Wildlife collisions

Well, I can't say I have any experience hitting wildlife on or around the NEC, but I couldn't even give you an estimate of the number I have hit.

In Montana, deer were everywhere. It was like bowling sometimes, particularly in the evening. In the locomotive, they do little more than make a thump. Sometimes they are surprisingly loud, but beyond that, I never had a deer give me problems. Occasionally we found other animals on the tracks, like cows, horses, and sheep, but deer were by far the most common. When we did hit livestock, that had to be reported, because Montana has open grazing, which means you build a fence to keep livestock out. If livestock was killed by a train, the railroad was supposed to pay the owner fair market value for the livestock in question. The only memorable wildlife strike I had in Montana was a cow. It was the middle of summer and we were on a rather unusual train with an SD40-2 leading, which had no A/C, so we had all the windows and doors open. When we saw the cow step out in the tracks, we both hurried to close the doors and windows, and it was a good thing. When we hit that one the nose turned green, and I don't mean BN green! It was pretty gross, but fortunately we managed to keep it out of the cab. Boy did it stink though!

Here in Alaska, we have no deer, but we have moose, caribou, and wolves (among other things). Moose are the most common here, and again, besides making a big thump, they rarely give us problems. That said, I'd hate to hit one in a cab car or RDC! This time of year, we hit tons of moose because they come down to the tracks where the snow is not as deep. The walking is easier for them in the tracks. The other week I made a trip to Fairbanks during which we struck 13 moose. On the return trip we struck nine more. Only one gave us problems. It went under the train and some moose parts struck and broke a brake line on a car, which put the train in Emergency. We ended up having to cut out the brakes on the car, but once we did that it was back to running.

When we hit moose, we report it to the dispatcher. They send out MOW to collect it. If it is not dead, but pretty badly mauled, they usually kill it. The meat gets salvaged, if possible, and given to the nearest food pantry to the strike. Besides feeding hungry people, this also helps keep bears away from the railroad. If the moose were left out there, the bears would learn pretty quickly that the railroad is a meal service, and they'll hang around. I don't want them hanging around when I have to walk a train in the middle of the night!

I was once surprised to see a deer carcass when I was working in the east river tunnels doing signal work some time ago. Goes to show how far they can be dragged before they finally break free from underneath the train.

jogden wrote:Well, I can't say I have any experience hitting wildlife on or around the NEC, but I couldn't even give you an estimate of the number I have hit.

In Montana, deer were everywhere. It was like bowling sometimes, particularly in the evening. In the locomotive, they do little more than make a thump. Sometimes they are surprisingly loud, but beyond that, I never had a deer give me problems. Occasionally we found other animals on the tracks, like cows, horses, and sheep, but deer were by far the most common. When we did hit livestock, that had to be reported, because Montana has open grazing, which means you build a fence to keep livestock out. If livestock was killed by a train, the railroad was supposed to pay the owner fair market value for the livestock in question. The only memorable wildlife strike I had in Montana was a cow. It was the middle of summer and we were on a rather unusual train with an SD40-2 leading, which had no A/C, so we had all the windows and doors open. When we saw the cow step out in the tracks, we both hurried to close the doors and windows, and it was a good thing. When we hit that one the nose turned green, and I don't mean BN green! It was pretty gross, but fortunately we managed to keep it out of the cab. Boy did it stink though!

Here in Alaska, we have no deer, but we have moose, caribou, and wolves (among other things). Moose are the most common here, and again, besides making a big thump, they rarely give us problems. That said, I'd hate to hit one in a cab car or RDC! This time of year, we hit tons of moose because they come down to the tracks where the snow is not as deep. The walking is easier for them in the tracks. The other week I made a trip to Fairbanks during which we struck 13 moose. On the return trip we struck nine more. Only one gave us problems. It went under the train and some moose parts struck and broke a brake line on a car, which put the train in Emergency. We ended up having to cut out the brakes on the car, but once we did that it was back to running.

When we hit moose, we report it to the dispatcher. They send out MOW to collect it. If it is not dead, but pretty badly mauled, they usually kill it. The meat gets salvaged, if possible, and given to the nearest food pantry to the strike. Besides feeding hungry people, this also helps keep bears away from the railroad. If the moose were left out there, the bears would learn pretty quickly that the railroad is a meal service, and they'll hang around. I don't want them hanging around when I have to walk a train in the middle of the night!

This is just hysterical. Its rare for me to burst out laughing at a railroad.net post, but this one did the trick. Theres something disturbingly funny about the bit with the SD40-2 vs. The cow.

The one time I ever hit an animal with my car.. It was a skunk. Dont ever hit a skunk. My god the car smelled awful for the next half hour. I had another wicked episode where I was on a straight road, i was doing 50 in a 50 mph limit zone, no one coming. But I somehow saw a movement, the tiniest little thing, at the end of my low beam, at least I think it was. No idea how I saw it, but all I remember of that split second, was reacting so fast with a swerve that I had no conscious idea why my arms were flailing at the wheel. Then i see the problem. On the right of the swerving car inches from the fender, was the head of one deer, eating something, and inches from the fender on the left, was the backside of another. I went straight between them at 50 miles an hour, didnt touch either one, then went back in my lane. That one was entirely too close.

Sometimes if I see a clueless critter who wont move out of the road as im coming, Ill give a little horn toot. Usually works.

There was a pic on railpictures.net of a P42 that had struck a deer or something that large and the thing was still kinda mangled in the plow.

