In these days of coordinated services and centralized dispatch, the 911 center is gooing to better know who is available for an appropriate response to a given location. You call the local PD, and the nearest available officer may be on the other side of town, yet there is a state police officer patrolling 3 blocks away - they won't know that.
Will they actually be able to do anything? Probably not, unless an actual accident occurs. Even with video footage. But they may stop the guy and question him. He'd likely deny he did what he is accused of, but just maybe he will realize that people DO see this stuff and maybe he won't be so stupid the next time.
Do also call the safety number on the truck, or the company if you don;t see a safety hotline number. They too will likely have a chat with the driver, who will probably deny everyhing, but at least he knows people are watching and seeing what's going on.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
What can the police do? In the case of the gasoline tanker, relay the information to any available unit in the area. A responding officer can pull the tanker over and have a chat with the driver. Drivers are stopped for far less serious matters all the time.
Where it goes from there depends on circumstances and what the office finds, but at least the authorities will be aware that an extremely dangerous driver is operating in their patch, with potentially devastating consequences.
challenger3980Ricky and Central Gulf, please explain to me, WHAT you think the result is going to be of calling 911, about the tank truck that crossed ahead of the train, which did NOT result in any collision, damage, injury or derailment. What is 911, the police or ANYONE going to do about this "Incident"?
Actually, having dealt with desigining systems and processes that deal with documenting incidents, I can easily see why the police would want you to call 911. We basically do the same thing on the railroad, having the equivalent of a "911" center that all calls go through.
Routing all calls through a 911 center provides a lot of useful information. First off all the calls are recorded in one place, every call is time stamped. Since all the calls are in one database it make it easier to spot trends and find chronic problem areas. Since the calls all go to one place, chances are the proper documentation will be done on a more consistent basis. It also triages the calls so the operator weeds out the "notification" problems from the "take action" problems rather than the police themselves.
Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com
Ricky and Central Gulf, please explain to me, WHAT you think the result is going to be of calling 911, about the tank truck that crossed ahead of the train, which did NOT result in any collision, damage, injury or derailment.
What is 911, the police or ANYONE going to do about this "Incident"?
POSSIBLY, calling the trucking company's safety dept. MIGHT get him reprimanded. IF you call a company, don't get all emotional, and especially don't exagerate the situation, they will likely recognize the exageration and place LESS credibility on your complaint. I know this from experience, with almost 14 years with my company, I had a driver call to complain about me "Racing" him (doesn't that usually take TWO, to Race?) and claimed that I was driving 45MPH(really racing!!) in a 35 MPH zone(Brookwood Parkway, Hillsboro, OR). Well, I lived some what near there, the speed limit IS 45 MPH. The "Complainer" went on to brag that he had called on many drivers and had even gotten some FIRED(doubful, few companies will tell you of the action taken) After listening to his obviously exagerated claims, and boasting of calling "LOTS of other companies" plus HR knowing me personally, and my driving record, listened politely, but did not even write anything down.
Doug
Moving America's freight from "A" to "B" for more than 28 Years/2,500,000 Miles.
May your flanges always stay BETWEEN the rails
Both the carelessly placed barricade, and the stalled truck were cases of ONGOING HAZARDS, that would warrant a call to 911. The case of the tanker crossing ahead of the train, was not an ongoing hazard, the truck cleared the crossing, before the train entered the crossing, there is no longer any danger.
The police can do nothing, unless they witnessed the incident. The police can do nothing about what the tanker driver MIGHT do later, this is AMERICA, you can not be fined, arrested, etc. for what you MIGHT DO in the future. It may not have been a SMART thing to do, but if there were no gates that the driver drove around, it may not have even been an illegal manuever.
We will just have to agree to disagree,
Speaking from experience here:
A gasoline tanker running a grade crossing is reason to call 911.
Experience: I came across a semi truck/trailer stalled right at an intersection, where he/she had broken down. Because of this, people were made to go into the opposing lane to get around it. A call to local PD was answered as there was nothing they could do, unless, 1. There was an accident, or, 2. A call was made to 911 to report a safety hazard with the intersection. Yes, I called 911 to report said hazard.
Most times, police will request that 911 be notified, as they can dispatch nearest unit priority, while they most times can not do that themselves. They can accept calls and complaints, but they can't make these a priority, it is when ever they become available in the area. 911 dispatch can, and does, make calls and complaints a priority, when they deem it necessary to do so.
A gasoline tanker driving in a very unsafe manner, such as playing chicken with a train, is indeed a necessary priority call.
That is/was a perfect example of when to call for emergency assistance, via a call to 911 dispatch.
Ricky W.
HO scale Proto-freelancer.
My Railroad rules:
1: It's my railroad, my rules.
2: It's for having fun and enjoyment.
3: Any objections, consult above rules.
Well, we will have to agree to disagree. But let me point out an example of police thinking on this.
