I have some info on that Knight case. My hubby's cousin works for the insurance company that provided their catastrophic coverage. He looked as a favor he can as an actuary aka underwriting specialist for a bad behavior company. Those actions cost Knight 250 million in the settlement. Plus her legal fees.
The driver of the truck is doing 15 years in prison for vechiular homicide and felonious fleeing the scene of a fatal accident. So yes someone was held responsible. After this case was settled Knight couldn't afford secondary insurance anymore.
Euclid It gets back to that age old question about how close to a moving freight train you can stand and still be safe.
It gets back to that age old question about how close to a moving freight train you can stand and still be safe.
Depends on what level of risk to you consider "safe". 99.999%? Then, 20 miles should do.
-Don (Random stuff, mostly about trains - what else? http://blerfblog.blogspot.com/)
Euclid ATLANTIC CENTRAL mudchicken Faulty urban planning...Looks like CSX buys a house unless there is a culprit car issue with a lease car. "Faulty urban planning"? I hope that was sarcasm considering the architecture of the house suggests it is 50-100 years old and the location appears to be the "rural suburbs" at best....... I would not have to spend more than 20 mins to take pictures of 100 houses or similar structures along the tracks here in northeastern Maryland.....most have been there 50 to 120 years. Sheldon So what is the solution to prevent trains from hitting houses?
ATLANTIC CENTRAL mudchicken Faulty urban planning...Looks like CSX buys a house unless there is a culprit car issue with a lease car. "Faulty urban planning"? I hope that was sarcasm considering the architecture of the house suggests it is 50-100 years old and the location appears to be the "rural suburbs" at best....... I would not have to spend more than 20 mins to take pictures of 100 houses or similar structures along the tracks here in northeastern Maryland.....most have been there 50 to 120 years. Sheldon
mudchicken Faulty urban planning...Looks like CSX buys a house unless there is a culprit car issue with a lease car.
Faulty urban planning...Looks like CSX buys a house unless there is a culprit car issue with a lease car.
"Faulty urban planning"? I hope that was sarcasm considering the architecture of the house suggests it is 50-100 years old and the location appears to be the "rural suburbs" at best.......
I would not have to spend more than 20 mins to take pictures of 100 houses or similar structures along the tracks here in northeastern Maryland.....most have been there 50 to 120 years.
Sheldon
So what is the solution to prevent trains from hitting houses?
The solution is trivial. Don't have houses near railroads. The implementation is troublesome.
For safe distance, I was just thinking of what would be reasonably safe, not trying to eliminate 100% of all life's risk. What would a public safety expert recommend? I have had people tell me that stopping at the white line at grade crossings is way too close.
Euclid For safe distance, I was just thinking of what would be reasonably safe, not trying to eliminate 100% of all life's risk. What would a public safety expert recommend? I have had people tell me that stopping at the white line at grade crossings is way too close.
I've had people tell me all sorts of silly things. A locomotive engineer once told me the magnetic tape event recorder under the cab floor magnatized his watch.
The white line is part of standard highway marking which should be based on what's considered a safe distance.
How safe is "safe enough"? I don't know of any published standard.
Usually, changes in standards, like where to paint the white line, are based on the incremental cost and benefit.
oltmanndI've had people tell me all sorts of silly things. A locomotive engineer once told me the magnetic tape event recorder under the cab floor magnatized his watch.
More likely the magnetic fields surrounding the Main Generator and/or traction motors were responsible for magnatizing his cheap watch. Railroad approved watches have been designed with those electrical fields in mind.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
BaltACD oltmannd I've had people tell me all sorts of silly things. A locomotive engineer once told me the magnetic tape event recorder under the cab floor magnatized his watch. More likely the magnetic fields surrounding the Main Generator and/or traction motors were responsible for magnatizing his cheap watch. Railroad approved watches have been designed with those electrical fields in mind.
oltmannd I've had people tell me all sorts of silly things. A locomotive engineer once told me the magnetic tape event recorder under the cab floor magnatized his watch.
No doubt - if it even was the locomotive at all.
He was just angry about event recorders being installed and venting a the first manangement person that wandered by....
EuclidI have had people tell me that stopping at the white line at grade crossings is way too close.
It probably is. Human nature, however, would have people creeping past the line if it were further out, and that probably would put them really too close.
