Al Qaeda or Gremlins? You decide.

Rev. Harry Pants
"Yeah, the train'll stop for us." Like hell it did.
---

They don't have time to stop for you corn-shucking crackers!

It's a miracle!

Wasn't this on Grey's Anatomy a while back?

This is obviously a federal issue, so why didn't Bush send FEMA down there?

I remember a school bus did this ... fouled (read "on the tracks") the crossing pulling up to a red light. Train came before light turned green, driver panic'd and did nothing because of oncoming traffic and got struck.

Often the crossing protection will not be activated when you first enter the intersection, like Buran says,

"Never enter an intersection or rail crossing unless sufficient space is already clear on the far side."

There even new federal regulations about crossing protection activation distances and timings, increasing them, along with train signaling (whistle/horn), but bottom line, it's still drivers that can do the most to avoid disaster.

They may be long, but trains are less than 11ft wide.

/pay attention to how many tracks there are, single track = you can expect one train from one direction, 2 or more tracks ...

engineer: ahhhhh crapcrapcrapcrapcrapBOOM!

I used to live in a suburb of Chicago that had a 3-wide railway running through it. Metra, Amtrak and Grand Trunk frieght trains running through 24/7 @ 60+ mph... at least 1 pedestrian and 1 vehicle would get hit every year.

Never, ever go around RR xing gates.
and never, ever stop on the tracks in stop-n-go traffic.

Darwin, and the train, wins again.

/lived within whistle distance of trains my whole life.

2005-11-23 09:07:20 PM donny'sdiscountgas


I used to live in a suburb of Chicago that had a 3-wide railway running through it. Metra, Amtrak and Grand Trunk frieght trains running through 24/7 60+ mph... at least 1 pedestrian and 1 vehicle would get hit every year.

Where was this ? Trying to think where this would of been/is, but only been around 12 years.

/appreciates somone remembering the "Grand Trunk"

namatad

Damn straight. I was on the train about a month ago when some guy committed suicide by lying on the train. I know its more than a bit callus, but I wonder what my rights are regarding a lawsuit against his estate.

/was weirded out about the incident, and frustrated that I was an hour late to work. That's worth something, non?
//cafe car attendent had some kickass stories about other fatalities
///I like slashes.

2005-11-23 09:04:59 PM CalmClam

engineer: ahhhhh crapcrapcrapcrapcrapBOOM!

Very accurate, but a bit more graphic. Imagine seeing not one, but all those cars ... "shudders"

Chakat: I was on the train about a month ago when some guy committed suicide by lying on the train. I know its more than a bit callus, but I wonder what my rights are regarding a lawsuit against his estate.

So..let's mesure this up:
You lost an hour getting to work. A little bit 'frustrated'. His "estate" (i.e. his kids/wife/siblings/parents) just lost a person. So not only do they have to deal with the death of their family member (and all the incredible hassle and loss that goes along with that), you want to file a lawsuit against them? Riiiight.

Callous isn't the word for it. I'd file that under 'desperately in need of a groinpunch'.

Why do trains hate us so much?

O RLY?

/insert picture of Darwin

Remember...back in the day...Al Qaeda would be blamed for these kind of things? Sigh. I miss the good old days!

Good.

It's Bush's fault.

sounded like a job for Superman

guys, namastad was being sarcastic....if you're "agreeing" with him, then you have some serious issues. People are hurt. Only sadists like to see people get hurt, even if they're selfish idiotic people.

Of course you're not supposed to stop on the tracks - but does that mean it's alright for you to laugh at them? NO it is NOT. Animals.

Engineer: "I told you I was hardcore."

Choo choo, peanut butter.

Actually, the train has so much inertia and such a huge weight advantage that no, very seldom are train passengers or crews hurt.

Except when it's large momentum and huge weight advantage causes it to slide off the track on impact, which happens during an accident more than "very seldom"ly.

CNN was all over this. It was obviously a slow news day.
It was kind of goulish to listen to them get excited about a big accident.

/Never cross the tracks if your not sure you can get all the way across.

Metra is the death train. It hurt people while I was there, and people afterward which I saw published in OTHER states. I remember some previous Farkticle that had Metra defenders up in arms about a negative depictment of its rail system. I thought that so funny I forgot to laugh.

Unavailable for comment:

The train was headed from Chicago to Antioch.

Uh oh! Did someone throw the Holy Hand Grenade?

Hey, Scorpinock, is that a challenge?

"CBS News reports at least one car exploded in fames. "


IT ASPLODED INTO FAME!

Man, sucks to be them, but they shouldnt be stopped on the tracks, signal or not, you NEVER stop on railroad tracks, a train can come along any time and you're pharkt if it does.

I have WAY more sympathy for the engineer and crew on the train than I do for the morans that stopped on the tracks, my G-pa, uncle and brother work for Union Pacific, 2 are engineers and the other is a brakeman on freight trains, you know, those mile+ long bastages, I've seen what kind of emotional toll it takes on them when some moran stops on the tracks or plays chicken with the train and gets hurt or killed. It wasnt their fault they hit the vehicle, but they get totally wrecked when they do.

