I’m sorry of you and the idiots family. I’m sorry you had to deal with the trauma of seeing the leftovers of the people and sorry that family loose members because of stupidity
Everyone misses the point. That pisses me off to no end. People ooh and awe at the destruction but don't think it through. There are crewmen involved, and an engineer behind the throttle. I am a retired locomotive engineer late of the Southern Pacific's Sacramento and Oregon Divisions, the final four years with the UP. Here’s the truth about the heartache no one knows. Statistically, in a typical 30 year career a locomotive engineer will experience three fatalities, sometimes pedestrians, most times motorists. In my own career I tagged two pickup trucks, a station wagon and a pedestrian. Miraculously no one died. The pedestrian wound up with a couple of stitches to the back of his head as the only injury. I was lucky. So were they. The only question mark is one night I was approaching Chico, California and the train dispatcher called to ask me if I had hit anyone. A very odd question. The train following me reported he came upon a bunch of crap strung out down the track that used to be a human being. It was determined he was riding and fell off of my train between cars. That's something else usually overlooked. Someone has to scrape up the aftermath of all this carnage. First weekend of June, 1972. High school graduation night in Red Bluff, California. One of the guys I hired out with, Phil Bentley had one number more seniority on me. His train was coming trough town when a "pleasure van" as they were known at the time, had eight teenagers in it. The driver went around the lowered gates and all of them were killed. He walked back to try to render some aid if he could. There was a girl laying against a picket fence, a piece of flashing from the van driven into her skull. He cradled her head in his lap until she soon quit breathing and died. But for one number, that could've been me. He got my three, his three and two of someone else's in the blink of an eye. That whole crew, both head end and rear end (we still had cabooses then), were changed men after experiencing that horror. February, 1974. I was called on duty for 7am for a hostling job in SP's Roseville yard. In the crew dispatcher's office I bumped into another engineer named Bill Hood, called for the Sacramento Swing. A very short run from Roseville to Sacramento and return. He was glad of the call off the extra board as his daughter was in some kind of school activity that evening. A play or recital or something. But he knew he'd be able to get.there. There is a place between Roseville and Sacramento called Ben Ali There is a four lane grade crossing there, and about one mile north of that crossing there was a person walking along the outside of track #1, the engineer'side.He was blowing the whistle but the person didn’t hear it and he hit and killed that person. The person was a teenage girl walking to school. Against the cold, damp air she had her hood drawn tight around her head and a new "Sony Walkman" cassette tape player, with headphones on. She never had a chance. Engineer Hood had given the girl the Walkman for Christmas a few weeks earlier. He had struck and killed his own daughter. It's been 49 years but I still tear up whenever I speak of it. He died right there with her. We just didn’t know it at the time. He rarely marked up to work. His marriage fell apart and he had lost everything. Then one day around two years later he ate the barrel of a .38. We saw it coming but there was nothing we could do. Helpless, like the eternity that passes from when you plug the train and the sick, ringing thud that follows when the pilot plow hits flesh and blood. Late summer, 1975, downtown Redding, California. I was called around 3 am in Dunsmuir to head home to Roseville 209 miles down the line. The rest of the crew and I were in a restaurant having breakfast and an engineer named Ted Vasquez walked in, looking ill and pale. There was an organization in the old Hotel Lorenz called the “Point Man.” They helped veterans, most of whom served in Viet Nam back then, and is still active today as far as I know. A paralyzed vet was trying to get to the office. Motorized wheel chairs were fairly new and unlike those of today were outfitted with smaller front wheels. Trying to cross the tracks at a grade crossing one of the front wheels dropped into the flange way and he was stuck. Well before cell phones, all he had was a walkie-talkie CB radio to contact anyone. Before getting help engineer Vasquez hit him at 45 mph and it basically exploded him. But it isn't always the speed that kills. If I pick up a rifle cartridge and throw it at you it won’t do much harm, but you still wouldn’t want to catch one in the eye. That is low mass at low speed. But if I fire that cartridge at you the bullet will go right through you. That is low mass at high speed. Think of a train as a reverse bullet. Very high mass (unit trains like coal is around 16,000 trailing tons, not including the weight of the locomotives. That's another 2,000 tons) at a much lower speed. That is what gives them their wallop. Even at a modest 20 mph a glancing blow will pop someone open like squeezing a grape between your thumb and index finger. Bottom line is if you are anywhere near a moving train you are in mortal danger. A train will derail at any time, on any track at any speed. Trains don't hunt people down. But if you get in their way they'll be happy to kill you. It's their sandbox and they get to make the rules. And sometimes the engine crew gets killed too. Either burned to death after hitting a tanker or squashed like a bug when they hit something like a logging truck at speed and the cab gets erased. The only time it makes national news is when a train winds up in the ditch and scatters all over hell and back and blows a part of some town to bits. We've had two of those lately, both on the Norfolk Southern only a couple of days apart. Grade crossing accidents are second only to drunken driving in the number of motorists killed each year. That's about one person every two hours. There is a high degree of probability some one has been killed while you've been reading this lengthy post. I didn't intend to write a book today so sorry if it's too long. Keep in mind, grade crossing protection is NOT FAIL-SAFE. There is battery back up for a power outage and in remote areas where there are no public utilities batteries are the primary power source, kept recharged by solar panels. But other conditions I'll not get in to for obvious reasons can occur rendering them inoperative. So never pull onto the track unless you know you have room to get all the way in the clear on the other side. If you do get caught drive right through the gates. They are of a break-away design for just this purpose. You may have to repaint your hood or roof, but you'll still have your car and your life. Twice in my career I went over two crossings where the gates were inoperative. 40 mph on one and 45 mph on the other in broad daylight. The mantra is stop, look and listen before crossing any track. Those days no one got killed because the drivers were paying attention and saw or heard me coming. Stopping isn't always a choice so someone won't drive up your tailpipe. "Look." A real look. A glance can get you dead. "Listen." That means turn off the music and roll your window down. There are many thousands of blind curves out there and you may not see a headlight approaching. This is especially important in foul weather. Worse still is in snow. After about two feet of snow is on the ground it acts like a sponge soaking up the sound. Even worse still, in heavy snow the throat of the horn of the locomotive's whistle can get clogged. If it works at all you can get only a pitiful squeak out of it. And that takes us right back to "look." When grade crossing protection fires off a train is going to occupy that crossing in 20 seconds. There are bugs that activate the system and they are located at places according to what ever the track speed is. Lights blink, bells ring and gates come down. You've got 20 seconds to get out of the way if the train is running at track speed. Most do not know there are four speeds at play each trip. Track speed, maximum authorized speed, restricted speed and temporary speed restrictions. There are many more engineers I know who hit and killed others in a less dramatic fashion. However I am but one of perhaps 50,000 engineers in North America, which includes Canada and Mexico. It's a pretty exclusive club considering there are hundreds of millions of people we serve day in and day out around the clock. The ultimate irony? In a grade crossing accident, if someone is killed and it can be proven that the whistle wasn't blowing, headlights improperly displayed or bell not ringing, that engineer is open to a charge of manslaughter. All class I carriers have a dash camera on their engines and each engine has an event recorder that acts like the black box on aircraft. Direction, speed, throttle position, amperage in power or dynamic brake, the various air pressures in play, lights, whistle, bell etc. That is to keep their tit out of the wringer when some moron gets themselves greased. But it keeps engineers in the clear as well. People get transfixed as the drama plays out in front of them. That is exactly what you shouldn't do. Collisions can and do cause derailments, then you're in deep, deep trouble. Get out of your your car in case you have to run for it. For the victims killed it’s over immediately. But the event haunts an engineer every night when trying to get to sleep for the rest of their lives. Today, post accident counseling is available if wanted or needed that usually includes three days off with pay. All of this is unbelievably gruesome stuff. Don't assume everyone knows these things. They do not. So now that you know, tell someone you love. It just might save their life one day.
