Occurrence Summary### Crossing Collision and Derailment VIA Rail Canada Inc. Train Number 60, Mile 138.21, Kingston Subdivision, Mallorytown, Ontario
Low ground clearance highway-railway warning signage is standardized in the United States through the Department of Transportation Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD). Chapter 8, Section 8B.17, sets forth guidance for the posting of such signs. It states, in part, "if the highway profile conditions are sufficiently abrupt to create hang-up situation for long wheelbase vehicles or for trailers with low ground clearance, the Low Ground Clearance Highway-Rail Grade Crossing (W10-5) sign [seeFigure 4] should be installed in advance of the highway-rail grade crossing."
After further consideration, a couple corrections/ modifications to the portions below of my previous post -
Since the undercarriage is the ‘foundation’ of the hoe and has a good portion of its weight, when that was essentially ‘kicked’ off the lowboy by impact from the loco’s /coupler anti-climber, the rest of the hoe just followed. The damage to the hoe’s engine compartment probably resulted from incidental contact with the low hood or other portions of the loco as the hoe went sailing ahead and off to the side.
[:-,] Wonder how much insurance that ‘‘good ol’ boy’’ has ? He might be hoping that title to his house is held jointly with his wife - otherwis
As far as any wrong doing on the driver, more than likely he may be local having crossthis and other crossings many times and the updates could have raised the tracks. These type of trailers will slide across tracks easily if the driver is able to keep his speed up and ina gear to provide the extra power needed to do so. -many years been there, done that. Never seen a warning sign such as that one and living in area with 20 or more NW crossings thereare no signs although some of those cant be used by this type trailer, which doesnt use any hydraulic on the connection, its usually air operated pin. Im not 100% sure but guessing tractor and trailer can be permited for 125,000 gross, tare wt around 36,000. Never hauled a 370 but looking at it I dont it getting 100,000. Local companies usually will obtain blanket permits to cover all loads needing permits by the month or more and don`t get one for a trip.Thats all folks, I leave now for the pros to continue.
Empty low boy trailers are bowed up about 8-10" in the middle between the king pin and trailer wheels. So a low clearance crossing can be crossed empty.
When the 37? series (110K - 187K) backhoe is loaded the low boy bow may disappear and may even become bowed down. Now the backhoe + lowboy will drag and maybe snag on the same crossing he cleared earlier.
It has happened at least 3 times in the past 2 years here in my town. Fortunately CSX got stopped in time.
I don’t find any references to the crossing or its protection system. What do four-quadrant gates have to do with it?
Incidentally, in our discussions about quiet zones, I have not heard anybody here say they favor them. That position seems to be limited to city officials setting up a quiet zone and the FRA guiding them.
If I may go out on a limb, I would say that 100% of all railroad personnel and all railfans disapprove of quiet zones.
It was pretty clear to me, but maybe not to you. The 80-year-old victim ‘got her van stuck on the tracks between the crossing bars’. A reference yesterday referenced the ‘gates coming down around’ her (or language to that effect). It tells me she was on the crossing and the gates blocked her in. When you’re 80, you might not think of ways to get out of that predicament before the train gets to you – and that seems most likely what has happened here.
While it is possible she just happened to stall there and was trying to get the vehicle moving again at the wrong time… she was still boxed in, and that might have contributed to the apparent difficulty in getting her out of the van in time.
On an interesting note, I cannot find the reference to ‘gates closing around’ her in the coverage this morning. I try to avoid conspiracy theories, but this makes me at least wonder if there is some attempt being made to “restate” the coverage of this accident in some way…
I cannot find my copy of the FRA Research Report on camera-equipped four-quadrant gating to see whether it explicitly used the cameras to keep the ‘exit’ quadrant open for a vehicle stuck in a lane of a crossing.* Whether cameras, inductive loops, or some other technology is used to achieve that, I have always thought it to be a critical safety element for four-quadrant gate installations. In a great many places – and, apparently, here – that safety has apparently not been provided.
First the bells and red flashing lights activate. There is a delay before the gate descends There is another delay before the exit gate descends The only way to get trapped between the gates is to enter or remain in the ROW after the lights and bell actuate. Every few weeks I see someone with no patience do exactly that. I see people stopped in bumper to bumper traffic on the tracks. I see gates come down on top of moving vehicles. Last week, while riding our light rail, the train came to a complete stop and was blowing the horn repeatedly. I moved so I could see out the front. In front of us there were not one, but two cars stopped INSIDE the lowered gate but before the tracks, patiently waiting for the train to pass. Which explains my claim that many people are to stupid to be allowed to cross railroad tracks.
Phoebe: The point should be “a good grade crossing is an extinct grade crossing”! Regular gates where none are, four quadrant gates, quiet zones and other improvements will not cure drivers ignorance of proper behavior around a grade crossing. Friend stopped to check a grade crossing with gates that later were found to not be not operating but a train horn warned him! Only worked when train in island circuit.
Just a brief comment on this. It seems that over the last few years, the NC DOT Trains on their " Corridor": seem to be reported as hitting more dump trucks, and log trucks on a fairly regular basis…This does not seem to include the autos that run their crossings, do they count those?
So closing or Highway-Rail Crossings would be a real plus for them. The question remains; when crossings are closed, are they replaced with Over or Underpasses? It seems to be learned behavior with motorists, maybe a game(?) The answer seems to be Crossings with such restrictive devices as to discourage the scoff-laws?