Close call and quick reaction saved a life

The sad fact of the matter is that when a crossing system fails, typically the first train through the failed signals discovers it. (There is a power indicator light on signal boxes, but it isn't always visible from some directions, that only indicates there is power TO the signal box, but does not insure the signal is FUNCTIONING.) Once a failed signal is reported, a 6.32 is put in place, and all affected trains notified, THEN the "stop and flag" at the crossing begins.

Crossing systems are not a perfect science and the presence of a crossing signal system does NOT relieve the vehicular traffic from SLOWING AND LOOKING BOTH WAYS as can be aptly seen in this video.

Andre

I had to watch with my sound off, but was the engineer sounding the horn? I've heard the Chicago suburbs all have ordinances against sounding train horns. I would wonder if that made the engineer hesitate. 

The Lansing, Illinois Board of Trustees recently passed an ordnance creating 'no horn zones'.  When the four grade crossings have the center line flexible poles in place and whatever other items are taken care of, Lansing will be a 'no horn zone."  Why?  One person who detests train horns is the past airport manager.  Many years ago, some of the current mayor's relatives were killed when a train hit the vehicle they were in.  When you figure out why she would not want the horns sounds, please let me know.  John

Some municipalities pass restrictive ordinances to stop trains from blowing horns.   I am almost 70 and have lived near the BNSF Heritage corridor most of my life.  I have seen the trend back and forth numerous times between "oh, no, somebody was killed at that crossing...again...because the engineer can't blow the horn"....so the ordinance is rescinded.  Trains once again blow their horns for grade crossings....which there are plenty of and there's lots of horn blowing.   Then in a number of years enough people forget about the people that were killed by trains when they couldn't blow horns.   So, they start complaining again about train horns keeping them awake or generally annoying them.  Actually, it's also a generational thing as well.  People move into the area who are not aware of the history of fatalities.  They run for trustees of the villages and get elected, still unaware.  Or, I should say, ignorant of the danger as well as all the previous fatalities.    So, the ordinance comes back and there's no more horn blowing.  I bear witness that this cycle has repeated in my lifetime.   

Anyone like myself having lived a lifetime in the area knows of or knew someone who met their fate at the train tracks.  I can think of three off the top of my head known by friends and family.   And there are many more that I have heard about or read about in the newspaper.  Railroad crossings are dangerous places and with multiple tracks there's more danger still.  People are imperfect creatures and we all make mistakes.  All it takes to get killed by one of the trains is a few seconds of inattention.  It's an inescapable fact that as long as there are trains and grade crossings there will be fatalities.  I really hate saying it this way but we are stuck with a 19th century transportation system that kills people if they have an inattentive or distracted moment.

Maybe another type of signaling would work in those areas where people's sensitivities are allergic to horns.  Come to think of it maybe we should just eliminate horns on automobiles.....?????   

Possibly brighter flashing lights on the front of locomotives.  Oh wait, someone will object to that.  How about eliminating grade crossings all together ?   But who will foot that bill, the railroad or the municipality.  Then when the citizens get the bill, in the form of higher taxes, what then ?

These stories always remind me of the tourist railroad, somewhere out in the mid-west, I think.  It had been there for years, doing what tourist railroads do.  A new housing development went up close to the railroad right-of-way.  The new residents complained.  End of tourist railroad !

Not many people put themselves in the shoes of others before they open their mouths.

Please, please, PLEASE,  remember that any and all of those "quiet zones" DO NOT prevent the Engineer from using the horn IN EMERGENCY SITUATIONS!   Yes, under normal operating conditions they do not use the horn, in "quiet zones". But when some idiot attempts to walk out in front of the train, or drive around the lowered crossing gates, the Engineer darn sure blows the horn. 

We've lived adjacent to the Burlington/METRA 3-track main line since 1972, and there is no telling the number of times we've heard the horn.

I was wondering how long it wold take for this item to show up. 

Clearly, the gates were malfunctioning and it's fortunate that no collision happened.  It doesn't appear there's any audio except for police radio on the dashcam video once the trains gone by.

Is that a signal maintainers truck, or is it someone working on the comm tower's equipment?

Rusty

Rusty Traque posted:

I was wondering how long it wold take for this item to show up. 

Clearly, the gates were malfunctioning and it's fortunate that no collision happened.  It doesn't appear there's any audio except for police radio on the dashcam video once the trains gone by.

Is that a signal maintainers truck, or is it someone working on the comm tower's equipment?

Rusty

I did a google map of Mokena IL at W 191 Street and it looks like the signal bungalow that the truck is parked by, and your picture would appear to show the bungalow door is open.  Behind the bungalow and hidden by the truck is a white building that I am guessing might be the comm shack for Metra/BN?? microwave tower.

From another article:

a Metra maintenance worker stationed at a signal bungalow across the tracks from where the officer stopped his car. Metra said the worker had arrived on the scene a few minutes before the incident, due to an unrelated issue. The train’s operator hit the emergency brakes and called a dispatcher when he noticed the problem with the gates.

According to Metra, the train’s horn sounds when the emergency brakes are applied. No other incidents were reported at the crossing after the near collision, and the malfunction at the crossing was repaired by 3:40 p.m. that day.

