All boils down to our current societal trend of self serving, selfish people. This guy had no respect for the well being of the crew (let alone himself). He had such a level of self importance that waiting 3 minutes for a train to pass was a violation of his rights and freedoms. And as a result, every crossing in the area was blocked by a stopped train for 6 minutes, plus the time it took to get moving back up to speed- inconveniencing countless other people up and down the line. (Anyone want to bet he is also likely the person in the 10 items or less lane with 20 items, because they were buy one get one, spends the whole time talking on his phone while the clerk is ringing him up, and doesn't even have his money ready to pay ? SO "special" )
Do we know if this company was ever cited? Sure hope so and that driver should be FIRED!!! I can only wonder the stress the engineers went through by the emergency stop.
@Sidetrack Susie Im glad he’s ok!!! As a retired first responder, I dealt with a few train vs pedestrian calls and saw first hand what these folks go through. like I said, I can’t imagine the feeling of helplessness.
Well they had him blocked in I hope the person was held accountable. For those who don't know the area the person drove into would be blocked by the train.
They’d make quite a bit of $$$ through these types of things, especially nowadays. People are just so darn ignorant when it comes to the RR right of way.
I think several railroads are installing cameras in cabs to be dash-cams just for this kind of situation. I do know that there has been a program of some state police riding along and getting license numbers and writing tickets, particularly commercial vehicles and school buses.
Can we all take a moment to appreciate just how fast that train actually came to a complete stop? I wasn’t expecting it to halt that quickly honestly. 28 seconds from time train decelerated to full stop. Impressive actually.
An empty train was in his favor. (Note the two buffer cars at the head end. My first thought was that it was a mixed freight.) Had it been a loaded unit train, the outcome may have been different.
And because of that move, and the train going into emergency, anyone correctly waiting at the lights would have to wait significantly longer for the crossing to clear.
This one rivals the bicyclist crossing in front of the speeding Amtrak Cascades in Chehalis. Why would you risk something like this unless you have some kind of bizarre death wish?
I think a lot of it comes from entitlement nowadays. “My time is too valuable for me to wait for a train! It should wait on me, not the other way around!”
I can go one better. I was at a pedestrian crossing of railway tracks locally when a "gentleman" decided to cross in front of a loco. Fortunately for him, it was light (only the loco) and going slowly. But, W*&$%#, really?! You want to go up against 101metric ton?? Oh, yeah, it happens in NZ too. Sadly. :(
Virtual Railfan: If possible, it would be beneficial and responsible to submit this clip to the local police department. Though the signage on the truck is illegible, the physical placement and color would be unique enough for this business as well as the description of the trailer that it may be enough to identify and for the police to keep a look out for this company vehicle. Your date stamp on the video would be an asset to the authorities as well. Now retired, but during my RR career I volunteered for Operation Lifesaver. I believe it would be a service in a matter of prevention and awareness to submit this video, and not let it only pass as an example of poor and dangerous behavior to be seen and a subject for mere commentary below.
My concern is for the engineers. I come from a RR family and this sort of irresponsible nonsense was their biggest concern. I noticed at the 1:05 time on the video that the truck drove behind the Farmers Market. I googled it and noticed that the road behind there, McAfee St, leads to English Landing Park. Perhaps this idiot is a contractor working there. Would be worth checking out.
VRF has never had an issue with making video available to police and railroad officials. However they would need a full time employee to screen footage and send to local police for people running a crossing gate. It’s a consistent problem and some people cut it closer than others but at any crossing it happens all the time. I’d suspect this is a newer crew. Because so many people run crossings an experienced crew is less likely to go into emergency until an accident is much more eminent.
Can u submit to local news media, at least? I think, at the very least, the media can see what caused the train to stop and block the crossings. Emphasize this was all the fault of the person pulling the trailer, now EVERYONE gets delayed.
Yeah, TCR; but some people suffer from "cranial-analitis" and a misguided feeling of self-importance and they can't be bothered by using 3 minutes of their insignificant lives waiting on a train.
