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[quote]QUOTE: Originally posted by dsngrr1 Having lived in La Grange, IL for almost thirty years and commuting to Chicago every day, I think I can speak with authority about "horn Blowing". I have personally witnessed THREE killings by the CB&Q crews. These people could have likely been saved by the judicious use of the horn! The killings all occured while one of the two trains was stopped in a station or approaching it . The crew on the passing train could have very likely saved their victim. With push-pull operation and/or straight diesel operation it is very difficult to hear an approaching train until its right on you. The Chicago suburbs don;t realize, neither apparently the FRA, it is not motor vehicle/traim accidents that are the biggest killers. It is PEDESTRIANS that are mostly killed. The BNSF kills almost one a month. The total killings in the Chicago area are a complete unacceptable level. Train crews should be ordered to sound their horns whenever passing a stopped train or one that is approaching a station. Our RTA managers obviously don't ride commuter trains. They would like a train to slow down to an unacceptable speed when passing a stopped train. Can you imagine what this would do to schedules? The RTA is a political office and does not have the pedestrians' know-how around a train station or crossing. FRA , PLEASE don't listen to these suburbs; give them reasonable limitations and not total control. Remember, it's people, not vehicles, we need to protect. I would hate to see another pedestrian ground up under an RTA commuter train. Horns are a fact of life around a railroad and suburbs need to live with it. Amen [/quote] I don't know about LaGrange but in Downers Grove, Lisle, and Naperville they DO blow and have for as long as I can remember. These accidents typically involve commuters walking around the front or rear of the stopped train past lowered crossing gates with the bells ringing. Maybe they're late, maybe the express is late, maybe they've done it for years abd gotten away with it, then one day they get nailed. In Lisle which has no grade crossings, I've also seen commuters cross the ROW and hop the fencing between the tracks rather than get delayed 1 or 2 minutes going through 1 of the 3 pedestrian tunnels. It has also been reported that a number of pedestrian accidents are actually suicides. I can't blame the crews at all, instead I feel really sorry for them when one of these accidents happens. There's only so much that can be done to save people from being stupid. This is also a different issue from blowing at every crossing at 2 a.m., since these accidents happen during the morning and evening rush hours. I'm also unaware of any grade crossing on this line that doesn't have crossing gates.
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