Rail Crossings - How serious does your area take them?

My area doesn't have red crossing lights or crossing gates, so I can't really say. We don't really have trains. The tracks still come up to this general area, but they aren't used.

We do have ships, but that's a different story.

Tom

 

Plenty of rail lines and level crossings around here. I don't know what the fines are - other than being killed. Most people seem to treat trains with the respect they deserve. "Right of weight" seems appropriate.

The railways were here first, and are not shy about insisting proper warning be given at all crossings. People living in nearby apartments aren't too keen on this, especially as the railway rules apply at night, too.

 

Wilmington, being a State port for shipping, still has a fair amount of rail traffic to and from the port. We also have a lot of gasoline terminals here with a lot of 18 wheel trucks hauling gasoline.

The main vehicles that I see that stop for every railroad crossing, with or without trains in sight, are the gasoline tankers and school buses.

As for running the red light barricades, I do not know that I have ever seen anyone do this, so have no idea of what the fines are. As hyo says, there is too much respect for that. I guess that would be a "right of weight" type respect

 

I have watched many people go around crossing gates. With many of the old ones you could make an "S" turn through both gates. It's pretty common.

Tom

 

The sentences are not too severe at all. Although I imagine things are different in the UK, here we really need much stricter sentences for such blatant violations of motor vehicle law.

Especially for something like this, where you're not only putting yourself in danger, you could potentially put thousands of people in danger if it's a rush-hour passenger train.

I would only go around a railroad barrier on obvious signal malfunction. This includes getting out of the car and visually inspecting the road for at least a minute before proceeding. I've only had to do this once. Almost all crossings here have lights and gates.. only unused (!=abandoned) or small industrial crossings have no warning systems.

 

Fines and accidents keep going up. Trains blow a loud whistle at every crossing, with and without crossing arms. People have a strange attitude that they can out drive the mass of a moving train. Violators include tow truck operators, local residents who have lived nearby for years and common sense.

 

Any sentence lighter than "ashes to ashes; dust to dust", and they got off easy.

 

found my self sitting in a line of traffic today at a red light. as we moved forward, i came to a set of tracks. the light turned red and we stopped again. i managed to stop just before the tracks. then, as the cars in front of me closed together, i saw there would be enough room for me to move beyond the tracks and started to proceed. but then, the guy in front of me stopped short and i was stuck on the tracks. i hate that. i beeped at him, and he moved just enough so i could get off the tracks but i was still under the gate. i was hoping the train wouldn't come along and the gate come down!

 

Which is why you never enter the right of way until you have room to exit. It isn't worth it.

Tom

 

Hi GC,

Chicagoland has more grade crossings per square mile than any other area in North America. The fact there is not a rail/car accident everyday here is a testament to how the police and citzenry take the seriousness of warning indicators. We do wait before crossing the tracks, to be sure there is a spot for us on the other side of the tracks. Just common sense. A few of the intersections around here are under video surveilance, and posted as such, to make sure people are thinking about the consequences, when they are in the area of the tracks.

 

Take freight trains seriously, or else

Note, not G rated

I'm A Freight Train!

 

When the school bus turns into our community, it has to stop at the railroad crossing, leaving the back half of the bus blocking the road intersection from whence it turned. I'm not sure what's worse, the bus stopping at a crossing where the lights, gates are not in use (no train), or traffic swerving around the back of the bus. It's crazy.

And as long as I'm bitching about school buses, why in the name of all that is right, does North Carolina have a state law that forbids school buses from traveling faster than 45 mph on the interstate? Yet, when on two lane state routes they can travel posted speeds which often are 55-65 mph?

 

I have not heard of a NC law forbidding school buses from going faster than 45 mph. Are you sure about that? The ones that I pass are going about 55 mph.

School buses in NC have governors that limit speed to 55 mph.

 

JD... here's the link: http://www.ncdot.gov/bikeped/download/bikeped_laws_School_Zone_Laws.pdf

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) Speed Limits. ​

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– It is unlawful to drive a school bus loaded with children over the highways or public vehicular areas of the State at a greater rate of speed than 45 miles per hour.​

It goes on to say that if those same school children are in an activity bus (white ones?), they can go 55 MPH.

IMO, these buses should be able to travel the posted speed limit adjusted for road and weather conditions.

 

I have known a number of railway engineers/conductors over the years, and nearly all of them have hit people with their trains!

Ther was a triple fatality in SW Washington a couple of weeks ago. If the bells ring, I stop even if I can beat the gates. Where we live odor 6 months a year we have a number of gravel road, un gated, un obush road crossings. I so always stop at everyone, and even roll down the window on the blind one.

There is no excuse to get hit by a train! (that said, I have a friend who has had three trucks hit over the years, crossing on homemade, illegal bush crossings, getting stuck between t he rails. The last time. He got the spring shackle stuck under the rail flange and couldn't get it out in time).

Icarus

 

Tom,

I did not realize that the school bus limit was 45. The ones I encounter more on highways are the activity buses. I knew these were limited to 55 because my daughter is a coach and drives one.

Thanks,

Dwight
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I saw a picture of a sign at a crossing that said

"The locomotive crosses this road in 1/4 second whether you are in the way or not."