Amtrak had a 2-for-1 special the other day. Went into emergency south of Ashland for a crossing runner. Got going again and had runner at the England St crossing. The England St. runner made the grab bag
Perfect example of one person's stupidity affecting so many other people. In addition to causing havoc for the train crew (and their nerves), since the train went into emergency, it has to come to a full stop to recharge and release the brakes. Meanwhile, other trains are getting held up waiting for this train to go through. You've got people who are waiting at the crossings in that town for this train to pass, and now it's going to take more than a couple minutes. Also, what if there was fire or some other emergency where minutes matter, but the first responders are now stuck waiting for a freight train that had to stop because somebody couldn't wait. The driver of the truck was obviously not thinking or caring about anybody but himself. He was an idiot not only for going around the gates, but also for doing so with a trailer and taking his time doing it.
3:07 “Approximately every four hours, someone is struck at a highway rail grade crossing in the United States” I’m sorry to say this happened yesterday on the Parkville cam. That’s why it went down.
Even though he wouldn’t have hit the vehicle, the engineer made the right decision. Since he’s carrying ethanol/oil, they need to take any and every precaution possible. Kudos to the crew
I’m THE engineer. I placed the train in emergency well before the first crossing. What you can’t see is the people on the sidewalk by the truck. This is a very Busy place. There’s a big park with a walking trail around it. Lots of walkers and runners out at that time on the morning. The parking lot in the video is for the park on the other side of the trees. He could have stopped for all I knew. The train was empty and therefore stops pretty well. Would I have stopped before hitting him? No. But I was doing 45 mph and it would have been better to hit him at a reduced speed. Hitting him would have taken out that building and possibly killed a few people. I stand by my decision. I had only seconds to make one.
The railroads need to install red-light type cameras at such crossings. When a car goes around a gate, there's no question it happened and the driver has no excuse to give a traffic judge.
we have a camera it's called virtual railfan or the guys that are sitting there taking the videos that are running the camera so we can watch thank you very much for leaving us the cameras so we can watch
@@davidmeek3104 But this cam cannot see a license plate or forward the info to the local L/E. Selfish people like this need to be prosecuted to the fullest extent!
Acho que não vai ter Brasileiro aqui para comentar, queria saber se após o acionamento dos freios de emergência, não da para desativar eles e continuar acelerando?.
Do you realize that in some countries in Europe, that if a crossing gate and lights don't work, the crew has to stop the train just short of the crossing, sometimes flagging the crossing before proceeding?
Earlier today saw a bicyclist ride around a stopped Metra train at a station. Engineer saw him and blew the horn. Imagine if another train was coming on another track. Or the Metra began to move
Question, why did they make the emergency stop if the truck and trailer cleared the cross-bucks? Or did the engineer declare the emergency before they cleared?
Key Trains are different- that entire train being Hazardous Materials AND the switch lying just ahead make for a bad day if they hit someone at this crossing.
I’m the engineer from that day. I made the decision when I saw the trailer. I could only see the front half of the truck because it was obstructed by a building. then he started going across and I thought he was gunna make it but then I saw the trailer and had no idea how long it was. Hitting him could have hurt bystanders, lots of foot traffic because of the park trail along the river. The train was an empty ethanol train.
Welcome Back to another episode of Idiots Around Railroad Tracks S1 Ep3 todays episode is where a Truck with a Trailer causes a Train to go into Emergency
All of the visual elements are present to prosecute the truck driver for failure to stop at a traffic signal. Hopefully the owner of the truck can be identified.
Stopped for lights and gates at a crossing once and the car behind went around us. Made it across just as the train arrived but to his surprise there was a police car on the other side and we got to watch under the passing rail cars to see him pulled over. My kids literally cheered. When we crossed after the train passed he was still there doing paperwork. 😁😁😁
That pickup truck can be easily identified, report him/her immediately so they can be held accountable to fullest extent of the law! No one has time for these dangerous railroad games!
With the side logo on the white pickup truck, it would be possible to track the driver down (assume the person lives in the area, which I assume he or she does).
In the UK that's almost certainly a British Transport Police Prosecution. Criminal Trespass, Endangering an Oncoming Train and Staff. Saw another one of those rail video accidents a couple of weeks ago. In EasterN Europe a truck driver stopped for the gate which was active. Trapped, he did'nt run the gate. A High Speed passenger locomotive with coaches wiped out/hit Refrigerated Trailer. AND I MEAN WIPED IT OUT,RIGHT OFF! HIS TRACTOR UNIT WAS LEFT STANDING AT THE GATE.
