There are a bunch of “nothing-but-crossbuck” crossings around here, many on the BNSF transcon (Chicago-Los Angeles). Do you know how fast Amtrak goes through here? About 90 miles an hour. Amtrak blasts the horns at these crossings (I know from watching cab ride videos), but they wouldn’t be able to stop if a car got in their way. Freight trains go slightly slower, but not much! I think that reflective crossbuck idea of Idaho is a good idea. I mean, many of these roads are just mud! it would be stupid to have a gate at one of these! But, if the road is heavilly used, that’s another thing…but I don’t think mud roads have very much traffic![:D]
On my district, NS has installed STOP signs at all private road crossings. I thought it might have come from the FRA ruling on horn blowing, but I haven’t asked anyone yet.
As for maroons like Jimitrain who want horns blowing at every little pig path, I say let them sit up on a unit with the horn blowing in their ears constantly and see how they like it. Throw 'em in the moat with the 'gators[oX)]
The phrase “Stop, Look, Listen, Live” comes to mind. If the driver refuses to do something as simple as that, why should the railroad or road department do anything?
yea it’s not that hard to take a second and look both ways, just like walking across the street. it’s just another reason why all the urbanites should remain urban…
Mudchicken is right. We need to draw a distinction between public crossings, which should be as modern as possible; and private crossings, in which the driver (usually entering his own land) bears all the responsibility for “Stop, Look and Listen.”
Before we rip up EVERY crossbuck-only crossing, bear in mind that some of these guys are farmers on various kinds of motorized equipment. Making them take something like a thresher two or three miles to the nearest public “gated” stop – and then back to where they wanted to be – would be a severe inconvenience to them. Although I do like very much the earlier gentleman’s idea of reflectors to show both ends of the track, every single crossing can’t come equipped with hi-tech signalization.
There are a lot of unprotected crossings in Michigan. I can recall that there have been some accidents at these crossings and nothing has been done. In some cases, changes were made. Even with the crossing and gates, accidents will occur because people are in a hurry.
I like the moat idea. That way, people have to wait.[8D]
Another product of the FRA ruling is that brush and such must be cut back 500ft. on either side of the road crossings.
OK - UK and signalling perspective here. Most “through” road crossings are protected with flashing lights in the UK; and to cap it the there is a speed restriction placed on the railway. There are a few exceptions; on one cornish/ devon branch the train has to stop; blow up and then proceed at 10MPH. But why worry - nobody is in a hurry in that part of the world anyway. There are four o/a (open/accommodation) crossings under “my” control - these are provided with a telephone. Now if the telephone is knackered; we have to caution - usually its kids messing about and leaving it off the hook or shouting expletives down the phone at you. However there are 2 trains an hour - I ask the driver to proceed at caution; cross when he is sure it is safe to do so and replace the phone. Imagine doing that for x crossings over x miles when the phone concentrator packs up!
So sopmetimes the stop; look and listen is a very very good thing…
What kind of protection do the few crossings on the NEC have? I’m curious how fast the trains go through them too.
I understand what you all are trying to say and indefinentaly agree!! My opinion is that if it’s a private crossing it should have a RR crossbuck and the Trains that cross should have to blow there horns like BNSFGP38 said long, long, short, long. Then for public RR crossings, the RR should at least have Lights and the trains should blow their horns again. If they have gates even better but they should at least have the minimum. PLUS my cousin told me because he is training to be a brakemen for UP. He said that the Locos should blow the horn 3/4’s of a mile from the crossing and have their bell on when they are crossing the road. So watch for that and see if the engineers were you live to that. Cause I know they don’t do that at every RR crossing like they are suppose to.
Dustin
Bull, I’ve never seen a whistle board more than 1/4 mile from a crossing. Again the new FRA rules limit the length of horn blowing, trying to keep it between 15 - 20 seconds in duration.
long long short LOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG doesnt work, ditch lights and mars lights dont work, me flagging a crossing dont work. Know what does? DARWINISM[}:)][}:)][}:)] If they are too dumb to stop then so be it. Let em get hit. Too lazy to look? well guess what pal you just got on the train to glory cause Z trains ( heck any train) do not stop on a dime for you to say " Boy was that dumb"
I believe NEC has no grade crossings. The vast majority of grade crossings in the US are private, with crossbucks or less for protection. Even with protection, you have disasters like the fuel truck in Florida stuck on the tracks, or the steel truck in Illinois which crashed through gates, lights and bells, as I recall, to kill more than a dozen AMTRAK passengers. There is no substitute for caution, and all the protection in the world does not and will not stop the Yahoos who cra***he gates…
WARNING DEVICES AND A BAD ACCIDENT
JimiTrain referred to some crossing as not having any warning devices to warn motorist approaching a grade crossing. It would be assumed “cross buck” signs would be present at every railroad crossing to warn a motorist of an impending railroad crossing. It would also be presumed that most states would prescribe in state statues the requirement of having posted signs to warn motorist of a railroad crossing.
