Trains in Canada

[Anonymous]

I was recently in Calgary on business and had some free time to railfan CP. I found it interesting that none of the trains blew their whistle at grade crossings. Is this the law in Canada and what is their reasoning behind it? Thank you in advance.

[Anonymous]

For Saftey reasons I know VIA does it on their Ottawa to Toronto Corridor

DOGGY

[CliqueofOne]

Could be a local bylaw. Gene B. Canadian National Railways.

[Anonymous]

Well If its a major city, and the crossing is properly protected with gates...

then there is msot likely a whistle exemption in effect.

[dharmon]

Man I learn something everyday...

first I found out their was crime in Canada

now come to find out they got trains there too...

is there any end to the surprises Canada has in store?????

[Anonymous]

Like mentioned above, it's just like the states.

Some crossings have the no whislte rule - other crossings have the whistle rule.

I live a few miles from Delta Port and can hear them blowing their whistles for the crossings if the wind is just right..

[BR60103]

In our city (just outside Toronto), CN has agreed not to blow the whistle for grade crossings. There is a crossing 4 or 5 miles west of the station, in a rural area, where the do blow.
CP never agreed. On their line (now the Orangeville-Brampton) the train blows for over half a dozen crossings as it makes its way through town, All the CP crossings are level with no gates while CN mostly has grade separtions and gates on the rest. The CP line averages less than a train a day.

[Anonymous]

Its funny, CN and the town works department here in Parry Sound put up crossing gates at a main crossing, so that the trains wouldn't have to blow whistles, but they haven't stopped blowing them. I don't see why not-- its impossible to drive through the crossing without damaging the barriers set up.

[Anonymous]

I recently hit a train on a level grade crossing. There were no lights and no barriers and sun was setting, the train was coming from the west, and they did not blow their whistle. I did not hear or see the train until I was almost into the side of it.

My Chev Blazer hit the train twice (once in the front, then the second time on the driver's side as I hit the crossing sign post and it slammed me back into the train) and I thought I was going to die.

However, the truck flipped over and ended up on the roof in the adjacent swamp. I am totally freaked out, but otherwise I walked away without a scratch.

I am now trying to find out why they did not blow their whistle. The crossing does not meet the quidelines set out by Transport Canada's "Guidelines and Procedures for Elminating Whistle Blowing on Public Crossings". I have asked the City of Ottawa for a copy of the submission request and for the subsequent approval to have the whistle blowing removed from a very dangerous level crossing.

The crossing is on Stonecrest Rd in the former West Carleton Township, now the City of Ottawa and it's the Ottawa Central Railyway that runs the train over those tracks.

I never knew they were allowed to eliminate the whistles, and I am really surprised they would let them do it on a rural and unprotected level crossing.

Trish

[Anonymous]

Sorry to hear about that, Trish.

It does suprise me that they would allow a no-whislte ordinance in an area that had no lights or arms.

Perhaps because this is a very low traffic area or something, they just kind of pushed the no whisle rule through.

Is this a farmers crossing, or a regular traffic crossing?

Glad to hear everything is ok with you, it could have been a lot worse.

[Anonymous]

Well it depends if going through the city were there alot of homes surrounding often the engineer put the bell on instead of the horn

[Anonymous]

It was a standard crossing. The road is hardsurfaced and I understand the train does use the tracks 2-3 times a week. It runs from Pembroke to Ottawa. I have been driving that road every Thurs night at the same time for the last 18 months on my way to my riding lesson and have NEVER encountered a train at that time, however, I understand it does come through fairly regularly.

The area where the train crossing is, is low-lying and lots of brush and swamp on both sides, yet within 0.5km, there are houses and farms. There are enough homes in the area to warrant a safer crossing, yet not enough to warrant the elminiaiton of the whistle blowing. The traffic on the road is fairly steady.

I will let you know what I find out from the city.

I have photos of the truck and the accident scene on my website, although I didn't get photos of the truck at the scene, as I was taken to the hospital and the truck was taken to the wreckers.

http://photos.yahoo.ca/trish_collins99 under "car wreck".

Trish ;)

[Mookie]

QUOTE: Originally posted by trishcollins

It was a standard crossing. The road is hardsurfaced and I understand the train does use the tracks 2-3 times a week. It runs from Pembroke to Ottawa. I have been driving that road every Thurs night at the same time for the last 18 months on my way to my riding lesson and have NEVER encountered a train at that time, however, I understand it does come through fairly regularly.

The area where the train crossing is, is low-lying and lots of brush and swamp on both sides, yet within 0.5km, there are houses and farms. There are enough homes in the area to warrant a safer crossing, yet not enough to warrant the elminiaiton of the whistle blowing. The traffic on the road is fairly steady.

I will let you know what I find out from the city.

I have photos of the truck and the accident scene on my website, although I didn't get photos of the truck at the scene, as I was taken to the hospital and the truck was taken to the wreckers.

http://photos.yahoo.ca/trish_collins99 under "car wreck".

Trish ;)

Probably no news to you that you were very lucky. But one statement you made about never seeing a train there before points up the rule - Expect a train on any track at any time. Glad you came out alive, sorry you had to learn the rule that way.

