Southwest Chief derailment (June 2022)

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Low level or bi level, going from 90 to 0 in an 1/8 mile, would have ended up in that ditch. I remember back in the 80s, the STL-CHI State House with an F40 and 4 amfleets hit a dump truck at 79. The locomotive was upright but three of four Amfleets ended up on their sides.
 
If they werent like that could only one or two cars have toppled instead? Or does having more go down limit the number of potential rolls?
Having the cars together in a straight line is much better. If the cars separated they would be going in different directions and could run into each other = cutting into and crushing each other.

We sometimes complain that the US safety standards are a bit extreme but those standards probably saved many lives today.
 
People are going to want every crossing to have arms, bells, and whistles.

How about drivers just have some common sense?
And what would be wrong with that? In my opinion, running 90 mph passenger trains on tracks that cross unprotected grade crossings is crazy. The world you seek has long ago passed.

The decision to not install any protective devices is strictly a monetary decision. Railroads have proven recently with PSR that the only god that they worship is wall street. Edit: And I know BNSF is the only class 1 not to go the PSR route, but still they worship the investor. Not the safety of their employees or passengers on their tracks.
 
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Having the cars together in a straight line is much better. If the cars separated they would be going in different directions and could run into each other = cutting into and crushing each other.

We sometimes complain that the US safety standards are a bit extreme but those standards probably saved many lives today.
They're probably extreme for the trains because they're so lax for the road traffic. Trains here have to be built to withstand anything the road throws at them. Elsewhere, things like level crossings exist, with gates that fully close off the road so you can't drive around. In Florida at least they're starting to put up mirrors so people can actually see the train coming without even turning their head.
 
They're probably extreme for the trains because they're so lax for the road traffic. Trains here have to be built to withstand anything the road throws at them. Elsewhere, things like level crossings exist, with gates that fully close off the road so you can't drive around. In Florida at least they're starting to put up mirrors so people can actually see the train coming without even turning their head.
In Florida are they putting up mirrors in both directions for all tracks? Some would think that putting up aids to help people cross the tracks when protection devices are operating is a bad idea. In fact, it might prove to be a liability for those who installed them.
jb
 
CBS2 in Chicago just said it was 2 people in the dump truck and only 1 on the train that were killed. Not 1 in the truck and 2 on the train. I wonder which is correct.
 
And what would be wrong with that? In my opinion, running 90 mph passenger trains on tracks that cross unprotected grade crossings is crazy. The world you seek has long ago passed.

The decision to not install any protective devices is strictly a monetary decision. Railroads have proven recently with PSR that the only god that they worship is wall street. Edit: And I know BNSF is the only class 1 not to go the PSR route, but still they worship the investor. Not the safety of their employees or passengers on their tracks.
When the Lincoln Service/Texas Eagle tracks were upgraded for high-speed rail in my town, long crossing gates were installed. People used to drive around the shorter crossing gates when it wasn't obvious a train was approaching (and give "the look" to other drivers not doing likewise), which was dangerous. A few decades ago, the first big personal-injury case my husband's law firm won involved an ungated (and with unlighted cross-buck signs) freight crossing on the N side of town, with 4 teenagers in a car with the radio going who couldn't hear the train horn being killed.
 
And what would be wrong with that? In my opinion, running 90 mph passenger trains on tracks that cross unprotected grade crossings is crazy. The world you seek has long ago passed.

The decision to not install any protective devices is strictly a monetary decision. Railroads have proven recently with PSR that the only god that they worship is wall street. Edit: And I know BNSF is the only class 1 not to go the PSR route, but still they worship the investor. Not the safety of their employees or passengers on their tracks.

BNSF has absolutely gone the PSR route and don’t let anyone tell you differently.
 
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