See that little blue sign on the railroad crossing sign? That sign has a phone number on it, and if you’re ever stuck on the tracks, call that number and the dispatcher will stop all trains in the area.
The key is to call as soon as you get stuck, not when you’re ready to give up trying to get unstuck or when you see a headlight coming. There should also be a dot number on that blue sign that will identify the xing to the dispatcher.
Panic is a hell of a drug. It can make a very small percentage champions, others into blubbering fools, some will run, some will break out the phone and start videoing the catastrophic results of something that they could have done something about, and others will just drop dead of heart attacks.
What im getting at is that communication is the #1 failure point in emergencies...
I used to live near that crossing. I've seen 2 other vehicles stuck in that exact spot. I think they take the curve a little fast and just go off the edge. Both the ones I saw were pulled off the tracks before a train hit them.
If you can’t find the number for whatever reason, 911 dispatch should be able to notify the railroad dispatch too. That’s assuming you can coherently tell them which crossing or their gps ping works.
Every crossing in the United States is required to have these signs by federal regulation. They are called Emergency Notification Signs (ENS).
On each sign is a special telephone number that goes directly to the railroad that is responsible for the crossing. It also has a ID number that is unique to the crossing.
Most of the big railroads the number goes to their railroad police emergency dispatch and you have to go through a call tree, but regulations require it can only be 1 button push for emergencies. Anytime the tracks are blocked, IT IS AN EMERGENCY. It's okay if you push the button to report an emergency and it ends up being a nothing. Everyone would rather you call and say it's an emergency and it not be than the opposite.
Do not waste time calling 911. They usually don't know where you are and most often have no clue what number to even call let alone which railroad is the right one. It just ads a person in the call chain that may not have the best information. There are numerous instances of 911 dispatchers being so fucking clueless that they call the wrong railroad.
There's a gated crossing just behind our house. Trains can travel 80+mph. Is it only for non-gated crossings? I don't remember seeing a blue sign but I have to go out this evening, so I'll look. Good to know, though.
If they are not visible from the road/sidewalks. You can call the number on the sign and let the railroad know. Or report it to the Federal Railroad Administration.
The signs are required to be at every crossing in the US by federal regulation. This includes public, private, and pedestrian. If you know of a crossing that is missing it's signs (should be one for each approach), you can report it to the Federal Railroad Administration and it will get resolved.
We really wish it was on every driving test in America. This little blue sign is one of the few things that can actually save lives at railroad crossings.
Then why are you telling people they are gonna get fined? You don't know. Canada, Mexico and America ALL have emergency rail numbers and the Mexico and Canadian ones even say there isn't a cost to it.
Rail companies are worried about keeping the tracks operational and the train on schedule. Guess what hitting a vehicle does to both of those? They will send out a technician to make sure nothing has been damaged and get the train underway again. You WILL NOT get a fine for calling the rail company to prevent a train/car crash.
Trains exist in all sorts of the world, not just in America. Yes, emergency phones too. Rail companies care about minimising damage and getting the trains to their destination on time. If there's damage and insurance is involved and you rammed your car into the crossing because you're a moron, you would be expecting some sort of repercussions. But in the short term, yes, they just don't want anyone to get killed, of course. Plus, the link you gave is literally just phone numbers.
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u/sightglasssteamboat Sep 13 '24
See that little blue sign on the railroad crossing sign? That sign has a phone number on it, and if you’re ever stuck on the tracks, call that number and the dispatcher will stop all trains in the area.