Amtrak

[bullitpdq68]

The article I read said they had. Nothing new about everybody is always wanting something done if they don't have to pay for it. BNSF owns the track and there was NOTHING wrong with it, it was a pretty high speed piece of track. The dump truck driver is the one that screwed up, I don't know what you don't understand about that. Even if you can't see as well as you think you should I'll guarantee you there was a train whistle screaming well before they got to that crossing and the Amtrak whistles are louder than most right trains.

A Federal Law requires all commercial vehicles that carry passengers or hazardous materials to stop at RR crossing no matter what what signals are in place including crossing gates. School bus drivers are required to open the front door at a crossing to ensure they can see and hear approaching trains.

Why do we require this law? Because RR crossing are hazardous and kids lives are too important and to error is human!! You need lose the I know all things about trains don't questions me attitude "because I worked for the RR" and just open you mind to what Revno is saying and asking. The trains are doing almost 90 MPH at that crossing and at that speed by the time you hear the whistle the train is on you, yes you are right operater error, but why not have some sort of crossing protection at a place where trains are going at such a high rate a speed? I know two people who were hit by a train, and both have said they don't remember hearing a whistle or seeing the train both were at rural crossings with nothing blocking the view. I don't know that they are needed at all rural crossings but errors happen more so where speed is applied. So to protect against human error why not improve crossings where trains are traveling at high speed? we all error...That is why sometimes we need help.

 

[3Rfan]

When it's yours or the life of others on the line you should NOT error at RR crossings. That driver didn't just just put his life in danger, with a truck that size he also endangered the lives of many and some lives were lost because of what HE did.
IF an engineer doesn't blow the whistle they will know that when they pull the tapes from that engine, it's all on there from his entire trip. They know how fast he was going, if and when he applied the brakes and any other information they need. If the whistle didn't blow then it's a whole nother story as to who is at fault. I've seen nor heard anything that says there was not RR cross buck signs at the crossing where the dump truck was hit. If they were not there the RR would bear some responsibility.

 

[bullitpdq68]

When it's yours or the life of others on the line you should NOT error at RR crossings. That driver didn't just just put his life in danger, with a truck that size he also endangered the lives of many and some lives were lost because of what HE did.
IF an engineer doesn't blow the whistle they will know that when they pull the tapes from that engine, it's all on there from his entire trip. They know how fast he was going, if and when he applied the brakes and any other information they need. If the whistle didn't blow then it's a whole nother story as to who is at fault. I've seen nor heard anything that says there was not RR cross buck signs at the crossing where the dump truck was hit. If they were not there the RR would bear some responsibility.

You are right nobody should error but it happens, and we should do everyting to stop it.

Also not saying the train did not blow the horn just saying sometimes you don't hear it. When I come up on a RR crossing at night I slow down and shut my lights off. It is scary how quiet a train can be. I remember walking on over a RR trussel when I was young and just as we got accross a Train came thru, the surprising thing is none of us heard it until had we been up on that Trussel it would have been too late for us.

 

[3Rfan]

You are right nobody should error but it happens, and we should do everyting to stop it.

Also not saying the train did not blow the horn just saying sometimes you don't hear it. When I come up on a RR crossing at night I slow down and shut my lights off. It is scary how quiet a train can be. I remember walking on over a RR trussel when I was young and just as we got accross a Train came thru, the surprising thing is none of us heard it until had we been up on that Trussel it would have been too late for us.

I guess we should have a 4-way stop at every intersection on every road because somebody might not do the right thing there either.
NO train whistle is quiet and Amtrak is louder than most freight train horns. The least distance I know of on any main track for the whistle boards that tell the engineer to start blowing the horn is 1/4 of a mile. I assume it's farther when the speed is higher. The freight lines I worked on, Missouri Pacific, then Union Pacific Amtrak is allowed 5 mph over freight train speed. I never worked on a track with any more than a 70mph limit and most were 60 or less. The track between Poplar Bluff and St.Louis on the Desoto Sub where I worked the most has lots of high degree curves so the speed is not above 40 or 50 on much of it.

