Lou's Point

Some changes in my Life

Lou — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 03:52:20 +0000

Hello followers of my blog. I must apologize that I didn’t post anything in the last few weeks. There are some big changes in my work life. A few month’s I applied for an Utility Clerk Position in Oregon. Knowing that my Railroad Unemployment money will run out soon – even with the extension. Something had to happen since there was no movement on the furlough boards and it seems that there will be nothing going on for at last a few month’s. So I went to Eugene in Oregon for the hiring session. Over 50 people were invited but only 38 showed up. I was the only Railroader there. The posting for this position was for public and for Railroaders. So I expected nothing happen due to the high amount of applications. But I was proven wrong. After the Interview – the shortest of my life – I got the call from HR a few days later if I am still interested in the position – which I was. But I had to move from California to Oregon. My wife and me were thinking to move to Oregon for a while but the plans were very far in the future (retirement maybe). So we drove up the weekend before I supposed to start and we were driving around to find a new place to life. Can you imagine how hard it is to not know the area and find a decent place to stay ?

‘Monster train’ rolls through SoCal

Lou — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 19:41:32 +0000

LOS ANGELES — An apparently unprecedented, super freight train extending about 3-1/2 miles rolled through Southern California over the weekend, catching state regulators off guard and prompting concerns about potential safety risks and traffic delays, The Los Angeles Times reported.

Union Pacific said that the train was used to test equipment and find ways to improve operating efficiency, but that the company had no plans to run such trains regularly.

Some officials worry that the train may be a harbinger of things to come in a crowded region where passenger and freight trains already share tracks that cross hundreds of intersections bustling with cars and trucks.

“I will be asking a lot more questions,” said Democratic U.S. Rep. Grace Napolitano, whose San Gabriel Valley district includes part of the train route.

“If they’re testing to increase the size of trains in L.A., I have a problem with that,” she said.

The state Public Utilities Commission raced a team to Imperial County on Saturday to monitor the train as it headed toward the Inland Empire. The train originally left Texas on Friday night and reached its ultimate destination, a large intermodal facility near the Port of Long Beach, on Sunday.

“We were quite concerned about it, which was why we scrambled our people to be out there Saturday to essentially find out what was going on,” said Richard W. Clark, who oversees rail safety at the PUC.

There are no state or federal limits on the length of trains or requirements to notify agencies about unusually long trains, officials said. Union Pacific said it did alert local federal regulators, who observed the train’s movement.

The 18,000-foot-long train was two to three times the length of a typical freight train, Clark said, and the largest he knew to operate in the state.

It linked 295 rail cars, carrying more than 600 cargo containers, mostly double-stacked, said Tom Lange, a Union Pacific spokesman. Nine locomotives were spread along the train and additional personnel were on board to monitor equipment.

The train, the longest ever assembled by Union Pacific, was permitted to travel up to 65 mph as it crossed the Los Angeles Basin, Lange said. He said the train needed three to five minutes to clear a grade crossing.

The test was part of an effort to explore ways to “better serve our customers,” Lange said. Such trains reduce the chances of derailment, he said, because locomotive power is distributed along the train, easing stress on couplers and other equipment.

In addition, although a long train might extend waits at an individual intersection, it would reduce overall waiting time compared to three shorter trains, Lange said. That’s because crossing signals begin stopping traffic 20 to 25 seconds before each train arrives. The long train tested over the weekend was the equivalent of three mile-long trains, which would have added 40 to 50 seconds to total motorist wait time.

Still, Napolitano, who sits on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, said that because there are 54 grade crossings in her district, she is concerned about traffic tie-ups.

“I don’t believe three to five minutes,” she said, referring to the estimated motorist waits. She said she also would look into safety risks in the event of a derailment by such a large train.

No incidents were reported during the weekend test, but state regulators were continuing to examine issues raised by such operations, Clark said.

His agency will look into what is required to safely brake a train 3 1/2 miles long, as well as possible delays for emergency responders if intersections are blocked for longer times.

Of particular concern would be scenarios in which “the hospital is on one side and the crash or heart attack is on the other side and the ambulance can’t get across,” he said.

The state now prohibits stopped trains from blocking an intersection for more than 10 minutes.

Union Pacific’s Lange said such issues are not new because mile-long trains also can block intersections. The railroad works with local emergency agencies to plan alternate rescue routes, he said.

At least for now, logistical issues probably will limit the use of such trains, according to the Federal Railroad Administration.