I had a landlord who had work 30 years as a locomotive engineer for Norfolk Western without once being involved in a collision with a motor vehicle. One day his engine plowed through a tanker truck full of milk, and an empty school bus. He resigned that day.
@@stevencooper2464 I understand completely. Anyone who says they've never been scared out there are liars or have a vacancy between their ears. I cannot swear to it but I do not think I ever made a trip anywhere without a least one car going around the crossing gates right in front of me. One time a car did that in Dorris, California about three miles below the Oregon state line on a trip to Klamath Falls, Oregon. The idiot did it right in front of a California Highway Patrolman. The cop lit him up immediately. That made my whole day a lot brighter. You get caught doing that in California the fines and penalties are almost as severe as getting popped for drunk driving. Yup. They mean business.
Thank for posting this. I have been researching the local railroad here in Northern NY. Everything is always about the hardware or the corporate. The Engineer and crew are never mentioned. The statistics at rail crossings are never mentioned.
As a truck truck driver I thank you for posting this information in a well thought out manner as well as your commitment to moving the continents commodities some of which I likely enjoyed myself. A lot of what you said applies to trucks too, however unfortunately people become to complacent and distracted by all of the gadgets in their computer on wheels and like you said do not think of the people that need to respond to these calls when something goes wrong or the operator of these vehicles. Once again I thank you for your post, take care buddy! AC🤙
Ex bus driver, not train driver. Please believe me when I say that you never forget a fatal like these. Even years later it "reminds" you of what happened at the most unexpected time. Please people, be careful as the train will always win
Not quite. The rest of us will always lose, but sometimes, the train will lose as well. Derailments *can* happen in these (or many other) situations. Please try avoiding standing too close to the tracks.
Here in the UK we have gated crossings mostly. Still have walkers ignoring the gates when they are closed . Feel sorry for the engineers have to deal with this happening
The only people I ever really feel bad for in these situations are the train drivers. They can't do anything about it and have to just ride it out and while not their fault in anyway may end up killing people. Cause 9/10 times there's no logical reason for the vehicle to even be on the tracks like that to begin with. And then there's a lack of knowledge of what to do and who to call when you do get stuck on the tracks. And unfortunately that also depends on the distance the train is from the crossing. If you're lucky contact with the train/railway is made in time that they can stop. Sometimes a lot of these just seem like the person is intentionally getting their vehicle there and getting hit. Just seems like if some of them would keep driving they'd be not getting smacked by a train
Wanna know what the real problem is? Ignorance. I don't use that word as a slur. Unless someone takes the time to educate themselves they just do not know enough to keep themselves out of harm's way. Do you have school age children? Are you active in the process of their education? Good. Go to the next PTA meeting. Go to the next school board meeting. Then put the wheels in motion to have basic railroad safety as a part of the school curriculum. To my knowledge none of this is taught anywhere. There was a program called “Operation Lifesaver.” A few trainmen and enginemen out of each terminal would make classroom presentations to get the word out. I haven’t heard of them for years and I doubt they’re still around. It’s a necessary but sad state of affairs more children know about semi-automatic firearms and what to do in an active shooter situation than how to cross railroad tracks safely. As a stop gap measure here are some handy dandy tips: Next time you’re waiting for a train to pass, read the writing on the sides of tank cars. It tells you what’s inside. Anhydrous ammonia, LPG, vinyl chloride, cyanide, acids, hydrogen peroxide, ammonium nitrate and a lot more. Some cars are carrying as much as 28,000 gallons of this stuff. Most all of these commodities are heavier than air and flow down hill when tanks are ruptured. Sometimes it’s just a failed valve that is leaking. Do you live near a railroad right of way? Is it at a higher elevation than your home or the schools your children attend? Guess what? If the answer is yes then you already have one arm tied behind your back. The kid runs across the track. The cross ties are loaded with slippery stuff. Creosote, crater, oil, grease and on track equipment lubricates. If you slip you might be lucky and only lose your legs. Employees are forbidden to step on a rail by rule. You slip, bash your head on a rail. Lose consciousness and you get run over by the next train or you can bleed out. On the inside of well worn rail near the top of the rail, the “ball” of the rail, “flash” develops. Very thin carbon steel strips as sharp as a surgeon’s scalpel. Bump into it and it will lay your ankle open to the bone. You may not even feel it at first. You feel like your socks are wet, you look down and see all the blood. Then it starts to hurt. In rural areas in the summertime in the heat of the day rattlesnakes stay underground. Later at night they will lay along the side of the rail to stay warm. Other wild animals walk along the right of way because it’s easier going than through brush or scrub. Where I have lived and worked there are bear, mountain lions and bobcats. I even had a bear on my porch a couple of nights ago. They really don’t like to be bothered. Find one of these predators out there and you can drop a couple of links in the food chain. Burrowing animals like rabbits, squirrels, ground hogs and hedge hogs are all over the place and so are their burrows and warrens. It’s real easy to step in one and wind up with a badly sprained or broken ankle. If you’re going to go out there anyway give your self a hand and wear boots with at least 1” heels and high ankle support. This is required foot ware for employees. Danger is everywhere out there even if no train is around. Stay off the tracks or you could wind up having a very bad day. Where there is automatic grade crossing protection there is a usually a signal house that controls it near by. On the side of that box is a telephone number and the crossing id number to report problems, malfunctions or accidents. Unfortunately, sometimes fate is the hunter. There is no way to guard against that. Spread the word and stay safe.
