Public service announcement from a railroad worker.

[jackalope]

Hey guys I know a good number of you aren't in the U.S. however I know for a fact you all have trains where you live, PLEASE for the love of God STOP when the gates come down! Seriously its not worth your life to drive around the gates once they're down!

In the last week I've almost hit 2 pick up trucks, a work van, 4 cars, and 2 18 wheelers.

My train is usually 2 locomotives and 30 cars weighing in at around 4000 tons, my locomotives are 300,000 pounds a piece, we come down a hill to a road crossing and these idiots drive around the gates. With a train like I described at 7 mph I apply full brakes and the speed will increase to about 9 or 10 mph before the brakes get heated up and begin to slow the train down. From the time I apply full brakes it takes between 1 to 2 city blocks to get the train to stop and thats from 7 mph! We hit you in your car with our train and we won't even get a scratch but I guarantee your car will be destroyed! Maybe you won't be hurt, maybe you'll be killed, maybe your passengers will be ok, maybe we'll kill your wife and both of your children and you'll be left without a scratch and you'll get to live with the fact that you were the one that drove your car around the gates and got your family killed. Won't that make for a fun holiday season? Come down Christmas morning to see the tree and all the presents for your family and they're all dead because you couldn't wait 5 minutes for our train to cross in front of you, you're such a GREAT parent and husband/wife. Not to mention how you also just ruined my families holidays because I'm the one that was running the train that killed your whole family. Yes sir/ma'am your one HELL of a GREAT person!

So before you ruin/destroy your family, my family and yours and my life JUST STOP YOUR GOD DAMN CAR WHEN YOU SEE THE LIGHTS FLASHING AND THE GATES COME DOWN!

[tomhugill]

Fully support this, as a railwayman I see far to many incidents of level crossing abuse (as a MOM I'm sure Horses sees even more!). Its just not worth it, don't risk it as it impacts more than just you if you cause a collision.

[ALPHA]

Hey guys I know a good number of you aren't in the U.S. however I know for a fact you all have trains where you live, PLEASE for the love of God STOP when the gates come down! Seriously its not worth your life to drive around the gates once they're down!

In the last week I've almost hit 2 pick up trucks, a work van, 4 cars, and 2 18 wheelers.

My train is usually 2 locomotives and 30 cars weighing in at around 4000 tons, my locomotives are 300,000 pounds a piece, we come down a hill to a road crossing and these idiots drive around the gates. With a train like I described at 7 mph I apply full brakes and the speed will increase to about 9 or 10 mph before the brakes get heated up and begin to slow the train down. From the time I apply full brakes it takes between 1 to 2 city blocks to get the train to stop and thats from 7 mph! We hit you in your car with our train and we won't even get a scratch but I guarantee your car will be destroyed! Maybe you won't be hurt, maybe you'll be killed, maybe your passengers will be ok, maybe we'll kill your wife and both of your children and you'll be left without a scratch and you'll get to live with the fact that you were the one that drove your car around the gates and got your family killed. Won't that make for a fun holiday season? Come down Christmas morning to see the tree and all the presents for your family and they're all dead because you couldn't wait 5 minutes for our train to cross in front of you, you're such a GREAT parent and husband/wife. Not to mention how you also just ruined my families holidays because I'm the one that was running the train that killed your whole family. Yes sir/ma'am your one HELL of a GREAT person!

So before you ruin/destroy your family, my family and yours and my life JUST STOP YOUR GOD DAMN CAR WHEN YOU SEE THE LIGHTS FLASHING AND THE GATES COME DOWN!

This is a good thing ....great post Jack...there are just too many that don't understand a train with load cannot stop on a dime....terrific PSA
newspapers and new broadcasts should state this daily

ALPHA

[Merlin707]

Well said Jack and a very worth while message.

Too many people die these days because they don't have the patience to wait.

I fully support your thread Jack.

I'm amazed to learn of the info stopping distance wise, very informative and I'm gobsmacked.

[jackalope]

I copied and pasted this onto a car forum I'm a member of and can you believe I actually had some goof ball argue with me that its HIS choice to go around a gate and its none of my business. I tried explaining since I'm the one running the train that yes it certainly IS my business. This went back and forth until it degenerated into him name calling and me asking the mods to lock the post. I honestly just can not believe how insanely stupid people can be.

I just hope Darwin claims him quickly before he can hurt someone else with his stupidity.

[ALPHA]

Post these for him Jack...tell him to do the math



and if he still wants to play devil's advocate....let him...cause God doesn't accept idiots

ALPHA

[jackalope]

Thread is locked now, he can get hit I'm not arguing with him anymore.

[ALPHA]

Thread is locked now, he can get hit I'm not arguing with him anymore.

You did your best Jack...

ALPHA

[jarndice]

What angers me is that the impatient driver is not the only one who suffers, what about the train driver/engineer lying in bed with the vision of what happened running through his/her mind, and the Police and Ambulance crews who attend the mess created by a car becoming integral with a railway engine and the fire crews who have the job of cutting the bloodied remains from the wreck. and of course there is the family, poor buggers widowed and orphaned with no income. shaun

[jackalope]

What angers me is that the impatient driver is not the only one who suffers, what about the train driver/engineer lying in bed with the vision of what happened running through his/her mind, and the Police and Ambulance crews who attend the mess created by a car becoming integral with a railway engine and the fire crews who have the job of cutting the bloodied remains from the wreck. and of course there is the family, poor buggers widowed and orphaned with no income. shaun

I said all of the above and his reply was "it's their choice". I told him if he wanted to kill himself that's fine by me just to not involve me in his suicide. He said I was "crying like a little school girl and that I should just close my eyes". Utter and complete tool bag!