Warbird Information Exchange

As some know i am also a train nut, I was out filming trains this morning and got this on film, I have seen close call before but this guy almost bought the farm.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yaX38P5p2Y4

That'll get your heart pumping just watching that individual of questionable judgement. I live next to a crossing (no gates though) and it's REAL neat to watch an 18 wheeler locking down the binders because there just happens to be a train going through. You know what they say, "50 mph is the new 35 mph".

It just proves to me that Darwin was wrong and that natural selection is a crock because the human race is to stupid to live.

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It's you and me against the world.

We attack at dawn.

Sadly, I see this all too often. As a signal maintainer, it really pains me to see the equipment working exactly as designed (I timed it to 25 seconds with the requirement being 20) but a stupid driver ignoring the stuff we work long and hard to keep in order so that they don't get hit.

Guys, watch this and remember why you don't run the gates. I've had a dozen gates in the last 6 months get hit by people who failed to stop for them. In all but 2 occasions, trains were actually approaching the crossing. I've had 2 additional occasions where the crossing malfunctioned (and did what it's supposed to do - activate - and provide the most safe condition for the highway users) and people got out of their cars and turned the gates OVER the rails. Both of these situations are potentially deadly. The second especially so because if a train had come through the crossing - it would have done significant damage to all of the equipment (train and signal) and would have damaged any automobile within 30 feet of the crossing.

The basic lesson - don't run the gates and don't move them if they're down. Call the railroad and either wait for them to arrive and clear the problem, or turn around and go to another crossing. It's not worth risking your life and the life of the train crew (I don't know a single crewman who's hit someone that was ever "right" afterwards) to save a few minutes.

I always try to stop at least 50, or more, feet back from the gates, my fear is a derailment and the cars plow me up. I saw a derailment once as a kid, one of the rail cars had an I-beam down the center that was curled right back 180 degrees from digging into the dirt. This rail car traveled right along side of the tracks and would have took anything out too. It was loaded with newsprint so you know it weighed a lot.

What a maroon!!

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Your video lasted 1 minute 8 seconds, about the same amount of time the other car waited.
This guy risked dying, just to save 1 minute on his travel time to that very important appointment he was going to. Seen too much of this stuff when people try to beat a train and never reach their destination. Even more tragic, it seems like half the times this happens it's a mom with her kids. The two times I can think of, the vehicle was hit by a passenger train.
These are fast (60 mph), short trains, 1 loco and about 4 cars, takes about 30 seconds to approach and clear the crossing.

I'm a train nut, too. If a train is coming; I slow down and hope the gate lowers before I get to the crossing so I can stop and watch the train.

Pedestrians are actually a larger problem for trains and sadly 2 people were killed, despite the crew seeing them and blowing their horn, by TRE commuter trains in the last week at the same crossing. Remember - if you're on foot, the same rules apply for you as for a car when it comes to a railroad crossing - you have to stop and look both ways, and stop short of the crossing if the crossing protection activates (where equipped).

Darwin award candidate training, I'll bet.

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rreis

If you want pictures, see rreis@flickr

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rreis

If you want pictures, see rreis@flickr