She who has no signature! cinscocom-tmw
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QUOTE: Originally posted by Mookie AND - you once again have taken away accountability. Why should the railroads get out of the way of people. If your car stalls on a track - is it due to poor maintenance on your part? Is it due to bad tires - your fault again. Is it due to your own inability to drive because you are impaired? I drive over tracks - lots of them and have yet to have a problem getting from one side to another. I get so tired of hearing about not me, not my fault and protect me from everything! Clear the way - King John/Jane Q Public is coming!
QUOTE: Originally posted by tree68 I am reminded of an ad I saw last year for a device you could put in/on your car that would clear traffic lights in front of you. It uses the sensors that have been installed at many (but not all) traffic lights to "open up" the intersection for emergency vehicles. All so THEY don't have to wait at traffic lights. I'm waiting for the first report of some bozo in his SUV creaming someone at an intersection, then complaining that the light didn't turn for his device like it was supposed to... These are probably the same folks who run the gates... If there is a way that people could abuse a device such as we are discussing, it would happen. I can even see people in neighborhoods "plagued" by trains doing some civil disobedience and posting a "crossing guard" on the crossing to control the trains...
QUOTE: Originally posted by joekc6nlx Maybe we should be more concerned about getting idiots off the road (especially those who drink and drive - like the senior Senator from Massachusetts) and less concerned about adding another burden to the railway. Mudchicken, maybe we could install "car scrapers" along the tracks on either side of a grade crossing so the train wouldn't be hauling excess tare.
QUOTE: Originally posted by Mookie But Kevin - in your own argument you make my point. The statistic are so miniscule that you will break down on the tracks, that to completely redo all grade crossings would be overkill. And for that miniscule situation that will happen, get out of the car and get far, far away. It is like the fire you mentioned - get out of the house/car and go to safety. I am fairly certain that the crew will not be really happy hitting a car, but a locomotive vs a car (rather than a gasoline truck) - my money is on the engine protecting the crew. So we end up with one totaled car, one shaken crew and one slightly damaged engine. Still cheaper than putting in some kind of alerters all over the place.
QUOTE: Originally posted by tree68 QUOTE: Originally posted by dekemd What I would really like to see is the railroads and emergency personnel (EMS, Fire. Police) get together and work out better procedures to handle railroad related emergencies. Derrick You might be surprised just how often and how well we actually do work together. You will find very few firefighters with hazmat training that haven't heard of Kingman, AZ. Oneonta, NY and a small town in Illinois (mind block - I'd remember it if I wasn't trying to) are also high on the list. I spent a morning not long ago climbing around tank cars of several descriptions, learning their characteristics, and attended a presentation by the Operation Lifesaver folks. There's an ERG in the door pocket of my truck. We've had several derailments (significant, not just dropping a wheel or so off the track) in our area. Things have gone very smoothly, thank you. ERG - Emergency Response Guide - an orange covered book with instructions to help you handle the first 10-15 minutes of a hazardous materials incident. It lists hundreds of the most common chemicals, from Propane to methyl ethyl awful, and the appropriate initial reactions for each.
QUOTE: Originally posted by dekemd What I would really like to see is the railroads and emergency personnel (EMS, Fire. Police) get together and work out better procedures to handle railroad related emergencies. Derrick
QUOTE: Originally posted by mudchicken Derrick: AAR/TTC's "Rattlesnake Junction" trains a pretty large cross section of the country's emergency response people....probably THE best place to go learn is at Pueblo. Have now been through the program twice in 20 years...at least one or two of your folks ought to go thru the 80 hour HAZMATOPs program. A few less over-reacting emergency services people would be a welcome sight to this railroader. http://www.hazmattraining.com/ertc.html Dirty Feathers
RJ
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