Some people still will not learn!!!!!!!!!Acela hits car in CT.

[Anonymous]

Prior post (Big Boy 4005):

Don't get me wrong, I'm not blaming Amtrak for this at all, but that Acela can be a sneaky train, clipping along almost silently at 80 MPH.

Yeah, darn those electric loco's. Strangely, though, if history records no accidents involving GG-1 from the mid-1930s to the late 1960s, it wasn't for lack of opportunity--there were still grade Xings aplenty between DC and Baltimore. That was a space of thirty-plus years. After the Metroliners were phased in, the grade crossing lasted a few more years, but I don't know if people were killed at them or not.

I guess the kindest thing I can say is that the NEC north of New Haven hasn't had much historical awareness of electric locomotives, which are indeed (a) swift and (b) silent. I guess we'll have to go one of two ways (1) seal up the route entirely, as has been done in Germany where the ICE's can run at speeds of 130 mph, or (2) make the xings even more goof-proof--I saw an article in the CHICAGO TRIBUNE about a year ago that posited HUGE chain-link gates--far enough off the ground to let traffic through, but lowering themselves when a train is imminent and--here's the rub--spanning the width of the entire road, on each side. Dang expensive is my guess.

(Slightly off topic) It just amazes me that the weeniest little technical issues are so easily given up on--IF passenger trains are involved. Same thing for politics: is the state of CT trying to play chicken with its citizens' lives? Assuming that the feds would fully pay for grade separation if enough people die?!?, But it only seems to be a technical barrier with trains. After all, Interestate highways never have grade crossings, do they? We can now buy for a few hundred dollars a cell phone that serves as walkie-talkie, GPS, camera, and even tune machine, but it wasn't possible to engineer a crossing gate that would lower twice as early for a 45 mph freight as a 90 mph passenger train? Which is supposedly the reason we don't have high-speed from Chicago to Detroit. It just makes me sick, for political as well as humanitarian reasons. If the DOT, Amtrak, local authorities or the AAR can't get some rationality into the so-called killer trains, maybe we honest railfans should share our awareness. It's still pretty simple, of course: trains come on the tracks.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by jchoochoo71

I was just watching TV and saw an Acela train hit a car on a grade crossing near Waterford CT. The track speed there is still only 80 mph. There is a TV station there WTNH-TV. I can not wait to hear the drivers excuse for this one. The accident happened about 8:15 am eastern time.

LOL! Allan.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by tree68

QUOTE: Originally posted by DrummingTrainfan

QUOTE: Originally posted by OneSecondPle

i bet the acela gets the blame....

The way I understood FNC's analysis this morning they were implying that the train crew decided to hit the car...but that's just my analysis.

And probably swerved so they could....[:p]

Exactly, which is quite a shame. I do feel bad for the child who died, and his family[:(]

I live in "suburbia" and see this thing a lot, where some IDIOT drives around CLOSED gates, gets clobbered, and then balmes the railroad. MAKES ME SICK!!![xx(]

[Junctionfan]

Do ever wonder why people are incapable of learning from mistakes or even one step furthur, using common sense? Apparently people are THAT stupid that they can figure out that those big loud things that run really long and fast, don't really need those 2 long metal pieces that travel along the ground-they are ornamental like railroad crossings and gates.

Correct me if I'm wrong, somewhere along the "getting the licence" phase of people's life, aren't they supposed to know the rules concerning railroad crossings?

I think it's priceless when those bleeding-heart politicians and bureucrats, speak on the news and then spout off how Amtrak is bad and trains are evil. How much do you want to bet that they are one of those dumba$$es that do the same thing but just haven't won that coveted and so prestigious DARWIN AWARD?

[Big_Boy_4005]

The math is simple, at 80 MPH, that's 117.33 feet per second, more than a football field in under 3 seconds. If she drove around the gate, there is a very good chance she never saw a train. She pulls up, stops, looks both ways, sees nothing and drives around, perhaps under the false assumption that the gates were malfunctioning.

Even if the track near the grade crossing was straight and visibility was good, she could have easily misjudged the speed of the train if she saw it. None of this is an excuse for driving around the gates, but how do we educate against impatience?

[edbenton]

Yes I feel sory for the family of the child that died however maybe this will get the CT DOT off their buts and finally close the rest of the crossings on the NEC. If they still don't maybe they will at least put in quad gates at the crossings and take away the ability to drive around the gates.

[TH&B]

Isn't it quite primitive to have grade crossings on the main lines??

[Big_Boy_4005]

QUOTE: Originally posted by 440cuin

Isn't it quite primitive to have grade crossings on the main lines??

No, it happens all the time. The problem is that it is very expensive to replace grade crossings with over or underpasses. Accidents like this get people's attention for a while, but memory usually fades before anything gets done. Then it happens all over again

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by 440cuin

Isn't it quite primitive to have grade crossings on the main lines??