Metra said a rod in a hand throw switch shorted, causing the gate to fail. The problem was repaired a few hours later.

I also read in another place it was the horn that grabbed the officer's attention at the last moment.

Human reaction time and conditioning being what it is, there's a brief moment of disconnect when our brain tries to reconcile what we see/hear, and what is happening.

i.e. Crossing gates not down, yet I hear a train horn.  What is happening?    Bear in mind this firing of the synapses is happening in milliseconds.

EscapeRocks posted:

From another article:

Metra said a rod in a hand throw switch shorted, causing the gate to fail. The problem was repaired a few hours later.

Google maps shows an industrial spur west of the crossing.    If there was a shorted switch rod, then main track would be shorted causing a continuous gates down condition,  which explains the maintainer truck and open door.  Maintainer would take out/bypass that west main circuit from system to isolate problem, not expecting a train to happen along. Or "a failure to communicate" between the DS and maintainer alerting of track out of service.  Or DS sent train down the track forgetting that it should be out of service.   Surprised that gates can't be left up but lights flash as a warning (but consider how many motorists zip over non-gated crossings with lights on, Mokena motorists probably wouldn't expect a train coming with gates up at this crossing, just assume this was start of 15 second warning period before gate descend).

I do imagine that someone(s) will "be dancing on the super's carpet" explaining this failure.

But no need to debate here, just throwing this out, based on my signal material reading.

Yikes!  Three drivers should count their lucky stars! 

John...Rattler 21, I too live in Lansing, Illinois, and think this "No Horn" nonsense is pure bull s*&t.  And, yes, I've let our beloved Mayors Office know about it.   Problem is, you have a bunch of knuckleheads that bought homes near the tracks, then bit%h about the noise!

R Nelson posted:

John...Rattler 21, I too live in Lansing, Illinois, and think this "No Horn" nonsense is pure bull s*&t.  And, yes, I've let our beloved Mayors Office know about it.   Problem is, you have a bunch of knuckleheads that bought homes near the tracks, then bit%h about the noise!

BS!  It doesn't mater whether the trains blow their horns or not, the idiots will STILL get out in front of the trains.

In the future, could crossing signals be operated in conjunction with PTC equipment?

But even with the best, fool proof system, someone somewhere is going to try to beat the signals and/or train.

The gates didn't go down but the crossing lights were flashing, so you'd better pay attention anytime you cross a railroad.

Mark Diff posted:

The gates didn't go down but the crossing lights were flashing...

I thought so too at first, but after a couple of reviews, the lights didn't start flashing until the gates started moving.

ADCX Rob posted:

Mark Diff posted:

The gates didn't go down but the crossing lights were flashing...

I thought so too at first, but after a couple of reviews, the lights didn't start flashing until the gates started moving.

Given the usual way "non-complex" gate circuits are wired, the train's approach tracks to the crossing controls the start of lights then after delay starts the gate motors.  The crossing (island) circuit is just a holding circuit that keeps everything operating until engine enters the opposite approach circuit at crossing edge, that senses when the train last car has cleared  the island and does the gates up lights off.

There may be more involved going on "under the hood", but this is the general way I have seen crossing circuit schematics and read explanations, but always glad when experts chime in.

Times Square posted:

I had to watch with my sound off, but was the engineer sounding the horn? I've heard the Chicago suburbs all have ordinances against sounding train horns. I would wonder if that made the engineer hesitate. 

As you have learned from previous posts, even in Quiet Zones, Engineers are not prohibited from -- and indeed are required to -- sound the horn.

One of the requirements of FRA Quiet Zones is the installation of a device at the crossing, to notify the Engineer that the crossing protection devices are working.  The only ones I have seen are a square signal on a mast with a black background and displaying a lighted red X.  There may be other styles also.  When the gates have been fully lowered, the X changes to white.  So, the Engineer does know that the whistle must be sounded and, when possible, the train should be stopped short of the crossing, but stopping short is only possible when the train is approaching the crossing at low speed and therefor is not usually physically possible.

Number 90 posted:

One of the requirements of FRA Quiet Zones is the installation of a device at the crossing, to notify the Engineer that the crossing protection devices are working.  The only ones I have seen are a square signal on a mast with a black background and displaying a lighted red X.  There may be other styles also.  When the gates have been fully lowered, the X changes to white.  So, the Engineer does know that the whistle must be sounded and, when possible, the train should be stopped short of the crossing, but stopping short is only possible when the train is approaching the crossing at low speed and therefor is not usually physically possible.

When we were in Ames Iowa several years ago, UP had no horn crossing installed in residential area.  The loudspeaker trumpet horns were very directional so if you moved off side very much, the honking noise markedly decreased.  The other noticeable thing was the horn sound was distorted as though the trumpets were way over-driven.  The horn sequence cadence was rapid, seemingly more than a normal engineer would sound the horns at a crossing, and not timed so the last honk is held for the crossing itself.  But then this might be to insure the texting/half awake/yakity-yak driver pays attention!

Scary stuff. Fortunately it was a police office with a lot of driving experience, who drives for a living, who was involved. Very few drivers would have the quick reaction time and decision-making ability required to have made that instantaneous hard left turn to avoid impact (the only maneuver possible here to avoid impact). They would have frozen, or delayed that extra fraction of a second, and been hit.