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Hi Ed, The posting you reference may qualify as the longest ever on Trains.com! More importantly, Ed, the points you've raised from your experiences give a glimpse into the horror of a collision as witnessed by the train crew. I'm thankful providence did not visit such an experience on me during my short railroading stint. But I worked with men who'd experienced similar incidents to yours. One or two of them would talk about it, never callously, always soberly, only after a near-miss or when we saw someone taking an stupid risk, and the impression I had of the deep sorrow they carried is indelible. I well remember the first near-miss I experienced. Although we had a short train and the brake line recharged rather quickly after the engineer had dumped the air, he took a few extra minutes so the adrenaline coursing through our respective bloodstreams could susbside. The driver of the small blue Volkswagen Beetle also remained for a couple minutes at that rural grade crossing, which was 150 or so yards behind the train. I'm sure he/she had seen us, but tried to beat us to the crossing, realizing at the last seconds he/she wouldn't make it. Somehow his/her tires garnered enough friction on that gravel road to stop the car, the end of the hood just cleared the bottom of the CF7's walkway. It's nothing compared to what you and others have experienced. It doesn't take much imagination for me to see in my mind what could have happened. And later, when as a reporter I was assigned to cover a gruesome vehicle vs. vehicle collision or single-vehicle fatality. . .well, the memory of a mangled corpse never leaves, and the smaller they are, the worse it is. It's always the innocents who bear the brunt of a bad decision. Can I get on a soapbox for moment with everyone else? Part of this topic lies at the heart of why it's important for railfans to not trespass. Train crews have enough to worry about without having to watch out for those of use who ought to know better. Of course, it's the 20 percent who create 80 percent of the problems in that regard. We can't control everyone who encounters a grade crossing, but we can make sure our own house is in order. If you know one of the 20 percent, say something to them. Regards, Paul Schmidt
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