In my town today.
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Mrs. George were on the way home from our riding lesson this afternoon, and as we approached the center of town, we saw that there was a backup of traffic because of a train.
As we got closer, we saw that it wasn't a freight, but a double-decker passenger, like our local heavy-rail commuter trains use, and it was stopped at the station in town.
As we got close still, I saw that it wasn't a BNSF commuter. It was an Amtrak train, probably the California Zephyr.
"Uh oh, this isn't good. The first stop for the westbound Zephyr is about 20 miles west of here. Why is he stopped?"
It's been sitting there for an hour and a half now.
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By the way, I'm such a foamer.
Train #5 left town about 2 hours late, as I mentioned. However, Mrs. George and I heard the sounding from the horn (two short blasts) indicating that it's going to start moving in the next few seconds.
We looked at each other and said, "Well, they're on their way, finally."
#5 is 2 hours, 26 minutes late right now, approaching Burlington, Iowa. However, there's enough "padding" in the schedule, that it might actually arrive in Emeryville (San Francisco) on time on Tuesday.
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Any more on the dead pedestrian?
Success is measured by your discipline and inner peace. – Mike Ditka
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@Catseye3 said in In my town today.:
Any more on the dead pedestrian?
Not a word.
We had a suicide by train incident about 6 years ago, and it was kept pretty quiet, probably out of respect for the family. In yesterdays incident we literally know nothing other than the time, the approximate location (about ½ mile east of where I live - it took that long for the train to stop), and the time.
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@Catseye3 said in In my town today.:
Any more on the dead pedestrian?
Not a word.
We had a suicide by train incident about 6 years ago, and it was kept pretty quiet, probably out of respect for the family. In yesterdays incident we literally know nothing other than the time, the approximate location (about ½ mile east of where I live - it took that long for the train to stop), and the time.
@George-K said in In my town today.:
In yesterdays incident we literally know nothing other than the time, the approximate location (about ½ mile east of where I live - it took that long for the train to stop), and the time.
...AND we haven't heard from CrashTest in a while. Maybe t3h tr41n finally came.
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From a local newspaper:
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A westbound Amtrak train that fatally struck a 30-year-old Indianapolis man ... on July 10 likely did so accidentally, the village’s director of public safety has told our paper.
“We’re still conducting our investigation and we’re awaiting video from the train,” said the Director of Public Safety. “But it appears it was an accident.”
According to him, the victim was walking westbound along the north edge of the railroad ties.
Another train was passing at the same time, said Buckley, which may have played a role in the victim being unaware of the approaching California Zephyr train, which left Chicago’s Union Station at 2 p.m. and was headed westbound to San Francisco with 202 passengers.
Emergency personnel responded to the railroad line about 2:20 p.m. and located the victim west of the grade crossing. Paramedics transported him to Loyola University Medical Center where he was pronounced dead at 2:52 p.m., according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office.
The Amtrak train was delayed about two hours while the rail carrier replaced the crew, which is common after such incidents. Other train traffic on the Burlington Northern-Santa Fe rail line resumed about 3:30 p.m.
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The place where he was struck had three sets of tracks, and he was walking "along the ties" on the northern set of tracks - the ones used by Amtrak #5 (California Zephyr). Presumably, because he saw an eastbound train on the southern tracks, and because he heard a horn, he assumed it was from the eastbound train, not the westbound Zephyr.
Moral of the story: railroad tracks are private property. If you're not an employee, stay off. What you hear and see might not be what is actually happening.
STAY OFF THE TRACKS.
Here's a satellite pic of where it happened.
Imagine yourself on the top, northern, set of tracks, and you don't hear the train behind you because you're focused on the train in front of you...
Stay off the tracks. It's private property and you're trespassing.
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From a local newspaper:
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
A westbound Amtrak train that fatally struck a 30-year-old Indianapolis man ... on July 10 likely did so accidentally, the village’s director of public safety has told our paper.
“We’re still conducting our investigation and we’re awaiting video from the train,” said the Director of Public Safety. “But it appears it was an accident.”
According to him, the victim was walking westbound along the north edge of the railroad ties.
Another train was passing at the same time, said Buckley, which may have played a role in the victim being unaware of the approaching California Zephyr train, which left Chicago’s Union Station at 2 p.m. and was headed westbound to San Francisco with 202 passengers.
Emergency personnel responded to the railroad line about 2:20 p.m. and located the victim west of the grade crossing. Paramedics transported him to Loyola University Medical Center where he was pronounced dead at 2:52 p.m., according to the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office.
The Amtrak train was delayed about two hours while the rail carrier replaced the crew, which is common after such incidents. Other train traffic on the Burlington Northern-Santa Fe rail line resumed about 3:30 p.m.
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
The place where he was struck had three sets of tracks, and he was walking "along the ties" on the northern set of tracks - the ones used by Amtrak #5 (California Zephyr). Presumably, because he saw an eastbound train on the southern tracks, and because he heard a horn, he assumed it was from the eastbound train, not the westbound Zephyr.
Moral of the story: railroad tracks are private property. If you're not an employee, stay off. What you hear and see might not be what is actually happening.
STAY OFF THE TRACKS.
Here's a satellite pic of where it happened.
Imagine yourself on the top, northern, set of tracks, and you don't hear the train behind you because you're focused on the train in front of you...
Stay off the tracks. It's private property and you're trespassing.
@George-K Sad story, but I agree with you are saying.
Wasn't there a semi recent case in Chicago where two police man were killed while chasing a robber? A train passed in one direction so they thought it was safe to cross the tracks, only to have a train from the other direction hit them.