“There are operational problems, like siding lengths,” said spokesman Robert Kulat, who added that most sidetracks off railroad main lines can’t hold such trains. It also can be “difficult to maintain radio communication” on such long trains, he said.

As for braking distance, it can take about one mile to stop a mile-long freight train, Kulat said. That should be about the same for a much longer train, assuming that proper communication and control is maintained with trailing locomotives, he said.

In general, federal regulators have not raised concerns about longer trains, he said. “It’s recognized that it’s an efficient way to move goods,” he said.

The Long Beach-bound train carried furniture, clothing, electronics and other goods for export, Lange said. After entering California, the train traveled to Colton, through Pomona and Montebello and then along the Alameda Corridor.

Among other benefits, Lange said, such trains can remove hundreds of trucks from the road and save fuel compared to other modes of cargo transportation. Trains up to 12,500 feet — about 2 1/2 miles long — already operate in the Los Angeles area, he said.

Long trains can reduce crew requirements because the trailing locomotives all are controlled from the front cab, Lange said.

A spokesman for the California chapter of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen warned that such “monster trains” raise a host of challenges for engineers.

“Nobody I know of in the railroad industry ever has run a train this size,” said Tim Smith, state legislative chairman for the union.

“We’re not trained for it. The longer the train, the more you have to consider the curvature of tracks . . . starting and stopping,” Smith said.

“There’s too much going on to be constantly monitoring and thinking about,” he said.

(The preceding article by Rich Connell was published January 13, 2010, by The Los Angeles Times.)

Down she goes

Lou — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 23:30:09 +0000

Not unexpected but still shocking – the last Railfax Report shows not a good future. Look forward for the rush coming soon . . . .

Freight trains a vital link in the global supply chain

Lou — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 00:57:40 +0000

More than 4,000 miles of train tracks stretch through California, winding up the blustery Cajon Pass and snaking through the desert surrounding Barstow.

Those tracks could be seeing a lot more traffic in the next few years as trains loaded with Chinese-made toys, electronics and clothing roll eastward, connecting West Coast ports with cities across the United States.

Warren Buffett is a believer. In November, the world’s second-richest man paid $34 billion for railroad giant Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp., despite a deep downturn in the railroad industry. Buffett characterized his investment as an “all-in wager on the economic future of the United States.” But it’s also a bet on globalization and the renewed importance of rail in the nation’s transportation network.

Southern California is a key hub in his new empire. About 40 percent of all goods that the U.S. receives in containers from overseas enter the country through the seaports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. That freight must then move overland to retailers across the country.

Fort Worth-based BNSF has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in recent years to beef up its Southern California operations to grab a bigger share of that business.

“Within our 28-state network, California is incredibly important to us,” BNSF Chief Executive Matthew K. Rose said. “A lot of trade comes through there, a lot gets consumed in California, and a lot gets handled and repackaged there.”

China’s rise has given a new push to U.S. railroads, which have chugged their way back into the nation’s transportation future after losing ground for decades to the trucking industry. The sheer volume of inbound cargo from Asia to North America – more than 40 million container loads last year – has made it cost-prohibitive to haul all those goods over congested U.S. highways.

Rail companies have strengthened their networks and upgraded their equipment to handle the ubiquitous metal shipping containers to provide a nearly seamless transition from cargo ship to freight train to truck or any combination in between. This so-called intermodal traffic has been the fastest-growing segment of the industry for about a decade.

In 2008, international and domestic intermodal cargo accounted for nearly a third of BNSF’s revenue, a figure that’s expected to grow when the U.S. economy gets back on track.

Although factory jobs have been lost to Asia, international trade is now a pillar of the Southern California economy, accounting for more than 300,000 jobs. Chains such as Wal-Mart Stores Inc. and Costco Wholesale Corp. depend on the nation’s trains running on time.

“There wouldn’t be big-box retail and globalization if you had to truck in all those containers – it wouldn’t be worth the cost,” said Anthony Hatch, a rail consultant in New York.

Over the last 20 years, ton-miles of freight hauled by the nation’s biggest railroads doubled, from 876,984 ton-miles in 1985 to 1,770,545 in 2007, according to the most recent government figures. Paul Bingham, managing director of world trade and transportation markets at research firm IHS Global Insight Inc., projects that number will grow 14 percent within a decade.

Environmental concerns are also helping to fuel rail’s comeback. Railroads can move a ton of freight an average of 457 miles on a gallon of fuel, according to the Assn. of American Railroads.