how does one underestimate the sheer destructive power of a train ? sometimes vehicles stall or become hung up over stupidity or accident and yeah majority of the time the train wins but not always do the crew or passengers or sometimes bystandards due to twisted steel and elements being impacted and driven violently through anything anyone in its path , that includes the engineers cab or passenger cars. elevated crossings is the answer.
you feel bad for the train driver? lol, usually they doesn't care when they kill someone, it's appened to a lot of my friends and it's not a thing for them. Think of the guys who's under the train and wash all the blood and body-parts, when you have some intestine stuck in the bogie and you need to take them bare hand because I remember perfectly till this day. "what do I do with all of this (teeth, fingers, some bodyparts and a lot of skin), do I take them and it's go back to the family or do I just put it in the bin?" I was one of them, it's not a specific team, it's just the regular workers who do this job. You need to be seroiusly touth to doing this, so please, feel bad for these guys. Drivers doesn't deal with consequence.
They said on another video that it was fake. But if I saw the guy on the quad cross with the dog I would have liked to slap the shit out of him. What an asshole.
@@Phooie I wasnt joking about the steam trains being quiet - despite the whistle. If im driving a traction engine at a fair for example, its surprising how many people just dont notice you, then fair crap their pants when the whistle is blown as a warning!
These videos would be just fine without the need to add in clearly staged crashes. Why does EVERY ONE of these crash video creators feel the needs to do that?
Those videos were showing crash education demonstrations. They're for teaching various drivers what not to do, how to handle the worst scenarios, etc. They're recorded for the education of first responders, LEOs, truck drivers, train engineers, bus drivers, etc. It wasn't meant for anyone's entertainment, per se, but to show and educate drivers the effects of being careless and getting in the way of a train.
I am not a fan of train wrecks. I came here for the beautiful views of the railroad snow plows doing their job. But I had to laugh when that one train pulled into the station where the tracks were choked with snow.
A number of these clips were showing training demonstrations for first responders, train engineers, bus drivers, truck drivers, etc. They were filmed to be shown in educational settings, but of course, as happens all the time now, they were also released to YT. They aren't "set up" videos at all.
A fair number of these clips were made for educational purposes to teach truckers, bus drivers, train engineers, first responders and LEOs what to do and not do if a train-vehicle crash occurs. There are lots of indicators as to which ones are demos, as well as this having been posted a couple of years ago with a very clear explanation as to what was happening in those particular clips. This one is a lousy, terrible compilation of various videos from others.
First video is a truck from the company I drive for. The driver was safe and able to drive it back to our terminal. The truck has now been fully restored and back on the road hauling freight across the country.
It’s odd. The trucking companies, railroads and even Mississippi steamboats have been competing with each other for nearly 175 years or so, and in some cases with more than a little animosity between the three at times, especially with owner/operators that included riverboat captains. Everyone has the right to earn a living. I find it also more than a little ionic that the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen is now a branch of the Teamsters Union. I would imagine there are a lot of people who are spinning at major RPMs in their graves as a result. I’m glad that the driver and truck made it, against the odds. Stop, look and listen. Take care.
At 9:15 the person in the black coat and white hat just looked at the train hitting the snow and they just stood looking at it a not moving what a nut case.
It's called grounding here in the UK......result of a long trailer going over a raised section of road/track.......middle of Trailer grounds, resulting in the truck going nowhere.
My friend Doug an engineer on a freight train hit a Ford Aerostar, killing the driver, and the Ford van's transmission came up through the floor Doug was standing on. That was a close call for him.
It’s a safety demonstration lol. Basically railroads plan these test crashes to show the public how dangerous it is to leave your car on the tracks. It was a dummy.
The guy flagging down the train at 7:43 has good intentions, but i dont think he realizes that trains take up to 2 miles to stop, And by this point the crew knows what’s happening
It’s at 1:30 in the video. 13:09 is what is left. The Man is a Hero👍 Thank You for saving the Dog. And whoever did such a thing should be incarcerated for life
That dog was tied to the rails? SMH, how can someone be so damn disgustingly cruel?! Thank God that man was there & saved the pup at the last second! I hope they tie-down whoever did this, to the tracks!
It's possible that the dog had gotten away dragging a leash or tie-out rope and was simply tangled in the rails. I shudder to think it was intentional, but it's possible. People like the jackwagons yelling in that video have no love or respect for animals. "Leave it!" FUCK YOU! I would rather die than sit back and watch that happen. (that's directed at the people in the video, mind you)
Look up "Did This Video Show a Dog Rescued from Train Tracks?" on Snopes and you'll see this one was fake - fortunately for everyone involved, especially the dog! Nevertheless, messing around on active train tracks is still dangerous and involves illegal trespassing. I believe the near miss at around 00:25 is also fake, but the dog one has become better-known. The rest are genuine.
Ok - how long is it, generally in America, after the red lights and the barriers, before the train arrives? Here in the UK you tend to get about a minute, which seems like quite a long time to wait. Like, if you saw the lights change, you'd reckon to be able to cross quite safely (if you were in that much of a hurry, and just didn't care). But I see these USA clips, and think like you only get a few seconds... so, if you knew that, why would you even risk it? Is it, as I suspect, a 'no-one tells ME how to live my life' kind of thing? Or what?
About the UK timing - the whole point is to help those with terrible judgement of what a safe margin is (if you can think of a way to actually stop them). Knowing that some people will ignore the red anyway, how much time margin would you leave if you were responsible for collisions?
In the US as little as 20 seconds. There are "bugs" located at some distance depending on track speed such that they will activate the protection 20 seconds before the train occupies the crossing. So, before pulling on to the crossing, don't do it until you know for sure there is room for your vehicle to get totally in the clear of the crossing on the other side. If you do get caught on the track, drive right through the gate. Most all are of a break away design for exactly this reason. You may have to repaint your bonnet or roof, but you'll still have your car and your life.