The kicker is, they have been trained to speed up until after they hit the vehicle, the reasoning behind this is that if you jam on the brakes and then hit it you might derail and cause even more carnage.

Sad to say it, but Darwin should clean a few of these morans out of the pool.

/G-pa helped Darwin with several dozen in his 40 or so years on the RR.
//Unc is sitting around 2.5 dozen, he's been there 35.
///Brother only started last year, so his score is a measly 2, but if they move him to the central valley run he'll probably get more. There's WAY more hicks down there that play chicken with the train.
////I like-a da slashies.. Do you like-a da slashies?

"CBS News reports at least one car exploded in fames. "

What, everyone broke into a chorus of "Hot Lunch" while dancing?

shoktru

the town was Hinsdale, Chicago-Aurora rail line

I feel guilty because I know they're classic 50's C&NW/UP/CB&Q design but I hate those Metra cars, things are tight as coffins(the webbing shelves on the 2nd level are nifty, tho)-I prefer the Metrolink cars(whoops-I meant spare Sounder cars from Seattle-I saw spare Sounder cars used in D.C.!) here in L.A. but they've gotten rid the bus transfer policy, cut the last train @ 9:00 P.M. & doubled the fares up to $6.75 to run from the far Western (909) to L.A.; about 40-odd miles. Gimme the $5.00 from Cary to Chi-town I'll take the cramping. I've been on one commuter train that nailed a hooker in San Fernando, three words; consistency of jello.

I wonder if the guy drivin' that train was wearing a mean snowman t-shirt.

2005-11-23 10:13:22 PM donny'sdiscountgas


shoktru

the town was Hinsdale, Chicago-Aurora rail line

OIC, Prolly BN main lines, we run on the IHB that goes through McCook-Lagrange-Broadview to Proviso (UP), run on the BRC to 26th Street (Cicero) to get to the BN.

I lived a block from this crossing most of my life. Almost every red light at 76th ave, cars end up sitting on the railroad tracks. Most drivers do not pay attention to the signs. At rush hour, it's much worse. There is the light just past the tracks, then another one a block down. After a few rush hour trains come through, these tracks get dangerous. If someone is sitting on the tracks waiting for the light to go green so they can move, the gates might go down. The lights are supposed to go green so the tracks can clear, but with another stop light a block down, and a side road feeding into the same light, you stand a good chance of not moving. I'd bet this was drivers fault 100%.

I was listening to the Stan and Terry show on the 105.9 and they were talking about it. They were talking with a guy from WFLD about it and he said people usually stop on the tracks to wait for the light. This is where I feel bad for the future of humankind. Stopping on the tracks is just like standing in the middle of a highway. But then again, people around here can be pretty stupid.

FAMES.....I'ms gonnas lives forevers.....Babys remembers mys names FAMES!

MrWhipee

I lived near this intersection for most of my life as well and agree with everything you just stated. And it isn't just this intersection. The crossing at Brown's Chicken is almost as bad. I remember that drivers would give me a hard time about stopping before the tracks when there was no room. Damn, karma can be a biatch

I ride this line and am glad I took the day off or I would have had a hell of a time getting home to the burbs.

/wish no harm on anyone, but these accidents usually happen due to some form of stupidity

Car exploding in fames:

When the hell will people learn that as far as drivers and pedestrians are concerned, trains have no brakes? If they see you it's too late to stop for you.

I think they should put them red-light cameras on railroad crossings and hand out some HUGE fines. That is, if they can figger out how to make it so cars trigger it and not gates or cars.

/takes Metrolink and Red Line to work
//lives maybe a mile from where the Metrolink was derailed by an ineptly suicidal crackwipe, killing 11 people
///first day the trains ran after that, someone drove through the crossing gates a quarter mile away and broke them

How the fark did a Utah station get green lighted for this article when it happened in Chicago?

It is like getting the breaking news of the Twins Towers being hit by planes from a news site in Biloxi.

All that we need now is John Candy(RIP), Steve Martin, and a plane from O'Hare at the scene.

damat01

You have the right idea. Why are we linking to a Utah Web site? Don't you think a Chicago news site would be better at handling, say, a Chicago news story?

/Just a thought.
//What do I know?

/window seat in the "coffin car", please

Shoktru

oh yeah, BN. I was confusing it w/ the GT line on the south side.

So is this where it happened?

I used to commute from Aurora to Chicago on the Metra train...it was a biatch when someone became what I call "train-butter." I have little sympathy for those who are stupid at train crossings; train safety is taught as soon as kids get into school around here. Geez.

/thinks suicide-by-train is awfully selfish
//knows it really farks up the poor engineers

CORRECTION: Multiple vehicles crash into commuter train in the Chicago area

smyr2001, AceThunder
Y'see, that's what I've been trying to tell the good people 'round here! I submitted this piece a good 30 minutes before that Morman did.

/damn mormans
//i keed... i know not all utahns are mormans/mormons, nor are they all morans or morons or however you're 'sposed to speel/spell crap around here