LOL! "evolve,..or perish!"

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by jchnhtfd


But you do have to remember that here in Connecticut stop lights have a different meaning from what they have in the rest of the world: green = go; yellow = go faster; red = floor it

LOL.

Unless you're a Conneticut Railfan in King Amtrak's Court, in which case, green = proceed, yellow = train coming, red = get out the camera.

Of course, where I live, Southern California, is home to the dangerous combination of bad drivers and egotistical drivers.

Of course, the answer is louder horns. Better yet, throw on a steam generator, and put on a five-chime whistle!

Sincerely,
Daniel Parks

[Anonymous]

I'm still in favor of those big huge chain-link fences that are impossible to drive around when lowered. Due to regression to the mean, those idiot drivers probably have kids aboard who are about average in intelligence. Besides, SOMEONE's got to be alive 15 years from now when I start Social Security.

[fuzzybroken]

QUOTE: Originally posted by edbenton

Yes I feel sory for the family of the child that died however maybe this will get the CT DOT off their buts and finally close the rest of the crossings on the NEC. If they still don't maybe they will at least put in quad gates at the crossings and take away the ability to drive around the gates.

The crossing DID have the quad gates. The lady probably drove onto the tracks while the gates were coming down, and then couldn't escape because the gates were blocking her path! Unless the gates are staggered like on the drawbridges here in Milwaukee, then she probably drove around one gate and got stuck on the tracks.

Sad, especially for the children and their families.

[jchnhtfd]

My apologies -- the actual count of grade crossings east of New Haven is 11, not 4. They are all on town roads. They are all in Connecticut. They all have quad gates. They all are checked on a VERY regular basis by the signal maintainers. They all work.

Except... it is still possible to drive onto the crossing before the gate on your side is fully down. Provided, that is, that you ignore the fact that the lights are flashing, the bell is ringing, and the gates are coming down.

On the noise issue: it is true that the Acela (and electric motors in general) are quieter than diesel engines. However. If you are in a vehicle with the windows up, particularly a newer vehicle, you are NOT, repeat NOT, going to hear the train (even with a number of units), even with its horn sounding, in time to get across a grade crossing, unless the train is going quite slowly or you stop and pay attention. There have been a number of studies in Canada regarding this.

If there are operating warning devices at the crossing, stop and wait. A train is coming.

If there are not, as I recall the sign says 'stop, look, and listen'.

Remember there may be more than one track... and more than one train...

And come home, as MC would say, in the same condition you left in the morning.

[vsmith]

The basic problem here seams to be that no one understands the concept of "Dont Stop On Tracks" NEVER EVER stop on the tracks, but I see this ALL THE TIME out here...

Traffic at a signal light backs up and the cars just stop right behind each other right over the tracks, Doesnt matter if there are Quad gates or not if they are already stopped on the tracks. I see this on crossings across the city, people pay more attention to the traffic signals than they do to the crossing warning signs. Then they scramble when the gates activate.

Out here on my local Metrorail trolley line the gates are coordinated with the signals so that the lights will change before the train gets too close, so any backed up traffic can theoreticly be moved off the crossings before the train goes thru, its worked for quite a while so far, no accidents, but it does screw up local street traffic at times.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by fuzzybroken
The crossing DID have the quad gates. The lady probably drove onto the tracks while the gates were coming down, and then couldn't escape because the gates were blocking her path! Unless the gates are staggered like on the drawbridges here in Milwaukee, then she probably drove around one gate and got stuck on the tracks.

Sad, especially for the children and their families.

One thing though. The gates are made of fiberglass, and are easily breakable by a car to prevent trapping cars.

In my experience, I don't have any trouble hearing horns in a car.

Los Angeles still has the world's worst drivers.

Sincerely,
Daniel Parks

[Anonymous]

It is really sad that granny got her grandchildren killed/critically injured.[:(] As for granny herself, I have less sympathy for her.[V] Here in Austin I see stupid drivers every day. To many Austinites, the Speed Limit is a minimum that must be exceeded by at least 10-15 mph. We manage to kill about three times as many people on our streets and highways as are murdered every year, and many of those accidents involve either somebody who is "too important" (in their own opinion) to pay attention to traffic laws and common courtesy to others, or some fool with a belly full of booze.[V][censored][banghead][soapbox] On my way home from work, every day I see idiots[:o)] stop on the grade crossing at 45th and Airport. The only reason that we don't see somebody killed evey week is that the line is a switching spur into East Austin, and, thus, has light traffic.

If the jacka$&es would only get themselves killed, then I would give them a Darwin Award and shrug.[xx(] The trouble is that they cause great pain to train crews and manage to do like old granny here and kill innocents. How sad.

