Sight Distance and preventable deaths at grade cro

[Anonymous]

Missouri, your begining to babble. I believe you are doing this to upset railroaders and fans. Please stop this childish behavior. Also you just made a very serious accusation toward another man. Those kind of statments, when enough are compiled, can get a person removed from a WEB sight. Please have respect for others!!
TIMOTHY ARGUBRIGHT

[Anonymous]

Responding:

Up here, WAY up north (not) WE ave what are known as Speed activated Gates for Railroad crossing, (that was a direct translation from french) Based on the speed the train is going at, the gates will go down accordingly. So let's say... hmm.. i'm conducting a Via Rail train (Equivalent to Amtrak) and i'm going 80 MPH, the gates will go down so that there is at least a 20 second warning... Now if i'm Conducting a freight train, and i'm going 35 MPH, the gates will go down accordingly so there is a 20 second warning.

so in short, Based on the Speed i'm going is when the gates will go down. 80 MPH, they may go off 1/2 mile down the crossing, 35 MPH, they might go off when i'm 350 feets from the crossing.

Remember, This featurew doesn't eist for all crossings. but ~70% do have the Speed based gates.

Also, Most of the signals are directly after the crossings (due to the fact that Electricity is present at around 99% of the crossings) so usually trains stop just beofre the crossing. Most gates have an activity meter, that messures the activity present on the line. Should the train stop, within 4 minutes, the gates will go up. as soon as the train moves slightly.. the go back down..

in short short form,
we always have at least 20 secondes warning
Cheers,
Kev.

[Jackflash]

DONT RESPOND!!!Ed is right, these people know
the truth, this is a witch hunt for profit.
jackflash

[edblysard]

Funny, I switch in yard service, and have done so for seven years. Crossed tracks hundreds of time a day, walk around switchs and across turnouts just as many times, and have yet to get my foot hung on anything, except my other foot.

[Anonymous]

Who pays you for lieing slick? Why should anybody have to call anybody. We don't own your business but they allready take a huge amount of our tax-dollars and stuff them in the robber barons pockets. Maybe we could supply like butt wipers in the executive wash rooms also.

[Anonymous]

Why do you lie? No way video is going to be used on the front of the trains where the railroad can't hide the smokin' gun when the gates/lights fail, the car comes behind the brush pile .25 seconds before the train hits it, and the terrible trespasser wasn't really committing suicide at all and their foot was hung.

[Anonymous]

A private property owner CAN'T trim the robber barons property for them it's against the law. Only FRA authorized people can work on the railroad and the easements. Nope it's the railroads common law duty to make the trains visible at weed grown crossings. Sure you don't work for the railroads slick. Sure are doing a lot of penny pinching for them. They only made 40 billion last year so they can afford a brush hog and a chain saw. How many crossings would Snows 60.8 million exit bonus from CSX have paid for. Over 2,000 kills he had under his belt. He should be a expert on what real "blood money" is that they are seizeing in the middle east.

[Anonymous]

I love how my railroad barons and the guys I know at the fra are in my favor as an employee. Your right the goverment does not owe me anything. Expecialy seeing that I dont work for any railroad!

If the rail busness was as easy to maintain, build and suport, then there would not be so many mergers and fallen flags! The main reason they failed was due to the goverment regulations on the RRs. Those same dollars went to work building city owned airports, terminals, Interstates and little help was put forth for the RR. You ever notice how many streets run along the RR. Most of the freways crippled almost killed many RRs!

Ive seen these issues rambled over and over about who is at fault who gets what ect. ect. Any death is a sad loss PERIOD! If you own the property its YOUR responsability to call make arangements with the RRs clear your own Xing. If its a public road then reach the DOT or your local officals...thats what your paying them to do. If your dumb enough not to look at an xing EXPECIALY any non signaled xing....then your a freakin moron! The more I read (an personaly see) stupid people do stupid things the more apealing those STOP-DEATH-STOP xing signs look!
Dont be a fool!
Icemanmike-Milwaukee

[Anonymous]

CSX injr. I think that Big Ed may be on to something. He posted farther up in this thread that this Mike *** may be tied in with an attorney and misconstrueing our posts. I say we shun 'ol mike and Missouri. They fire me up too, buddy. Oh how they fire me up! No responses, no reason for them to post.
Solidarity, and I thought that it was something that I practiced in the union, now, we have to practice it in this forum.
Ken

[Anonymous]

I love it J. Make them lawyers eat ***! Chaching.....case dismissed. See ya later Mike the ***!

[Anonymous]

http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/TA/ProgMgt/Grants/Sight_Eng.pdf

Just carry the sight chart with you and turn it around for the train. Tell the bosses you was only going 10 mph in a 50 mph crooked speed limit set by the lap dogs FRA because that all the sight lines the drivers had at the crossing.

[edblysard]

If its your driveway, and your property, shouldnt you clear the grass and obstructions, and if you want signs, shouldnt you erect them?
Or does your DOT maintain your driveway?