When I worked in Portland Oregon I came across a traffic hazard at an intersection on a busy street. A construction crew had carelessly placed a barricade in a manner that caused traffic to have to suddenly swerve in order dodge it when trying to cross the intersection. After seeing several near collisions I decided to call the Portland PD simply to report the situation to their traffic division.
I called the regular Portland PD number and was immediately directed to call 911. I pointed out that I did not consider the situation an emergency, just something they needed to be made aware of. The officer was adamant that I call 911. I called 911.
It is only an EMERGENCY after the train huts the truck, NOT before.
IMHO, this is a case of IMPATIENCE, not impairment, I don't condone, what the driver did, but it is not the same as impaired driving, where there is a continuing threat to the motoring public. Call the trucking company's safety dept, and report what you saw, there is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING that the police can do on the say so of an average citizen in a case like this, I still Disagree that it is a case that warrants a call to 911.
There are entirely too many impatient drivers out there, EVEN MORE in AUTOMOBILES than there are in trucks. Near where I used to live in Forest Grove, OR. the interesection of HWY 47 and Purdin/Verboort Rd's had frequent accidents exactly because of IMPATIENT drivers, I saw it all the time, Excellent, unobstructed lines of sight, straight level roads, but frequent sometimes serious enough for a call to Life Flight, accidents, my Wife often asked, WHY?, are there so many accidents at that intersection? I kept telling her, people just WONT wait that extra 20-30 SECONDS for a SAFE break in traffic(HWY 47, did not have a stop sign, just the cross roads), NO Reason other than simple impatience.
challenger3980 Anyone who calls 911, over an incident like this, deserves a fine, 911 is for EMERGENCIES ONLY. The 911 operator not only has more important things to do, but can do NOTHING in this incident, as there was no emergency. Likewise, the Police would be able to do NOTHING about it either. Calling the tank truck driver's company safety dept. would be about all you could have done. I have been a professional driver for more than 28 years/2,500,000 miles. Doug
Anyone who calls 911, over an incident like this, deserves a fine, 911 is for EMERGENCIES ONLY.
The 911 operator not only has more important things to do, but can do NOTHING in this incident, as there was no emergency. Likewise, the Police would be able to do NOTHING about it either.
Calling the tank truck driver's company safety dept. would be about all you could have done.
I have been a professional driver for more than 28 years/2,500,000 miles.
A gasoline tanker deliberately running a grade crossing right in front of a train is an emergency, just as a driver weaving down the highway is an emergency. In both cases it is appropriate to call 911 and report what you have observed, an obvious immediate danger to life and property by someone who is either impared or having mental issues while operating a vehicle. The 911 operator makes the decision on what to do about it.
Police agencies always advise people to call 911 when in doubt.
The local police or county equalivalents are the ones who have to deal with the aftermath. I would expect them to be very interested in gasoline tanker drivers who play death defying games with freight trains.
At least that's my impression of how things are in my neck of the woods. I'll be the first to admit that it may be different elsewhere.
I believe at the time I was in not able to do so, it would have been my word against his etc etc. and I wonder how seriously local police would have looked at it. Not to speak negative of police but would they have recognized the seriousness.... Maybe, maybe not unless it was the engineer reporting it. I had all intentions of calling his employer but just didn't remember to do so.
CentralGulf basementdweller Terrible news for the families of those involved. The comments about a gasoline tanker at crossing reminded me that a few weeks ago I witnessed a very close call. I was stopped at a crossing, the local train was approaching and blowing for the crossing, he was running maybe 10mph. Towards me comes a tanker with placards for gasoline. He stops for the rr crossing and then proceeds to cross in front of the train! The engineer was now blowing the horn continuously. All was ok and no incident, just pure craziness. I wondered if the engineer would have reported this to local police or the local gas company, truck was easily identified? The innocent person(s) most at risk was you and anyone else in your vehicle. Did you report him? I would have been onto 911 immediately if it had been me or mine put at risk that way.
basementdweller Terrible news for the families of those involved. The comments about a gasoline tanker at crossing reminded me that a few weeks ago I witnessed a very close call. I was stopped at a crossing, the local train was approaching and blowing for the crossing, he was running maybe 10mph. Towards me comes a tanker with placards for gasoline. He stops for the rr crossing and then proceeds to cross in front of the train! The engineer was now blowing the horn continuously. All was ok and no incident, just pure craziness. I wondered if the engineer would have reported this to local police or the local gas company, truck was easily identified?
Terrible news for the families of those involved.
The comments about a gasoline tanker at crossing reminded me that a few weeks ago I witnessed a very close call.
I was stopped at a crossing, the local train was approaching and blowing for the crossing, he was running maybe 10mph. Towards me comes a tanker with placards for gasoline. He stops for the rr crossing and then proceeds to cross in front of the train!
The engineer was now blowing the horn continuously. All was ok and no incident, just pure craziness. I wondered if the engineer would have reported this to local police or the local gas company, truck was easily identified?