Mookie

[Anonymous]

Sorry to hear about that Trish.

To the best of my limited knowledge of laws in Ontario, It is strictly illegal for a whislle exemptions to be put in place where no gates or lights are in place.

Public crossigs and Private crossings have no difference, not protected- sound the horn.

It could have been an engineer screw up-

How loud was your radio?
I'm not trying to use that as a justification, maybe the engineer was busy of forgot.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by dharmon

Man I learn something everyday...

first I found out their was crime in Canada

now come to find out they got trains there too...

is there any end to the surprises Canada has in store?????

Oh Dan tose are all minor differences, ready for the biggie?

TOPLESS WOMEN IN CANADA!!

Nothing makes me prouder to be a Canadian, Absolutely nothing.

and the Beer, but thats a foot note.

[dharmon]

QUOTE: Originally posted by kevinstheRRman

QUOTE: Originally posted by dharmon

Man I learn something everyday...

first I found out their was crime in Canada

now come to find out they got trains there too...

is there any end to the surprises Canada has in store?????

Oh Dan tose are all minor differences, ready for the biggie?

TOPLESS WOMEN IN CANADA!!

Nothing makes me prouder to be a Canadian, Absolutely nothing.

and the Beer, but thats a foot note.

Boy you are making this hard....the Aussies made a good offer...but women and beer....ooh boy......I guess I just need to tell my wife where the alimony will be coming from....

[vsmith]

Glad to hear your OK, Trish.

Seams to me the old addage of Stop, Look, and Listen, might have been applicible in a case like this.

At unguarded crossings like that, particularly when vision is impared like that, its always a good idea to slow down, stop, roll down down the window and look both ways, then cross. Its just like a stop sign at an highway intersection, you have to make sure its clear before entering.

At unguarded crossings it is up to the driver to make sure it is safe to cross before venturing out, These crossings are the most dangerous and a driver should never assume that they can cross without doing their part.

Trish got a hard lesson, I wont comment on why the train crew didnt use the horn, maybe a local horn ordinance, maybe they didnt see her in time to use it.

[vsmith]

Dan, stop BSing Kevin,

You and I both know if Kev EVER got to L.A. and saw the sun, sand, and scantily clad tan young'uns on the beaches, then saw that we have mountains with ski resorts and fuzzy snow bunnies each winter, you'd have to pry his dead clenched fingers out of the sofa in your house to get him to go back to Canada!

I'll let YOU explain to his girlfriend why he wont come back!

[(-D][(-D][(-D]

[Mookie]

QUOTE: Originally posted by dharmon

QUOTE: Originally posted by kevinstheRRman

QUOTE: Originally posted by dharmon

Man I learn something everyday...

first I found out their was crime in Canada

now come to find out they got trains there too...

is there any end to the surprises Canada has in store?????

Oh Dan tose are all minor differences, ready for the biggie?

TOPLESS WOMEN IN CANADA!!

Nothing makes me prouder to be a Canadian, Absolutely nothing.

and the Beer, but thats a foot note.

Boy you are making this hard....the Aussies made a good offer...but women and beer....ooh boy......I guess I just need to tell my wife where the alimony will be coming from....

Dan - bet she already knows - out of your hide!

[dharmon]

I would be curious to know, and I'm not sure if there is an easy way to research it, but what are the rates for accidents at unprotected crossings vice protected. What I'm getting at is in the rural areas where there are fewer gate/light protected crossings, and granted probably less auto traffic, where folks get in the habit of stopping and looking, what the rates for accidents are. I get the feeling that where crossings are protected, people get complacent, relying on the "system" to protect them. In the cities, the gates go down, folks in a hurry, don't see a train immediately so they go around. ..and bam. Like Houston with the light rail.

Where I live the branch line that sees maybe one train a day and that is late at night to avoid traffic congestion, is being upgraded to handle commuter service. Folks around here are not used to seeing trains during daylight period, much less several times a day and moving faster.

[dharmon]

QUOTE: Originally posted by vsmith

Dan, stop BSing Kevin,

You and I both know if Kev EVER got to L.A. and saw the sun, sand, and scantily clad tan young'uns on the beaches, then saw that we have mountains with ski resorts and fuzzy snow bunnies each winter, you'd have to pry his dead clenched fingers out of the sofa in your house to get him to go back to Canada!

I'll let YOU explain to his girlfriend why he wont come back!

[(-D][(-D][(-D]

If my wife caught him clenching her sofa, he'd need to go back and get some discount phamasueticals

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by dharmon

QUOTE: Originally posted by vsmith

Dan, stop BSing Kevin,

You and I both know if Kev EVER got to L.A. and saw the sun, sand, and scantily clad tan young'uns on the beaches, then saw that we have mountains with ski resorts and fuzzy snow bunnies each winter, you'd have to pry his dead clenched fingers out of the sofa in your house to get him to go back to Canada!

I'll let YOU explain to his girlfriend why he wont come back!

[(-D][(-D][(-D]

If my wife caught him clenching her sofa, he'd need to go back and get some discount phamasueticals

Thanks for the offer, Really, But i'lls tick with my Topless Canadians thatnk you very much.