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
tree68 It probably is. Human nature, however, would have people creeping past the line if it were further out, and that probably would put them really too close.
Over the years a number of stations and interlocking towers have been destroyed in derailments.
The father of one of my fellow dispatchers was killed while working in the tower at Confluence, PA in a derailment.
When things derail it is difficult to tell what a 'safe' distance away from the track is. The physics of momentum of tonnage that has to be dissapated to zero will be doing it's own dance.
It's one thing when it's an old structure in an old setting. When they allow new residential structures within 50 feet and then whine about the noise and vibration, it's quite something else. (one of them within 25 feet of the busiest piece of railroad in the state of CO) Knuckleheads at City of Denver have allowed several of these "stupid zones" to exist with no consequences (The arrogant City bubbas can do no wrong, just ask them.) As I said earlier, CSX just bought a house.
Somebody needs to chill or not get their shorts all up in a bunch.
BaltACDOver the years a number of stations and interlocking towers have been destroyed in derailments.
Photos taken at the Deshler Railroad Park often include the station across the tracks and the patch there on from a coal train derailment some years ago... Kind of a graphic reminder of how things can go wrong...
Shadow the Cats ownerI have some info on that Knight case. My hubby's cousin works for the insurance company that provided their catastrophic coverage. He looked as a favor he can as an actuary aka underwriting specialist for a bad behavior company. Those actions cost Knight 250 million in the settlement. Plus her legal fees. The driver of the truck is doing 15 years in prison for vechiular homicide and felonious fleeing the scene of a fatal accident. So yes someone was held responsible. After this case was settled Knight couldn't afford secondary insurance anymore.
From this article, it sounds like Knight had enough financial wherewithall to take control of Swift.
https://www.trucks.com/2017/04/10/knight-transportation-swift-trucking-merger/
When I was commuting to Chicago, I watched as the express trains went through the station at 70 mph and be about a foot or two away, and sometimes while as a freight train would pass at 45 mph and think about all that could go wrong. Could there be a piece of steel strapping hanging off that could cut me in pieces? Would the train derail? The odd's said no but the thought said "S--T HAPPENS" but still I stood there. And I am still here. One lady who worked in our office was blind but commuted by C&NW (now UP) from Lombard to the Loop everyday and she would stand on the platform as the train would come into the station. Still amazed she could do that.
If its your time........
Electroliner 1935 When I was commuting to Chicago, I watched as the express trains went through the station at 70 mph and be about a foot or two away, and sometimes while as a freight train would pass at 45 mph and think about all that could go wrong. Could there be a piece of steel strapping hanging off that could cut me in pieces? Would the train derail? The odd's said no but the thought said "S--T HAPPENS" but still I stood there. And I am still here. One lady who worked in our office was blind but commuted by C&NW (now UP) from Lombard to the Loop everyday and she would stand on the platform as the train would come into the station. Still amazed she could do that. If its your time........
In the summer of 1972, at the age of 15, I spent the summer away from home, working full time in Harpers Ferry West Virginia. I was working for the owners of a hobby shop who moved their business from Maryland to Harpers Ferry, and who were building an HO scale diorama depicting the events of John Browns raid. I worked in the store and helped build the model.
In my off time, often with a co-worker also my age, we sat on the station platform bench and watched the trains roll by on the B&O.
One evening, after several hours watching trains, we headed back to our apartment. As we climbed the steps up to High St, another train rolled through, and then we heard the crash........as a derailed car struck the passenger platform, sending a bearing cap into a parked auto in the station lot, and scattering freight cars from the station to the middle of the Potomac River bridge before the train came to a stop.
In those days the station platforms extended out onto the bridge. The very platform we were sitting on was heavily damaged and full of derailed cars. The station building escaped serious damage......
It took three days to clear the wreck and repair the track, the station platform took a little longer........
We were just lucky........or being watched over......
Electroliner 1935Could there be a piece of steel strapping hanging off that could cut me in pieces?
Was on our platform in Utica one evening when an eastbound CSX manifest train came through the station on Track Two (meaning there was another track between the train and our platform).
Not far from the end of the train we spotted a rather large chain bouncing along the ROW, hanging from a flat car. If it had hit someone, or snagged something, it would not have been pretty.
We were able to contact the CSX dispatcher about it, but the train was out of sight by then so I have no idea what the end story was.
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