By Collen Campbell
LoneStarBiker — First Edition
Printed pages: 41-42
by Collen Campbell
There's an old riddle that goes "Railroad crossing, look out for cars. Can you spell that without any Rs?" It's funny to see how people try to spell the whole sentence without using the letter R. When it comes to railroad crossings though, it's no laughing matter. Texas has the largest number of rails in the nation, which means it also has the most railroad crossings. Unfortunately, it also means that the state has the dubious distinction of having more deaths due to trains colliding with road vehicles (cars, etc.) than any other state. The kicker is, none of these deaths had to occur.
So, why did they?
The primary reason is the misjudging of a train's speed. A train that appears to be stopped could easily be traveling at 30 to 70 mph. That gives the operator of a motor vehicle the false sense that he can get across the tracks before the train does. If the operator is lucky, he'll make it. If not, the consequences are devastating. A motor vehicle, whether it is a motorcycle, a car, or a tractor-trailer never stands a chance against a 60-ton locomotive. To make matters worse, a train traveling at 70 mph may take up to one mile before it comes to a complete stop once the emergency brake is applied.
So why do these people take such a big chance? In our hurry up and get there world, we tend to through caution to the wind. No one wants to wait for a 90-car train to go by, it takes too long. So we go around crossing gates that are warning us to stay put. Instead of waiting only 2-5 minutes for the train to pass, we risk are lives. Wait! Did you read that right? Only 2-5 minutes? That is the average time it takes for a train to clear crossing. Is that really worth losing your life over?
Here's another factor involved in some of these fatalities. Just as the vehicle is starting to cross the tracks, it stalls out. Now, the vehicle and the operator are sitting ducks for the oncoming train. “Oh” you say to yourself, “but I ride a motorcycle and I can push it off the tracks”. If you're lucky, maybe you can, but do you really want to bet your life on it? What if the tires get stuck in the rail groves? What if it has fallen over? What if the bike is loaded to maximum weight capacity? What if the train is moving faster than you thought it was?
How often have you seen, or perhaps done it yourself, a vehicle stopped on the tracks at a right light? There may not have been a train in sight when the operator stopped the vehicle there. The gamble here is that the light will change before a train ever shows up. It's a bad bet. The vehicle ahead could have mechanical problems. The traffic light could malfunction and fail to turn green. The may have been an accident at that intersection causing traffic in all direction to come to a complete stop. So that bet that the light would change before a train came, well take a look down the tracks now. See that white light? If that's you on those tracks, you gambled and you lost.
Why take the chance? Nobody wins when a train and a motor vehicle cross paths. Ask any train engineer. They'll tell you their biggest fear is seeing a vehicle either sitting on the tracks, trying to go around the crossing gates, or just totally disregarding the warning signals. And yes, they know if the signals are working or not.
There's one other thing to consider. Stopping on the tracks, as well as disregarding the warning signals is illegal. So, if you don't end up paying with your life, you may end up paying out of your wallet.
Treat trains with the respect they are due. Trains were here long before automobiles and motorcycles. Remember, the train always has the right-of-way. It is, after all, much bigger than you or your motorcycle.
Copyright © 2002 by Collen Campbell.
Can You Make the Grade?
by Robert Vaughan
Can you judge how long it will take a train to get to the grade crossing? Will the gates come down on time, or do they give you time to ride around them and still make it safely?
Cars often have trouble judging a motorcycle's distance and speed because we are smaller than cars. A train's distance and speed are hard to judge for the opposite reason–trains are so large. Large objects appear to be moving slower than they are. When a jet is coming in for a landing, it appears to be moving very slowly, though it is really doing about 150 miles an hour.
Viewing the train almost head-on gives it little apparent motion and makes it seem even slower. The parallel lines of the tracks going toward the train make it look further away than it really is. The combined effect of the train's looking both slower and farther away than it really is give us a false sense of security. Most trains take about two minutes to clear a crossing. It only seems longer. Yet, many people gamble two minutes against a lifetime, a real sucker's bet.
Don't the crossing gates have a safety margin built in so we actually have plenty of time after they first come down? The answer is sometimes, but not always. The gates are timed for a fast train and activate when the train is a quarter mile from the crossing. If all trains were fast, the train would always be at the crossing within 25 seconds. Even slow trains make the crossing within a minute. Unfortunately, the slow trains also make us think that we always have extra time. If everyone took this extra time for granted we would be fine for all the slow trains. However, the first fast train coming down the track would make mincemeat of all the drivers who didn't make it.
Railroads are now experimenting with new types of crossing signs and new ways to paint engines. Operation Lifesaver has helped to reduce crossroad fatalities. The highway department has even put a radio-equipped officer in the locomotive who looks for motorists who drove around the crossing arms. He has street patrols ticket the driver. Unfortunately, railroads and highway departments can't help the driver who sees the train but decides he can beat it across the crossing. In case of a tie, the train always wins.
As motorcyclists, this reinforces something we learned long ago–the biggest vehicle has the right of way. It's easier to fight city hall than Southern Pacific.
Copyright © 1996 by Robert Vaughan.