I had to hide my eyes when the train and tornado collided! All those cars hitting that lava, now that's the stuff of nightmares, but the truck and iceberg will keep me up at night!!!
I see a lot of people like playing with their own lives on train tracks smh it's a thin line between being alive and being 6 feet but I guess some people don't care
One of these was in my hometown. I thought, cool that place has the same Christmas angels as my town does then went wait a minute, that’s Appleton. Been really late to work waiting for a train on those very tracks. But I’d rather be late and have my life as well as not endangering the people in the train then try to drive over the tracks to beat the train. That car was unfortunately stuck partially on a snowbank and a tow truck was on the way, nobody informed the train, obviously. Fortunately no injuries or casualties.
i can understand trucks getting stuck on crossings but i will never understand how or why drivers would rather sit there while the train roars down on them instead of just breaking the barrier, its really a no brainer
It still amazes me how some people value their lives so cheap. To them, the flashing crossing signals aren't a warning, its that the train has issued a challenge to them. And if they make it, then its, haha, "I won"! And if they didnt make it then the railroad comes under scrutiny for unsafe crossings and the crew will need some therapy sessions. The other amazing thing is when a vehicle is stuck on the crossing, people stand on the tracks facing the oncoming train, waving their arms, hat, shirt or whatever, thinking the crew will see them and stop the train. IIRC, generally a loaded freight train takes about 100' to stop for every MPH it's traveling. So people, get off the tracks and contact your car insurance broker.
Somebody too cheap to take the dog to a pound, and too cowardly to put a bullet through the dog's head, that's "who." Someone vicious, cruel, probably an abuser of women and children, and yet thinks he's a "great" guy. That's typically a man's way of getting rid of a dog---we women just don't even think along those lines---but is just about the biggest demonstration of cowardice any man can ever display.
As a Paramedic, I have several times, picked up pieces of idiots that thought they could beat the train
I’m sorry of you and the idiots family. I’m sorry you had to deal with the trauma of seeing the leftovers of the people and sorry that family loose members because of stupidity
I just have a question... What do a lava flow, tornado or an iceberg calving have to do with train and train fails?
It wasn't much of a tornado either.
Nothing. Lousy editing.
@@busterbiloxi3833 true... Except the iceberg. And that's not what happened here
not to mention all the staged train / car collisions
Everyone misses the point. That pisses me off to no end. People ooh and awe at the destruction but don't think it through. There are crewmen involved, and an engineer behind the throttle. I am a retired locomotive engineer late of the Southern Pacific's Sacramento and Oregon Divisions, the final four years with the UP. Here’s the truth about the heartache no one knows.
Statistically, in a typical 30 year career a locomotive engineer will experience three fatalities, sometimes pedestrians, most times motorists. In my own career I tagged two pickup trucks, a station wagon and a pedestrian. Miraculously no one died. The pedestrian wound up with a couple of stitches to the back of his head as the only injury. I was lucky. So were they. The only question mark is one night I was approaching Chico, California and the train dispatcher called to ask me if I had hit anyone. A very odd question. The train following me reported he came upon a bunch of crap strung out down the track that used to be a human being. It was determined he was riding and fell off of my train between cars. That's something else usually overlooked. Someone has to scrape up the aftermath of all this carnage.
First weekend of June, 1972. High school graduation night in Red Bluff, California. One of the guys I hired out with, Phil Bentley had one number more seniority on me. His train was coming trough town when a "pleasure van" as they were known at the time, had eight teenagers in it. The driver went around the lowered gates and all of them were killed. He walked back to try to render some aid if he could. There was a girl laying against a picket fence, a piece of flashing from the van driven into her skull. He cradled her head in his lap until she soon quit breathing and died. But for one number, that could've been me. He got my three, his three and two of someone else's in the blink of an eye. That whole crew, both head end and rear end (we still had cabooses then), were changed men after experiencing that horror.
February, 1974. I was called on duty for 7am for a hostling job in SP's Roseville yard. In the crew dispatcher's office I bumped into another engineer named Bill Hood, called for the Sacramento Swing. A very short run from Roseville to Sacramento and return. He was glad of the call off the extra board as his daughter was in some kind of school activity that evening. A play or recital or something. But he knew he'd be able to get.there.
There is a place between Roseville and Sacramento called Ben Ali There is a four lane grade crossing there, and about one mile north of that crossing there was a person walking along the outside of track #1, the engineer'side.He was blowing the whistle but the person didn’t hear it and he hit and killed that person. The person was a teenage girl walking to school. Against the cold, damp air she had her hood drawn tight around her head and a new "Sony Walkman" cassette tape player, with headphones on. She never had a chance. Engineer Hood had given the girl the Walkman for Christmas a few weeks earlier. He had struck and killed his own daughter. It's been 49 years but I still tear up whenever I speak of it. He died right there with her. We just didn’t know it at the time. He rarely marked up to work. His marriage fell apart and he had lost everything. Then one day around two years later he ate the barrel of a .38. We saw it coming but there was nothing we could do. Helpless, like the eternity that passes from when you plug the train and the sick, ringing thud that follows when the pilot plow hits flesh and blood.
Late summer, 1975, downtown Redding, California. I was called around 3 am in Dunsmuir to head home to Roseville 209 miles down the line. The rest of the crew and I were in a restaurant having breakfast and an engineer named Ted Vasquez walked in, looking ill and pale. There was an organization in the old Hotel Lorenz called the “Point Man.” They helped veterans, most of whom served in Viet Nam back then, and is still active today as far as I know. A paralyzed vet was trying to get to the office. Motorized wheel chairs were fairly new and unlike those of today were outfitted with smaller front wheels. Trying to cross the tracks at a grade crossing one of the front wheels dropped into the flange way and he was stuck. Well before cell phones, all he had was a walkie-talkie CB radio to contact anyone. Before getting help engineer Vasquez hit him at 45 mph and it basically exploded him. But it isn't always the speed that kills.
If I pick up a rifle cartridge and throw it at you it won’t do much harm, but you still wouldn’t want to catch one in the eye. That is low mass at low speed. But if I fire that cartridge at you the bullet will go right through you. That is low mass at high speed.
