An 85 year old retired judge made a wrong turn onto FEC tracks in Delray Beach. He apparently thought it was I-95. He tried to back up, but he was cliped by a passenger train. My question, should this man have a license? It's scary to think that there are people driving that can't tell the differnce between a rail crossing and an enterence ramp to an expressway. Could have been worse I suppose. Imagine the crew of the train trying to explain this one. Any thoughts on the subject or stories of other similar accidents? Let's hear them. Eric
<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by milwfreak: Any thoughts on the subject or stories of other similar accidents? Let's hear them.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE> I've been commuting to work by Metrolink trains for nearly five years. It seems we manage to nail someone at least once a year. WARNING:these are not for the squeeminsh! <UL TYPE=SQUARE> <LI>One senior ran out of gas on the train tracks and stood between the rails, and between us and his car, waiving his mini-mag light at us. We hit him doing about 60 mph. <LI>One lady ran out of gas in her new Mercedes (less than 500 miles on it) while blocking a crossing. The train gates came down and she refused to abandon her car. The truck driver behind her was trying to drag her out of the vehicle, but she resisted something fierce. He finally punched her in the face and pulled her out just before we hit the car doing about 45 mph. When the conductor ran back to the scene, she started beating on him, screaming, "Why didn't you swerve?" <LI>One sad soul murdered her child and then commited suicide by jogging down a hillside, into the side of the moving passenger coaches. We couldn't go again until the fire department washed her off the side of two coaches! <LI>I was taking the early train home so there were only about 15 people on the whole train. I was in the first car with two other passengers. I was seated at the table over the trailing truck. As we passed a grade crossing there was a huge BANG under my seat, and I jumped up in surprise. I looked toward the rear door (five feet away) just in time to see the diaphragm rip apart and MU cables fly out. The last two cars separated from the train and I felt like an astronaut watching the landing module drift away. The lights went out and we came to a stop. By the time the rear two cars stopped rolling, they were about 200 yards behind us. After a few minutes with no contact from the train crew, I opened the rear door and looked out. The rubber seals on the diaphragm had been ripped to shreds, and one whole piece was hanging down on the roadbed. I put the temporary gate across the open door so no one would fall out (but more so I could lean on it and watch the show). I stood in the open doorway as we backed up and recoupled with the stray cars (I was directly over the couplers, looking down on them). According to the conductor, a car hit the crossing gate arm, swinging it into the uncoupling lever as we passed. <LI>Two weeks ago, I was standing on the train platform waiting to go to work. There was bumper to bumper traffic on the street adjacent to the platform, filled with commuters waiting to get on the freeway. A truck-tractor rig was patiently waiting his turn to cross the tracks, cautiously waiting until there was room on the other side of the crossing. Impatient commuters kept passing him and pulling in front of him, leaving him marooned on the wrong side of the tracks. After several minutes of this, he pulled forward anyway, leaving the back corner of his trailer over the tracks. Sure enough, the crossing bells started going off, and a BNSF intermodal came hauling down the tracks at track speed. All of us on the platform hid behind benches and any other shelter we could find, and watched with glee/horror as the train nailed the trailer. [/list] ------------------ Ed Harrison Ed's Mental Cab Ride [This message has been edited by ten87 (edited 24 January 2001).]
Back during the war (WWII), an arrogant Army official kept parking his car where the rear end hung over the nearest rail. The engineer would stop, send me to find the guy and ask him to move his car. The guy said he was buisy and his work was more important than our schedule. After this happened several times, the engineer got fed up and went to the guy, telling him he was holding up the war effort. The engineer, came back foaming at the mouth, backed our engine up, and coupled onto a flat car with a Sherman tank on it. I rode the pilot and uncoupled the flat, while the engineer reversed and backed us around a curve and into a siding. We ran to see the result. That tank rolled ever so slowly up against the car, and punctured the rear door, kept on rolling ripping the rear section of the car off and carrying it about a block to end of track bumpers. The arrogant one hollered, but witnesses stated they had seen no engine, the car just seemed to roll very slowly on its own. We had been seen back in the yards at the time. He got another car, but parked on the other side of the building, we never heard anymore about it, but the Yard Master had a twinkle in his eye after that. No one liked the guy. ------------------ Watash #982 "See you in the Pit"
WOW!!! Thank you both for the great storys!!! Those were sad yet amazine! Ed, I think you could write a short book or something on your tales! And Watash, thats a great tank story as well, would have been really cool to have been there to see the guys face! ------------------ Craig Martyn Best Looking Models Around Custom detailing AND N scale detail parts. BLMA N Scale Detail Parts BLMAinfo@aol.com
Amazing. Last summer While trainwatching with a few friends we got our cameras ready to photograph a CSX AC6000 pulling a Intermodel. Some kids were goffing off next to the tracks. They were to far out of range to scream anything to them at the last moment one jumped out infront of the unit and ducked as the train went over him. We heard as the crew applyed the brakes and we feared the worse. The train was short and passed a few moments later. We expected to see the remains of a teenager but did not. He had slid out of the way at the last moment. Now for those of you who say theres never a cop in the right place at the right time This sistuation counters that. A cop was driving though the park at the time and witnessed the kids goofing of on the tracks. He hauled them both of to the station. ------------------ Theres no such thing as having to many coal hoppers or GP40-2 when you model Chessie System LONG LIVE THE KITTEN!!! LONG LIVE BIG BLUE!!! LONG LIVE THE TIGER STRIPE!!! (I am one of those wierd Chessie,CR,BN Fans) I looked at DCC... and stayed DC!