Back around 02 or so I was following behind a track inspector, giving all my stuff a 'look see' while he did his thing, when a 4 point came down off an embankment and slammed into the passenger door of my truck. He derailed the truck to where the passenger side ended up against the rail on the drivers side. The front and rear drivers side hy-rail wheels were bent up, the passenger door was crushed in and couldn't be opened and there was glass all over the place from where the passenger door glass got shattered. I radioed the track guy and finally, after using a come-along, chains and a lot of cursing directed towards the deer we finally got it cranked up and drove it out to a road xing that was 2 miles from us. If the deer hadn't broke his neck and died when he hit the truck he would've been after we got done with him.

Its not so much new development that is causing it since not that many animals at a time would be displaced by any construction. Most of the individuals from each species that were sensitive to the activities of people have died off long ago. What was left is a toughened, adapted animal population that is able to reproduce and spread back in to places that have been developed for decades or centuries. In some regions, the original population of certain animals like deer and turkey were wiped out by hunting over a hundred years ago, and less fragile groups that survived in other places were artificially reintroduced. The "wildlife" thrives in any overgrown patches of land such as parks, forest preserves, river banks, industrial areas, and along railroad tracks, and they roam in to other areas looking for food or mates.

If you look at old railroad pictures, especially pre-World War II, many railroads kept their right of ways looking like golf greens. This was mostly to make sure trees were kept far enough away to avoid falling on tracks and signal lines. Not that they are obligated to do so, but if railroads would still do a better job of keeping their property clear of brush and junk, it would help keep wild animals as well as invasive plants under control. It would also provide less "habitat" for the bums and criminals that hang around railroads.

My wife's great uncles worked for the Boston and Maine (her grandmother was born north of Concord, NH in 1899 so I think they worked near there in twenties to fifties or so). I was told they would bring their hunting rifles on the ride and occasionally took the opportunity to stop and bag a deer.

Things were different then- I suspect this would be frowned on traveling the NEC today.

Lincoln78 wrote:I was told they would bring their hunting rifles on the ride and occasionally took the opportunity to stop and bag a deer. Things were different then- I suspect this would be frowned on traveling the NEC today.

That is true just about everywhere. Most railroads, at least in the USA, have pretty strict rules prohibiting employees from bringing firearms of any sort to work, and many railroads prohibit passengers from having them too.

On Alaska Railroad, the time when employees brought guns to work was probably more recent than many other railroads in the US, so even though it was before my time with ARR, I still hear stories all the time. Most guys brought them to defend themselves if necessary while walking a train, but I guess some hunting also occurred occasionally. From what I understand, a new safety manager came to ARR from "outside" in the early 2000s and had a fit that the railroad still allowed employees to bring guns to work. His fit, combined with a locomotive that mysteriously came back to the roundhouse with a bullet hole in the radiator led to the end of armed employees.

The wildlife out here is pretty big. Most of it knows they're much bigger than people, and have little fear of people. I know there have been times in the middle of the night when I have heard the trees rustling as I walk and I have wished I was armed with something more significant than a pocket full of fusees!

I would have thought having some means of putting an injured animal out of its misery would be desirable on a isolated railroad.

David Benton wrote:I would have thought having some means of putting an injured animal out of its misery would be desirable on a isolated railroad.

There's always Amtrak's coffee...

Jehochman wrote:

David Benton wrote:I would have thought having some means of putting an injured animal out of its misery would be desirable on a isolated railroad.

There's always Amtrak's coffee...

HAHA.

It does make sense to bring Safety people from outside as they see some things with clearer eyes. However, the wildlife in Alaska present enough of a threat where it might be a good idea to allow armed crew.

Lots of other territory in the US have potentially unfriendly wildlife. Wildlife rarely sue; it is a little troubling that RR personnel do not have that self-defense option.

OTOH there are a lot of areas in where railroad personnel are under a greater threat from their fellow man; I think this has been discussed elsewhere in rr.net. Laws/regulations against bringing guns in workplaces/schools etc all do a good job keeping guns out until they are violated by somebody who is not concerned about the regulation.

One of the more damaging reports involved two dogs. Northbound 200 hit a dog while operating at 115mph, knocked it through the fireman's side windshield of southbound 101 which was approaching and parts of it hit the wall of the rear cab.

Fortunately, no one was occupying the fireman's seat.

David Benton wrote:I would have thought having some means of putting an injured animal out of its misery would be desirable on a isolated railroad.

Agreed, but doing so is not required (or even mentioned) in any railroad rules or policies. Officially, the only thing crews are given to deal with wildlife is a length of rope. That is supposed to assist in the extraction of a moose when it gets balled up and wedged in between traction motors or other equipment.

Lincoln78 wrote:It does make sense to bring Safety people from outside as they see some things with clearer eyes. However, the wildlife in Alaska present enough of a threat where it might be a good idea to allow armed crew.

Management from outside often sees things from a different perspective. As for a clearer view, well that depends who you ask! We have an unique situation now where the new safety guy is actually from Alaska, but has never worked in the railroad industry before. While he may be new to the industry, he has been in safety before, and I am hoping that will bring new insights to the railroad, but being an Alaskan, I am hoping that he will understand some of the more unique challenges to railroading in the Last Frontier.

As for the firearm issue, there have definitely been times when I would have felt a little more comfortable had I been armed, however, fortunately, I have not been in a situation yet where I felt seriously threatened by the wildlife while on duty. It can be a little eerie in the middle of the night when you get out of earshot of the locomotives, and the tracks are off in the woods and dozens of miles from the nearest road or town. Out there in the middle of the night, there is something comforting about hearing that diesel noise, even if it is a bit distant!

Don't forget the 2 legged wildlife. It's also comforting to know you've got a full clip.