[csxengineer98]

mike.
after reading all the crap you keep saying, and the few and very far between supporters that have posted on this sight, i would think that you would take then hint and close up shop... you list pleases....accidents... ext.. but when someone comfrounts you with data or even with the smiple question of... what are you doing to on your own time to get your point across... you tip toe around it... what have or are you doing on your own time to "win your fight" besides P!SSing people such as rail roaders and anyone that has a shread of common sence in their head with your nonsence postings here... i dont see your face on CNN pushing things in wastington DC... all i see is a little man with no guts that sits behind is "safe" computer... one on one with a rail roader that has to deal with the hazards of this job eveyday...my bet is you would not even bring this *** up becouse you know you would be outguned... not only becouse you have no clue what we rail roaders have to face everyday but also becouse you would lose the common sence argument... you want to sit at your house and rant on and on about something that you dont have any first hand experince in at all... your attitude about corporations makes me think of the hippys of the 60s... its the same kind of bull
***.... bottom line here is ...put up..or shut up... you like to think you talk a big game..but in truth...your just a sad little person that has a sad little life and are out of touch with the real world... common sence is not something that is handed to someone throw a court case... even thow you think it is... common sence is what sets us part from the rest of the lifeforms on this earth.... but with your logic... you want the people that dont have it...the "sheep" of the human race to be protected from their own stupidity... the strongest will go on...the weak ones will disapear...but you and your lawer buddys want to take advantage of the "sheep" befor the "sheep" disapear... that is all this thing is realy about....the money.... stupid people not being responsable for thier own actions..and the lawers that cash in on it... the rail road was thier long befor cars where ever invented... and to get a drivers licence you have to take a test... and some of the informatin for the rules of the road are...rail road crossing safty... i ask you this too.... if poeple that have a drivers licence are supost to know rail road crossing safty in the frist place...why is this discution even going on... but if reading this made you lose track of the one thing i want you to tell me and eveyone one else is....
what are you doing outside of this fourm to promot your cause.... becouse like i said befor...i dont see you makeing any public apperinces on any major shows trying to get your point out... on TV or the radio... i have yet to read your name in anything other then this web fourm...
so put up or shut up
csx engineer

[wabash1]

1 other thing i forgot to mention but we have what is called railview the perpose of this is to take pictures of the rail as we are going down the railroad it is hooked to the event recorder and shows time speed if the bell is ringing horn blowing and there is a mic in the cab listening to what we say from trainmaster so and so is a bleep bleep to stop lady dont pull out bam. it is showed in court also this has help railroads win cases and lawyers hate it. they cant win and we walk away with people seeing what happens to crew members that their is humans on these trains. it is sensitive enough to show crossing arms down even at 1/4 miles down the road . what we see it sees.

[Anonymous]

Also, towns in residencial areas have the right to demand slower speed limits. Of course if they don't ask, they don't get.

[wabash1]

yes then he takes another statement and adjusted it for his perpose, it was amtrak hit this girl at 70 mph. and that there was no whistle board for the crew to blow for this crossing. well all they haft to do is call the railroad and ask them to have trains blow for the crossing and we are ordered to do this. with out fail. and same thing if a private crossing owner dont want this he can request to have the crossing not blowed at. and we wont. now if i crossed a crossing and it was a high speed crossing i be looking turn radio down and wait and see. even during daylight hours the headlights shine on the rails bright. I still need evidance that these people didnt do anything wrong. that it was the throttle jockey at fault. but lawyers get paid to lie and put doubt in your head. so hear i am and i will be working tonight on a 60mph train number 8 throttle .. waiting for someone to get in my way.... come on mike convice me i am wrong.

[Anonymous]

Well stated, Wabash. They only want to present scewed facts. Not truth. Maggot attys.
Ken

[Anonymous]

Thanks, Ed. Typical bottom feeder attys. To operation Mike Saver.....Give me head!

[BRAKIE]

J,I see that type of foolishness every day here in town..I can not see why the railroads or crew is to blame when the dang fools go around the dropped crossing gates..If they get hit then IMHO I don't feel sorry for them-not one dang bit! It was their call to be foolish.

[csxns]

About private crossings.Will it be better to clear the bushes and put up signs because if a train hits a car it will lose a lot of time.Or tell the owner they cannot have a crossing.

[Jackflash]

One boxcar is about one and a half to two and a half tractor trailers (depending on the cargo)
as far as train speed, that is set in the timetable or instructions, you had better have a real good reason for not running at the posted speed.

[Jackflash]

How stupid, who whould ever put flashing lights
(or gates) at a one family driveway, the responsibility lies with the automobiles who use the driveway to make sure a train is not comming
before they try and cross the tracks.

[Anonymous]

Sir can you please quit playing childish games and move to another sight.
TIMOTHY ARGUBRIGHT

[Anonymous]

Mike, you do not care about railroad crossing safty. You sir are playing a childish game to upset railroad workers and fans. Please take your immature behavior to another sight.
TIMOTHY ARGUBRIGHT

[Anonymous]

What is it one box car equals 10 tractor trailers so a 150 car train is like 1,500 tractor trailers across a public road. Where's the road use tax? Why should we have to pay for the robber barons?

There is also a throttle in your hand and NOBODY is holding a gun to your head MAKEING you run at unsafe 70 mph speed KNOWING the PROPER safety equipment is missing. WE didn't sit the track speeds YOUR bosses and their lap dogs FRA did.