Freight rail’s resurgence has been stunning for even some of its most die-hard devotees. Pittsburgh rail entrepreneur Henry Posner III recalls the mid-1970s, when railroads were tumbling into bankruptcy after losing market share to big rigs and air freight. He credits deregulation in the 1980s, and the brutal downsizing and cost-cutting that followed, for the industry’s survival.

Posner’s company, Railroad Development Corp., owns a piece of what was once the famed Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad, as well as some lines in Latin America.

“Growing up, I was told that the age of the train was just around the corner, and in fact I have lived to see it,” Posner said.

He said Buffett’s big bet on rail was a “reflection of the position of the rail industry as an important part of our national transportation infrastructure.”

One of the linchpins of this global supply chain can be found in the industrial cities of Vernon and Commerce, home to BNSF’s Hobart rail yard. This massive facility, on 245 acres, is one of the biggest operations of its kind in the world. Workers toil 24 hours a day, seven days a week, offloading shipping containers ferried by big rigs arriving straight from the ports. They pluck the uniform boxes from the backs of the 18-wheelers and stack them neatly on lines of train cars, some stretching two miles.

Other containers are offloaded directly from cargo ships to trains inside the ports.

On a recent morning in the Port of Los Angeles, BNSF conductor Dennis Marquez and engineer Armando Nevarez prepared to leave for Clovis, N.M., hauling 282 double-stacked shipping containers filled with assorted freight. This run required four locomotives, hitched one behind the other, to haul 6,000 tons up mountain passes.

Walking through the bright-orange railway vehicles, the engineers inspected fuel levels, checked the air brakes and stored food in an onboard refrigerator. Outside, the horn of another train blew nearby.

Upon arriving in New Mexico, the cars of shipping containers would be attached to other locomotives headed for destinations across the country.

Ten years ago, the journey out of Los Angeles would have taken hours, with the trains forced to navigate dozens of crossings over congested city streets. No longer, thanks to the Alameda Corridor, a 20-mile freight rail expressway leading out of the ports.

Completed in 2002, the $3.4-billion public-private partnership includes a 10-mile dedicated underground tunnel that allows BNSF and its West Coast rival, Union Pacific, to avoid L.A. traffic and speed their cargo to the rest of the nation.

Activity has slowed with the global downturn. U.S. freight rail traffic in 2009 was down about 16 percent from 2008. Traffic in the Alameda Corridor was down 20 percent in the first 11 months of 2009 compared with the same period in 2008. Some of that business might not return even when imports rebound.

That’s because seaports in Mexico and Canada are becoming less expensive than Los Angeles and Long Beach, analysts said. A project to deepen the Panama Canal, expected to be completed in 2014, could make it more economical for massive ships from Asia to head directly to ports on the East Coast.

Other factors could hurt too. A bill pending in Congress seeks to partially re-regulate railroads. California’s tough environmental restrictions could add to operating costs. And if the U.S. weans itself off coal for electricity production, railroads would lose a big chunk of their revenue because they haul much of that fuel to the nation’s power plants.

Still, West Coast railroads aren’t yet ready to surrender the advantage they’ve gained as globalization brought more trade through their ports. They’re making big capital investments to make trains even faster and more environmentally friendly.

BNSF is double-tracking its entire transcontinental line and in November 2008 finished laying a third track over the Cajon Pass. It has also been straightening curves and polishing the steel track to lower resistance and save fuel, said Bingham, the research analyst. It worked with the government to develop a hydrogen fuel cell locomotive, which it brought to Los Angeles, and is lobbying to create a rail yard closer to the ports to handle increased container traffic.

Whether in Los Angeles or Omaha, analysts agree that the increased dependence on rail makes Buffett’s bet on BNSF a smart one. Railroads may be down in this recession, but this time they won’t be left for dead, as long as the U.S. economy one day recovers too.

“We’re very bullish on most of the railroads,” said Jeffrey Kaufman, managing director of brokerage firm Sterne, Agee & Leach. “These are good franchises. They’re going to be around for a long time.”

By ALANA SEMUELS

The GCOR, as Amended, again

Lou — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 18:56:10 +0000

Due to the recent changes in Rules and the GCOR I would like to provide some additional Information which can be useful.

(This from the UP’s operational confusion center in Flamefart, Iowa.)

