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Truck vs train yet again

  •  

    http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/05/01/4015853/truck-driver-charged-in-monroe.html 

     

    Yet another 18 wheel Don Quixote tilting at the windmills of the iron horse.

    Trucks and trains just can't seem to get along in the Charlotte area.

    Thou shalt not drive onto the tracks until there is room to drive off on the other side.

    Dave

    Lackawanna Route of the Phoebe Snow

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  • Phoebe Vet

     

    http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/05/01/4015853/truck-driver-charged-in-monroe.html 

     

    Yet another 18 wheel Don Quixote tilting at the windmills of the iron horse.

    Trucks and trains just can't seem to get along in the Charlotte area.

    Thou shalt not drive onto the tracks until there is room to drive off on the other side.

    The article seems to indicate the highway being only two lanes is the problem, but the driver was cited.

    Two or four lanes, don't be on the tracks when a train is approaching!

    CZ

  • From all the articles I have read and seen from several sources:

    When the lights activated the driver tried to cross the tracks before the gates came down but other traffic stopped in front of him.

    Dave

    Lackawanna Route of the Phoebe Snow

  • Phoebe Vet

    From all the articles I have read and seen from several sources:

    When the lights activated the driver tried to cross the tracks before the gates came down but other traffic stopped in front of him.

    No doubt he is at fault, not the road.  Looking back on the situation, he could have waited about 3 minutes and proceeded safely. 

    CZ

  • The article also mentions that the driver couldn't see the train for the trees.

    In Japan they put a mirror (front-reflecting on steel) where the oncoming rubber-wheel pilots can see up the tracks.  Too bad we can't do the same thing here without having some tagger paint it - or some (fillintheblank) steal it outright.  Not to mention the amateur marksmen who want to put bulletholes in everything...

    Still doesn't absolve the driver.

    I noticed that the train, "Collided with," the truck.  At least that doesn't sound as if the train CAUSED the collision.  Maybe the press is getting educated...

    Chuck

  • Phoebe Vet

     

    http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/05/01/4015853/truck-driver-charged-in-monroe.html 

     

    Yet another 18 wheel Don Quixote tilting at the windmills of the iron horse.

    Trucks and trains just can't seem to get along in the Charlotte area.

    Thou shalt not drive onto the tracks until there is room to drive off on the other side.

    I will start my comments on this with this:  It is absolutely the responsibility of a commercial driver (truck driver) to insure that ones vehicle will not  obstruct a railroad crossing.  IE DO NOT ENTER A RAILROAD CROSSING UNLESS YOU CAN CLEAR IT WITHOUT STOPPING.

         Having said that I will comment on mitigating factors. And I invite people to look at the location:

    https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&gl=us&ie=UTF8&oe=UTF8&msa=0&msid=207678746320216324008.0004dbcac28170265152e

    1. The truck was hit from the left rear of the vehicle.    This crossing is at a bad angle. 

    2. As described in the article the view of the tracks are obscured by trees. This does not absolve in any way the responsibility of the driver.

    3. The truck on impact was then pushed into several other vehicles.

     By good fortune no one was seriously injured(the driver I think was a little banged up)

    The other thing I will say is this.  The type of trailer involved is the type that will derail a train. A van type trailer(the enclosed type either a dry van or a refrigerated trailer) if  a train hits it, the trailer will be broken into many pieces. And as long as you have most types of general cargo you have a big mess to clean up.

          A flatbed trailer like this one is different in that it is designed to handle large bulky freight.    And has a steel beam down the center of the trailer. Worse it is strong enough to get under the locomotive causing a derailment.  In this instance the cargo was plastic pipe which is a lite cargo(typically in the 6000 to 8000 lb range) and when a train hits it will push the trailer out of the way which is what happened in this case.

    At a minimum the driver of the truck is going to have his license suspended for several months. Irregardless of what North Carolina does. That is the federal penalty for being on a crossing when the gates come down.

    Rgds IGN

  • http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/07/21/4179203/man-killed-by-amtrak-train-near.html 

    Another pedestrian hit by the Carolinian.

    Dave

    Lackawanna Route of the Phoebe Snow

  • So, why was he on the tracks?  The article doesn't mention location of pedestrian crossings, 'do it yourself' (unauthorized) paths or whether he was using the rail to practice a balance beam routine.

    The result proves that Bob Heinlein had it right - stupidity is the only capital crime.  Anyone who approaches a railroad track has to be as cautious, and aware, as somebody petting a porcupine.  A moment's inattention can be terminal.

    Do I practice what I preach?  I spent countless hours railfanning routes with (by American standards) astonishing traffic density.  As of today, I'm 76 years old and still breathing.

    Chuck