The kid that died going out of Micks office wasn't hit by the first engine but the second. Fall or tripped in? Nope. He was running from a fight that went on in the bar and someone pushed him into the train.

On our windows in our house, which is 1 mile away from the tracks, before they started building up the field right in our backyard the ornaments on our windows would lightly rattle against the window when trains would go by. I don't understand how you couldn't FEEL it coming.

I can see the welders and such that deal with it on a daily basis getting used to it but non RR people I don't quite understand.

Sweet-WRX-Lovin;170035 wrote:
There are so many factors involved in why trains get stopped in Fargo Moorhead it's retarded. Believe me in no shape or form do we (the train crews) want to be blocking crossings at all. If it was up to us, there wouldn't be any crossings at grade. Just over/under passes. And if you ever entered the cab of my engine with harmful intentions it would be the last thing you would do.

I was joking about that, like I would ever do that. It does piss the hell out of me though. I already told Shane (Seven1) that I hated it and he told me that it's the dispatchers fault for the in town stops rather than the engineer/conductors.

PineInchNenis69;169954 wrote:
#1 Tracks were here first so technically the town should have to move, not the trains
#2 Next time a train stops in the middle of town, especially for 10+ minutes, I will make it my personal duty to execute the entire crew of that train (unless they stopped because they hit somebody)

There are so many factors involved in why trains get stopped in Fargo Moorhead it's retarded. Believe me in no shape or form do we (the train crews) want to be blocking crossings at all. If it was up to us, there wouldn't be any crossings at grade. Just over/under passes. And if you ever entered the cab of my engine with harmful intentions it would be the last thing you would do.

Basically the track situation in the FM area sucks ass. Minneapolis St. Paul has a much better setup with many over and under passes. It used to not be that big of a problem when trains were 30 cars or less. But nowadays with damn near every train being 1 mile+ long the lack of forsight by city planners in making more over and underpasses is kicking everyone's ass. Also rerouting track around town has been discussed before between the BN and the state/city. But it would cost an unbelievable amount of money As said the tracks were here first and they aren't going anywhere unless someone else foots the bill which is exactly how the railroad sees it.

You wouldn't think it would be too hard to route the tracks out of the middle of downtown. Especially since there's no freight consumers right downtown, and passenger rail is a joke in the US. In German cities its common for the above-ground long distance passenger rail lines to go underground once they hit the edge of downtown. The Hauptbanhof ("central rail station") in Munich extends several stories underground, in addition to a huge above ground rail yard. But pedestrians never have to cross tracks, and cars never have to stop for them either (except for Trams, and only at certain weird intersections).

It's just a different way of building cities. Fargo grew up around the railroad first, and then expanded according to the assumption that everyone had a car and would drive everywhere all the time.

when u see these dont hang out on the tracks

dont get me wrong i dont wanna offend anybody but its pretty simple everybodys parents tought them to look both ways before crossing the street. plain and simple it was a bad decision, i wish they didnt have to learn this way but this is the kind of things that can happen when u make a bad decision

STiSchucky;169810 wrote:
Its kinda hard to hear or see a train comin the other way when one is just ending.

Bertek was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Theyre still investigating if the train blew the whistles, but everyone knows theres another set of tracks within a block of that.

I think that applies more to the guy that got hit today. He was elderly so maybe his hearing was off and his eyes sucked or whatever but you'd still be able feel it you'd think. The ground definitely shakes within a decent distance of a train. Either way it's a sad ordeal...

Turbo5Oh;169778 wrote:
it sucks for family and friends but jesus if u cant see, hear, or feel a train coming u shouldnt be walking near them. i know its easy to say now. but it just shows how one simple decision can end a life
Its kinda hard to hear or see a train comin the other way when one is just ending.

Bertek was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Theyre still investigating if the train blew the whistles, but everyone knows theres another set of tracks within a block of that.