I do not condone what the firetruck driver did, which was very risky and maybe even stupid, but whoever was driving is just as much a hero for making it across the track. Who knows what progress the fire would've made if they had to wait for that train. It would have been inconvenient, even if it was probably the right thing to do, and someone could've been killed or burnt in that time.
As much as you want to be first due for something, this was a pretty stupid move. Say by some chance this truck had a mechanical issue, that train is not stopping. Not only would the truck be destroyed but it’s also a passenger train so you will most definitely have injuries. Can’t save any people or property if you don’t make it there
The fact that there are comments on this video saying things like "Oh had the train hit the firetruck, they'd be risking 1000ish lives" is so ridiculous it's funny. A firetruck on average weights about 30-35, maybe 40 tons. While Reading #2102, by herself, is over 400 tons, NOT including the weight of the cars. This means #2102 is over 10 times heavier then the firetruck, give or take. Not a chance this train is going in the dirt had she hit the firetruck. "Oh if the train hit the edge of the firetruck it could derail". No. It would send the firetruck spinning like a broken boomerang.
I showed this video to my father who used to be a voulnteer fighter and former Battalion Chief. Even though the truck driver stopped, this still was a very stupid move of the driver. He has to take into account the weight of a 4-8-4 T-1and how fast a T-1 can stop and how fast a Fire Engine can stop. There was a chance that himself and the crew could have never made it to the call. Yes my Dad and I get there were trapped victims, but the safety and well being of the truck crew while heading to the call is top priority.
You can never judge how long a train will take to get to the crossing with a quick peak that the driver of the fire truck had. He risked many lives with that stupid move. I worked on the railroad as an engineer for many years. That driver broke the cardinal rule of risk. Many crossing accidents are a direct result of that exact action, not being able to judge the trains speed. What if the truck stalled or hesitated on acceleration? I sure hope that driver was reprimanded and not allowed to drive again.
@@blockvfive1196 If that were the case, would you want more? That could happen had this gone poorly. Maybe not burning victims but you'd have more people you'd need to hospitalize.
@@SeanJAnimations its a dilemma, but i dont know what the call was the engine was responding to, if the call was mundane compared to the ladder i completely agree
Wow! The gates have a fire engine sized gap! The first truck most likely radioed the following trucks to wait for the train. Perfectly safe move by the firey’s. Train consist was huuuge!
Did they hit? No. Should it have been done? Depends who you are. Either way, 7 seconds was plenty of time. Had 2102 been closer, like less than 3 seconds from clearing? Then it really wouldve been stupid. Its like making a left turn. I'm sure everyone here at one point as made a really close call with a left turn. Yes, this is a much bigger situation, but it doesn't matter. What matters is there was no collision.
Even if he was llegaly allowed to do that it was a STUPID idea if you look at what could have happened. If he got stuck then 1. His truck would be out of commission 2. Possible train derailemnt and risk of damaging a boiler 3. All crossings would be blocked making the others unable to get to the fire while also being tied up helping the hurt on the train 4. It took less than a minute for the train to pass the risk was almost not worth it
The issue is with this town. Is that 70$ of your man power is on the other side of town where the trucks are coming from and the railroad is sending 2 to 5 trains a day through the town
@@nickstrackshot6287 right exactly. My area suffers the same problems where sometimes you can have 20 or so trains running per day even though there’s firehouses nearby.
People tend to treat a steam locomotive like a toy. The 2102 herself weighs over 400 tons, and was pulling 18 sold-out passenger cars, doing 35 mph, probably with around 1,000 people on board. A train is nothing to mess with!
That was beyond dumb. Had the train actually hit that fire truck, it could’ve possibly derailed, and killed God only knows how many people in the passenger cars, let alone the engine crew. That’s the sort of idiotic thing that will get a person fired. (no pun intended)
Well not a close call for 2102 but not exactly a smooth move either. They're alot of people on that train and since steam is a rolling pressure vessel not worth the risk. Andy should consider double sided gates you can't sneak around in Tamaqua after viewing this!
The first fire truck entered the crossing at 0:06, cleared at 0:11. Train entered the crossing at 0:18, cleared at 1:00. Net gain for the response of 0:55. 0:07 was NOT worth the risk in my opinion. With 20 years as a volunteer firefighter and 39 years as a railroader I would side with the railroad on this one. Wait it out. There are way too many what if's here to be taking that risk. (All the FDs I was involved with treated railroad crossing signals as an absolute stop).
I'm 4 years on in NJ, my dad was on 30 years. I showed him the video, he said the engine driver made the right call. There was enough time for the pumper to cross the tracks before 2102 crossed. He did the right thing by coming to a stop and went before the train came. Now I'm not looking to argue about it or cause a controversy, but part of the job as a firefighter is taking risks when a job like a 5 alarm fire is going.
What a bad mistake this would had been! If 2102 was going more faster, than this would been a bad accident. NO MATTER HOW DIRE THE EMERGENCY IS, YOU STILL HAVE TO STOP FOR TRAINS. So firefighters, STOP TRAINS CAN'T!
