I hope your summer vacation was as enjoyable as mine. The more optimistic conductor reported the near miss at around 10 feet. Trains are interesting things, the electrical system on trains is even more interesting. Electricity flows through train cars much like a strand of Christmas tree lights. One bulb goes out and the entire string goes dark behind it.
Trains are the same.
On this trip this particular transition sleeping car came equipped with a bad electrical cable. Or, it could be that Oregon IS cursed. Three years ago on the road between Salem and Eugene, we had a flat tire on our tent-trailer that resulted a very expensive rebuilt of our entire trailer. At one point during the repairs a giant puff of smoke rose between our sleeping car and the crew car ahead. I wondered if it was time to abandon the train.