Not too long ago....?

Question

i was approaching a multi track grade crossing known to have a 'mind of its own'. ofcourse, it was having one of its moments.... gates down, lights and bells everywhere! but no train. ofcourse, i dont assume that, but people who just cant wait, or take the risk anyways were going around the gates. like i said, it was known to act on its own. this is a crossing in an industrial area, the road leading to residential. both cars and large rigs use it. can you imagine weaving a 53' (plus tractor!) van around gates? IDIOTS i tell ya!

ok so i park the car and call the number on the pole. i get some tight a** whos crue cut i can hear over the phone who seems to know nothing about a railroad being out here. i gave him city name, crossing # and road name. even track numbers! (im a railfan dammit!). he could only call a supervisor. ok, it was up to me to call local sheriff for road control before some butthead bought the front end of an AC GE.

not long after, a southbound Amtrak was heading our way. i could hear him leave the station 2 miles up track. i told the deputy (who had arrived by then) to go to other side of tracks and halt traffic. i went to my car and grabbed a yellow towel and returned to my side of crossing to block cars. i displayed as best i could the yellow towel towards the oncomming train. 

thank goodness you engineer types pay attention. as soon as he came around the curve and saw us, on came the horn and brakes. i imagine he was suprised to see a blue light flashing at his crossing with people around. but he got his train to stop in time and quick as a flash out came a female. well if engineer is inside, and conductors ride in the cars on Amtrak, who was this? as she got half way towards me her radio chimed off  'come on ?????, get back on, we have a clear'. she turned and without a word got back on and away they went. SAFELY!!!!

now i cant help but think this went well considering. but it raised questions.... like,

1. why dont railroads and local authorities share emergency contact info?
2. why would a number on a signal pole call to security and not someone more in touch with operations? (not to mention someone atleast in my own state!)
3. are train crews alerted at all to this kind of situation?
4. who could that female have been? multiple conductors?
5. ofcourse the engineer was alert enough to see the blue lights ahead, but do you think he reasoned my intent with the yellow towel?
6. the deputy who showed up was clueless to any organizational needs to get the situation under control ( theres a shock!), and stated he had no way to contact any railroad official to warn them. how is this possible? 
7. do you think the right steps were taken to for all concerned to have gotten to the point of no wreck, train or car, and everyone went one their way?
8. if not, what could have been done better. certainly the only players oblivious to the situation was the train crew and passengers. 

yeah, i know, its a long one. but all TRAINS of thought should be!

Anonymous · Accepted Answer

First off thank you for your concern, we need more alert people watching out for the brain dead public. 
I would suggest you get a number for a local trainmaster or yardmaster and call them every time the crossing gates have a false alert, that is what causes the general public to become complacent and not pay attention to the gates. It is as dangerous as gates not coming down when they are supposed to.

As a member of our safety committee we have discussed many of the same topics you bring up, local law enforcement rarely have access to RR communications and they have no contingency plan in case of trackside emergencies. 
I suggested many times that they print out a laminated card with emergency numbers and first steps to take so any law enforcement can have with them, but it fell on deaf ears. 
If you think that is scary try having an accident involving hazardous materials and watch what happens, it is truly terrifying how little information local authorities have and they werent about to listen to some dumb RR engineer as to proper steps to take. 
What you describe is sadly not an isolated incident, many times I have encountered well meaning local police that had no idea of basic RR safety procedures. 
Like the highway patrolman that once laid a tow chain across the rails and told me that would stop the trains, I know he was trying to shunt the signals but each and every chain link would have to have a solid connection to do that.

The lady walking toward you was likely the conductor but could have been a brakeman (person?). Amtrack crews are held to a pretty tight schedule and it they are responsible for delays they can be in pretty big trouble, never mind that incompetent dispatching can cause lots more delays, no one says much about that.

Andy · Answer

To echo what Rango said...good job!We need more people like you for sure.When you called that number(which is supposed to connect you to a command center) it should have set a number of things into motion.First they should call the local law to come help protect the crossing and call any trains in the area o warn them.The railroad will issue is a train order to protect the crossing.We have orders of different severity.An XG order requires us to stop and put a man on the ground to warn traffic before we proceed.An XH order requires us to approach the crossing at 15 mph ready to stop unless we see the crossing protection is working.There are a few more orders too but those are the two they use the most.The railroad would also dispatch a signal maintainer to come fix the problem.It's amazing how clueless the law is about what should be done in that situation!The lady on the Amtrak train could have been the conductor,a brakeman,or a fireman.Ok on to you and your towel.We have a rule on the railroad that says anyone seen violently waving any object that is on or near the tracks is a signal to stop.So if you were standing there waving your towel the engineer did exactly what he should have done.It sounds to me that there needs to be better training for the law enforcement along with some better communication procedures between the law and the railroads.Once again good job on your part.

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Not Too Long Ago

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RE:
Not too long ago....?
i was approaching a multi track grade crossing known to have a &#39;mind of its own&#39;. ofcourse, it was having one of its moments.... gates down, lights and bells everywhere! but no train. ofcourse, i dont assume that, but people who just cant wait, or take the risk anyways were going around the...

dieterzakas · Answer

What phone number did you call? All the large carriers (KCS, BNSF, CSX, etc.) have their own police departments, with toll-free numbers.

That woman was likely the conductor. There is only one per crew; depending on the carrier, additional crew members may be called "assistant conductors," "brakemen," or something similar.

Mike M. · Answer

One thought I have is instead of crossings having signs with numbers there should be specially set phones with direct lines to R.R. companies. I'm guessing these would be "closed circuit"phones. Once again, this is blatant example of R.R. companies jeopardizing company safety solely in the name of the almighty dollar.

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Not too long ago....?

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