From: rrw@sunset.cse.nau.edu (Bob Wier)
Newsgroups: rec.railroad
Subject: Re: Deaths on Railroad Property: common sense or am I an Idiot?
Date: 26 Dec 92 23:57:51 GMT
Originator: rrw@sunset.cse.nau.edu

From article <1992Dec24.195405.623@ee.ryerson.ca>, by cal@ee.ryerson.ca (Calvin Henry-Cotnam):
> 
> The problem remains to be one of education, many people *know* of the
> dangers, but don't have a *feeling* for them.  On several occasions
> I have gone train watching with someone from outside the hobby.  Afterwards,
> they tend to have a real understanding for the dangers that surround
> trains, such as not being able to guess the speed the way we can with
> cars.

  I think this is very true.  I'm somewhat ashamed to admit the following,
  but it's instructive...

  Before I first moved here to Flagstaff, my railfanning was mostly
  concerned with Narrow Gauge lines in Colorado.  Now, the vast 
  majority of these are no longer in existance, so you don't have
  to worry too much about rolling stock coming along  when you are
  walking the roadbeds :-)

  However, here in Flagstaff we have one of the major transcontinental
  lines of the Santa Fe.  It's almost mind-numbingly busy - about 
  50 - 80 freights a day plus Amtrak.  Now, I wasn't aware of this
  when I first moved down here, and so the first few times I came
  up to a street crossing I noted the crossing signals, but they
  didn't really register.  Flagstaff is unfortunate in that the MAJOR
  E-W route through town (old Route 66 - also known as Santa Fe (after
  the railroad)) parallels the track(s).  Thus if you are trying to
  get ONTO Santa Fe from the East, you end up crossing the tracks and
  then immediately encountering a stoplight (invariably red - this town
  has no concept of traffic light synchronization).  Thus you have a
  PRIME opportunity to stop ON THE TRACKS waiting for the light to 
  change.

  I was raised where the railroads were basically dying out, and so it
  was UNUSUAL to actually see a train come by.  So you get used to
  thinking (especially when the rails are rusty and there are weeds
  growing between the rails) that the likelyhood of a train coming by is
  so small as to be non-existant, and thus you dismiss it from your 
  mind.

  I quickly discovered in Flagstaff that this is NOT the case.  I only
  stopped on the tracks twice.  The first time people in the other cars
  were looking at me funny.  The SECOND time I was sitting there and
  lo and behold I looked down the track and saw a headlight (daytime).
  HO!Y SH!T I thought.  Since there were cars both in front of me
  and behind me, I was trapped.  Now the engine was probably at least
  a mile (maybe more) down the track, but I have NEVER had 30 seconds
  seem so long as that time I waited for that stoplight to change.
  I wasn't totally panicked, because I did have enough room to pull off the
  street and into a ditch if necessary, and I was prepared to do that.

  I can guarantee you that I have NEVER done that again.  But it's 
  still a problem.  No less than 4 times in 3 years have I been stopped
  back of the crossing gate line when some yahoo cuts in front of me
  between my car on my side of the tracks and the car in front on the
  other side of the tracks.  Twice it appeared to be an out of state
  tourist, and since this is a college town the other two times it
  appeared to be some kid who thought he'd cut around the "old" guy.
  (In fact, this happens quite a bit in general here - don't know
   if its the California influence or not - I've not experienced it
   in other places in the Mountain West where I've lived).

  So I do believe there is an element of non/familarity involved with
  the way people treat trains.  The problem is how do you educate them
  short of an experience like this?

- Bob Wier

  ---------- insert favorite standard disclaimers here ----------
                   College of Engineering
      Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff Arizona
  Internet: rrw@naucse.cse.nau.edu | WB5KXH | fax:602 523 2300