pdxjim
Service Attendant
The Coast Starlight hit a very expensive herd of cattle north of Klamath Falls.
Click here for the story.
Jim in Portland
Click here for the story.
Jim in Portland
I extend my sympothy to the rancher.How sad.......But whats with the C.S.First it was attacked by a runaway irrigation rig,now cattle on the tracks.Whats next?.....This has not been a good summer for amtrak or for cattle.The Coast Starlight hit a very expensive herd of cattle north of Klamath Falls.
Click here for the story.
Jim in Portland
Actually it was the California Zephyr that was attacked by the irrigation rig, not the Coast Starlight. Although still a very odd year with lots of odd things.I extend my sympothy to the rancher.How sad.......But whats with the C.S.First it was attacked by a runaway irrigation rig,now cattle on the tracks.Whats next?.....This has not been a good summer for amtrak or for cattle.The Coast Starlight hit a very expensive herd of cattle north of Klamath Falls.
Click here for the story.
Jim in Portland
Sorry, I have no symnpthy for the rancher at all. Maybe because my grandfather rasied cattle the last 20 plus of his farming years. As a pre-teen and teenager I spent quite a few days helping my grandfather mend fences. He was aggravated that one of the neighboring landowners didn't do his part, but even if it meant my grandfather did more than his share, he did it because it was his cattle he was protecting. You protect your valuables, whether animate or inanimate. This sounds like a failure to maintain your valuables. If these cattle were so valuable why did the rancher not make sure of the fence conditions regardless of who was supposed to be responsible. As to the railroad being 100% responsible: maybe California is different, but in most states maintaining a boundary fence is supposed to be 50-50. In some places maintinaing the fence adjacent to a railroad is the same as maintaining a fence next to a road. If you want a good fence YOU build and maintain a good fence.I extend my sympothy to the rancher.How sad.......But whats with the C.S.First it was attacked by a runaway irrigation rig,now cattle on the tracks.Whats next?.....This has not been a good summer for amtrak or for cattle.The Coast Starlight hit a very expensive herd of cattle north of Klamath Falls.
Click here for the story.
Jim in Portland
Somehow, I knew the above comment was coming . . and from the_traveler!!BREAKING NEWS
Flat Iron Steaks are back on the menu for a limited time!
OK Dave, you win, HANDS DOWN. Best REPLY POST OF THE YEAR!BREAKING NEWS
Flat Iron Steaks are back on the menu for a limited time!
My grandparents raise cattle as well, and I've helped work them and done my share of building and mending fence. You are right that the rancher should have done a better job checking the perimeter. The article said he was leasing the land and he lived a good 90 minutes away. It's impossible to check it every single day though. All it takes is a wash out of some weak posts and then you have a downed fence, or something like that.Sorry, I have no symnpthy for the rancher at all. Maybe because my grandfather rasied cattle the last 20 plus of his farming years. As a pre-teen and teenager I spent quite a few days helping my grandfather mend fences. He was aggravated that one of the neighboring landowners didn't do his part, but even if it meant my grandfather did more than his share, he did it because it was his cattle he was protecting. You protect your valuables, whether animate or inanimate. This sounds like a failure to maintain your valuables. If these cattle were so valuable why did the rancher not make sure of the fence conditions regardless of who was supposed to be responsible. As to the railroad being 100% responsible: maybe California is different, but in most states maintaining a boundary fence is supposed to be 50-50. In some places maintinaing the fence adjacent to a railroad is the same as maintaining a fence next to a road. If you want a good fence YOU build and maintain a good fence.I extend my sympothy to the rancher.How sad.......But whats with the C.S.First it was attacked by a runaway irrigation rig,now cattle on the tracks.Whats next?.....This has not been a good summer for amtrak or for cattle.The Coast Starlight hit a very expensive herd of cattle north of Klamath Falls.
Click here for the story.
Jim in Portland
True, but we are talking California here where rain is a relatively infrequent event. So far as I know therre has not been one recently in that area, so a failure due to weather is not something that occurred within the last few days or even few weeks.It's impossible to check it every single day though. All it takes is a wash out of some weak posts and then you have a downed fence, or something like that.
True, but we are talking California here where rain is a relatively infrequent event. So far as I know therre has not been one recently in that area, so a failure due to weather is not something that occurred within the last few days or even few weeks.
If the accident occured in an open range area in Oregon, as claimed in the article, the railroad has to maintain fences and is liable if it didn't. That's how I read Oregon Revised Statutes, chapter 608. Even in Minnesota, which I don't think ever had open range laws, railroads are solely responsible for fencing their lines, and are liable for killing or injuring domestic animals that wander on to the railroad line because of inadequate fencing or cattle guards.North of Klamath Falls...not in California.
I'm guessing it's cheaper to pay for the occasional dead moo-cow than it is to maintain thousands of miles of fences. The pay-out will be higherIf the accident occured in an open range area in Oregon, as claimed in the article, the railroad has to maintain fences and is liable if it didn't.
and I was going to say the new special on the dining car menu was steak at a special cheap price. Seems Amtrak got a deal.Somehow, I knew the above comment was coming . . and from the_traveler!!BREAKING NEWS
Flat Iron Steaks are back on the menu for a limited time!
And? Every accident is different.A side issue:
We have a train that hid a herd of cattle. Killed 24. After being released, the train continued its run.
A few years back a German ICE train hit a flock of sheep. Killed 22. Derailed train.
If the accident occured in an open range area in Oregon, as claimed in the article, the railroad has to maintain fences and is liable if it didn't. That's how I read Oregon Revised Statutes, chapter 608. Even in Minnesota, which I don't think ever had open range laws, railroads are solely responsible for fencing their lines, and are liable for killing or injuring domestic animals that wander on to the railroad line because of inadequate fencing or cattle guards.North of Klamath Falls...not in California.
I'd agree that good fences make good neighbors, but I'm not a western rancher. Isn't the whole point of open range laws is to limit the cost of fencing to ranchers?
I'm not sure who's right or wrong but you have to admit the urban vs. rural war going on in the article's comments section is pretty amusing. I still can't get over the fact that this rancher guy apparently left his super-duper-valuable cattle to wander off as they pleased or that open range laws inadvertently give cattle the right of way over a train. Just seems a little, well, backward to me. I suppose as an "urban elite" I just can't comprehend how hard it is to keep a determined cow from escaping its pen and running off to play chicken with the nearest train.
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