@@mintyman1968 Yeah, well 2102 is irreplaceable. There are only 4 T1s left with the 2102 being the only operational one and 2100 is still being worked on. 2101 and 2124 are just static displays. Plus emergency response personnel along Reading & Northern territory need to understand that not only going around train tracks is never a good idea in the first place, but a steam locomotive can be a powerful bomb if the conditions are right in the event of a collision. So again if it's one minute or how long for an emergency, it's not worth beating a 12 million pound train. What would you rather do? Wait 2 to 5 minutes for a passenger train to go by and get to the emergency scene in one piece, or create another emergency by trying to outrun a train and also a possibility of a nasty steam locomotive boiler explosion? I would just STOP AND LET THE TRAIN PASS! IT'S THAT SIMPLE!
@@ns4270railfan You wouldn’t care about the 7 second gap between when the truck cleared the tracks and when the train rolled by if your house was burning down
@@mintyman1968 A house can be replaced more easily than a steam locomotive. Don't you know about trains? I guess you don't since you want to stick up for that damn fire truck that tried to beat a train. I don't care about fires. Trains are the best and when it comes to steam locomotives in the 21st century, they can't easily be replaced like a house. So, understand that trains are larger than fire trucks and they too need to stop for trains even when responding to an emergency. It's better to get to you scene in one piece rather than trying to beat a train and creating another emergency. GET THAT THROUGH YOUR HEAD! I"M NOT GOING TO ARGUE ABOUT THIS ANYMORE.
Everyone negatively commenting about the fire truck driver, you are the same morons who would be complaining if that were YOUR HOUSE AND FAMILY and he sat there waiting for the train to pass. You would probably post videos with how long he sat till the train arrived and DIDNT GO THROUGH. He did a great job. How about we start snapping photos and videos and send it to the news station of you water headed people chasing these TRAINS with their cameras and illegally parked along the road side 895, 61, 309, 443 causing potential accident after accident? Or cutting bushes while illegally on the rail road tracks in New Ringgold? That’s the biggest issue. Maybe we should do a video of that bullshit.
So if the truck doesn’t go through and someone died…. Then the people would be like”. Truck should’ve went though to save those people”… can’t win with people today. If that was your loved one on the other side of the tracks in a fire… would you want them to go through safely like they did??
Only one truck made it through: everyone else had to wait. I was in the first coach of that train. Had the truck not made it across, I would’ve been seriously injured or killed. The driver should be expelled from the fire department.
I completely disagree. We had 1000+ passengers on that consist. I'm sure you know the stopping distances of a 16-car passenger consist traveling at 30+ mph when the brakes are applied. Had the truck failed to cross in time for ANY reason the rest would be history. I was on that train. BAD judgement from truck driver.
I’m gonna side with Bob P on this one. You never drive a motor vehicle around lowered crossing gates. The risk of a wreck are too great. Besides, first responders are supposed to lead by example. Seeing this might encourage others to do the same, and they might not be as lucky.
Personal story: I am a locomotive engineer. I have currently been out of work for just over two months after striking a vehicle at a crossing. I was operating the train at 30MPH, the motorist drove right in front of me. My train struck his rear driver’s side area, spun him around and killed him. This was the fourth person that has gotten killed by getting in the path of one of my trains. This shit is real. Do not put yourself in front of a fucking train. Don’t just take my testimony. There’s videos all over RU-vid of people that thought they’d be able to beat a train and didn’t. Most of the time, you will only have to wait at most, 45 seconds. Just fucking wait!
Good morning, my name is Amy, and I am with 69 News. I was reaching out to see if you took this video and if so, I was looking to see if we could have permission to use this footage today. Thank you!
@@NS8366 Thanks so much for giving us permission to use the video. I am also with 69 News. Would you be free to do a quick interview with us within the next couple of hours? If so, please email me at pliguori@wfmz.com. Thank you.
Gee, you'd think the railroad and the town would be able to implement clear warning devices to warn motorists of oncoming trains...something like...I don't know, some sort of warning lights and a gate to keep motorists from driving onto the tracks... OH WAIT...
1) the railway was there first. 2) the train was operating at the authorized speed of the track and equipment 3) all warning lights and barriers were working properly
Anybody know what the laws are for emergency vehicles crossing the a Railroad? I mean if someone is in live threatening desperate need of emergency/Fire services, I can see why they would cross, but the fire truck is not going to be any good of its smashed by Thomas.
Emergency vehicles (police cars, fire trucks and ambulances) still have to yield to trains, even if they're responding to an emergency. This is generally a constant even in states where no official law exists on this subject.
This is certainly no Thomas. He's a small 0-6-0 tank engine. 2102 is a heavy Northern 4-8-4 that weighs over 400 tons (equal to 10 fully loaded big rigs) just by herself. She was pulling 18 cars at 35 mph.
