10/30/21 Auto Train #53 fatal collision in North Charleston

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BCL

BCL

Engineer
Joined
Nov 16, 2012
Messages
4,432
Location
San Francisco Bay Area
Got a little confusing because of reports of a different collision on the Silver Star this morning.

https://www.postandcourier.com/news...cle_359330d0-3978-11ec-b8f3-b7f228972fd0.html
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At least from what I've heard no passengers were injured, at least not seriously but this will play heck with the AT schedule for a couple days. And hopefully the lead unit can be repaired.
 
BCL said:
Sorry. Just a bit confused because I've seen a few of the Chargers running in California, but they've got Caltrans markings I think.
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Chargers have been running in the Midwest, Pacific Northwest, and California for a few years. But LD chargers have not been put into service, first delivery was only a few months ago.
 
As long as we have grade crossings there will be accidents. Unfortunately some people crossing railroad tracks do not hold to the old advice of Stop, Look and Listen and pay the consequences. I always remembered the sign that was once below the crossbucks when I was a youngster and still adhere to that advice today.rrsign.jpg
 
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dlagrua said:
As long as we have grade crossings there will be accidents. Unfortunately some people crossing railroad tracks do not hold to the old advice of Stop, Look and Listen and pay the consequences. I always remembered the sign that was once below the crossbucks when I was a youngster and still adhere to that advice today.View attachment 25245
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In California, all school buses are required to perform a full stop at railroad crossings before proceeding.

I don't worry too much about it with proper crossing though in my car.

There was some TV ad showing someone stalling on railroad tracks when he stops for a dog running in front of him, but then he tries starting the car when the train is approaching. However, the disclaimer in the commercial says that one should abandon the car in such a situation.
 
dlagrua said:
As long as we have grade crossings there will be accidents. Unfortunately some people crossing railroad tracks do not hold to the old advice of Stop, Look and Listen and pay the consequences. I always remembered the sign that was once below the crossbucks when I was a youngster and still adhere to that advice today.View attachment 25245
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That's a great way to get rear-ended these days, there's not much of a reason to stop before a crossing equipped with gates and/or lights, that's part of the reason the new slogan is "Look, Listen, Live". You don't want to increase the chance of something or someone getting stuck on the tracks due to a crash.
 
daybeers said:
That's a great way to get rear-ended these days, there's not much of a reason to stop before a crossing equipped with gates and/or lights, that's part of the reason the new slogan is "Look, Listen, Live". You don't want to increase the chance of something or someone getting stuck on the tracks due to a crash.
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So what do you do with school buses and commercial vehicles that are required to stop?

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BCL said:
So what do you do with school buses and commercial vehicles that are required to stop?

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Most of us can read and can be prepared to follow at enough of a distance to allow stopping when the bus stops. ;) We can't anticipate when a car/truck/suv/etc might stop, though we should all follow the 3 (or is it 2) second rule when following vehicles.
 
daybeers said:
That's a great way to get rear-ended these days, there's not much of a reason to stop before a crossing equipped with gates and/or lights, that's part of the reason the new slogan is "Look, Listen, Live". You don't want to increase the chance of something or someone getting stuck on the tracks due to a crash.
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Maybe one doesn't need to stop, but slowing down is always a good idea. Unfortunately, a significant fraction of the American driving public seem to be impatient, aggressive, or both. Certainly, everybody drives too fast and thinks they're a stunt driver in a James Bond movie, including some people driving 18-wheeler tractor-trailers. The fact that most cars on the road are overpowered for the job they do just makes this worse. I've been noticing more boneheaded things on the road since the pandemic, but I'm not sure if that's real or even related, but drivers make a lot of stupid maneuvers out there. Putting a stop sign right before every grade crossing might not be a bad idea.
 

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