WHAT IS GOING ON HERE......

[LadySunshine]

.....WITH ALL THESE ACCIDENT: LONG POST

Madison Driver Hits Train
Barry Covington Faces Drunken Driving Charges

April 9, 2002 - WISC TV MADISON,WI
MADISON, Wis. -- A Madison man was hurt last night, after his car ran into a train.

Police said Barry Covington, 40, was driving on East Washington Avenue when the train was
backing up. Covington apparently didn't see the train coming.

He was taken to an area hospital with head injuries.

Covington faces drunken driving charges.

CHICAGO TRIBUNE - April 09 2002

Metra train kills schoolgirl

A 16-year-old girl was killed this morning when she was struck by a Metra Milwaukee
District West line commuter train on Chicago's West Side, authorities said.

The girl was on her way to school, walking with a friend, when she crossed in front of a
stopped train. She was struck by a second train approaching on another track, said Thomas
Donegan, spokesman for the Chicago Police Department.

The victim was a freshman at Foreman High School, 3235 N. Leclaire Ave., school officials
said. Her identity was not disclosed.

Metra Train No. 2220, which originated at Roselle at 7:38 a.m. and was due at Chicago
Union Station at 8:20 a.m., struck the girl near Grand and Long Avenues shortly after 8
a.m., said Metra spokesman Dan Schnolis.

The train was held at the accident site as authorities investigated. Westbound Train No.
2207, which left Union Station for Big Timber Road, Elgin, at 7:58 a.m., was also delayed.
Schnolis said.

Two other inbound Milwaukee District West line trains, No. 2222, due at Union Station at
8:25 a.m., and No. 2224, due at 8:45 a.m., were re-routed around the accident scene to
continue to downtown Chicago, Schnolis said.

All trains were moving again by 9 a.m., Schnolis said. Train No. 2220 arrived at Union
Station about 45 minutes late.

VALLEY INDEPENDENT - Tuesday, April 9, 2002
Jacobs Creek man killed by train
SOUTH HUNTINGDON TOWNSHIP (PA) - A Jacobs Creek man was killed early today when he was
struck by a CSX train.

According to State Police in Belle Vernon, Michael J. Morris Sr., 41, died when he was
struck by the westbound train on CSX tracks near State Route 3029 at 12:45 a.m.

Morris was hit by the train and dragged 239 feet. He was pronounced dead at the scene by
Westmoreland County Deputy Coroner Joseph Musgrove.

Musgrove reported that the engineer of the train saw something lying on the tracks ahead
in a curled up position as his trained traveled at 40 miles per hour.

By the time the engineer realized it was a person, it was too late to stop the train.

There was no report available as to Morris' condition before the train struck him. The
engineer said his body wasn't moving as the train approached.

The coroner's office conducted a toxicology test and reports will not be known for one to
two weeks.

State police were aided at the scene by Rostraver/West Newton Emergency Service personnel
and the South Huntingdon Volunteer Fire Department

300 led to safety as train derails

London Evening Standard - April 10 2002
Thousands of rail commuters and mourners travelling to London for the Queen Mother's
funeral today experienced long delays after a train derailed at Charing Cross station.

Packed services stacked up outside the central London terminus with other trains diverted
to Cannon Street and Victoria or stopped short at London Bridge.

The derailment of the eight-carriage Charing Cross to Hastings train last night blocked
the two main Kent Coast platforms at Charing Cross.

Engineers said that they would not have the tracks cleared until tomorrow. The two end
carriages of the eight-car train came off the track as it was leaving the platform at
about 15mph. There were no injuries but more than 300 passengers had to be led to safety.

Inspector Gary Young of the British Transport Police said that although the carriages had
come off the track they had stayed upright.

Ambulances were called but were not needed and there were no reports of injury. The train
would have crossed a set of points at the end of the platform but it is not known if a
track or train fault caused the incident. A spokeswoman for Connex South Eastern said that
a full investigation, together with Railtrack, had begun into the derailment.

She said: "At the moment it is not clear what the problem was. We are looking at all
possibilities. Some trains are being diverted to Victoria or London Bridge stations."

The front four carriages were removed during the night and work continued today to remove
the back section - clearly visible to commuters arriving at adjacent platforms this
morning.

Because it was the end of the train which came off, driver fault is not likely to be the
cause.

Instead investigators are focusing their attention on a possible track defect. They will
want to know if the points, for whatever reason, may have moved while the train was
passing over the top.

They will also examine the 40-year old slam door train to see if an axle or wheel problem
led to the derailment.

Fire destroys train carriage in Melbourne's north
MELBOURNE AGE - April 10, 2002

MELBOURNE - A suspicious fire destroyed the unoccupied carriage of a passenger train in
Melbourne's north tonight, causing at least $1.5 million damage.

Police said the city-bound train had stopped at Merlynston railway station when the driver
noticed a fire in the last of its three carriages about 7.35pm (AEST).

All commuters were travelling in the front two carriages and nobody was hurt in the fire,
police said.

The Metropolitan Fire Brigade said the carriage - valued at $1.7 million - was gutted by
the fire, and about $10,000 damage was caused to the Merlynston station building.

Investigators from the Transit Police, Broadmeadows Criminal Investigation Unit and the
Arson Squad were investigating the blaze, which was being treated as suspicious.

Man killed trying to drive across train tracks

The Tennessean - April 09, 2002

SHELBYVILLE, Tenn. - A Shelbyville man was killed when he pulled onto railroad tracks in
front of an oncoming freight train after stopping and looking in both directions,
witnesses told authorities.

Howard Lee Montes, 39, was pronounced dead at the scene Sunday morning.

Witnesses said Montes pulled onto the tracks near Normandy despite flashing warning lights
and ringing bells.