Think of a train as a reverse bullet. Very high mass (unit trains like coal is around 16,000 trailing tons, not including the weight of the locomotives. That's another 2,000 tons) at a much lower speed. That is what gives them their wallop. Even at a modest 20 mph a glancing blow will pop someone open like squeezing a grape between your thumb and index finger. Bottom line is if you are anywhere near a moving train you are in mortal danger. A train will derail at any time, on any track at any speed. Trains don't hunt people down. But if you get in their way they'll be happy to kill you. It's their sandbox and they get to make the rules.
And sometimes the engine crew gets killed too. Either burned to death after hitting a tanker or squashed like a bug when they hit something like a logging truck at speed and the cab gets erased. The only time it makes national news is when a train winds up in the ditch and scatters all over hell and back and blows a part of some town to bits. We've had two of those lately, both on the Norfolk Southern only a couple of days apart.
Grade crossing accidents are second only to drunken driving in the number of motorists killed each year. That's about one person every two hours. There is a high degree of probability some one has been killed while you've been reading this lengthy post. I didn't intend to write a book today so sorry if it's too long.
Keep in mind, grade crossing protection is NOT FAIL-SAFE. There is battery back up for a power outage and in remote areas where there are no public utilities batteries are the primary power source, kept recharged by solar panels. But other conditions I'll not get in to for obvious reasons can occur rendering them inoperative. So never pull onto the track unless you know you have room to get all the way in the clear on the other side. If you do get caught drive right through the gates. They are of a break-away design for just this purpose. You may have to repaint your hood or roof, but you'll still have your car and your life. Twice in my career I went over two crossings where the gates were inoperative. 40 mph on one and 45 mph on the other in broad daylight. The mantra is stop, look and listen before crossing any track. Those days no one got killed because the drivers were paying attention and saw or heard me coming.
Stopping isn't always a choice so someone won't drive up your tailpipe. "Look." A real look. A glance can get you dead. "Listen." That means turn off the music and roll your window down. There are many thousands of blind curves out there and you may not see a headlight approaching. This is especially important in foul weather. Worse still is in snow. After about two feet of snow is on the ground it acts like a sponge soaking up the sound. Even worse still, in heavy snow the throat of the horn of the locomotive's whistle can get clogged. If it works at all you can get only a pitiful squeak out of it.
And that takes us right back to "look."
When grade crossing protection fires off a train is going to occupy that crossing in 20 seconds. There are bugs that activate the system and they are located at places according to what ever the track speed is. Lights blink, bells ring and gates come down. You've got 20 seconds to get out of the way if the train is running at track speed. Most do not know there are four speeds at play each trip. Track speed, maximum authorized speed, restricted speed and temporary speed restrictions.
There are many more engineers I know who hit and killed others in a less dramatic fashion. However I am but one of perhaps 50,000 engineers in North America, which includes Canada and Mexico. It's a pretty exclusive club considering there are hundreds of millions of people we serve day in and day out around the clock. The ultimate irony? In a grade crossing accident, if someone is killed and it can be proven that the whistle wasn't blowing, headlights improperly displayed or bell not ringing, that engineer is open to a charge of manslaughter. All class I carriers have a dash camera on their engines and each engine has an event recorder that acts like the black box on aircraft. Direction, speed, throttle position, amperage in power or dynamic brake, the various air pressures in play, lights, whistle, bell etc. That is to keep their tit out of the wringer when some moron gets themselves greased. But it keeps engineers in the clear as well.
People get transfixed as the drama plays out in front of them. That is exactly what you shouldn't do. Collisions can and do cause derailments, then you're in deep, deep trouble. Get out of your your car in case you have to run for it.
For the victims killed it’s over immediately. But the event haunts an engineer every night when trying to get to sleep for the rest of their lives. Today, post accident counseling is available if wanted or needed that usually includes three days off with pay.
All of this is unbelievably gruesome stuff.
Don't assume everyone knows these things. They do not. So now that you know, tell someone you love. It just might save their life one day.
I had a landlord who had work 30 years as a locomotive engineer for Norfolk Western without once being involved in a collision with a motor vehicle. One day his engine plowed through a tanker truck full of milk, and an empty school bus. He resigned that day.
@@stevencooper2464 I understand completely. Anyone who says they've never been scared out there are liars or have a vacancy between their ears. I cannot swear to it but I do not think I ever made a trip anywhere without a least one car going around the crossing gates right in front of me. One time a car did that in Dorris, California about three miles below the Oregon state line on a trip to Klamath Falls, Oregon. The idiot did it right in front of a California Highway Patrolman. The cop lit him up immediately. That made my whole day a lot brighter. You get caught doing that in California the fines and penalties are almost as severe as getting popped for drunk driving. Yup. They mean business.
Thank for posting this. I have been researching the local railroad here in Northern NY. Everything is always about the hardware or the corporate. The Engineer and crew are never mentioned. The statistics at rail crossings are never mentioned.
As a truck truck driver I thank you for posting this information in a well thought out manner as well as your commitment to moving the continents commodities some of which I likely enjoyed myself.
A lot of what you said applies to trucks too, however unfortunately people become to complacent and distracted by all of the gadgets in their computer on wheels and like you said do not think of the people that need to respond to these calls when something goes wrong or the operator of these vehicles.
Once again I thank you for your post, take care buddy!
AC🤙
I was a Paramedic in Contra Costa county for 30 years. I had 9 train vs pedestrians, 2 lived. The rest were, walk along the tracks picking up pieces.
the guy that saved the dog isnt an idiot, its a hero
the sad thing is im pretty sure that video is fake
@@RSM-179Proof??
People are sometimes evil these days
That video was fake
Define “fake”
Ex bus driver, not train driver. Please believe me when I say that you never forget a fatal like these. Even years later it "reminds" you of what happened at the most unexpected time. Please people, be careful as the train will always win
P]l)lol ppl lklmkkk(k⁰
Wake up people c s x always wins
Not quite. The rest of us will always lose, but sometimes, the train will lose as well. Derailments *can* happen in these (or many other) situations. Please try avoiding standing too close to the tracks.
Here in the UK we have gated crossings mostly. Still have walkers ignoring the gates when they are closed .