 

[MGHS]

I

I have NEVER said a company should lose money, they could still make LOTS of money and let the common people have a decent price at the pump.
Over paid and over benefitted grunt union workers?!!! If you think RR union workers are overpaid you should give those jobs a try for a few years, in track maintenance or in train service. You have NO idea how hard those jobs are and how much time those people spend away from home trying make a decent living.
How are RR's corrupt and wasteful? They actually have to pay their own people, train dispatchers ,to direct train traffic unlike the airlines who have the benefit of government paid air traffic controllers.

First off companies don't turn down making money!! That would be immoral to their shareholders and investors. That would anger them and they would look to invest else where to make more profit.

Companies are not run like some mom and pop store that absorbs losses to help friends in the community. They are RAN for MAXIMUM PROFIT!

I do have a idea of how hard those jobs are I have two friends who work for the RR one out of Stillwater Ok. the other out of Springfield Mo. and I have now quizzed them on the labor and hard work. They both have told me it's hard but that any person in average shape can do any of the jobs they have done. And The one out of OK. wife is a RN and he makes more than her. So yeah if you make more than a RN then you are overpaid as a labor. As most Union workers are......it would not be hard to replace all of those Union workers with disposable south of the border labors and save a ton for the consumer.

As far as RR corruption they have tried to control arbitrators and employees have been caught in wire fraud etc.

 

[MGHS]

I

I have NEVER said a company should lose money, they could still make LOTS of money and let the common people have a decent price at the pump.
Over paid and over benefitted grunt union workers?!!! If you think RR union workers are overpaid you should give those jobs a try for a few years, in track maintenance or in train service. You have NO idea how hard those jobs are and how much time those people spend away from home trying make a decent living.
How are RR's corrupt and wasteful? They actually have to pay their own people, train dispatchers ,to direct train traffic unlike the airlines who have the benefit of government paid air traffic controllers.

First off companies don't turn down making money!! That would be immoral to their shareholders and investors. That would anger them and they would look to invest else where to make more profit.

Companies are not run like some mom and pop store that absorbs losses to help friends in the community. They are RAN for MAXIMUM PROFIT!

I do have a idea of how hard those jobs are I have two friends who work for the RR one out of Stillwater Ok. the other out of Springfield Mo. and I have now quizzed them on the labor and hard work. They both have told me it's hard but that any person in average shape can do any of the jobs they have done. And The one out of OK. wife is a RN and he makes more than her. So yeah if you make more than a RN then you are overpaid as a labor. As most Union workers are......it would not be hard to replace all of those Union workers with disposable south of the border labors and save a ton for the consumer.

As far as RR corruption they have tried to control arbitrators and employees have been caught in wire fraud etc.

I guess we should have a 4-way stop at every intersection on every road because somebody might not do the right thing there either.
NO train whistle is quiet and Amtrak is louder than most freight train horns. The least distance I know of on any main track for the whistle boards that tell the engineer to start blowing the horn is 1/4 of a mile. I assume it's farther when the speed is higher. The freight lines I worked on, Missouri Pacific, then Union Pacific Amtrak is allowed 5 mph over freight train speed. I never worked on a track with any more than a 70mph limit and most were 60 or less. The track between Poplar Bluff and St.Louis on the Desoto Sub where I worked the most has lots of high degree curves so the speed is not above 40 or 50 on much of it.

I agree Train Whistles are very Loud and trains just running on the Track are loud and I can feel the vibration even in my truck usually when coming to a crossing. I know people sense things differently but I wonder how many of these incidence are really people trying to beat the train across and miscalculate and a accident happens?

 

[MGHS]

You are right nobody should error but it happens, and we should do everyting to stop it.

Also not saying the train did not blow the horn just saying sometimes you don't hear it. When I come up on a RR crossing at night I slow down and shut my lights off. It is scary how quiet a train can be. I remember walking on over a RR trussel when I was young and just as we got accross a Train came thru, the surprising thing is none of us heard it until had we been up on that Trussel it would have been too late for us.