Lol, I’m the engineer that was running that morning. I said a lot of things I wouldn’t say in front of my grandmother. I’ve been an engineer with BNSF for 15 years and I’ve never had to plug my train to avoid hitting a vehicle until that morning. And then it happened again on my way home from Lincoln.
Not only did he put themselves in danger they also scared the driver really bad too. Once you see the flashing lights if you’re before the crossing, STOP if you’re in the middle when they start blinking, keep moving
Hope that dipsh*t is proud of himself for bringing that train to a complete stop for his impatience. Kudos to the engineer for being proactive and bringing that train to a complete stop in about 15 cars past the crossing.
Four (4) Corner crossing gates have been only "suggested" for safety, for over 50 years, since even before Amtrak started in 1971. But only a relative few crossings have these Four (4) corner gates, usually on high speed tracks that carry passenger trains. And some crossings with multiple rr tracks. But now since freight trains are SO LONG at nearly 2 miles with 200 cars, and 5 head end diesels. And 2 to 5 mid train D.P.U. that also act as air brake distributors. And 2 (two) more rear end helpers that are frequently used as leading units for when the train comes to a reversed junction switch. And these Gigantic trains weigh nearly 25,000 TONS,(U.S. LBS.) THEREFORE, U.S. railroads, the new 4 corner gates will cost nearly $250,000.oo to install. Yet, they will prevent most auto collisions, and DERAILMENTS, AND the $10,000,000.oo, Ten MILLION Dollar +PLUS pay out for the Haz-Mat cleanup, And Insurance Premiums. So pay a little now for the gates, or else you will pay 50x times as much later in the future. So. The choice is YOURS!!-!
One of the commonly held misconceptions is that railroads decide where and what types of railroad warning signals are installed at crossings. In reality, the process is governed by a federal program since crossing signals are defined by the Federal Highway Administration as highway control devices, not railroad signals. Railroad crossing signal installations and signal upgrades primarily are funded by federal safety funds, originally through "Section 130 funding," but more recently under other titles. The states receive an allocation of federal money each year for grade crossing improvements.
People like that idiot should NOT have a driver's license. You are so impatient that you are willing to risk your life just so you don't have to wait for a freight train. You are a menace to the road and railroad. May we never cross paths at a crossing. I hope the crew is okay, that is never something you want to see. Someone dart across a crossing, putting you and their lives on the line. Sometimes they win and get across. Often they lose and become another statistic of train vs. car or train vs. person. Stay alive and stay safe. When you see those red lights flash, bells ring and, or gates come down, you stay there until after the train has cleared the crossing circuit. You don't need to be another near miss or fatality.
Wish someone could get the name on the side of that truck. High tech equipment to do a close-up of the video to try to decipher what was written on the side.
I was the engineer on this train. I was telling the story at work and someone sent me this video. I thought he was going to make it but then I saw the trailer and made the decision to plug it. Some people in the comments are saying I shouldn’t have plugged it and that I should have just hit him or that I wasn’t even close and I overreacted. I had 4 seconds to make a choice. You can’t see it from the angle of the camera but there’s a building and trees that were obscuring the entire truck until he started going around the gates. This is a very busy area, what you see on the right is the parking lot for a city park with a really nice trail. Lots of early walkers and runners use it. You can’t see it in the video but lots of people are around. What if he would have stopped? I have to plan for the worst case scenario. I would have hit him at 45 mph smashing the truck and trailer into the building and possibly killing him and the people on the street and possibly myself and my Conducter. I plugged the train to reduce the impact speed as much as possible. The two crossings that you can see was the only way in or out. He was trapped on that side of the tracks. We notified the dispatcher with a description of the truck but I’m not sure if anything came of it. The train was empty ethanol that’s why it stopped as fast as it did. I put the train in emergency before that first crossing.
I don't know if you was the real train driver. Because no way to tell this is the internet. But yeah you or the real driver reading this. Did the right thing to stop the train or at least try to stop as it passed the first crossing.
