Borden:
Apropos of your post above; three weeks ago I was out railfanning in central PA when I heard on my scanner a westbound NS intermodal had struck a vehicle at a crossing two miles east of the crossing where I was standing. Shortly after, an eastbound intermodal passed over the crossing where I was at restricted speed and then came to a stop with the headend about three quarters of a mile to the east and the train over top of the crossing.
Traffic quickly backed up at the crossing and I advised several motorists what had happened and that they might be stuck for awhile. After about 15-20 minutes, a farmer rolled up on a tractor and asked me what was going on. After hearing about the accident, he parked the tractor in a field, walked out onto the crossing and was preparing to climb between two of the cars. I yelled at him and told him he couldn’t do that as the eastbound train could begin moving at any minute. He said “well how in the he** do I get to the other side?” I pointed to the west and said “start walking.”
Whether it was my handheld scanner or the reflective railroad hat I was wearing, he apparently thought I was there in some official capacity and decided to follow my instruction. And this turned out to be a good thing as the eastbound train did suddenly start to pull forward to clear the crossing.
To your point; if we see someone about to do something stupid around the railroad, I think it is incumbent on us as responsible people to attempt to stop it.
Curt
