Beating the Odds

Trains Magazine General Discussion
1

I had a great railfan day today without even trying. When I drive to and from work I cross the CN just south of the Wisconsin/Illinois line.

So today on the way in I was sitting at a red light when the crossing signals just past the traffic light began to flash. It was a southbound freight which I enjoyed watching. But when it cleared the crossing the gates did not go up. And a northbound CN freight appeared. What good fortune.

So today on the way home I approached the crossing and noticed the red lights were flashing and the gates coming down. A southbound oil train went by and after it cleared the crossing the gates, again, did not go up. A northbound mixed freight with a bunch of auto racks went by.

So what are the odds of that happening twice in one day? Usually I just drive across the tracks with no train in sight. But today I got lucky.

2

We do a meal trackside every so often. Without fail, if you have a food sack of any kind in your hands and get near the tracks, the arms will come down. Eating is put on hold while you hunt for a pen and paper to write down information.

A hot breakfast sack seems to be the favorite!

3

Yes, Ken, you’re very lucky. My luck often dictates that the two trains will get there at the same time, and the less interesting one will be blocking the other one.

I would certainly have enjoyed being at “your” grade crossing, to get a little more variety in my sightings.

4

A very good day indeed. Thanks for sharing! It is the unexpected ones that often brighten the day most.

5

You could only have done better with a three-track main!

6

I cross the KCS most Thursday evenings to and from working on a friend’s model railroad and, in the 4 or 5 years I’ve been taking that route, I’ve been stopped once! And even then I had to go very, very slow to not “beat” the train like most cars around me did. [:(]

7

Had to wait for four trains in one day. Lucky? Non-railfans would think we’re crazy.

8

I crossed the now-CSX St Lawrence sub twice a day for nearly 30 years, and hardly need to remove my shoes to count the number of trains I had to wait for (or slowed down so I could see them).

I often use that as an example of why people say there aren’t any trains any more…

For the record, that line sees 4-6 trains a day.

9

When I go into the office my route has me cross the CSX main (Williard - Chicago), the NS Chicago - Elkhart main, the CSX branch off of the NS in Porter, the Amtrak Michigan line off the NS at Porter and finally back across the NS main at our plant. Seldom do I not see a train.

Probably the best timing is around 8am when a Michigan Amtrak diverges off of the NS followed on yellow blocks by B-06 the NS Michigan local out of Burns Harbor which follows the Amtrak. Throw in the controlled siding at Porter which is near where I park and it is paradise, particularly if NS has a John Deere over diminsional train in the siding.

Ed