Avoiding the train

john in la · Sep 21, 2012

Have you ever seen train tracks that go right down the middle of the street.

How do you avoid hitting the train head on.
Yes these are regular train tracks. Not street car or trolley tracks.

PopinJohn · Sep 21, 2012

I wouldn't like traveling that street.
Wonder if the train just does a touch and go, or a full stop at the stop sign? (giggle)

Walt Davies · Sep 21, 2012

I remember the trolleys in Sacramento they went up an down every street. It"s a wonder there wasn"t more accidents as they never stopped for anything.
Walt

AzPeapicker · Sep 21, 2012

Lookslike they been to some foreign countries , Like Japan & Korea.

patiolant · Sep 21, 2012

Had a similar thing in a city near to where I grew up. The trains would ride tracks down the middle of the road to access the Seagram"s distillery warehouse and load up on whiskey/gin. They moved at a snail"s pace. I came around the corner once and a locomotive was no more than 20 yards in front of me and heading my direction. New underwear needed after that one.

JerryS · Sep 21, 2012

Where is this, John?

Yes, I've seen it in another little Louisiana town you may have heard of called Mansfield. I was born there. Anyway, the tracks ran down the main drag of the town. I learned the hard way that if you're on a motorcycle you don't just drift across those tracks---you have to cut sharply. Laid 'er down; lost a little hide but was lucky that car behind me didn't run me over.

Uncle Ernie · Sep 21, 2012

They only have STOP signs like that here, I do believe...

Janicholson · Sep 21, 2012

Ft. Collins CO has a set, not used every day, but quite often (when I lived there) Jim

Kenneth R Ohnstad · Sep 21, 2012

Tracks in Willmar MN went right down the street to service power plant,
also in Brainerd, MN to service the paper plant.
Main concern is to avoid getting hit.
k

60 acre hillside · Sep 21, 2012

Independence Street in Cape Girardeau, Missouri had train tracks in the street. I remember my motorcycle became very unstable when riding in the direction of the tracks.

AG48 · Sep 21, 2012

When we lived in Brewton Alabama we had the same thing.

mjbrown · Sep 21, 2012

I've seen similar in Augusta Ga.

farmerjohn · Sep 21, 2012

There is a street like that in Clearfield PA

john in la · Sep 21, 2012

4th st in downtown Gretna
Just across the river from N.O.

Steve A W · Sep 21, 2012

I grew up in Michigan City In.,Home of the South Shore line. The last electric interurban rr Still running Down city streets.
However federal mandates will make them remove all tracks from public streets in the next 10 to 15 yrs.
When I was in high school, My Dad had an old van
With cheap tires.
Got hung up in the tracks and smacked a parked car.

Steve A W

doubleN · Sep 21, 2012

Kind of common in some smaller southern towns.

Dean · Sep 21, 2012

You betcha.

CSX has a similar situation nearby in Lawrenceburg, IN. The route is currently being upgraded for AMTRAK traffic.

Dean

NY 986 · Sep 21, 2012

It is pretty rare here but I have seen it for maybe a block. There is a line that cuts through the village near me right next to houses. We are talking under fifteen feet in some spots. Not much sleeping in during the morning a lot of days I would imagine.

JBMac76 · Sep 21, 2012

There"s a mile or so like this in Pensacola, Fl. We normally spray unprotected crossings like these for weeds, not much to spray here.

Anonymous-0 · Sep 21, 2012

aint no big deal,,everyone has to watch out, and go slow or move fast ,, been that way scores before cars in Brownstown In ,new albany , used to be that way in jeffersonville , charlestown, louisville , and corydon ind ,, thankfully we are segregatin traffic thru attrition

Vito · Sep 21, 2012

and Athens,GA. if I remember correctly.

Vito

EricInSEI · Sep 21, 2012

In Lawrenceburg the tracks are between the traffic lanes and are not paved. Now the Monon used to run through Lafayette like that, the traffic lights changed to give the trains green lights all the way through town.

Anonymous-0 · Sep 22, 2012

Uncle Ernie.. Australia has hexagon stop signs also.

Jim in MN · Sep 22, 2012

There is a section in Winona, MN that runs the edge of a street thru a residential area. Very strange to see a locomotive rolling thru the neighborhood.

Dieselrider · Sep 22, 2012

Clearfield, PA where I grew up had two sets of tracks just like that. One on third street on the East side of the river and one down another street on the West side of town. The one on third st. is now gone. I think the one on the West side is still there. Everyone just learns to get out of the way for the train.

Matt H NY · Sep 22, 2012

When I was in New Zealand as a college kid studying abroad I found a similar situation. There was a road bridge that had a train track running right down the center of it. After it crossed the river they split back off from each other. Was an interesting situation. Just look for trains then punch it and go.

MarkB_MI · Sep 22, 2012

Fort Collins, Colorado. As far as I know, coal trains still run right down the middle of the street, splitting the city in half.

RBnSC · Sep 22, 2012

Bet it's good to break up a traffic jam..

Ron

Stephen Newell · Sep 22, 2012

Where I grew up it was pretty common to see a RR track in the center of the street. The RR track was there first and the town was built around it. I suspect the street was made up next to the track because at one time they loaded and unloaded the trains by hand out in the open.

Harold H · Sep 22, 2012

There used to be lots of "street running" train tracks. The tracks were usually there first and the street added later. Technically the train has the right of way and cars have to get out of the way. Over the yers street running tracks have been abandonded or relocated in most locations.

Harold H

Mike (WA) · Sep 22, 2012

Guy I used to work with played minor league baseball in Mexico one summer- one field had train track running through the outfield. Train blows whistle when its aways away, play is suspended, left fielder and right fielder open their respective gates, train runs through, close the gates, Batter up!

Anonymous-0 · Sep 22, 2012

How about the cable cars in San Francisco.

Avoiding the train

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