Another witness said the preceding car had ignored the warnings and rushed through the
crossing moments before Montes tried to pass.

Montes' car was pushed more than 25 yards down the track.

Last month, Gov. Don Sundquist announced improvements to more than 750 railroad crossings
through a combination of federal and state money.

Tennessee has 3,429 public railroad crossings. About two-thirds of them do not have
warning systems.

[friscobob]

Well, except for the London derailment and the Melbourne fire, the rest were caused by people not paying attention, with tragic results. The last story makes no sense whatsoever, since the driver obviously had warning (crossing gates, flashing lights) that a train was coming.

These stories hammer home Watash's post in On the Rails (Dr. does NOT expect her to make it). If any of you haven't read that post, please do do- it's sobering, tragic and carries a strong message.

My heart goes out to the engine crews, as well as the family members of those who put themselves in position to be killed.

[Alan Walker]

Score one more for the Grim Reaper and the Norfolk Southern today. One of their Georgia Division trains nailed a motor vehicle this afternoon at the Jersey Pike crossing just a half-mile from the Tennessee Valley Railroad's main office. No details as of yet, only that there was a fatailty reported. The train was running at track speed at the time of the collision. More gory details to follow at Eleven.

[NSBrakeman]

Even though it seems like these events come in groups, they are unfortunately common. They only make the news when some citizen calls it into the news station or some bored newsman digs it up. In Chicago on the CTA and Metra, people getting hit by trains is very common, only they dont like to publicize it very much, and I can only assume as to why. Many of them are suicides, and many are accidents from people not paying attention. It's really sad for the engineers and/or firemen (Metra uses one-man crews usually) that have to climb up into the saddle again after such a horrible thing. Oh well, Darwinism at its best.

P.S. I know theres someone on here who works for Metra, I think his name is Charlie?

dave

[Alan Walker]

It can't be said enough that the media can be so eager to make the railroad company the "bad guys" that they make total fools of themselves by giving poor, inaccurate covarage to such a story. Our local ABC affiliate reported that the "victim" was an elderly female and was killed when her vehicle was hit from behind by the NS train. It was also noted that the police were still investigating the incident and had not determined the cause of the incident. The investigation is still going on but the police certainly do know what caused the incident- she driver drove out in the path of the train and the rear of her vehicle failed to clear the crossing. Fortunately such incidents in our region are remote, one maybe every twelve months or so.

[BN9900]

Stupid People, What are they thinking???? Sometimes I really wonder what goes through their minds, but Oh I don't know they just drive me in sane...I saw my old Speech teacher today and I had given a RR Safety speech in his class..he remembered it!! So It got through to him....I hope he thinks about it every time he crosses the tracks now [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Charlie]

Hi Dave,

P.S. I know theres someone on here who works for Metra, I think his name is Charlie?

dave[/QB][/QUOTE]

Ya dots me, but I work for the BNSF on the
METRA trains. We are a contract carrier for
METRA!

[watash]

Well, here is a happy, or funny one...

"Emagine, you are the steam engineer".

You have just topped the pass (highest point on your mountain railline) and you are starting to gather your cars for a long downhill run through tunnels, and winding around curves until you get down to the more gentle meadow lands where the track goes more straight into a town where you will stop to take on more water.

You are of course apprehensive, watching for fallen boulders, deer, cattle, broken rail, washed out bridges, all the usual things, and this is at night getting close on to midnight.

Got the picture?

As you straighten out entering the straightaway section, you see up ahead a small light!

You are gently slowing down to around 30 as you seem to get closer to this light. The closer you get, the more it looks like there are two lights down there!

Yes! There are two lights, and they are bobbing up and down!

What on earth could it be way out here? It can't be a car, the nearest road is beyond the lights and runs off at an angle to your tracks!

As you round a slight curve that momentarily hid the lights, your head light suddenly lights up a beautiful new white Cadillac convertible coming head on straight at you and on your own track!

You drop air, throw the Johnny Bar in full reverse, open the throttle, and start blasting shorts on the whistle!

The crash was not all that terrible, and the car stayed on the tracks, but is now leading your way into town being pushed backwards by 6,000 tons of train cars rolling down hill!

Your frantic whistle blowing has awakened the town folk who have formed a crowd as you come to a stop near the first crossing.

This crossing goes across the tracks at almost a 45 degree angle so most of the town is on your right, and everyone is beginning to laugh and clap their hands.

You are a hero!

No one was hurt, and you delivered the new Cadillac to the one place it could be removed, along with,

its two passengers!

It seems that the middle aged Judge had bought his wife a shiny new white Cadillac convertible for her birthday, and decided to take his young mistress a ride in it on this beautiful moon light night.

Because he was three sheets to the wind, he had caught the left front wheel on the outside of the first rail as he crossed the track and had proceeded up the track some half a mile before the car got stalled on the track.

The real show started when the Judge tried to explain to his wife what her car was doing on the railroad tracks at this time of night, and who was that nice young thing sitting in her car?

There were no traffic tickets issued, and the engineer was not cited.

"The Lord smiles on engineers, occasionally!"

[Hytec]

Wayne, that's a great tale!

Alan, if the truth be known, there are more aircraft incidents throughout the World on any given day than there are rail incidents. However, as you imply, railroads run through towns, obstruct traffic, and the accidents are easily accessible to the Press. On the other hand, airports are w-a-y out of town, airplanes fly high and out of sight, and crashes are in remote mountains and forests, a real pain for the Press to get to. Did you see how much coverage was given to the AirBus 300 crash in Brooklyn? Hey, the Press could do an hour spot on site, then get back to the bar in time for lunch.

Also, as you say, railroads have been the "Bad Guys" for over a Hundred years.

[ 13 April 2002, 01:53: Message edited by: Hank Coolidge ]