Feel sorry for the engineers have to deal with this happening
The only people I ever really feel bad for in these situations are the train drivers. They can't do anything about it and have to just ride it out and while not their fault in anyway may end up killing people. Cause 9/10 times there's no logical reason for the vehicle to even be on the tracks like that to begin with. And then there's a lack of knowledge of what to do and who to call when you do get stuck on the tracks. And unfortunately that also depends on the distance the train is from the crossing. If you're lucky contact with the train/railway is made in time that they can stop. Sometimes a lot of these just seem like the person is intentionally getting their vehicle there and getting hit. Just seems like if some of them would keep driving they'd be not getting smacked by a train
Wanna know what the real problem is? Ignorance. I don't use that word as a slur. Unless someone takes the time to educate themselves they just do not know enough to keep themselves out of harm's way.
Do you have school age children? Are you active in the process of their education? Good. Go to the next PTA meeting. Go to the next school board meeting. Then put the wheels in motion to have basic railroad safety as a part of the school curriculum. To my knowledge none of this is taught anywhere.
There was a program called “Operation Lifesaver.” A few trainmen and enginemen out of each terminal would make classroom presentations to get the word out. I haven’t heard of them for years and I doubt they’re still around. It’s a necessary but sad state of affairs more children know about semi-automatic firearms and what to do in an active shooter situation than how to cross railroad tracks safely.
As a stop gap measure here are some handy dandy tips:
Next time you’re waiting for a train to pass, read the writing on the sides of tank cars. It tells you what’s inside. Anhydrous ammonia, LPG, vinyl chloride, cyanide, acids, hydrogen peroxide, ammonium nitrate and a lot more. Some cars are carrying as much as 28,000 gallons of this stuff.
Most all of these commodities are heavier than air and flow down hill when tanks are ruptured. Sometimes it’s just a failed valve that is leaking. Do you live near a railroad right of way? Is it at a higher elevation than your home or the schools your children attend? Guess what? If the answer is yes then you already have one arm tied behind your back.
The kid runs across the track. The cross ties are loaded with slippery stuff. Creosote, crater, oil, grease and on track equipment lubricates. If you slip you might be lucky and only lose your legs. Employees are forbidden to step on a rail by rule. You slip, bash your head on a rail. Lose consciousness and you get run over by the next train or you can bleed out.
On the inside of well worn rail near the top of the rail, the “ball” of the rail, “flash” develops. Very thin carbon steel strips as sharp as a surgeon’s scalpel. Bump into it and it will lay your ankle open to the bone. You may not even feel it at first. You feel like your socks are wet, you look down and see all the blood. Then it starts to hurt.
In rural areas in the summertime in the heat of the day rattlesnakes stay underground. Later at night they will lay along the side of the rail to stay warm. Other wild animals walk along the right of way because it’s easier going than through brush or scrub. Where I have lived and worked there are bear, mountain lions and bobcats. I even had a bear on my porch a couple of nights ago. They really don’t like to be bothered. Find one of these predators out there and you can drop a couple of links in the food chain.
Burrowing animals like rabbits, squirrels, ground hogs and hedge hogs are all over the place and so are their burrows and warrens. It’s real easy to step in one and wind up with a badly sprained or broken ankle. If you’re going to go out there anyway give your self a hand and wear boots with at least 1” heels and high ankle support. This is required foot ware for employees.
Danger is everywhere out there even if no train is around. Stay off the tracks or you could wind up having a very bad day.
Where there is automatic grade crossing protection there is a usually a signal house that controls it near by. On the side of that box is a telephone number and the crossing id number to report problems, malfunctions or accidents.
Unfortunately, sometimes fate is the hunter. There is no way to guard against that.
Spread the word and stay safe.
how does one underestimate the sheer destructive power of a train ? sometimes vehicles stall or become hung up over stupidity or accident and yeah majority of the time the train wins but not always do the crew or passengers or sometimes bystandards due to twisted steel and elements being impacted and driven violently through anything anyone in its path , that includes the engineers cab or passenger cars. elevated crossings is the answer.
@MissX33 get out of the vehicle? Ahh take all the fun out of it
you feel bad for the train driver? lol, usually they doesn't care when they kill someone, it's appened to a lot of my friends and it's not a thing for them. Think of the guys who's under the train and wash all the blood and body-parts, when you have some intestine stuck in the bogie and you need to take them bare hand because I remember perfectly till this day. "what do I do with all of this (teeth, fingers, some bodyparts and a lot of skin), do I take them and it's go back to the family or do I just put it in the bin?" I was one of them, it's not a specific team, it's just the regular workers who do this job. You need to be seroiusly touth to doing this, so please, feel bad for these guys. Drivers doesn't deal with consequence.
Key thing to remember is.....if you are following a truck and there is a RR crossing up ahead, start filming.
Ulysses S. Grant said it best, " Ya can't fix stupid."
Except he didn't. 👍
1:21 I guess the Deloreon went back to 1985 before the locomotive went over the cliff. Was it going 88 MPH?
I hope those poor train drivers never got hurt and didn’t have any damages to their trains
1:43 the best timing on the train horn between clips
That was just perfect
The next to the last train was blowing "Jingle Bells" on the horn.
mega love for the guy who risked his life for the dog
They said on another video that it was fake. But if I saw the guy on the quad cross with the dog I would have liked to slap the shit out of him. What an asshole.
Up to a point.
Who the fuck would tie a dog to the tracks though?
The guy almost died over a fucking dog though. I mean...
I read somewhere that it was staged. As in it was his dog to begin with and the clip was edited to make it look like a train was coming
0:10 The guy in the red truck did exactly what he should have done. Smart move. Odds are he saw what was about to happen and he got away from it.
Then why did he stay there? There where no cars in the way he probably wants to sue the company for money smart he’s smart at stealing money.
@@juanleon3875 Probably bottomed out and couldn't move, ever think of that?
How can people become so detached from reality that they can't see anything that could harm them coming right at them, much less hear them?
if you are referring to the steam train, its uncanny how 100T of train can be so sneaky :)
@@nickthorp1624 Right? Bastard crept up out of nowhere!
I think because they don’t think it will happen to them.
@@nickthorp1624 you ever think that they might be ninja train's. 😊
@@Phooie I wasnt joking about the steam trains being quiet - despite the whistle. If im driving a traction engine at a fair for example, its surprising how many people just dont notice you, then fair crap their pants when the whistle is blown as a warning!
TRAINS ALWAYS WIN.
Those people don't deserve to own dogs.
12:16, so close! Almost one less 'BMW' driver to park in a 'Handicapped' spot!