In approaching a railroad crossing a motorist would assume the risk when crossing a railroad track since the train itself has the right of way. In another sense lawsuits by motorist who have had collisions with trains tries to prove otherwise.
If someone wants to require signal devices, as in flashing lights and crossing gates, at every grade crossing, then who pays the railroad and the local government or just one of the entity’s?
The busiest of grade crossings will usually get the flashing signals and cross gates. Recently near Augusta, Kans. BNSF has installed new signal lights and crossing gates on two grade crossings. The roads leading up to the crossings are gravel and are not very well traveled. This is on the BNSF’s transcontinental line from LA to Chicago. Several years ago two people were killed at one of the crossings, a grandfather and his granddaughter.
On two private crossings of the BNSF transcontinental line near Augusta stop signs have been erected for vehicles crossing the tracks.
Everyone has their crossing accident stories and this story is probably no different. I was in junior high when one accident happened and it really sticks in ones mind after viewing the car. In the 1960’s a Corvette was traveling on a paved road at a high rate of speed toward the main line of the Katy Railroad. This was on the north edge of Parsons, Kansas. It was moonless night when the Corvette passed under a tank car. The conductor on the caboose related that he saw the highlights of
Ten or twelve years ago one objection to electrifying the Chicago - Detroit route and trying to bring it up to mid-Sixties “Metroliner” standards (when there were indeed grade crossings in Maryland), was that supposedly the crossbuck and gate couldn’t recognize the difference between a passenger train going 90-110 mph or the more typical freight going at half that speed, 45-55 mph.
In this day of global positioning, cab signalling, CTC, etc., I simply refuse to believe that a gate can’t be in connection with SOMETHING that would put it into operation twice the distance for a passenger train as for a freight, with the result that the waiting interval before either train enters the crossing would be the same – 30 seconds or whatever.
This country has a real “can’t do” mentality when it comes to improving its rails, especially passenger. The Japanese solved problems during LBJ’s administration that are supposedly insoluable today. BULL! [8]
1st thing you need to learn is what a private crossing is. and this is a crossing that is used by the land owner going to his house or his feilds etc it is not used by the public only the land owner family. And to make it easier for you to understand my attitude I am a engineer for the NS. I will not blow for a private crossing, if there is no whistle board i wont blow. even if the farmer is about to cross in front of me. Now if there is a public crossing comming up i start blowing 1/4 mile from the crossing of at least 15 sec. from the crossing. and i do 2 longs a short and 1 long held til you are thru the crossing. Now if some one is on the crossing that is fine i wont even slow down til i hit them . simple enough after i hit them i put it in emergency. and stop. you have alot to learn about railroading from your cousin and he even has alot more to learn.
as far as crossing go if they dont want to stop and look both ways before crossing the tracks then they deserve to get hit.
Tell it like it is, wabash1 ! [;)]
And while I’m on the subject, I spent some time along the Sou. Transcom. last week and noticed that some of the non-flashing-light intersections had a Yield sign under the crossbuck! [B)]
Wasn’t sure if these were “little country lanes” or purely private crossings, but surely the STOP sign listed above makes more sense? It’s not like the driver is trying to blend into the rail pike, after all . . . [8D]
I recall some signs from just after the war in the steam era that signaled a bright red and black roaring steamer hurtling at the car waiting at a crossing.
Above is the caption “You choose: Life or death”
The whistles is a life saving device and not to properly use it will cost us some lives.
Should these lost lives be written off as unsuitable for the genetic pool? Perhaps.
Look Listen and Live.
Do we need more crossing protection? Yes–people are dying, and it’s not good for anybody (remember, the railroad has to repair the presumably bent pilot of the locomotive). But, in all reality, this is not going to happen on a larger scale than it happens now anytime soon. What can be done immediately? LOUDER WHISTLES AND BELLS!!!
When I was volunteering at the C&TSRR a few weeks ago, locomotive 488 has one heck of a whistle! Modern diesels on the mainline have NOTHING on this 80-year-old steamer’s whistle. Standing next to it at the crossing, the thing was more than deafening. Additionally, is it just me, or have bells become quieter? Make them louder–both whistles and bells–much louder! Noise will take care of most of those who don’t want to die. We still would need to deal with those that do, however.
Sincerely,
Daniel Parks
Talking about Darwin. Check out the link (pic of insane dude driving truck over crossing tracks)>>> http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=40516
[:O][xx(][banghead][X-)][oX)][oops][sigh][zzz]