let the teen drive the train between four stations on Sept. 12, the day of the crash, even though unauthorized ride-alongs are considered a serious violation of safety regulations.
"I'm gonna do all the radio talkin' ... ur gonna run the locomotive & I'm gonna tell u how to do it," Sanchez wrote.
Sanchez sent and received 43 text messages while on duty that day, including one to the teenager about an apparent meeting place that he sent 22 seconds before the collision
The teenager told NTSB investigators that he met Sanchez last May through a group of train enthusiasts. He said he and Sanchez communicated by phone and text messages once or twice a week, mostly about train operations.
But the transcripts told a different story, showing the two stayed in close touch, calling each other and exchanging dozens of profanity-laced texts the week before the crash.
They provided frequent updates on their activities from morning to night, made jokes, gossiped about other rail fans and shared their excitement as they arranged for the boy to operate the train.
"I feel like your a cool uncle or something," the teen wrote in one message.
Sanchez appeared to relish his role as a mentor. Between discussing a work-related matter with a colleague, dealing with a flat tire and running errands, Sanchez made time to encourage the teen to pursue a career in train engineering, the text messages show.
Sanchez also opened up to him about the downsides of his profession. The engineer worked a 10 1/2-hour split shift requiring him to start at 6 a.m., take a 4 1/2-hour break in the middle of the day, and end the work day at 9 p.m.
One text indicated he was having trouble sleeping.
"i had the worst night of sleep since the fatality. tossed & turned all night," Sanchez wrote to the boy.
Sanchez's family told investigators the engineer had been upset because someone committed suicide by jumping in front of his train.
His brother, John Sanchez, declined to comment Tuesday on the latest revelations.