2:15 this one is just brutal
It’s a dummy
7:45 does he honestly believe the train would instantly stop before hitting limo?
I witnessed that bc I live near there
3:31 This guy ALMOST KIKLED HIS DAMN DOG
2:21 there was actually someone in the car! 👀
Манекен. Видимо, показательное столкновение.
Nothing like being a truck driver who will not only lose their job and career, but face criminal charges as well. Well worth it to them, I suppose.
2:48 looks like los angles trash 4:27 would suck if the boat got little to close to that lava
Seattle, not L.A.
These videos would be just fine without the need to add in clearly staged crashes. Why does EVERY ONE of these crash video creators feel the needs to do that?
I know! It's frickin' annoying. Just there for filler.
Another politician with nothing constructive to do. They'll probably set up practice suicides when the extra tax money runs out!
It's still interesting to see how they measure speed by damage and distance.
Always gotta bitch and moan about something, I guess.
Those videos were showing crash education demonstrations. They're for teaching various drivers what not to do, how to handle the worst scenarios, etc. They're recorded for the education of first responders, LEOs, truck drivers, train engineers, bus drivers, etc. It wasn't meant for anyone's entertainment, per se, but to show and educate drivers the effects of being careless and getting in the way of a train.
Helpful hint:
Incorrect: "VIHICLE"
Correct: "VEHICLE"
You're welcome.
I am not a fan of train wrecks. I came here for the beautiful views of the railroad snow plows doing their job. But I had to laugh when that one train pulled into the station where the tracks were choked with snow.
3:44 - Trying real hard to understand how that is even remotely connected to trains. Or the tornado at 6:32. Or the iceberg at 10:45.
Lmao. 😂 same. Wtf
I think the channel added random clips to make the video longer than the usual 8 min or less. Also means more ads 😂
Stop showing the set up footage, it does spoil the rest of the footage.
A number of these clips were showing training demonstrations for first responders, train engineers, bus drivers, truck drivers, etc. They were filmed to be shown in educational settings, but of course, as happens all the time now, they were also released to YT. They aren't "set up" videos at all.
@@jb6712 Not on this video where it says "fails"
th-cam.com/video/WJKz9EfqHx0/w-d-xo.html …
The trains look like they don’t even get their paint scratched.
Looks like the racing stripes at 7:12 weren't fast enough.
Now that's entertainment! Thank you!!!!! Remember, you can make it, go for it!!!
How sad that the channel is named Vehicle Hub but they could not spell Vehicle correctly in the video
Ok Karen, any chance English isn't their first language?
People who go around the barrier and get hit should be charged with domestic terrorism.
You got to love all the wheel holders pretending to be truck drivers
A fair number of these clips were made for educational purposes to teach truckers, bus drivers, train engineers, first responders and LEOs what to do and not do if a train-vehicle crash occurs. There are lots of indicators as to which ones are demos, as well as this having been posted a couple of years ago with a very clear explanation as to what was happening in those particular clips. This one is a lousy, terrible compilation of various videos from others.
Total idiots is an understatement!!!!!!!!! Love the snowplow videos.
train: casually derails
First video is a truck from the company I drive for. The driver was safe and able to drive it back to our terminal. The truck has now been fully restored and back on the road hauling freight across the country.
It’s odd.
The trucking companies, railroads and even Mississippi steamboats have been competing with each other for nearly 175 years or so, and in some cases with more than a little animosity between the three at times, especially with owner/operators that included riverboat captains. Everyone has the right to earn a living.
I find it also more than a little ionic that the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen is now a branch of the Teamsters Union. I would imagine there are a lot of people who are spinning at major RPMs in their graves as a result.
I’m glad that the driver and truck made it, against the odds. Stop, look and listen.
Take care.
At 9:15 the person in the black coat and white hat just looked at the train hitting the snow and they just stood looking at it a not moving what a nut case.
She was staring at her phone, as too many people do, and didn't pay attention to the incoming, so a real dingbat, for certain.
Darwin awards locomotive edition….
It's uncanny that vehicles always get stuck in the middle of the tracks
It's called grounding here in the UK......result of a long trailer going over a raised section of road/track.......middle of Trailer grounds, resulting in the truck going nowhere.
After a Century of testing trains running into cars on tracks, they have to keep testing, because they're still not sure what happens.
Truck drivers make Forest Gump look like a genius.
1:33 nice save 👏👏👏👏
Remember, the train will not stop in time, don't risk it.
Incredible, amazing, and exciting
I'm praying for strength and healing for those affected by this terrible tragedy
My friend Doug an engineer on a freight train hit a Ford Aerostar, killing the driver, and the Ford van's transmission came up through the floor Doug was standing on. That was a close call for him.
13:12 that steamie has seen better days.
look at it this way.pushing a 40 ton truck does help the trains stop a little quicker.
I'm not being critical but that isn't correct. A truck in front of a train has about the same effect as an ant on an elephant's back.
2:18 Where the guy is ejected from the blue car and goes under it? Gruesome!
It’s a safety demonstration lol. Basically railroads plan these test crashes to show the public how dangerous it is to leave your car on the tracks. It was a dummy.
The guy flagging down the train at 7:43 has good intentions, but i dont think he realizes that trains take up to 2 miles to stop, And by this point the crew knows what’s happening
I drove trains 25yrs before I retired and only had one fatality which happened back in 2017 where a woman jumped in front of my train
2:30 I'm surprised that the train didn't flip over
Some of those locomotives that plow the snow look like mini-avalanches.
5:00 The trailer jacks are touching the ground. The truck can't move.
It moved a few seconds later!
Aww the man saved the dog
Damn I didn't know that many cars and diesels got hit and how many fools don't pay attention to the warnings!!!!
1:08 R.I.P miss frizzle 💀
So easy to fix.. Raise the grade on both sides so the rig doesn't bottom out.. It will cost, but the savings will be great..
And that's just it "it will cost" is exactly why they won't their cheapskates they care more about the money then lives sadly.
1:51 amazon: we are sorry but your parcel is dammaged skightly
It’s at 1:30 in the video. 13:09 is what is left. The Man is a Hero👍 Thank You for saving the Dog. And whoever did such a thing should be incarcerated for life
Life in prison isn't good enough. Toss his ass in a ring full of pit bulls and let them explain it to him.
That dog was tied to the rails? SMH, how can someone be so damn disgustingly cruel?! Thank God that man was there & saved the pup at the last second! I hope they tie-down whoever did this, to the tracks!
