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Students at High School by tracks need to get educated

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Posted by Anonymous on Saturday, September 23, 2006 8:44 AM
At my old elemtentary school the tracks were literally parralell to the playground. The school and the railroad installed 8 foot steel fencing all along the ROW up to the crossing, which kept any of us out of there. Didn't matter to me, I could still view the trains easily anyway!
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Posted by CSSHEGEWISCH on Saturday, September 23, 2006 6:57 AM

Since most of us on these forums managed to survive that time period running between about age 12 to age 22, we all have several skeletons in our closets related to the dumb stunts or stupid behavior that we managed to survive.  While I will not excuse such behavior, I do understand it and realize that the age group in question can still be quite irresponsible to themselves and others.  Common sense would dictate that we as responsible adults have to watch for them to some extent.  A cold, callous attitude toward irresponsible youth will allow gabe to receive large retainers well into the future.

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Posted by solzrules on Saturday, September 23, 2006 1:15 AM
 coborn35 wrote:

Some of the members here, without a doubt, are either heartless or absolute idiots.

I love how ADULTS are suggesting we just kill the kids crossing the tracks. Great Idea guys. Lets give them all a round of applause for their bright thinking shall we? How about calling the schools and lodging complaints and forcing them to either do something/or have the railroad come in and talk to the kids.

I doubt the brazen people who are suggesting such gruesome outcomes wouldnt say something like that if their own son or daughter had been killed that way....

Who suggested that?  All I am saying is that if they chose to be in a hazardous location without training or regard to posted warning signs how can I be held responsible for their deaths?  Finally, they are responsible for their own safety.  (Remember - safety begins with you.....that isn't just a saying for the railroaders.)  If they are so careless that they disregard warnings or so clueless that they don't realize they are in a hazardous situation or engaged in a dangerous activity why should I feel bad if they get hurt?  Does common sense apply here or not?

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Posted by coborn35 on Friday, September 22, 2006 9:35 PM

Some of the members here, without a doubt, are either heartless or absolute idiots.

I love how ADULTS are suggesting we just kill the kids crossing the tracks. Great Idea guys. Lets give them all a round of applause for their bright thinking shall we? How about calling the schools and lodging complaints and forcing them to either do something/or have the railroad come in and talk to the kids.

I doubt the brazen people who are suggesting such gruesome outcomes wouldnt say something like that if their own son or daughter had been killed that way....

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Posted by Andrew Falconer on Friday, September 22, 2006 9:10 PM

The kids who are behaving like this think that there are no absolutes and the laws of physics are fake.

They will absolutely get killed when a physical object strikes them at a high rate of speed.

Andrew

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Posted by solzrules on Friday, September 22, 2006 5:42 PM
 gabe wrote:
 solzrules wrote:

Why even bother?

The UP should raise the speed limit to 90 MPH on the tracks by the High School.  If they are that stupid, the problem will eventually work itself out with a little 'ole darwinism. 

When stupid kids show up on construction sites thinking that they can take over the place and that everyone is going to come to a halt while they walk through we call the cops and then coninue on as before.  If they get killed, it's their fault.  I don't feel bad at all about it.  You can't possibly be common sense to every person in the country.   

Attitudes like this will gaurantee that I shall never go hungry . . .

Don't get me wrong, I hear you 100 percent.  It is a terrible attitude to have.  What are we supposed to do?  On one job they tried to detain some of the people until the cops showed up, and they were charged with assault (I can assure you that wasn't what happened, but they were forcibly detained for their own safety and the safety of the workers).  You can't win.  So now, as long as all standards of OSHA are followed to the strictest degree, I act as tresspassers aren't there.  I cannot nor can anyone else be held responsible for somone tresspassing and being injured as the result of a failure to heed the warning signs.  Nor can I be responsible for the tresspassers' lack of training with regards to the hazardous areas they are willfully entering in to.  Such are the times we live in. 

You think this is bad? Just wait until inflation kicks in.....
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Posted by gabe on Thursday, September 21, 2006 6:44 AM
 greyhounds wrote:

The high school here in Antioch, IL, where I live, is located adjacent to the CN double track.  It's on the west side of the tracks.  The CN line also carries Metra passenger trains.

The school's athletic facilities are across the tracks, on the east side.  When the students have PE outside they have to cross the double track main line to get to an from the class.  So the CN main line literally bisects the school facility.

There is no over/underpass for the students.  The school recently spent $100,000 plus for new lights at the football field, so I guess they needed new lighting for football more than they needed grade seperation for the students. 

