Truck/Railroad bridge collision

[dknelson]

Didn't get a shot of it alas but near where I used to live a truck trailer combo lost a battle with a RR bridge, and the top was sheared off the trailer very much like opening a can of sardines with a key, and rolling it back.
I think it might have broken the back of the trailer too just as tomikawa described.
If this sort of thing interests you check out this webpage
http://www.trainweb.org/railpix/safety.html

Dave Nelson

[BR60103]

When I was commuting into Toronto, someone struck one of the bridges on the Lakeshore line during the day. The bridge was taken out of commission until the engineers examined it. Problem was, the GO and VIA coach yards were out on the other side of the yard from Union Station, and rush hour was worked with a half dozen trains.
I am an advocate of putting a large steel girder over the road about 5 to 10 feet away from the bridge. All the entertainment value with none of the damage (to the railway).

[JohnT14808]

Yup, the bridge usually wins. Up here in my part of Washington state, on Old Hwy 99 between Olympia and Tenino a double main line from Portland to Seattle takes makes an oblique crossing of this two lane state road.

The tracks are level, the road swoops down very close and quite rapidly to go under the tracks, then rise back up again just as steeply on the other side. There are numerous signs and another road going around this shallow underpass, but at least once a year, if not more often, some trucker will tie up traffic. sometimes they hit the bridge, but most times they see it before they start the downgrade.

Oh, the only other problem with our bridge/track crossing......there is NO PLACE for a semi to turn around. They have to back up about 800 yards or so to the closest road in order to get turned around. Talk about your delays.......

[csmith9474]

Bridge: WIN!!!!

[Anonymous]

Here in jamesburg, nj there is a rr overpass and it a low one and there have been number of times a tractor trailer gets stuck under this over pass. There are signs posted. I look at this way, the town makes money from the fine and cost to handle the traffic backups and the towing company that is used and the trailer repair business.

[eeyore9900]

Many times it's happened just E of me in Canton Ohio-12 ft clearance bridge under the old PRR/PC/CR Pittsburgh/Crestline/Chicago main-was to a point when a friend of mine who lived nearby would say to her kids,
"Hey, another truck's stuck-let's watch them try to get it out." (& in such a case-letting the air out of the tires until they're almost flat is about standard procedure.

[caldreamer]

In Chambersburg, PA, on Queen St(Rt 30 East), the road goes under the mainline that runs from Hagerstown, Md to Harrisburg, Pa. It is a 3 track stone structure and very sturdy(built by Pennsy). It was low and was clearly marked 2 blocks before the bridge. Once in a while some trucker, not watching what he was doing would run under the overpass and rip the top his trailer off and get stuck. They would have to reroute traffic while they towed the idiot out. After many years of this the road was lowered to allow for greater clearance under the bridge. It really was a mess while they dug up he road for 2 blocks on either side to reconfigure the grade. No accidents since.

[Anonymous]

Echoing the low underpasses on the LIRR statement.

On the east end of the island I can name four or five locations off hand where the Montauk Branch crosses a road where trcuks cannot go under. Once a month someone seems to ram the underpass in Center Moriches. Dispite the truck detour being clearly marked and RIGHT NEXT to the bridge.

[chutton01]

Several of these low bridges on the LIRR (particularly on Post Ave. - Westbury and Cherry Valley Rd. - Garden City) have lead the MTA to add to them long Yellow reflective metal panels (with black arrow heads pointing down) running the length of the bridges. Since I have yet to see these panels damaged (the underlying bridge girders always had rusted, twisted evidence of some recent overheight accident or another) perhaps they are finally working. Other than that, there's always the flashing overheight detector signs put on entrance ramps to the parkways (which on Long Island often have underpasses with less than the standard 14ft clearance) - of course, on the fairly new LIE to Cross-Island Pkwy South on ramp, the brush eventually grew high enough to obstruct the sensor which detects overheight trucks, and so the lights flashed continually during the summer.

[tomikawaTT]

There's a good one in Nashville, TN. The bridge is just a tad higher than the height of a 53 foot hi-cube trailer, and is clearly posted. Problem is, the bridge crosses right over the low point at the bottom of a rather abrupt grade change in the road!

Done just right, this can break the back of the trailer, since first contact is made about ten feet aft of the fifth wheel!

[MisterBeasley]

A number of years ago, that sort of thing happened on busy Route 128 around Boston. The clearance was clearly marked, and the truck was within limits. What nobody had noticed, though, was that the road had been re-paved the old fashioned way - just dump another six inches of asphalt on top of the old road and smooth it out. The bridge wasn't any lower, but the road was a half a foot higher.

[Anonymous]

Was there anyone in the fork lift????

[SOU Fan]

That is Hilarious[(-D][(-D][(-D] ROFLOL

[rrinker]

Sure he got a flat? I've seen them lettign the air out of the tires on purpose in hopes that it's just enough to get enough clearance to back out from the stuck situation. Usually works in the place I described because you have to stop and then proceed under the birdge because of the single lane situation and they usually don;t get wedged too tightly.
Not like the chickens in the song "Wolf Creek Pass":

"The sign said clearance at the 12 foot line, but them chickens was stacked to 13-9"
"Well we took that top row of chickens off slicker than the scum off a Louisiana swamp"

--Randy

[ARTHILL]

Cool pic. Let's see who gets that on the layout first.

[emdgp92]

I saw some idiot in a box truck do that last year...right under what was Conrail's line through the Edgewood/Swissvale section of town. He misjudged the height of the truck and got stuck..tearing off the entire top of the truck. As if that wasn't enough, he got a flat tire as well. Getting that mess out of there during the morning rush hour was...to say the least...interesting [;)]

[davekelly]

QUOTE: Originally posted by rrinker

There's a very low bridge near me, right in the middle of an industrial park, part of what used to be the C&F Branch of the Reading. The bridge has yellow paint along the lower edge, LARGE signs showing the clearance, PLUS there are signs on either side directing trucks over a certain height not not go on this road. But usually once a month or so some idiot gets stuck. Oh - and it's only 1 lane wide, so when it's blocked, it's BLOCKED.

--Randy

What's that saying? Measure twice, cut once? I guess we could say "measure twice, drive once."

[selector]

D'OOOOOOhhhhhhh..!!!!!

[steveblackledge]

WHOOOOPS,

[rrinker]

There's a very low bridge near me, right in the middle of an industrial park, part of what used to be the C&F Branch of the Reading. The bridge has yellow paint along the lower edge, LARGE signs showing the clearance, PLUS there are signs on either side directing trucks over a certain height not not go on this road. But usually once a month or so some idiot gets stuck. Oh - and it's only 1 lane wide, so when it's blocked, it's BLOCKED.

--Randy

[trainboyH16-44]

Whoops!
Time to get out the old Duct tape..

[FastTracks]

Hi All,

Happened across this accident scene the other day while driving through Cambridge, Ontario. Fortunately I had my camera with me....



It appears there was a slight mismatch between the height of the lift truck and the depth of the bridge....

Though you all might find it amusing...