It's possible that the dog had gotten away dragging a leash or tie-out rope and was simply tangled in the rails. I shudder to think it was intentional, but it's possible. People like the jackwagons yelling in that video have no love or respect for animals.
"Leave it!" FUCK YOU! I would rather die than sit back and watch that happen. (that's directed at the people in the video, mind you)
Look up "Did This Video Show a Dog Rescued from Train Tracks?" on Snopes and you'll see this one was fake - fortunately for everyone involved, especially the dog! Nevertheless, messing around on active train tracks is still dangerous and involves illegal trespassing. I believe the near miss at around 00:25 is also fake, but the dog one has become better-known. The rest are genuine.
@@n003lb Right there with you my friend. God's greatest gift to humankind is the dog. It's the only love money can buy.
People think trains keep going on purpose, no, that's them stopping with all they've got.
3:48 I remember this. 2018 eruption in Hawaii. The boat operator had no reason to be so close.
@ 6:22... he must be deaf in his right ear
Ok - how long is it, generally in America, after the red lights and the barriers, before the train arrives?
Here in the UK you tend to get about a minute, which seems like quite a long time to wait. Like, if you saw the lights change, you'd reckon to be able to cross quite safely (if you were in that much of a hurry, and just didn't care).
But I see these USA clips, and think like you only get a few seconds... so, if you knew that, why would you even risk it? Is it, as I suspect, a 'no-one tells ME how to live my life' kind of thing? Or what?
About the UK timing - the whole point is to help those with terrible judgement of what a safe margin is (if you can think of a way to actually stop them). Knowing that some people will ignore the red anyway, how much time margin would you leave if you were responsible for collisions?
In the US as little as 20 seconds. There are "bugs" located at some distance depending on track speed such that they will activate the protection 20 seconds before the train occupies the crossing.
So, before pulling on to the crossing, don't do it until you know for sure there is room for your vehicle to get totally in the clear of the crossing on the other side. If you do get caught on the track, drive right through the gate. Most all are of a break away design for exactly this reason. You may have to repaint your bonnet or roof, but you'll still have your car and your life.
Excellent videos
I wonder sometimes if this isn't done intentionally some times to get paid by the insurances...
The widows and widowers have a hard time collecting when their deceased spouse ignored the warning signs and common sense.
1:30 😮😮😮😮 poor dog who left him there, glad someone help
If a tornado moves neither left nor right, it's headed directly toward you.
2:21 don’t worry its a mannequin or a test
Cool volcano clip 🙄
I had to hide my eyes when the train and tornado collided! All those cars hitting that lava, now that's the stuff of nightmares, but the truck and iceberg will keep me up at night!!!
I see a lot of people like playing with their own lives on train tracks smh it's a thin line between being alive and being 6 feet but I guess some people don't care
ok, so ummm, can u tell me what a Lava Fall, Tornato, and an Iceberg has to do with Trains?? JW But other than that, good video
1:29 get off the truck. What it sounds like. After that hooooolyyff
1:38
Love the snow plow trains
Good thing truckers refuse to call the 800 number on all crossing gates to halt train traffic, so we can have these videos to watch.
One of these was in my hometown. I thought, cool that place has the same Christmas angels as my town does then went wait a minute, that’s Appleton. Been really late to work waiting for a train on those very tracks. But I’d rather be late and have my life as well as not endangering the people in the train then try to drive over the tracks to beat the train. That car was unfortunately stuck partially on a snowbank and a tow truck was on the way, nobody informed the train, obviously. Fortunately no injuries or casualties.
Many of these are just staged demos. Also, I don't quite grasp the relevance of a lava flow, tornado forming or a glacier calving.
Removes idiots from the breeding population, but at a terrible cost for the train drivers and others involved.
i can understand trucks getting stuck on crossings but i will never understand how or why drivers would rather sit there while the train roars down on them instead of just breaking the barrier, its really a no brainer
04:17 it isn't the hot water you have to worry about, it's the toxic fumes that are emitted when lava hits sea water
After seeing all those trucks, it makes you wonder what the heck they were thinking! I'll bet some of them saw the unemployment line a few days later.
your cover picture had 2 fatalities!!
5:15 die brennende Fackel XD
truck drivers treat these trains like the gta train
6:25 Unbelievable. 🤦♂️
HAHAHAHA THE FIRST VIDEO, : " THE LOAD HAS BEEN DISCHARGED" CONTINUE PLS 0:35 is a movie filming
It seems that most of the big trucks get high centered when the road rises to track level and high centered, they are stuck.
Don’t get the smaller cars. You can push those by yourself
Je rappelle au citoyen des USA que les barriéres fermée on ne passe pas sauf si on a bu 10 litre de whisky avant de prendre l route
That subway train going through the water from a broken water pipe free wash
Who was it that chained that poor dog to the rail track? For what reason?
Swift Truck Drivers just couldn't get off the Railroad Tracks..
The SHEER STUPIDITY of these drivers must seen to be believed!!!! It is NOT the train drivers fault, they DO NOT Stop on a Dime!!!!!!!!!!!!
I hope that the drivers/companies involved are forced to pay for all damaged property to any and all railroads.
It still amazes me how some people value their lives so cheap. To them, the flashing crossing signals aren't a warning, its that the train has issued a challenge to them. And if they make it, then its, haha, "I won"! And if they didnt make it then the railroad comes under scrutiny for unsafe crossings and the crew will need some therapy sessions.
The other amazing thing is when a vehicle is stuck on the crossing, people stand on the tracks facing the oncoming train, waving their arms, hat, shirt or whatever, thinking the crew will see them and stop the train. IIRC, generally a loaded freight train takes about 100' to stop for every MPH it's traveling. So people, get off the tracks and contact your car insurance broker.
WHO!!! Would tie a Dog to the Tracks!!! 13:09 ???😱🤬
Somebody too cheap to take the dog to a pound, and too cowardly to put a bullet through the dog's head, that's "who." Someone vicious, cruel, probably an abuser of women and children, and yet thinks he's a "great" guy. That's typically a man's way of getting rid of a dog---we women just don't even think along those lines---but is just about the biggest demonstration of cowardice any man can ever display.
1:17 😂😂😂
3:25 NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!
The kid in front of the train at 0:20 is a pretty obvious fake - the shadows are all wrong.