I've never heard of a problem.  No bisected student no any vandalism directed at the railroad.

I know some people are going to roll their eyes at this, but if a student were hit by a train while crossing the line to the football field or what not, I think I would take that case.  Not against the railroad, but against the school district.

I really think that would be a good negligence action.

That is a danger they know about and do nothing to remedy . . . despite the apparent means.  I am sure the railroad, the city, the State, and the Federal Government would probably kick in some of the cost for an overpass.

Gabe

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Posted by gabe on Thursday, September 21, 2006 6:40 AM
 solzrules wrote:

Why even bother?

The UP should raise the speed limit to 90 MPH on the tracks by the High School.  If they are that stupid, the problem will eventually work itself out with a little 'ole darwinism. 

When stupid kids show up on construction sites thinking that they can take over the place and that everyone is going to come to a halt while they walk through we call the cops and then coninue on as before.  If they get killed, it's their fault.  I don't feel bad at all about it.  You can't possibly be common sense to every person in the country.   

Attitudes like this will gaurantee that I shall never go hungry . . .

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Posted by greyhounds on Thursday, September 21, 2006 6:34 AM

The high school here in Antioch, IL, where I live, is located adjacent to the CN double track.  It's on the west side of the tracks.  The CN line also carries Metra passenger trains.

The school's athletic facilities are across the tracks, on the east side.  When the students have PE outside they have to cross the double track main line to get to an from the class.  So the CN main line literally bisects the school facility.

There is no over/underpass for the students.  The school recently spent $100,000 plus for new lights at the football field, so I guess they needed new lighting for football more than they needed grade seperation for the students. 

I've never heard of a problem.  No bisected student no any vandalism directed at the railroad.

"By many measures, the U.S. freight rail system is the safest, most efficient and cost effective in the world." - Federal Railroad Administration, October, 2009. I'm just your average, everyday, uncivilized howling "anti-government" critic of mass government expenditures for "High Speed Rail" in the US. And I'm gosh darn proud of that.
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Posted by ericsp on Thursday, September 21, 2006 1:41 AM

At a college out here, they spent several million dollars building an underpass because stupid college students keep trying to beat trains. It seems like almost everytime they got hit, it was by an Amtrak. It is sad when someone stupid enough to get hit by an Amtrak can get into college. How long does it take an Amtrak to pass, about 10 seconds? It seems like these people should have been sitting around somewhere with their beanies with a propeller on top waiting for a brain transplant instead of being in college.

As for the hoodlums in Utah, I think a public flogging and/or caning is in order.

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Posted by SchemerBob on Wednesday, September 20, 2006 8:08 PM
 Cris_261 wrote:

Btw- at the end of the news story, it was mentioned that any student caught near the tracks would be ticketed for tresspassing, or something like that.

LOL! I guess they can forget coming to school, huh?

Long live the BNSF .... AND its paint scheme. SchemerBob
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Posted by Cris_261 on Wednesday, September 20, 2006 6:25 PM

It's not just kids throwing rocks at passing trains, jumping out in front of a moving train, or placing objects on the tracks, they're also using the right of way as a shortcut to the school. I too wonder why the high school was built next to the tracks. The school district must have gotten a good deal on the land. Btw- at the end of the news story, it was mentioned that any student caught near the tracks would be ticketed for tresspassing, or something like that.

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Posted by Hugh Jampton on Wednesday, September 20, 2006 6:20 PM
Decent fencing isn't that expensive. Round our way we use the so-called Palasade fence, like a steel picket fence 7' high with spikey tops and the bottoms burried a foot in the ground.
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Posted by PFS on Wednesday, September 20, 2006 6:17 PM

When something happens (and it will) the flesh eating lawyers will sue big and the politicians (lawyers with higher paying jobs) will pass stupid laws to 'protect' those who cannot think for themself.

Thats the mess we live in.

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Posted by solzrules on Wednesday, September 20, 2006 6:00 PM

Why even bother?

The UP should raise the speed limit to 90 MPH on the tracks by the High School.  If they are that stupid, the problem will eventually work itself out with a little 'ole darwinism. 

When stupid kids show up on construction sites thinking that they can take over the place and that everyone is going to come to a halt while they walk through we call the cops and then coninue on as before.  If they get killed, it's their fault.  I don't feel bad at all about it.  You can't possibly be common sense to every person in the country.   

