This question regards RR safety and when it is safe for trains to travel in heavy snow conditions. I live in West Michigan, and recently on an early Friday morning while traveling to work I noticed a BNSF train pushing a long stream of coal cars into the West Olive Consumers Energy plant. There was two engines pushing, and nothing on the end going into the power plant, and several of the crossings have only stop signs with no lights/warning devices of any type. How are people to know that this train is coming in these snowy conditions when visibility was near zero? It seems that the smarter idea may have been to move one of the engines to the lead of this long train, and then have one push and the other pull this into the facility? I could just imagine someones vehicle getting clobbered by this train moving through the snow.
Someone was riding the point and communicating with the engineer by radio.
I’ve also seen our local power plant (which has its own switcher) shadow such a push (usually only 10-12 cars) in a truck which stops so they can flag the crossings.
It sounds like such moves are probably a regular occurance at that plant, which may not have the facilities to run the locomotives around the train. The snow adds a new challenge, but I’m sure the crew had matters well in hand.
Engineers are REQUIRED to blow their horn when approaching ALL crossings. The only exception would be where there are quiet zones.
Right, but you would barely hear it if the engine was on the end of coal loads being shoved.
Crews making shoving moves are RQUIRED to have a man on the point of the movement, to flag road crossings if necessary and to control the movement through communication with the engineer on the engines.
Last time I checked, West Olive, MI was not on the BNSF. A Powder River Basin coal train of BNSF origin may be being delivered to the power plant, but with a serving carrier crew utilizing the BNSF power that the serving carrier received from the BNSF with the train.
As Tree68 said, someone was riding the point with communication to the engineer.
Also, any type of warning device (whether it be gates and lights or just signage) at a crossing is not to protect motorists or pedestrians. It’s to protect the trains that will be crossing over the roadway at that point.
If someone is over-driving conditions and hits or is hit by a train, that’s generally all on them…
A bit off topic, but I was reminded that Erie Mining Co / LTV Steel RR used to run short strings of 10-12 sidedump cars to the taconite mining pits and back, they had special side-dump cars to use on the end away from the engine that had a small cab and a rather weak airhorn for a brakeman to ride in and signal for crossings.
But the locomotive isn’t approaching the crossing… the rear car is. That’s why you have someone on the point.
Actually, the initial quote is not correct. There is no requirement to blow for non-public crossings unless designated by rule, timetable or bulletin order to the contrary. It sounds as though these crossings are on plant property and are not public crossings. Zug is correct that under all major operating rules point protection of a shoving move is required.
LC
Show me where this is written that i haft to blow my horn at all crossings. I only blow for crossings at grade that are marked with a whistle post. and i never blow for railroad crossings.
Picky, picky, picky. You expect us to use the proper terminology, too? [swg]
I’ve called backup/push moves ranging from a few hundred feet to 10 miles. Of course, I had a nice, secure vestibule to stand in…
We regularly use a backup hose with a whistle for those moves, and while the locomotive (only three to five cars back) still blows for the grade crossings, we also do so with the backup hose.
One of the shortlines near here has been storing cars for a Class One. They’ve done some pretty extensive push moves with both hoppers and centerbeams.
LOL thats good tree