Please slow down .

   / Please slow down . #21  
dave1949 said:
I can see how the temptation happens.

Where I grew up in NW Ohio with lots of rails going into and out of Toledo, the freight trains would block crossings on county roads out in the middle of nowhere. I think there was supposed to be a time limit, else they should break the train and clear the crossing for traffic. Well, that never happened. They would move the train another 100' down the rails and start the clock over.


There was nothing worse than stopping for a train and then watch it slow down for.....ever....., and then finally stop. And then wonder if you should drive 10 miles around it or wait. Driving around down crossing gates and past warning lights was pretty common.
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My best advice would be to turn around and find another route. A lot of times when a train is stopped it is either staging for trains ahead or is working on picking up or setting cars out. Due to train length we often have little choice but to block lesser traveled crossings in order to keep high traffic crossings open.

When a train is moving slow, its for a reason. Some people get all upset, yell, swear, flip us the bird. Ill make this analogy, when you fly on an airplane and are in the process of taking off or landing. Do you cuss, scream and holler at the pilot to "HURRY UP I HAVE PLACES TO GO NOW!" ? It the same thing for train crews, yarding a train or departing a yard is kind of like trying to thread a needle, take your time and it can be done safely.

This post is not pointed directly at you dave1949, Im just stating my :2cents: in general. :thumbsup:
 
   / Please slow down . #22  
hogheadCTD said:
My best advice would be to turn around and find another route. A lot of times when a train is stopped it is either staging for trains ahead or is working on picking up or setting cars out. Due to train length we often have little choice but to block lesser traveled crossings in order to keep high traffic crossings open.

When a train is moving slow, its for a reason. Some people get all upset, yell, swear, flip us the bird. Ill make this analogy, when you fly on an airplane and are in the process of taking off or landing. Do you cuss, scream and holler at the pilot to "HURRY UP I HAVE PLACES TO GO NOW!" ? It the same thing for train crews, yarding a train or departing a yard is kind of like trying to thread a needle, take your time and it can be done safely.

This post is not pointed directly at you dave1949, Im just stating my :2cents: in general. :thumbsup:
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I didn't take it personal at all.

The difference between the plane and train is, you know the plane is going to land--and maybe even get to a gate. :laughing: The captain usually informs passengers about any unusual waits. The slowing/sitting train however has no way of telling motorists when it intends to move, or not. It is the lack of knowing that was frustrating.

I don't blame the folks operating the train, the RR either built sufficient yarding capacity, or they didn't. It was no doubt cheaper to pay the occasional fine than to build and staff yards.

Bring back cabooses! Trains just don't look right with no caboose on the back end. And, you would usually get a friendly wave from the caboose guy.
 
   / Please slow down . #25  
dave1949 said:
I'm sure that is humorous, but I don't have any idea who or what FRED is ???
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Flashing Rear End Device, aka "a little box with a flashing light on the last car".
 
   / Please slow down .
  • Thread Starter
#27  
Companies have a responsibility to the safty of public no doubt, but this thread is about being careefull at crossings and unless I'm very wrong everytime we cross the track we are tresspassing railways own thousands of miles of right of ways and the highways are allowed to cross.
 
   / Please slow down . #28  
^^^^ Yes sir, sorry to hijack your thread :thumbsup:
 
   / Please slow down . #29  
Stop, Look and Listen. What we were taught in grade school.
 
   / Please slow down . #30  
This brings to mind an incident that happened over 20 years ago while I was stationed at Travis AFB, CA. A kid was late for work, and drove around a long line of traffic held up by crossing gates actuated by a stopped train very close to the grade crossing. He used the oncoming (wrong) lane and darted around the crossing gates. Unfortunately for him, the train was stopped on a parallel siding and masked the Amtrak barreling down the main line. He crossed the main line tracks just as the train arrived, with predictable results.A sad case of haste making waste.
 
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