Community Chat

[software]

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.

[Zhills]

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.

[patbz]

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.

[viva923]

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.

[Pearlee]

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@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.

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@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.