RESTRICTED SPEED RULE REVISED… AGAIN

A speed that will permit stopping within one-half the range of vision, short of train, engine, railroad car, stop signal, derail or switch not properly lined, looking out for broken rails, shunts, and bushes with radar guns attached, not exceeding 10 mph, except when using foreign line engines (because they stop faster than UPRR engines), not to exceed 20 mph unless there is a fog or descending grade within 30 miles, in which case 2 mph cannot be exceeded unless, of course, the conductor wishes to walk ahead of the move then not exceeding 4 mph, except if the conductor is a former switchman, then a speed of 3 mph must not be exceeded, or if you have less than 375 cars, 5 mph may not be exceeded because the train length permits (see Special Instructions for exceptions – should be somewhere in the first 15 pages of rules changes, as amended by General Order and supplemented by specific instructions on certain subdivisions as put into effect by Superintendent Notice), except if in signaled territory and track is seen to be clear to the next signal and crew is short on time, then 40 mph must not be exceeded.

Everyone got that?

Source: Snakebite (old Roseville Switchman/Trainman Magazin)

Union Pacific alters tunnels for double-stacked trains to reach Reno

Lou — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 01:50:37 +0000

Union Pacific Railroad has raised the roof on 15 of its tunnels over Donner Pass in the Sierra, allowing double-stacked trains to cross the pass and go through Reno for the first time on the way to Chicago.

When the effects of the recession ebb, more trains could be coming through Reno and Sparks. Up to now, double-stacked trains have been routed through the longer and more difficult Feather River Canyon north of Reno.

The development might allow former Reno Mayor Jeff Griffin to consider himself redeemed for pushing to build the downtown railroad trench, which was completed in 2005 at a cost of $282 million.

In the late 1990s, Griffin often said the day would come when the tunnel roofs would be raised for cars carrying double-stacked cargo containers from Pacific Rim countries unloaded at the Port of Oakland.

“It took a little longer than I thought,” said Griffin, who ran a international shipping business in Reno for years and recently saw his first double-stacked train on the route east of Fernley. “I just know that it was a business decision a multibillion company had to make.”

While Griffin predicted the number of trains a day would jump substantially, critics railed against city plans to build a railroad trench and eliminate crossings in downtown. Opponents feared cost overruns and dangers from floods or earthquakes.

Tom Lange, Union Pacific western spokesman, said 15 to 18 trains a day are routed through Reno, about the same as before the tunnels were finished in November. He said there is no way to know how many more trains will be coming.

“Our volume is based on the economy and customer needs,” he said. “There’s not really a way to project future transportation volume.”

He said dispatching is based on traffic across a 32,000-mile network in 23 states.

“So trying to pinpoint some peak level of train volume would be speculative at best,” he said.

Union Pacific spent about $2.6 billion in the past year to improve its rail system while business was slow because of the recession.

Donner Pass is about 75 miles shorter and up to three hours faster than the Feather River Canyon route, making it the shortest route between Oakland and the railroad hub of Chicago. Double-stacked trains can be as long as 9,000 feet and cross Donner Pass while the length of trains are limited to 5,700 feet on the winding Feather River pass.

Keeping both routes open allows for flexibility, said John Kaiser, Union Pacific vice president and general manager. The Feather River route is used for slower trains with a variety of cars.

Griffin said industrial/warehouse distribution businesses in Reno and at the Tahoe-Reno Industrial Center in Storey County would benefit from cheaper double-stacked train service.

Lange said the railroad also will have some crews based in Sparks instead of Portola, Calif., as a result of the route changes while support staff will remain in Portola.

He said double-stacked trains take trucks off the road. Union Pacific said a train can take up to 300 long-haul trucks off of Interstate 80, helping to reduce traffic congestion over the pass and through Reno and Sparks.

That helps reduce pollution. Union Pacific says it can move a ton of goods 830 miles on a gallon of diesel fuel.

But more trains could cause delays for residents in River Park on the west edge of Reno who must cross tracks to get home. Trains also would block traffic on Sutro Street.

Motorists have the Wells Overpass as an alternative.

Before Union Pacific purchased Southern Pacific Railroad in 1996, UP officials recognized the port’s role in its future and said it planned to eventually enlarge the tunnels over Donner Pass to carry goods to Chicago.

In the merger, federal authorities singled out only Reno and Wichita, Kan., for special consideration. To build the downtown trench, Union Pacific contributed $35 million and 165 acres of land.

The federal Surface Transportation Board predicted up to 25 trains a day would run through Reno, compared with an average of 14 trains before the merger.

The Port of Oakland has 20 berths for deepwater ships. Nearly 2,000 cargo vessels arrived at the port in 2008, carrying the equivalent of 800,000 stackable containers. That’s down from a peak of 877,778 containers in 2006.

