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TriMet searching for rock-rolling culprits
Hope they find the culprit. Damages will have to be paid for by the taxpayers. But you have to question the construction of the vehicle. $20k in damages? I have had rocks that size pass under my pickup truck and do $0 in damage. No, it’s not a jacked up custom truck but a factory stock Ford, 2 wheel drive. If the mechanics can’t jack up the vehicle to prevent this from happening again, then stick a steel plow blade on the front to deflect rocks, trees, and whatever else. There comes a point when a pretty train appearance has to give way to common sense. What would have happened if this was a grade crossing with an SUV stopped in the middle? Even match? SUV wins?
The LRVs have low ground clearance by design and cannot be raised, due in part to boarding height requirements; there is also the expectation that the guideway will generally be clear of debris, which is usually the case. Further, a new LRV costs on the order of $3.5 million – your truck cost on the order of 1/100 that amount. There’s simply a lot more stuff that can get damaged on a complex LRV than on an average pickup.
Obviously, those rocks fell out of some local Portland politician’s head as they were crossing the tracks, and their owner simply hadn’t noticed the loss.