Looks like the trail tunnel/ underpass - coupled with a more effective fence - may 'encourage' the locals to use it instead of crossing the tracks.
Anyway, the railroad will get a couple hundred feet of brand new track with heavy welded rail out of the deal.
- PDN.
That would be the newer version of the same thing (Plenty of that between Chicago & St. Louis)...older version has an additional cross member about a third of the way up from the bottom making it tougher to pull adjoining rungs apart.
If you have to use chain link, use the Israeli design like what was used in CA (Alameda & San Gabiel trenches have it in green) that is almost impossible to climb or ram. Unfortunately can still be the victim of Mr. Bolt Cutter/ Universal Key.
mudchicken Sounds like the city needs to build a better fence, preferably before a tragedy happens. (Union Pacific insists on Ameristar Meritage-2 steel fence in many places out here to discourage pedestrian and bicycle stupid zones. (Tough stuff - frustrated the local gang banging vatos around here so bad that they have tried ramming stolen cars into it and still lost) Trails and tracks do not co-exist very well.
Sounds like the city needs to build a better fence, preferably before a tragedy happens. (Union Pacific insists on Ameristar Meritage-2 steel fence in many places out here to discourage pedestrian and bicycle stupid zones. (Tough stuff - frustrated the local gang banging vatos around here so bad that they have tried ramming stolen cars into it and still lost)
Trails and tracks do not co-exist very well.
This one?
The past few year everyone crossed before a turnout where it is double track because there was a Union Station nearby. Now a platform for Amtrak. I followed other bikers when I started riding about 2009. Track, ties, spikes were so bad that Pan Am, the only user for many years, was limited to 20 mph. Many spike heads were at least a half inch up from the plate.
One set of tracks upgraded to 136 lb rail about a year or two ago. Fences where put in for the double track where we use to cross. Where it goes to one track, someone cut a way through a eight foot high chain link fence. No fence on the other side of single track. About three years before, I learned to come off the trail and use a couple local streets at an underpass mentioned.
I have seen many mothers with kids cross for shopping in stores nearby. Residential area on one side. Shopping, the other side. I talked with some and they know there are three street crossings in the city where engineers sound their horns. I have seen some bikers with three wheel bikes. Little heavy.
Further South in Holyoke, there are many spots people going fishing cross over single track to the river. I bike a lot of Rt 5 that parallels the river and tracks.
Rich
If you ever fall over in public, pick yourself up and say “sorry it’s been a while since I inhabited a body.” And just walk away.
Keeps them separate, hopefully with a trail entity maintained fence anywhere the run closely parallel.
The shoofly limits Amtrak to about five mph.
Pan Am Railways runs freights also.
I bike the area a lot.
https://trainsinthevalley.org/northampton-underpass/
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