CentralGulf,
I agree with You......Total disregard for the law and human life...He quite possibly could have got jail time, company fined and Him. No excuse for stupidity.
Retired Teamster....after 45yrs in the Trucking Industry...company and My own. I also drove tankers.
Take Care!
Frank
BRAKIEOur biggest fear was not a head on but,tying with a loaded gasoline truck at a grade crossing
That's exactly what an engineer told me who hit a gas truck. I don't know how many times that poor man had surgery while in the burn unit. He survived but I doubt he was able to return to work.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
Does anyone know if they ever recovered the remains of the thrid missing crew member (Lara Gayle Taylor)?
From the look of the pile-up of containers and the engines, one laying in a tub car and the views that I have but cannot show here...those two trains never got below 50 mph. You are only seeing what the Media can show...
fourt I cant imagine jumping for the train at speed.
Actually you don't jump at speed but,wait until the train slows to at least 20 mph then bail well before the impact-so the safety class theory went.
Thank goodness I never had to put that theory to the test.
Our biggest fear was not a head on but,tying with a loaded gasoline truck at a grade crossing.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
Thanks all for the correct info on PTC, Was kinda woundering if he really knew what he was talking about. He also claimed to be able to teach anyone in 1/2 hour how to run the locomotive. If train shows are any thing like air shows, the person giving the tour might not even be flight crew or maintance. Could be just some random guy that got picked.
Still sad that 3 died. I cant imagine jumping for the train at speed.
Modeling on the cheap
BRAKIEIts always tragic when death rides the rails..
I Agree wholeheartedly.
By DAVID WARREN, Associated Press
DALLAS — The remains of two crew members who had been missing since a head-on freight train collision in the Texas Panhandle were found Wednesday, officials said, and the third missing worker is presumed dead.
The bodies were found in the wreckage of the two trains near the town of Panhandle, BNSF Railway spokesman Joe Faust said. One crew member is still missing, and a fourth jumped from one of the trains just before impact Tuesday; he is hospitalized with injuries that are not life-threatening, Faust said.
http://www.newschannel10.com/clip/12559332/continuing-team-coverage-bnsf-train-collision
[edit]
I had written several more paragraphs here but the MR forum software ate it and will not give it back...
I don't have time to re-type it!
Ed
Its always tragic when death rides the rails..
My condolences to the families of the fallen crew members and to their follow railroaders that work with them.
zstripe Fourt, I don't believe that the engineer lied to You....not all tracks have that system yet! The wreck area...did not, according to the news: Railway and law enforcement officials have not released details on the cause of the crash, but a 2015 status report from the Federal Railroad Administration stated that the BNSF tracks were not equipped with positive train control technology, which is due to be implemented in 2018. PTC is a technology that relies on GPS, wireless radio and computers to monitor train positions and automatically slow or stop trains that are in danger of colliding, derailing due to excessive speed or about to enter track where crews are working or that is otherwise off limits. Take Care! Frank
Fourt,
I don't believe that the engineer lied to You....not all tracks have that system yet! The wreck area...did not, according to the news:
Railway and law enforcement officials have not released details on the cause of the crash, but a 2015 status report from the Federal Railroad Administration stated that the BNSF tracks were not equipped with positive train control technology, which is due to be implemented in 2018.
PTC is a technology that relies on GPS, wireless radio and computers to monitor train positions and automatically slow or stop trains that are in danger of colliding, derailing due to excessive speed or about to enter track where crews are working or that is otherwise off limits.
PTC will prevent most collisions, assuming it is working properly. PTC may not prevent low-speed collisions, those happening within the parameters of restricted speed. There have been crew members who have died in a few of those type collisions.
The BNSF accident near Emerson, IA and the IMRL accident at Clinton, IA come to mind. Both were where one train ran into the back end of a train stopped ahead.
Jeff
Was told the past weekend at a train show by a BNSF enginner near where i live that with todays technology PTC, gps, etc it is impossable for two trains to hit each other. Guess i was lied to.
No, it just not installed yet. It will cost about $10 billion dollars to install it on about a third of the US rail network (only routes with significant amounts of certain hazmats or passenger trains). It will eliminate high speed collisions (but not low speed ones).
The route involved had two main track CTC, so it was signaled. Pretty much to collide like that one of the trains had to run through a stop signal and probably a switch.
One crew member jumped and the other three are missing. Very tragic.
zstripezstripe wrote the following post 5 hours ago: peahrensSaw some of this on Wed evening news an hour ago Paul, I'm curious....How did You get Wed evening news on Tues.? I'm assuming, Wed. means Wednesday. I thought You were from this side of the world!
Oops. I meant Tuesday, of course.
Paul
Modeling HO with a transition era UP bent
peahrensSaw some of this on Wed evening news an hour ago
Paul,
I'm curious....How did You get Wed evening news on Tues.? I'm assuming, Wed. means Wednesday. I thought You were from this side of the world!
I'm afraid they will only find pieces of the missing...if that! Terrible wreck.