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[quote]QUOTE: Originally posted by mondotrains What a tragedy! I know first hand how unthinkable accidents can happen because I had a close call myself. I often tell the story how my x-wife, myself, and 2 car-poolers were leaving work in Hartford, Connecticut and had to go through a grade crossing which spans 3 sets of tracks. Since there was a lot of traffic, cars were lined up ahead of the crossing at a traffic light. When the car in front of me started across the grade crossing, I hesitated because I wasn't sure there would be room for my car on the other side. The jerk behind me tooted and so I was "encouraged" to go anyway. The next thing I knew, I was sitting on the last track in the crossing with a car in front blocking my movement. I turned to my wife and said "watch a train come along, now that we're on the tracks". I barely got those words out of my mouth when the crossing gates went down and the lights were flashing and bells were ringing. Before any one of us could even consider getting out of the car and run, a train came flying behind my car. The only reason I'm sitting here telling you this tale right now is that the train was on one of the tracks behind us instead of the one we were sitting on. Moral of the story.....don't start across a grade crossing until you're sure there's room on the other side. I should tell you that I thought I had a "healthy" respect for trains and tracks because several years earlier, a good friend of mine was hit by a train while walking on railroad tracks. Joe was a sophomore in high school and was walking with his back to the train with another friend of ours. When the train got real close, both kids jumped but it turned out that Joe jumped onto the tracks with the train. I'll never forget seeing our priest on the 11:00 p.m. news that night giving the last rights to that body on the tracks covered with a white sheet. It's unbelieveable how things happen. Hope others may benefit from hearing what I've said, especially you railfans. Mondo [/quote] Let the poor sap lean on his horn behind you. You are not required to move your vehicle until you choose to. Not the anklebiter that is behind you tooting the horn trying to get you to move. I cannot tell you how happy I am to see that you made it thru this incident. I am kind of mad because I have had to sit at crossings because there are no room to swing that trailer knowing it is "Hot" full of trains. I have actually had people walk up to my cab and chew me out for holding them up only to be drowned out by the train passing thru. I have had trains ghost up on me in a variety of situations over the years as I handled alot of loads in and out of places that also served rail. Im a telling ya.. they will get ya! Look, Listen and Live.
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