topic Re: Are There Trains On Your Daily Routes? in Community Chat

Are There Trains On Your Daily Routes?

Pearlee — Thu, 07 Sep 2017 03:45:00 GMT

I am often held up by a train! Really? In 2017 - can't my city have made overpasses underpasses by now so that traffic isn't held up by trains?

Actually there are a couple of major streets on which I travel regularly with train tracks and I'm often held up waiting for the trains to pass. They are freight trains of course and seem to travel at about 5 mph (at least that's how it seems as I wait for them to pass) Grrrrrr.

What always cracks me up are the signs next to the tracks which read: Do not stop on the tracks. Well, d'uh!

Re: Are There Trains On Your Daily Routes?

Goldengate8361 — Thu, 07 Sep 2017 03:52:33 GMT

@Pearlee I'm always amazed at the stats on the number of people that die by getting hit by a train every year. I wonder how one could NOT see a train! I think stopping for passing trains occurs everywhere.....

Re: Are There Trains On Your Daily Routes?

sandraskates — Thu, 07 Sep 2017 03:55:50 GMT

We are just getting a commuter train that runs on former freight train tracks. There are now periodic holdups and traffic backups when the gates come down for it to pass.

And I do see cars stopped on the tracks at times. Oh yes, they do.

Re: Are There Trains On Your Daily Routes?

Gram W — Thu, 07 Sep 2017 04:12:11 GMT

We have trains on a fairly regular schedule. When it goes thru town all accesses to the hospital are blocked. They finally built a firestation up close to the hospital and a convenient care center on the town side. The train has a habit of coming around 5PM when traffic is ridiculous with people trying to go home from work. Often I was lucky and got stuck on my side of the tracks when trying to get to work at 8AM. The 50+ year story of money spend looking for solutions that always got shot down is ridiculous. They finally built another bridge years ago but of course it did not go over the tracks. The only route over the tracks is south of town and then you have to backtrack north of town to the hospital. Thank goodness I live on the hospital side. I rarely go to town for several reasons. Traffic in a town with 2 colleges is no picnic.

Re: Are There Trains On Your Daily Routes?

sunshine45 — Thu, 07 Sep 2017 14:54:59 GMT

trains no, not along my general routes.......light rail yes.

Re: Are There Trains On Your Daily Routes?

Blingqueen023 — Thu, 07 Sep 2017 05:38:52 GMT

yes there are trains in maryland. I see them all the time.

Re: Are There Trains On Your Daily Routes?

Desertdi — Thu, 07 Sep 2017 05:42:59 GMT

Not since I left Chicago nearly 50 years ago....(‼)

Re: Are There Trains On Your Daily Routes?

VaBelle35 — Thu, 07 Sep 2017 09:51:31 GMT

Yes. I have lived here since 1993, so I know to plan for it so that I am not late for appointments.

About 10 years ago, they straightened out the curve that the train takes and that has helped tremendously. The train had to slow down to a crawl to get around the curve. So you would have this 100+ car train go by at 10 MPH and you could sit there for what seemed like an hour or you could turn around and drive around the city to get to where you needed to be.

In a town next to me, they have been building an overpass for what seems like 5 years. I think it's finally completed.

This week, Norfolk Southern was doing something to the tracks and we had all kinds of detours and single lanes. Luckily I am on vacation, so it didn't impact me too much.

But, it's part of our civil war history here, so we learn to live with it.

Re: Are There Trains On Your Daily Routes?

Nataliesgramma — Thu, 07 Sep 2017 11:06:07 GMT

@Goldengate8361 wrote:
@Pearlee I'm always amazed at the stats on the number of people that die by getting hit by a train every year. I wonder how one could NOT see a train! I think stopping for passing trains occurs everywhere.....

Depending how fast a train is going....by the time you see it..it is too late....

Re: Are There Trains On Your Daily Routes?

candys mine — Thu, 07 Sep 2017 11:32:21 GMT

The signs are needed becsuse people don't obey the rules of the road. People que up at a red light and block the side street and the crosswalk so other cars can not turn. They are not supposed to block the way. They do the same thing at RR crossings.

Common sense Isn't common. P.S is there a train schedule you can check so you can avoid the crossings around that time?

Re: Are There Trains On Your Daily Routes?

software — Thu, 07 Sep 2017 13:57:31 GMT

I live near a main line and a spur line.

I don't think a month goes by that someone doesn't get hit by the train.

The mainline has crossing arms, the spur line only has lights.

I rarely get stopped but I know there are people who live in subdivisions with only 1 way in & out and when they get stopped, it could be a disaster. Particularly if you need an ambulance or fire truck.

But for me, I use it as time to "smell the roses".

Ahhhhhh, turn up the music, open the sun roof and relax.

Re: Are There Trains On Your Daily Routes?

Zhills — Thu, 07 Sep 2017 14:31:29 GMT

Held up by a train, NO. Woke up by a train, YES!

We have one that comes through this area about 5:20 in the AM.

Re: Are There Trains On Your Daily Routes?

patbz — Thu, 07 Sep 2017 15:27:10 GMT

We don't have any trains through our town but half the time (depends on where I'm going) we are stopped by trains in Holbrook etc. That's one of the things I love about the West--all the very long freight trains. My Grandsons spot and count them on long trips (most of our trips are multi hours) and sometimes get past ten on one trip, one way.

Re: Are There Trains On Your Daily Routes?

viva923 — Thu, 07 Sep 2017 23:28:35 GMT

there is one major track that runs thru my town for both north and south bound trains. we never know when the trains will show. got caught by one last saturday night. it was the slowest train in the history of railroading,then it stopped on the tracks and sat there. all in all about 20 min's dh and i waited, traffic was a MESS when train was finished. so backed up couldn't go anywhere, it was total meyhem, eventually what should have taken us a couple minutes to get where we needed to go, it was 30 minutes.

trains are vital to us when we are held up by them, a pain in the you know where.

Re: Are There Trains On Your Daily Routes?

Pearlee — Fri, 08 Sep 2017 02:26:25 GMT

@viva923 wrote:
there is one major track that runs thru my town for both north and south bound trains. we never know when the trains will show. got caught by one last saturday night. it was the slowest train in the history of railroading,then it stopped on the tracks and sat there. all in all about 20 min's dh and i waited, traffic was a MESS when train was finished. so backed up couldn't go anywhere, it was total meyhem, eventually what should have taken us a couple minutes to get where we needed to go, it was 30 minutes.

trains are vital to us when we are held up by them, a pain in the you know where.

@viva923 See, I think that scenario is crazy in this day and age. As are the ones other described described where it would be a problem to get an ambulance or other emergency vehicle through while a train is passing. No excuse for this - the infrastructure in 2017 should provide for adequate means for traffic to go around train tracks.

At least all the train crossings I encounter routinely have bars that come down when the train is coming. And as for the one I have to cross most frequently, I can sometimes see the train from a distance rolling by so I can head away from it before I even get to that intersection to use another route. it's helpful when I can see parts of the train from a distance away.