an employee of the Burlington Northern Railroad, to which the Air Force had consigned the missile for shipment.


3
The missile was encased in a special container with an environmental control unit designed to keep the missile within its temperature tolerance.  The Air Force consignment to the railroad required the railroad to service the container with oil and gasoline at least every twenty-four hours.  The government provided no instructions for this servicing.


4
The accident occurred when the train carrying the missile stopped at the Silver Bow Interchange in Montana.  Jovanovich was attempting to gain access to the oil compartment.  He climbed onto a narrow walkway on the side of the unit.  Other than a pipe located high up on the unit, there were no safety railsand the United States, the matter went to trial before a magistrate.  The magistrate concluded that the United States was negligent by failing to place handholds on the side of the unit, and by failing to provide warnings either to the plaintiff or to the railroad about the proper method to service the unit.  The magistrate also found that the plaintiff was not at all contributorily negligent.  The judgment imposed a total of approximately $600,000 in damages against the government, representing an award for medical expenses, pain and suffering, and loss of past and future earning capacity to Jovanovich, and for loss of consortium to his wife.


9
The government raises two issues on appeal.  The first is that the district court erred in assessing damages