Wonder how the resident wreck expert will spin today’s Amtrak vs. 18 wheeler in Illinois….the engineer must have been asleep of course, and if the train had been equipped with the super smart EPC brakes and load sensors, plus a detector to alert the engineer to the presence of the truck long before it got to the crossing, and if there had been 15 or 20 advance warning signs along the roadway, then of course this one could have been avoided…thank goodness there was no accordion effect.
He’s eating dinner. He’ll be here shortly. [;)]
Yeah, we don’t want images of Lawrence Welk and Myron Florin bouncing through our heads, do we?[{(-_-)}]
Wunnerful, wunnerful. Turn off the bubble machine! [:D]
Truck was obviously where it shouldn’t have been. I’ve probably seen, perhaps even crossed, at this crossing. Definitely been on the track here, as recently as May 25…same train, in fact.
All I saw on TV was the mess…anyone know whether the truck was stalled or moving? Trying to beat train? Claim to not see signals or train? Any other stupid excuses?
Edit: Having seen a better picture of the collision scene, it is fairly obvious that the truck was in the wrong lane while attempting to cross the track around a lowered gate.
So when are we going to hear call for faster implementation of PTC???
Postive Truck Control
- Erik
Local TV in reporting about the incident - ‘remarkably, the train didn’t derail’.
It is only remarkable when the train does derail as hundreds to thousands of tons normally overpower less than 100 tons.
Apologies for misspelling Myron Floren’s name. This is what I was really thinking of:
All kidding side, it looks like the Amtrak engineer had slowed the train considerably before the collision because the pictures at the Chicago ABC station’s website show the train stopped with the middle of the train at the grade crossing. In my guestimate, he saw what was happening and reacted quickly and made the situation much better than it might have been. Well, at least for the passengers, not for the load of bacon.
EDIT: Hokey smoke! I just looked at the Google Earth Street View for the grade crossing and as the camera car is approaching from the East, Amtrak is heading north through the grade crossing. Too eerie a coincidence for me.
My, how times have changed. When I think “accordion” I think “Weird Al” Yankovik.
Art Van Damme:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNCM_dBeWQk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YakWMTdK-Eg
Interesting comment from somebody on one of the news media sites. Commenter says there should be a button on the Xing gates that would stop the train.
R I G H T[:-^]
I can just imagine how such a button would be misused by every self-important joker in North America. Then they would sue if the button didn’t get the train stopped with 30 seconds’ notice. How about just staying off the dang tracks?
Tom
But I NEED my latte…
Since # 22 train set turns to 59 was Amtrak able to cobble together a full consist for 59 ?
One stop shopping, Accordian, Cigars, shoes shined and Christmas cards…what more could you want?
A shot of grappa might be nice.
[X-)]
Rule G - unless it’s for the newsworker creating hysteria. How dare that train swerve and hit the poor (stupid) trucker[X-)]
I hear bacon is on the menu.