[PRCo] Re: Darwin Award Candidates

[Fred Schneider]

You hit on something totally different ... private crossings.  And the only one
I ever used also had a telephone so that the user could find out if something
was in the block before he or she opened the barrier.

But we probably don't have to worry about that.  The French will write something
obtuse into the new European Constitution.  Phil Craig said something about the
French trying to control the color of fire extinguishers throughout Europe and
Phil complaining that the London Underground already had their own good system
of color coding different types of extinguishers ... the French want them all
one color.

I thought about mentioning people who drive their cars off bridges, but that can
happen anywhere.

John Swindler wrote:

> >Fred Schneider commented:
> >
> >
> >I know for example that British Railways do not have grade crossing
> >accidents because they do not grade crossings.  Take that back ... I
> >remember being told that several locomotives assigned to one line up north
> >in Britain had headlights because that line had the only grade crossing in
> >Britain.  But a lack of grade crossings does not stop lorries from driving
> >rapidly under low bridges and pushing the track out of alignment.
> >
>
> Still quite a few grade crossings - and lots of idiots in Britain.  About
> two months ago, news article noted a grade crossing accident on a rural line
> - and rural farm lane.  There were gates to block the road at all times.
> Auto driver - in this case, usually just occasional farm workers - had to
> get out of their vehicle, open gate, drive across rr tracks, then close
> gate.  Except some illegal migrant farm workers from Balkans got lazy, and
> left gates open.  You guessed it - on their return trip,  freight train
> compacted part of their van and several of the workers.
>
> Otherwise, grade crossing tend to be very few and far between.  Certainly
> none on high speed lines.  Then the problem is careless drivers who drive
> off side of bridge and fall onto right of way.  Also happened couple months
> ago - think it was on East Coast main line.
>
> Concerning Roger's comment about brain-dead drivers:  Best story was link to
> news article sent to me by Russ Jackson couple years ago.  Involved a grade
> crossing accident -sort of- in Illinois - or might have been Iowa.  Anyway,
> guy racing train drives around closed crossing gates - and manages to
> collide with driver in opposite direction who also was attempting to go
> around closed rr crossing gates.  Train wasn't involved, and point of impact
> took place  off of rr right of way.
>
> John
>
> >rogertrolley.1 at juno.com wrote:
> >
> > > You certainly cannot help the BRAIN-DEAD people that drive around
> >lowered gates at RR or Lightrail crossings. They are apparently suicidal or
> >on drugs. When the LAMETRO Blue line opened to Long Beach, there was
> >numerous collisions between trains and cars which drove thru  clossed
> >gates!! One paricular gruesome one was a taxi that raced the train down to
> >the next crossing with 5 passengers aboard, and turned in front of the
> >light rail train and was broad-side and pushed down the track. Everbody
> >died in the taxi !!  The europeans have it right. A barricade rises out of
> >the pavement that cannot be breached by a speeding auto which destroys
> >itself on the barricade and allows the train a an accident free passage !!!
> >     rogertrolley

fws

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