A Little Bling On a BNSF Engine

Smart Car in More Ways Than One

Winter Driving

SoCal Woman Stuck on Tracks Called 911 Before Death

In all seriousness, if you find yourself stuck on a track anywhere at any time, the first thing to do is get to a safe distance, THEN call 911!.

Full Story here

Cow Hit By Train

Man I miss going to work.

What a complete DOUCHE

Cocky jerk trying to fight a speeding ticket. Must watch to the end for the big payoff.



Originally found at you guessed it Jalopnik.com

Man Hit By Acela Train Survives

Do I even have to say it.

BOSTON -- A Canton, Mass., man is recovering in fair condition with back injuries after getting hit by a train in a collision that some said should have killed him.

The victim, identified as Jack Daniels, 61, of Canton, was crossing the tracks at the Canton Junction Station about 11:20 a.m. Thursday when he was hit by a northbound Amtrak Acela train heading from New York to Boston which was speeding by at 90 mph.

Witnesses said the man didn't know what hit him.

"I said, 'Sir, you just got hit by a train.' He says, 'No, I didn't.' I go, 'Yes, you did,' and I put my arms around him ... and he goes, 'Where's my teeth?' and his back was ripped, all the way down," witness Dave Fortin said.

He said the man was clearly in shock and refused to lie down afterward.

"He was just looking for his teeth. His teeth were on the ground," Fortin said.

Daniels was flown to Massachusetts General Hospital with several non-life-threatening injuries, police said.

He told onlookers he tried the dangerous crossing because he wanted to get a cup of coffee at a nearby shop.

One witness said he couldn't believe Daniels survived.

"Those trains move fast. I'm surprised he was conscious. It's just unbelievable," witness John O'Brien said.

Police said anyone trying to cross the tracks wouldn't have much time to react in the face of an oncoming train.

"It comes very, very fast. He probably had about a second, a second and a half, to make a decision," MBTA Transit Police Sgt. Preston Horton said.

The train was delayed for two hours.

"We have fences. We have signs, big yellow lines and people still choose to trespass. And if there's any message that we can get out, it's please, do not go on active railroad tracks," Horton said.

MBTA and Amtrak police were investigating.

Original Story here.

Damn Lucky to Be Alive

Amtrak Train Collides With Car; Three Dead

Never EVER try to beat a train. I don't know how else to say it. It is not worth the risk. If you misjudge, chances are it will be the last mistake you make. Cars stall out and get hung up on tracks all the time. Personally, I don't even just trust the gates. When I approach a crossing I still look to make sure. I promise you these gates don't always work. Like anything sometimes they don't work as designed. Look at it this way, creeping at 10 mph a mile and a half long coal train will only take 5-10 minutes from your day, but you may not see train # 2 on the other track coming at 50 mph OR MORE on the adjacent track.

Original story here.


ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. -- Three people were killed when the car they were in collided with an Amtrak passenger train in Orange County just before 7:30 Friday night.

State troopers say Walter Martinez, 22, was behind the wheel of the '94 Buick when it was hit. Martinez, passenger Cristina Rosa, 19, and an unidentified male victim were all killed. Troopers said Victor Carrillo, 22, was at Orlando Regional Medical Center in serious condition. All four victims were from Orlando.

The collision happened at South Orange Avenue and East Lancaster Road, just north of Belle Isle. (see map)

The train’s conductor told investigators he saw the railroad crossing arms go down and then saw the car drive under them.

Deputies also told Channel 9 the speedometer of the Buick was frozen at 55 miles per hour. The speed limit on Lancaster Road is 40 miles per hour.

The Amtrak train was traveling from Miami to New York and contained 167 passengers, many of whom were returning home from Thanksgiving.

No one on board the train was injured, and the train itself suffered minor damage.

The scene was cleared just after 9:30, and the train was able to continue on to its next stop in Winter Park.

St. Louis Fire truck BIG Wreck!

This is why I love St. Louis. Notice the guy hanging on the corner take off as the carnage unfolds.

Found at Jalopnik

Here it is

Too Funny

Great little train video that made me smile

Some great train stuff

Just some train stuff. Found some at Funtasticus

Scary stuff. Hope nobody was being stupid

This is the kind of scary stuff we deal with every day. Glad no one was hurt and that it's not me.

MECCA, Calif. (AP) — A freight train derailed in the Southern California desert and two tanker cars full of chemicals caught fire, sending up a cloud of fumes and forcing home evacuations, authorities said.

No one was injured when 28 of the Union Pacific train's cars derailed Monday night about 140 miles southeast of Los Angeles.

About 60 residents in nearby homes were evacuated because of potentially hazardous fumes, fire officials said.

One of the burning tanker cars contains hydrochloric acid, fire and railroad officials said. Hydrochloric acid is highly corrosive and can cause burns if it comes into direct contact with skin or eyes. It is used in the production of fertilizers and dyes, and in photographic, textile and rubber industries.

The other tanker ablaze contains phosphoric acid, which is milder and used for rust removal and for the preparation of steel surfaces for painting.

The cause of the derailment is under investigation, said James Barnes, director of media information for Union Pacific.

Authorities have set up a one-mile radius around the accident site and no one is being let inside because of the fumes, Riverside County Fire Capt. Julie Hutchinson said.

"We plan to go in and take a look as soon as we can get some sunlight on it," Hutchinson said.

Barnes said the 65-car train was on an intrastate route, heading from West Colton to El Centro.

The accident site is next to Highway 111, which has been shut down for a seven-mile stretch south of State Road 195.

Originally at charter.net

Foamer Alert!

A young man in Poland hacked into the switch system of the city tram system and started to play. At first it sounds funny, but I can think of few things scarier than being lined down the wrong track. Especially if it is occupied. Remember it can take up to 2 miles to stop. Link to full story. Originally found at Neatorama

My Greatest Fear

My real motivation to pay attention at work.

Been a bad week on the rails

There have been a pair of rail accidents this week nearby. First up is the case of a truck getting hit by a BNSF coal train in Winfield Missouri. Here is a link to the story and here is a link to a nice photo gallery.
















Next up is the case of the Amtrak rear ending a NS freight.


















Here are a couple links. Link 1 and link 2. Kind of looks like the Amtrak engine is humping that intermodal. I would hate to be anywhere near either of these situations.

LOOK both ways!

Two great looking videos of folks getting hit by trains.



Pretty sure this second one is FAKE. But I still like it.



Remember to STAY OFF OF TRACKS.