Thought I've seen it all but this takes the cake!!!

who_dat73

Member
I put in here a while back about some dumb guy pulling a fishing boat going around the crossing arms in town here but tonight I have seen it all !!!!! I was stopped at a crossing and pulled to the side to watch the through freight as it picked up a few cars, sitting on the hood of the car scanner in hand the train was stopped acrost the crossing far probly 10 15 min and as I see the brakeman walk by on the other side of the cars after he goes by a guy scuttels under the car right in front of the trailing wheels I hollered at him in spanish "No more no more" he gets to my side and tells me in English the guy said it was ok and keeps on walking well couple of min. later three more people decide to take the short cut and we ant talking kids here these were grown men!!!!!
If the brakman told him it was ok to do this he should be done with his job in my opinion. and if not then they people should get a hefty fine.. I did take a couple of pictures of one guy then thought better of it because of some of the population that lives in town here are not real nice to say the least.. Am I being to sensitve here or am I right for being freeked out by this lack of disregard for ones own life and limb?????:eek:
 

hmas

Member
"no your right. Just look at it this way, if one gets killed it thins the gene pool.One less idiot."
Not quite! announce1
it is only worthwhile if they kill themselves before breeding, that way the defective genes are not passed on.
Tony
 

MasonJar

It's not rocket surgery
Wow - if they did that on the "OK" of the brakeman or any other railroad employee - then he's the one that should be done. Call the RR and report him - he's not doing anyone any favours...! hamr

Andrew
 

ezdays

Out AZ way
Wow - if they did that on the "OK" of the brakeman or any other railroad employee - then he's the one that should be done. Call the RR and report him - he's not doing anyone any favours...! hamr

Andrew
I would be more inclined to think that the guy is lying just to save face and that the brakeman didn't "tell him it's OK". Everyday when I cross the BNSF line a few miles from the house, I see cars backed up from the light that are either sitting right on the tracks, have part of the car on the tracks, are parked under the cross arm, or on some other way are just asking for it. Every now and then, they not only ask, but they receive. There's that one clip that I've seen on TV and on the Net where that one woman, and several others, ignore the cross arm and walk around thinking it's for that stopped train, when in fact it is for that through train that takes her out... You don't exactly feel sorry for those people, but you should for the brakemen, conductors and engineers that feel somewhat responsible and have to witness these things.
 

MasonJar

It's not rocket surgery
Don,

You are probably right. Honestly I can't imagine a RR employee doing that since they are drilled with far more safety instruction than you average pedestrian, or automobile driver. The statement jsut seemed so shocking.

If it wasn't for the snow here, I'd like to see the full gates that you see in England used. They completely block the rail line when open for vehicles, and then completely block the road when a train approaches, so there's no going around. They are also solid from the ground up to about 4 feet, so there's no ducking under either.

What I really love is the sign on the crossing not far from my place. It says "No Stopping on Tracks. $45 Fine". 45 bucks...!?! How about YOUR LIFE?! Now compare that with a sign from a New York City neighbourhood that says "No Honking. $300 fine".

I guess quiet is more valuable than the occasional crushed car, as the trains are no allowed to sound their horns within urban Ottawa either.

Andrew
 

ezdays

Out AZ way
The BNSF line runs parallel to US60. It's been there since geeze, probably since the turn of the century, or no later than the 1920's. It crosses several major streets as it goes through our city. Back in the 90's, they built Sun City West right up to the tracks. Now you can see where this is going I'll bet. The residents have been complaining about the use of horns by the engineers as they approach these crossings, so now they are going to make these "quiet zones". There is also a freeway planned for just north of these homes, and a temporary road is in use right now. This was planned and in place long before a lot of these homes were built, yet these people are complaining about road noise and want to have the state build barriers to block the noise. I think these are the same people that park on the tracks waiting for the light to change.:eek: :eek:

Gee, when we lived about a half mile from these tracks, I found the noise from the trains going through soothing and pleasant. To be sure, after a week or so, we hardly knew they were there.
 

MasonJar

It's not rocket surgery
We get the same complaints about the airport in our neighbourhood, at least the newer sections of it. My wife used to work the complaint line...!

The builder of the subdivision was required to add extra sound insulation and special windows to the homes. Airport was built/expanding from a military base from 1910s through to last year was their most recent expansion.

Most homes arrived in the 1980s to 2007... hamr


Andrew
 

ezdays

Out AZ way
Yeah, we use to live near the Scottsdale Airport, and had our business at the Airpark there. It was originally built as a training base back in the 30's and used as such until after the war. It was there long before all the houses and businesses that surround it, yet as each new subdivision sprang up, more complaints of noise were lodged. Hey, they were here first, you knew that when you bought that house at a good price because it was close to an airport. We did and when my wife was interviewed for a newspaper article, we got some pretty nasty mail because she said she didn't mind the noise.

Right now we live about eight miles from one of the few training bases in our state. A few years ago, one of our state legislatures was going to "look into the noise situation created by these jets". Then someone wrote him a letter explaining that the sounds we were hearing were to sounds of freedom, and he gave up his quest to silence these jets. They fly over our house sometimes late into the evening and I welcome them just as much as I welcome the sounds I can hear from the BNSF line a few miles away...

Just so we stay on topic, I regard these people in the same category as I do those jerks that ran around and under that train.stooges8
 

brakie

Active Member
As a brakeman I would flag cars through a street crossing while stopped..I would never tell a person to climb between cars..I don't know of any railroader that would..
Perhaps the guy lied about the brakeman saying it was ok to climb between cars???
 

ezdays

Out AZ way
...Perhaps the guy lied about the brakeman saying it was ok to climb between cars???
think the odds are, that this is more likely what happened... I don't think any brakeman would risk the consequences of allowing someone to do that knowing that if the cars moved even a few inches, it could cause some serious injury, something that would haunt the brakeman for a long time, and probably result in his losing his job as well.
 

who_dat73

Member
As a brakeman I would flag cars through a street crossing while stopped..I would never tell a person to climb between cars..I don't know of any railroader that would..
Perhaps the guy lied about the brakeman saying it was ok to climb between cars???

I am inclined to agree with Brakie I dont think any RR worker would tell somone to do this knowing that if somthing happened they would be the one picking up the body parts and if the guy survives he will probly sue they guy saying he told him to crawel under!!
 

bigsteel

Call me Mr.Tinkertrain
and if the guy survives he will probly sue they guy saying he told him to crawel under!!

in todays world that would probably be the outcome.one mans stupidity is another mans whole life.cause you know hed sue for some outrageous amount and say it wasnt his fault the brakeman didnt stop him.disgusting,what is this world coming too :confused::curse:wall1:cry:--josh
 

viperman

Active Member
I would be more inclined to think that the guy is lying just to save face and that the brakeman didn't "tell him it's OK". Everyday when I cross the BNSF line a few miles from the house, I see cars backed up from the light that are either sitting right on the tracks, have part of the car on the tracks, are parked under the cross arm, or on some other way are just asking for it. Every now and then, they not only ask, but they receive. There's that one clip that I've seen on TV and on the Net where that one woman, and several others, ignore the cross arm and walk around thinking it's for that stopped train, when in fact it is for that through train that takes her out... You don't exactly feel sorry for those people, but you should for the brakemen, conductors and engineers that feel somewhat responsible and have to witness these things.
I know that video you are talking about. It happened in Downers Grove, IL. Pretty close to where I live now. Forgot which crossing it happened at, though I used to know
 
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