Not a Fair Fight


It amazes me how often vehicles get stuck on train tracks. If all places to break down or run out of gas, it seems like it disproportionately happens on train tracks. I guess maybe the extra effort needed to get up and over the tracks is what stops the vehicle right on the tracks.
 
We were fishing up in Canada a couple of weeks ago, a guy drove an empty logging truck in front to a train. A little used track, only about 3 trains a day, and he gets hit by one! Didn't look like it hurt the driver or tractor, but the trailer was mangled.
 
How about the big Bull Racks, there only about 8-10 inches off the ground, the railroad tracks are always a little higher than the road!
 
I think this happened away from a street crossing.

Probably trying to drive over the tracks to mow the other side.
 
Local farmer's pickup got hit by a train on a track near his farm- he was indignant- "That track hasn't had a train in years- what are they doing sending one down now?" Not much damage- the tracks are so bad the train was only going about 5 miles an hour. Only train that normally uses it is the historic steam train, and it makes plenty of noise to delight the passengers.
 
But seriously it takes them at least a couple hundred yards at best to stop and that?s at 40 plus mph
 
The last town we lived in any work on or near a rail road track was done by the rail road even plowing the snow down.Hard to get hurt then if the railroad is doing the work. I does happens and in the past(30yrs) a backhoe was trying to clear ice along side and brushed the train as it went by causing damage to a lot of cars and the operator was banged up badly but lived.
 
The article said there were no injuries. Hopefully the operator got out of the cab before the train hit the tractor. It looks like the ROPS cab was torn off the tractor but stayed intact. That would have been a wild ride if someone had been in the cab.

15,000 ton coal trains have a lot of momentum. A 15,000 pound tractor against a 15,000 ton coal train would be like a cottontail rabbit against an SUV.
 
(quoted from post at 08:04:26 06/13/19)
It amazes me how often vehicles get stuck on train tracks. If all places to break down or run out of gas, it seems like it disproportionately happens on train tracks. I guess maybe the extra effort needed to get up and over the tracks is what stops the vehicle right on the tracks.

The others are not news - you do not hear of them.
 
I was hauling corn yesterday and had to cross tracks in town, houses right next to tracks so couldn't see down the tracks till crossing. Crossing the tracks i happened to look north and there was a train sitting right there, i have never seen a train just sitting in that spot, scared the bejesus out of me!
 
I remember in the 60's a local farmer got hung up on the railroad tracks pulling a large land plane. It got high centered.....had a winch truck pick up the back end & inched it over the hump. Thankfully no train collision.
 
Vehicles break down all over, but they
don't make the news like they do when
a train hits them obviously
 

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