[C):-)]

[blhanel]

I would suspect that she stopped on the tracks, then froze when the gates came down, not wanting to damage them or her vehicle. She probably didn't have time to realize the error of her hesitation.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by vsmith

The basic problem here seams to be that no one understands the concept of "Dont Stop On Tracks" NEVER EVER stop on the tracks, but I see this ALL THE TIME out here...

Traffic at a signal light backs up and the cars just stop right behind each other right over the tracks, Doesnt matter if there are Quad gates or not if they are already stopped on the tracks.

Hey man, you are ABSOLUTELY CORRECT.

But, just thinking about this for the first time here, "quad gates" could very likely intimidate a non-aggressive driver into stopping on the tracks.

Suppose for a moment that the driver is too far along towards the crossing to stop for the first gate, but upon trying to cross through sees the gate closing in front of them, as well as behind them....Now you or I would just cra***hrough the gates, right? I mean that is something we do all the time anyway.. but a 70 year old grandmother who has never crashed through a gate in her life might feel uneasy trying it for the first time, and feel trapped.

True, it's one of those situations you have to be a moron not paying attention to even get trapped into. But,....once you are there,..then "what next?" And, while you are pondering "what next?" .. SMASH!!

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by blhanel

I would suspect that she stopped on the tracks, then froze when the gates came down, not wanting to damage them or her vehicle. She probably didn't have time to realize the error of her hesitation.

That would be my bet as well... good call.

[vsmith]

QUOTE: Originally posted by TheAntiGates

QUOTE: Originally posted by vsmith

The basic problem here seams to be that no one understands the concept of "Dont Stop On Tracks" NEVER EVER stop on the tracks, but I see this ALL THE TIME out here...

Traffic at a signal light backs up and the cars just stop right behind each other right over the tracks, Doesnt matter if there are Quad gates or not if they are already stopped on the tracks.

Hey man, you are ABSOLUTELY CORRECT.

But, just thinking about this for the first time here, "quad gates" could very likely intimidate a non-aggressive driver into stopping on the tracks.

Suppose for a moment that the driver is too far along towards the crossing to stop for the first gate, but upon trying to cross through sees the gate closing in front of them, as well as behind them....Now you or I would just cra***hrough the gates, right? I mean that is something we do all the time anyway.. but a 70 year old grandmother who has never crashed through a gate in her life might feel uneasy trying it for the first time, and feel trapped.

True, it's one of those situations you have to be a moron not paying attention to even get trapped into. But,....once you are there,..then "what next?" And, while you are pondering "what next?" .. SMASH!!

Very possible, but from what I have seen here its been people who pull up behind the car in front of them, onto the crossing, waiting for the light to change just like it was any intersection and completely oblivious to the fact that they are right on top of a RR crossing where trains barrel thru at 50 mph.

I can't comment on what happened to the Conneticit granny, but this is what I see all the time out here.

PS I've also seen the same oblivious disregard for "Do Not Block Driveway" warnings right in front of Firehouses. Sirens go off, truck rolls out and theres some dufus sitting there in the street blocking the drive with a look of "Whatta ya looking at me for, what'd I do?"

Pinheads[}:)]

[vsmith]

QUOTE: [i]

Los Angeles still has the world's worst drivers.

Sincerely,
Daniel Parks

Care to elaborate? [;)] as the worst I have encountered were in Italy, you think LA is bad, you need to get around more?[:p]

[espeefoamer]

The intelligence on this planet is a constant.The population is growing[D)]
There are still plenty of Darwin Awards out there just waiting to be handed out[xx(][xx(][xx(].

[chad thomas]

QUOTE: Originally posted by vsmith

QUOTE: [i]

Los Angeles still has the world's worst drivers.

Sincerely,
Daniel Parks

Care to elaborate? [;)] as the worst I have encountered were in Italy, you think LA is bad, you need to get around more?[:p]

Yea, Just take a drive down in TJ. You might not be so quick to complain about American drivers after that.[;)]

[Anonymous]

Sorry to hear that CT has has as much in common attitude on grade crossings as the so called ___ (it rymes with Fred) states.

[mustanggt]

I don't really have anything to add to the main discusion, but I think Massachusetts has the worst drivers. In my year or so of driving, I've seen inept drivers, ricers racing, lushes, a police officer on a personal cell phone at a red light (you can get ticketed for phone use in this state) , and even a gate-crosser in the next town over, Medford.[V]

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by vsmith


PS I've also seen the same oblivious disregard for "Do Not Block Driveway" warnings right in front of Firehouses. Sirens go off, truck rolls out and theres some dufus sitting there in the street blocking the drive with a look of "Whatta ya looking at me for, what'd I do?"

Pinheads[}:)]

you are right again...I see that too, and just shake my head.

I guess I never get into that situation with trains, because I always slow way down and look long, like I'm playing "Mr Safe" but the truth is, I'm usually hoping to see a train coming so I can stop and watch it pass. [8D]

It would be a trip for the granny if the gates did trap her in,..talk about a major case of "WTF?!"