Imported goods through November this year totaled about 635,000 containers, down 14 percent.

Source: Susan Voyles • svoyles@rgj.com

Donner Pass tunnels

The Union Pacific Railroad cut notches in the top of 15 tunnels between Rocklin and Truckee in California to provide more clearance for double-stacked cars over the Sierra. More than 18,000 linear feet of the cement tunnel roofs were notched.

Up to 18 inches had to be cut from the tunnels to make room for freight cars 20 feet, 18 inches tall.

UP also lowered the floor on two other tunnels, installed rock bolts to stabilize five tunnels and upgraded to a centralized traffic signal system to control 30 miles of track. Before, crews depended on radio communications.

Donner Pass mostly has two sets of tracks, with UP intending to rebuild some sections that Southern Pacific had ripped out to sell the iron.

What happened ?

Lou — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 08:03:25 +0000

Hello loyal Visitors. You may wonder why there is nothing new on my Website since several weeks. The reason is simple – but also a bad reason. My frustration level being furlough is very high and for some time I really lost some interest in Railroading. I will try to make up for that and post more.

The last few weeks were pretty tied for my family and me since there is no income and no future light at the horizon getting back to work soon. This year (2009) I worked only 2 trips as a conductor so far. A few days here and there helped to keep the Health Insurance rolling. That is a big relief and I am very thankful for that.

The future didn’t look very bright to us this year and in the near future there is no relief. Since this ’stupid’ seniority stuff is not going away there will be never a chance for us lower seniority guys get a regular work. Just thinking about it makes me mad. Several guys are working on positions they don’t like. Therefore the motivation is not always the best. I can understand that old Rails have the right to get better positions. But this whole system is not right. You bid on a job and if you ‘win’ you keep the job – and you like the job and will do the best and get motivated to work because it was your decision to work this job. And don’t forget the safety aspect: Getting every day on a new job in territory you are not so familiar with is a dangerous thing. If I work the same job every day I know where the derails are located, where a slow order is in effect and how things are rolling.

Make long things short : I don’t like how stuff works. And since there is no chance – and there will never be one – …. you get the point.

Promise : I will start posting more.

Yours Lou

My Letter to the Railroad

Lou — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 03:20:16 +0000

It’s now a week ago that I was very frustrated with the work and furlough Situation that I decided to write a letter to Union Pacific Railroad. I did not expected an answer, just wanted to get something out that’s bordering me. Here is my Letter:

Hello,
Since 2006 I am with Union Pacific Railroad as a Conductor in the Roseville Hub. I love to work for UP – if I only get a chance. In my long Railroad Career (I worked for 17 years with the German Railroad) I’ve never expected a situation like this : several hundreds of Employees are furlough now. The Situation is very bad and the hope to get back to work get’s lower and lower.
There is no financial help or other support from UP for us. I am very glad to have the Health Insurance going on for 4 months.
Every day I am expecting and waiting to go back to work. You can imagine the situation we are in.
What does Union Pacific Railroad expect from me ? Do you want me to come back and be ready for work once there is enough work ?

The answer after the break.

After a few days I got the following Letter back:

My name is XXXXX (deleted by me for privacy reasons) and I work for UPRR Labor Relations.

I’m responding to your email concerning the current furlough situation.

As you have seen and read, it has been difficult to predict the economy, especially to the point where we can forecast the stabilization of the workforce. Our railroad is resourced (locomotive, cars, track,crews) to handle over 200,000 carloads a day and we are far below that number today.

Our number of recalled employees during the summer ranged from 900 to 1100 across the system due to a slight uptick in volume and increased summer vacations and maintenance of way work; today we are at 779. Our intent is to recall all of our furloughed employees when demand and attrition create enough job openings, and we welcome everyone who makes the decision to return. However, there will continue to be manpower adjustments at various locations depending on business levels and traffic flows. Unless we see a significant increase in the carloadings, existing employment levels will largely remain where they are.

Thank you for sharing your concerns.

First, I must thank UP for the fast answer. It’s not my first letter to them and I am really surprised to get answers always back – and very fast. The letter is no surprise and I pretty much expected the content. Nothing new, but nice to get some numbers. I must say that UP is top on that.

So everybody furlough, hold on and hope for better times. We will be back (someday, maybe, perhaps) and doing our job. Meanwhile, hang in there.

What do you think about that ? Comments are really welcome.

Lou

The Alaska Railroad has laid off 127 employees

Lou — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 19:07:02 +0000

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The Alaska Railroad has laid off 127 employees.