So your idea is that the RR company should absorb Billions in costs to save people from themselves and their own responsibility they take on when they get a drivers license?

RR companies would just pass that expense on to the consumers of the products they ship. I for one prefer to keep prices low and let those who are not alert and aware at the RR crossings to take their chances.

 

[bullitpdq68]

So your idea is that the RR company should absorb Billions in costs to save people from themselves and their own responsibility they take on when they get a drivers license?

RR companies would just pass that expense on to the consumers of the products they ship. I for one prefer to keep prices low and let those who are not alert and aware at the RR crossings to take their chances.

RR companies are some of the most profitable companies out there...Railroads are USA most profitable industry with 50% profit margins. The US economy is colossal. In fact, it represents more than 20% (1/5th) of the entire global economy. So they cannot afford to upgrade some of the more dangerous crossings? Not talking all just some like this were high speed is invovled.

The USA’s Most Profitable Industries (and average profit margin)

• Transportation (Railroads), 50.93%
• Real Estate (General/Diversified), 41.23%
• Tobacco, 31.42%
• Banks (Regional), 28.99%
• Cable TV, 25.44%
• Investments & Asset Management, 24.52%
• R.E.I.T, 24.44%
• Beverages (Alcoholic), 21.47%
• Semiconductor, 21.47%
• Bank (Money Center), 21.46%

The USA’s Least Profitable Industries (and average profit margin)

• Precious Metals, -5.90%
• Electronics (Consumer & Office), -4.07%
• Drugs (Biotechnology), -1.61%
• Insurance (General), -1.61%
• Publishing & Newspapers, -1.00%
• Hospitals & Healthcare Facilities, 0.78%
• Auto & Truck, 1.82%
• Software (Internet), 1.88%
• Retail (General), 1.90%
• Food Wholesalers, 2.05

 

[MGHS]

They have zero obligation to do that at all. Could they? Sure, should they? Nope not at all if it cut's into the profit margin.

 

[kaskaskiakid]

I've never traveled on Amtrak, I know a few people who have as a novelty, I don't think railway travel will ever play a major roll in transportation in the majority of the US. It works well in the Northeast because so many cities are close to each other and many more people use public transportation. Same in Europe.

Most Americans prefer to fly or drive.

 

[3Rfan]

RR companies are some of the most profitable companies out there...Railroads are USA most profitable industry with 50% profit margins. The US economy is colossal. In fact, it represents more than 20% (1/5th) of the entire global economy. So they cannot afford to upgrade some of the more dangerous crossings? Not talking all just some like this were high speed is invovled.

The USA’s Most Profitable Industries (and average profit margin)

• Transportation (Railroads), 50.93%
• Real Estate (General/Diversified), 41.23%
• Tobacco, 31.42%
• Banks (Regional), 28.99%
• Cable TV, 25.44%
• Investments & Asset Management, 24.52%
• R.E.I.T, 24.44%
• Beverages (Alcoholic), 21.47%
• Semiconductor, 21.47%
• Bank (Money Center), 21.46%

The USA’s Least Profitable Industries (and average profit margin)

• Precious Metals, -5.90%
• Electronics (Consumer & Office), -4.07%
• Drugs (Biotechnology), -1.61%
• Insurance (General), -1.61%
• Publishing & Newspapers, -1.00%
• Hospitals & Healthcare Facilities, 0.78%
• Auto & Truck, 1.82%
• Software (Internet), 1.88%
• Retail (General), 1.90%
• Food Wholesalers, 2.05

I wish you would tell that to more people. They've been in contract negotiations, if you can call it that, with the representatives of their workers in various crafts for over 2 years and they're still not to the point of being able to go on strike or get to arbitration. It's that way every time a contract term is up. They stall and mess around for years and when they finally settle for something, the workers end up getting a small percentage of the back pay they should get for the years they didn't get the new agreement that would have paid them more for that amount of time.