Crossings

[Anonymous]

It never fails, people always drive around gates or fly across the tracks without slowing down when the train is moving. When ever we stop by a crossing to get cabbed back home or to the hotel people come to a complete stop. Why must people be so stupid? Is it really worth dying all because you don't want to wait a grand total of 2 or 3 minutes? As a conductor I can tell you that having people pull across the tracks right in front of you is one of the worst feelings, at least I know it is for me. For me, I never minded waiting on a train before, and still don't. The major difference is that now, even if the AWD's aren't going, I still make sure that I slow down enough to stop short if I see something coming. Just remember, we (train crews) don't want to hit you, but we will, we have no choice, you on the other hand, do.

Ryan

[fuzzybroken]

Very well written, and very true also! Here's hoping you see a lot less of these stupid drivers in the future.

[JoeKoh]

Ryan
welcome to the forums.have seen alot of people drive around gates or ru***hrough a crossbuck guarded crossing and almost hit me.what really makes me mad are the moms and dads with kids in the back that go around the gates.
stay safe
Joe
ps if you're working the willard or garrett or toledo sub matt and I will wave in deshler.
[:)]

[CSSHEGEWISCH]

In my many years of watching trains, I have been fortunate to have seen the aftermath of only two grade crossing accidents. On the other hand, I stopped counting near misses a long time ago and am amazed that I haven't seen an accident happen in front of me. The lights are flashing and the gates are down but they still keep crossing. Operation Lifesaver and other programs are doing the best they can, but I don't know how anybody can force a change in human behavior.

[wabash1]

you have a long way to go. i am more than happy to hit and kill these people. if you stay with the railroad its not if you hit someone its when you hit them. and yes if your doing 50 mph these people will race you everytime if you are sitting still they pull up and stop then cuss you for sitting there.

[mudchicken]

Take down the crossbucks and put up "stupid zone" big orange signs!

[Rodney Beck]

Just got my first grade crossing accdent a week ago as an engineer got 3 days off with pay (trama) seen the shrink was told that I was ok to run a train. I was doing 55mph on a 10,000 ton "m" train. The person went around the gates clipped the back end of the car they were not killed just shacken up the funny thing was their was a police officer on the other side. The cop asked me for my engineers card and company id he told me that they had pooped their pants when I hit them.

Rodney

[PBenham]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Rodney Beck

Just got my first grade crossing accdent a week ago as an engineer got 3 days off with pay (trama) seen the shrink was told that I was ok to run a train. I was doing 55mph on a 10,000 ton "m" train. The person went around the gates clipped the back end of the car they were not killed just shacken up the funny thing was their was a police officer on the other side. The cop asked me for my engineers card and company id he told me that they had pooped their pants when I hit them.

Rodney

They likely have NO idea just how lucky they are! PB

[Anonymous]

Road crossings, the general public, and railroads don't mix. I have had an untold number of negative experiences with crossings and my job. I totally feel wabash's frustration, yet I cannot even begin to imagine an entire career of that BS. Near downtown Indy there is a transfer yard where some freights stop to pick up HOT Chevy cars going east. I'd have to go in engine light and the pull out on average about 8 90ft boxes of auto parts. There are two road crossings to deal with. When we pull the cars out we have to cross back over onto the mainline and then double back over the same crossings to our train. God forbid I hold somebody up a mintue so I can back my 8 cars over the crossing and hold someone up for 30 seconds. Almost every time I'd get somebody blowing their horn at me or cussing me out. "AW COME ON! MOVE THAT PIECE OF @#$#!, etc, etc, etc." Nothing gets on my nerves more than being harrassed for doing my job. I'm still young and impulsive and the urge is so strong just to sit on the crossing and walk up to the jerk and at least give them a piece of my mind if not more! Somehow the most I have ever done is flip the bird, but it sure is tempting to do a whole lot more.

[railfan619]

Yeah your right some prople are just completely stupid when it comes to driving like one day I was driving to work and gates just started to come down and some moron decided to run so he sped up to beat the gates and he just barely got missed but then again maybe he just had a death wi***hat day but that anit my problem because I always have to stop when I come to a crossing well then again it's the law for my type of job. But some people should not beable to drive because they are so stupid when behind the wheel.[:D]

[pat390]

I cant stand peple who ignore oncoming trains, A kid a couple years older than me was killed a few years ago at a crossing abot a mile from my house, and CN put up gates right after that, and still peopl ego around, I ride my bike since I'm not old enough to have my liscense yet, and Ii have encontered many onger kids who actaully have ridden under the gates when the train is less than 50 feet away doing around 40, I've had to resist telling them how stupid they are many times, just wait! it will save your life

[samfp1943]

Reading this brings to mind a tape made by the engineer of an Amtrak train who sometimes speaks at Operation Lifesaver events. HIs traint hit a loaded gasoline tanker rig at a crossing in Jacksonville, Fla which had AWDs in about 1998. He lived throught the collision and fireball that enveloped him and his train, but the scars will not go away, both mental and physical. It is brave talk to just say you will run over someone who is stupid enough to get into a crossing that is about to be occupied by a train, but the fact is, the experience will never go away in your mind, it will only be dulled by time to resurface time and time again.

[Anonymous]

Crossing gates, lights, alarms, cops, etc will not be enough to stop someone who thinks that time is more important than their life. People who are willing to risk their lives to save a couple of minutes really need to revaluate their lives and ask themselves if it's worth it. Unfortunately in today's society most of us want instant gratification. I guess the old saying: "Good things come to those who wait" just doesn't sink into people like it used to. [V]

[Anonymous]

Perhaps you may not have heard about an incident in Pennsylvania, I believe, where some nut-burger committed double murder at a R.R. crossing.

He had just broken up with his girl friend. The girl friend was driving with a female friend in her car and had stopped at an R.R. crossing. He was following in his vehicle. With his vehicle he pushed her car in front of the oncoming train where both of the females were killed.

[Anonymous]

Some people just need to get their head corrected.. crossings go down.... just freakin WAIT!?! the train will end in a few minutes! Some folks can be so... stupid enough to walk in front of an encoming train like they got some death wish! [:(!][censored][xx(]

[SALfan]

The Rock Island bought GM's "Train of Tomorrow" trainset after GM quit touring it around the country. The trainset was equipped with a TV camera in the nose and a monitor in the bar-lounge. Before too long, one of the brakemen rearranged some wires in the monitor to kill it. It seems that even though seeing all the near-misses did wonders for bar sales, it was scaring too many passengers too badly.

[csmith9474]

I have seen before in San Antonio where a police officer will ride in the cab with the crew looking for folks that blow the gates. I am sure this program is implemented all over. And yes, they do get a citation.

[railroadyoshi]

i bet there are people who do it where I live, where the longest train that comes through is a 6 car commuter train doing 50mph, the gates are down less than a minute!