Railroad CEO Pat Gamble announced the move in a company letter late Tuesday afternoon.

The layoffs affect everyone, from high-level managers to workers on the front lines, and include people across the state.

A weakening economy, production cuts at Flint Hills Refinery and less passenger traffic are blamed.

Last week the board said the railroad needed to cut staff to avoid a $10 million deficit next year.

“This downsizing does not, by itself, solve our financial problems … the challenge is not one seen before in the railroad’s history of state ownership,” Gamble wrote in his letter to employees.

“The size of the cuts is surprising for me,” said Jeffrey Davies, the president of the Alaska Railroad Workers Union Local 183.

Davies says his bargaining unit experienced the largest hit, and that 26 of his members are being let go.

“It’s been difficult, the anxiety and not knowing. Now we know and we have to try and understand what that means for the rest of the employees,” said Davies.

One casualty was Anchorage Assembly member Patrick Flynn.

A senior railroad officer who has been with the corporation since 2001, Flynn blogged about how he offered himself up, but hoped it wouldn’t come to that.

“I felt the remaining people were simply too important to daily railroad operations,” Flynn wrote in his blog.

Reflecting on the last few weeks, Flynn says cuts were being made, but suddenly the situation became dire and he was told the process was “too little too late — we needed to make plans for quicker, more significant cuts,” his blog reads.

State labor economist Neil Fried says the cuts are significant, and he emphasized that they are quality jobs that no longer exist.

“So we are talking about high quality jobs being lost so the quality is also a factor because these are good paying jobs in Alaska labor force,” said Fried.

Operation Live Saver

Lou — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 01:01:36 +0000

Operation Lifesaver wants to help to protect people when it comes to Xings. It’s a great Program and on the Website (http://www.oli.org/index.php) you can find lot’s of Information and Download able Packages for School, Kindergarden or even for your Children at home. Complete the Quiz and you can win a cool T-Shirt. Give it a try, it keeps Railroad make a safe place to be and to work.

How much does a train weigh?

6,000 tons is correct! A typical locomotive weighs approximately 400,000 pounds or 200 tons. When 100 rail cars are added to the locomotive, the train can weigh approximately 6,000 tons. The weight ratio of an automobile to a train is proportional to a soda can and an automobile.

How far does it take for a 100-car train moving 55 miles per hour to stop?

The length of 18 football fields is correct! Trains cannot stop quickly. It is a simple law of physics: the huge weight and size of the train and the speed of the train dictate how quickly it can stop under ideal conditions. A 100-car freight train traveling at 55 miles per hour will need more than a mile to stop – that’s approximately 18 football fields – once the train is set into emergency braking.

Railroad tracks with rusty rails or weeds growing up between the ties are usually no longer in use.

False is correct! If there are rails on the railroad ties, assume that the track is in use, even if there are weeds or the track looks “rusty.”

Trains only go in one direction on a designated track.

False is correct! Trains can move in either direction at any time. Trains are sometimes pushed by locomotives instead of being pulled. This is especially true in commuter and light rail passenger service.

It’s OK for the general public to enter and be on railroad property without permission.

False is correct! Railroad tracks, trestles, yards and equipment are owned mostly by private companies and trespassers are subject to arrest and fine.

Approximately how many miles of railroad tracks are there in the United States?

140,000 miles is correct! According to the Association of American Railroads, there are approximately 140,000 miles of track in America which require constant and vigilant inspection, maintenance, repair and replacement by railroads in order to keep freight and passenger trains moving safely.

How far do trains extend beyond the rail?

Three feet or more is correct! A train may extend three feet or more outside the steel rail on both sides of the track, which makes the safety zone for pedestrians well beyond the rails themselves. If you are in the right of way next to the tracks, you can be hit by the train.

Who has the right of way at train crossings?

Trains is correct! Trains have the right of way 100% of the time – over ambulances, fire engines, cars, the police and pedestrians.

Trains can be deceptively quiet when approaching.

True is correct! Modern trains are quieter than ever, with no telltale “clickety-clack.” Also, an approaching train will always be closer and moving faster than you think.

If no train is present at a crossing, it’s OK to disregard flashing signals and proceed through the crossing.

False is correct! Flashing red lights signal that a train is approaching from either direction. You can be fined for failure to obey these signals. Do not cross the tracks immediately after a train passes. A second train might have been blocked by the first. Trains can come from either direction. DO NOT cross the tracks until the lights have stopped flashing and it is safe to do so.