You think this is bad? Just wait until inflation kicks in.....
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Posted by CANADIANPACIFIC2816 on Wednesday, September 20, 2006 3:53 PM

 CShaveRR wrote:
And yet, it isn't always the students' fault.  I overheard a conversation on our radio channel between crew and dispatcher concerning a bunch of high school students running on or along the tracks near us.  Turns out it was the school's cross-country team, and that's where the coach told them to run!  You can bet that the school heard about that one in a hurry!

Yeah! Leave it to adults in our public schools who should know better!!Banged Head [banghead]Dunce [D)]Banged Head [banghead]

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Posted by CShaveRR on Wednesday, September 20, 2006 3:43 PM
And yet, it isn't always the students' fault.  I overheard a conversation on our radio channel between crew and dispatcher concerning a bunch of high school students running on or along the tracks near us.  Turns out it was the school's cross-country team, and that's where the coach told them to run!  You can bet that the school heard about that one in a hurry!

Carl

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Posted by trainboyH16-44 on Wednesday, September 20, 2006 2:28 PM
 CANADIANPACIFIC2816 wrote:

Stupid high school brats. Even if someone got themselves killed as a result of this kind of behavior, I doubt that any one of them would learn anything from it.Banged Head [banghead]

CANADIANPACIFIC2816

 

I would love to disagree with that, but I just can't. Sad but true.....we are your future. Unless you stop us now. The small group of guys sitting just to the right of me drives this point home quite nicely....

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Posted by JoeKoh on Wednesday, September 20, 2006 1:02 PM

was a pep rally for students in delphos ohio as their team was going to the state playoffs.where were some of the kids standing? right on the CF&E(former pa) row.I have an OL coloring book  that I let matts pre-school use and his school now has the same book too.matt knows to stay back from rr tracks.

stay safe

joe

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Posted by Anonymous on Wednesday, September 20, 2006 9:05 AM
When the B&P reactivated the old B&O branch which runs though downtown Indiana Pa (and right through the middle of IUP campus) last year they had to spend a quite a bit of money on handouts and some lectures to the local college students... plus they still run radio spots about stopping for the train about 6 times a day on all the local radio stations. They also blow at EVERY crossing....even in the middle of the night. Quite a bit of noise considering that there are many crossings, and some are as little as 50 feet apart.

. Unfortunately, they will probably STILL need to put up more gates because there are several idiots a week who still try to beat the train. And of course the college kids still walk the RoW.

All this for 2 trains (one into the power plant, and empties out) a day!

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Posted by zardoz on Wednesday, September 20, 2006 8:42 AM
 CANADIANPACIFIC2816 wrote:

Stupid high school brats. Even if someone got themselves killed as a result of this kind of behavior, I doubt that any one of them would learn anything from it.Banged Head [banghead]

CANADIANPACIFIC2816

Yeah, and they would probably sue the big, bad railroad for putting their tracks next to a school.

Ya think when they were looking for a location to build a school, next to the tracks would not even be a option.  DUH!

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Posted by CANADIANPACIFIC2816 on Wednesday, September 20, 2006 8:10 AM

Stupid high school brats. Even if someone got themselves killed as a result of this kind of behavior, I doubt that any one of them would learn anything from it.Banged Head [banghead]

CANADIANPACIFIC2816

 

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Students at High School by tracks need to get educated
Posted by dldance on Wednesday, September 20, 2006 7:57 AM

From a 19 Sep 2006 report by KSL TV:

Samantha Hayes Reporting

The railroad tracks behind a Kearns [Utah] school have attracted mischievous trouble for years, but after a few recent dangerous incidents, officers and railroad leaders are getting serious about stopping it.

The Sheriff's Deputy on duty at Kearns High School says students and other teenagers have jumped in front of the train and on the train while it passes. Officers have also had to remove large objects from the tracks.

Teenagers and trouble always seem to go together. At Kearns High school, Deputy Chad Zitting finds both down at the railroad track.

Dep. Chad Zitting, Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office: "Kids throwing rocks at the train, breaking windows. They've actually jumped in front of the train and had the train come to a stop when the engineers got out they jumped aboard the train."

Deputy Zitting has also found objects on the tracks.

Chad: "I've removed big tree trunks, stuff they've thrown, couches, stuff they've had on there."

That kind of stuff, if a locomotive hits it, can be deadly. Union Pacific operates the railroad in back of Kearns High School.

Mark Davis, Union Pacific: "Placing anything on the track as a train goes by, it can literally kick that object out and then its literally a missile, it can go through a person, a vehicle, anything."

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