choochooloco
Death Dodger
In my early years as a fan, I never contemplated the fact that trains collide with vehicles at grade crossings. At the time, it just was not on my radar. I was a teenager having fun watching and photographing trains.
Believe it or not, I did not give the subject much consideration after hiring out on the railroad. Again, it was not on my radar. I was only focused on the fact that I was working my childhood fantasy, a job that I had dreamed of for years.
After 26 years behind the throttle, the general public has proven to me that a large percentage has a PhD in stupidity. The gentleman driving this Chevy Blazer is a prime example.
When we departed Toledo, the fog was thick. Visibility was extremely limited. We didn't have to fight it long though, as the wheels stopped turning at milepost 315. A few miles ahead is a train in trouble, and with several trains separating us, we are going to be here for a while.
Prior to stopping here, the fog was terrible. With the sun's rising, it is beginning to burn off. As for the driver, today's Darwin Award Winner, evidently he is still in the fog. At least mentally.
Thr eastbound stack train on track two is running on clear signals and is moving a mile a minute. When the car stopped at the crossing, the lights and gates were already activated. Not by my stopped train mind you, but by the fast approaching eastbound.
Although the stack train was blowing its horn at the whistle, the train itself was not visible due to the fog. The driver, with windows up, looked at our stopped train for a few seconds before driving around the gates. I don't ever recall him looking in the opposite direction. My guess is that he assumed the lights and gates were stuck down because of us.
While not a close call, this is a situation which plays out at crossings across the country daily. There is NEVER a reason to break the law and drive around the gates. Only excuses. I bet he had his share.
With the added challenge of limited visibility, most of us would be driving defensively. With the lights flashing and gates down, most of us would not drive around them. And then there is the minority.
Just before Christmas, I hit my fifth vehicle. A mother was giving her teenage son some time behind the wheel, working on his skills. He had a only a learner's permit.
At an intersection where the road crosses the tracks, he somehow drove onto the tracks and became hung up on the rails. As mom was dialing 911 to report the situation, the lights started flashing and the gates began to lower. Should she have gotten herself and everyone else out first? Absolutely.
Happy ending to this story as, thankfully, all occupants exited the vehicle before we absolutely destroyed it. My prior collisions involved drivers who were not so fortunate.
At the current pace, I am averaging one vehicle collision every 5 years. With six years left until I make my last trip, law of averages dictates that one more collision looms around every curve, every crossing.
I hope to prove the law of averages wrong.
Death Dodger
In my early years as a fan, I never contemplated the fact that trains collide with vehicles at grade crossings. At the time, it just was not on my radar. I was a teenager having fun watching and photographing trains.
Believe it or not, I did not give the subject much consideration after hiring out on the railroad. Again, it was not on my radar. I was only focused on the fact that I was working my childhood fantasy, a job that I had dreamed of for years.
After 26 years behind the throttle, the general public has proven to me that a large percentage has a PhD in stupidity. The gentleman driving this Chevy Blazer is a prime example.
When we departed Toledo, the fog was thick. Visibility was extremely limited. We didn't have to fight it long though, as the wheels stopped turning at milepost 315. A few miles ahead is a train in trouble, and with several trains separating us, we are going to be here for a while.
Prior to stopping here, the fog was terrible. With the sun's rising, it is beginning to burn off. As for the driver, today's Darwin Award Winner, evidently he is still in the fog. At least mentally.
Thr eastbound stack train on track two is running on clear signals and is moving a mile a minute. When the car stopped at the crossing, the lights and gates were already activated. Not by my stopped train mind you, but by the fast approaching eastbound.
Although the stack train was blowing its horn at the whistle, the train itself was not visible due to the fog. The driver, with windows up, looked at our stopped train for a few seconds before driving around the gates. I don't ever recall him looking in the opposite direction. My guess is that he assumed the lights and gates were stuck down because of us.
While not a close call, this is a situation which plays out at crossings across the country daily. There is NEVER a reason to break the law and drive around the gates. Only excuses. I bet he had his share.
With the added challenge of limited visibility, most of us would be driving defensively. With the lights flashing and gates down, most of us would not drive around them. And then there is the minority.
Just before Christmas, I hit my fifth vehicle. A mother was giving her teenage son some time behind the wheel, working on his skills. He had a only a learner's permit.
At an intersection where the road crosses the tracks, he somehow drove onto the tracks and became hung up on the rails. As mom was dialing 911 to report the situation, the lights started flashing and the gates began to lower. Should she have gotten herself and everyone else out first? Absolutely.
Happy ending to this story as, thankfully, all occupants exited the vehicle before we absolutely destroyed it. My prior collisions involved drivers who were not so fortunate.
At the current pace, I am averaging one vehicle collision every 5 years. With six years left until I make my last trip, law of averages dictates that one more collision looms around every curve, every crossing.
I hope to prove the law of averages wrong.