[Anonymous]

Ok Ive been avoiding this thread like the plauge but I hapened to run across an slight problem. Yes I have seen a few dangerous X-ings...but I can count them on 1 hand.
I was on an tourist railroad aproching a X buck Xing in an residential neighborhood. We where doing no more then 20 mph and I saw a car lockup there breaks at the last second....only to fly pass us to drive 4 houses from the track. I had to laugh...the only reason the street car did not hit her was because he was looking out for morons who dont pay attention at the Xings. Aparently it hapens all the time! I watched the car drive more then 500 feet on both sides of the track and this person obiously knew that this track was there She lives in the neighbor hood! We had bells & horns on the cars but you can only do so much.

Freways have fences, dividers, on ramps, off ramps, trains in most areas dont have that. Rember trans are barely suported by the government, roads are full government projects this makes any comparison between the two very dificult!
B safe
Icemanmike-Milwaukee

[Anonymous]

Thank you, this is EXACTLY what we are up against.
We need help because the Feds are supporting this through various legislation. The truth is something difficult to come by.
Mike

[Anonymous]

Amtrak called the St. Louis newspaper that day and told the paper the crossing light was working fine. Thing was the crossing didn't have as much as a sign much less a crossing light. UP brought in the dozers and dozed all the sight obstructions out right after removeing the evidence.
The reporter "oh i fixed it later" like the initial report wasn't what Amtrak wanted the potential jurors to hear.
----- Original Message -----
From: @post-dispatch.com>
To:
Sent: Monday, March 24, 2003 12:36 PM
Subject: Re: Jury tampering

I have a clearer picture as to what happened, now that I have read our
> stories in the archives.
The day of the crash I quoted the Amtrak official saying the crossing had a
> working signal. I did not verify this myself that day because the crash
> scene had been cleared up by the time I began reporting the story.
>
> Erroneous statements by officials are not something we generally correct.
> If we were to find something that contradicted or modified an official's
> statement -- and we were to see it with our own eyes -- we would generally
> report that fact in a subsequent story. That's what I did when I visited to
> the Medley's home a few weeks later to write a profile of Stephanie. I
> wrote a story June 5, 2000, that said the crossing did NOT have a signal.
>
> Hope this helps.
>
> Jeremy Kohler

> on 03/22/2003 03:14:59 PM
>
> To: @post-dispatch.com>
> cc:
>
> Subject: Re: Jury tampering
>
>
> Mr. Kohler,
> There was no crossing light "giveing warning" at this crossing as the Amtrak spokesman told you. There was NO sign post, NO cross-bucks, NO stop signs, nothing but brush and trees blocking her view. Since this crossing was across the Medleys driveway it is considered a "private" crossing. So there was NO train whistles neither except maybe a split second before the train blindsided the car since trains aren't required to blow whistles at private crossings. Private crossings do not qualify for Federal and state railroad safety funds so none of the close to 98,000 private crossings in this country have any kind of warning devices like crossing lights. The girl was basically murdered when she was caught in the sight obstructed booby trap with a 70 mph Amtrak being the murder weapon.
http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/TA/ProgMgt/Grants/Sight_Eng.pdf This chart gives the proper sight lines at passive crossings (no lights/gates). Since Amtrak
pays Union Pacific railroad a usage fee on these tracks it was UPs responsibility to maintain the crossing. They came out right after and dozed out the sight lines and put in stop signs. But with the curves in the track and terrain these signs still aren't safe and the trains need to be slowed down or gates/lights installed. Where our state and FRA railroad safety people are sleeping on the job at I don't know but they should be in jail for negligant homicide.
The Medleys have a wrongful death lawsuit against UP and Amtrak for the death of their daughter who WAS NOT killed at a crossing with working crossing lights like was reported. This OBVIOUS lie by Amtrak needs to be corrected publicly by the paper that printed it.

[Anonymous]

Ed,
I guess people just don't get it! Trains have metal wheels. The tracks are metal. Even if you guys slam on the brakes as in a car, it's still not going to stop that quick! Add in a little ice, or snow, or water and it'll take even longer to stop, just like a car.

Terry(Arl., TX)

[Anonymous]

Hello Friends,
Hope everyone is well and enjoying the warmer weather...
Today we Remember SWEET ANGEL STEPHANIE MEDLEY....Three years ago today this PRECIOUS ANGEL recieved Her Angel Wings...and began her Heavenly Journey...Please hold this SWEET ANGEL & Her family close in our thoughts as they struggle through this day. Please light a candle to honor the memory of ANGEL STEPHANIE. I am also asking that we take a few minutes of this day and send an e-card/e-mail to this family letting them know that on this day we to are "REMEMBERING ANGEL STEPHANIE". The e-mail address I have is to ANGEL STEPHANIE'S Mom Dava.
Let's keep this SWEET ANGEL & Her family close in our thoughts and also in our prayers.
Thank you for your time...more importantly I thank you for helping to reach out to make a difference for others. Take care and stay strong my friends....God Bless

Love-Care & Friendship,
Debbie & Angel Taneeca