Proceed At Your Own Risk (Dangerous Crossings, etc.)

I was in the Bangor area recently with a friend who needed to stop by the apartment of his son, a University of Maine student. The kid lives on a side street in Old Town that descends a short but precipitous hill, at the bottom of which is a grade crossing for the MEC main. It was one of the most dangerous crossings I've ever encountered. If there were a sufficient amount of ice on the street, there would be no way a vehicle could stop to avoid hitting (or being hit by) a train. I can't guess the angle at which the street meets the track, but it's pretty darn steep.

I saw another grade crossing yesterday near Bucksport that was located on a side road in the middle of a very steep hill. Equally hazardous, I thought.

Another issue is bridges. I remember an old wooden overpass over the B&M's Cheshire Branch that was on the back road between Troy and Marlborough, N.H. Traveling west toward Troy, one would ascend a steep hill and land ker-thump on this bridge, which was so rickedy I thought sure I was going to go through it every time I drove onto it.

Question: Given that we live in New England with its many horrid, narrow roads, hills, curves, rotting infrastructure and what-not, what is the most dangerous rail crossing or bridge that Forum readers have come across? It occurred to me that this might make an interesting thread.

trainsinmaine wrote: Given that we live in New England with its many horrid, narrow roads, hills, curves, rotting infrastructure and what-not,

I'd say we could make a list of such areas that would exceed the capacity of this forum. I wouldn't know where to stop.

I can list a specific one right now. The site of the former Winona Station on the Concord-Lincoln line of the Hobo RR features a very narrow underpass under the tracks that only allows one car to proceed at a time. There are also fairly blind curves on either side of the approach, so once you start going through, you have to get through fast or might get hit head on.

One time I was approaching it, and I stopped at the stop sign, flashed my lights and honked so any cars coming the other way would know I was there. I was almost through when two young women came right at me, and had obviously ignored their stop sign. They were in an old Dodge Daytona which looked like a beater. Fortunately I had enough time react and speed up and reach the wide part of the road, but it was close. They both looked a little scared when they saw how close we came to a front end collision, but I’m sure they are much more careful at that underpass now.

I can think of a few other underpasses like that, especially with .low clearances. I’m trying to think of some grade crossing now. Maybe the one in Beverly where you cross the Eastern main line, then cross the Rockport line. Route 62 I think. Two major crossing within a few feet of each other…

Interesting topic by the way. Half the fun of train watching in New England is sharing stories afterwards, whether it’s wildlife, crossing, or anything else.

The worst I've seen is in Thomaston, Maine, on the Rockland Branch. Your description of the crossing in Old Town is how I'd describe this crossing in Thomaston.

I think I know the one you're talking about in Thomaston. Very sharp descent to the crossing which, BTW, is near a house that is so close to the track that if the train were going slow enough, I think one could reach out of the passenger coach and open one of the bedroom windows.

Yup, that's the one! I think it's on Green Street.

The kid lives on a side street in Old Town that descends a short but precipitous hill, at the bottom of which is a grade crossing for the MEC main.

Is the crossing you are talking about in Orono not Old Town? I'm not aware of any steep ones in OT, but the one you describe sounds like Island Ave in Orono, which is a real corker.

the rt one crossing in peabody has to be the worst, out of service now, but 65 mph, coming from the north you dont see the crossing until its in front of you.

tom18287 wrote:the rt one crossing in peabody has to be the worst, out of service now, but 65 mph, coming from the north you dont see the crossing until its in front of you.

This must be similair to peabody. Anyone ever come up on a csx train crossing Rt. 9 in Framingham near Framingham state college? (agriculture branch i think) The few times i've driven over it seems like everybodys doing 60 mph.

Suffield CT. Branch to Suffield center. Stone bridge over one lane road. You have to "inch up" at a stop sign and proceed when clear. Many a drunk have crashed into the bridge over the years.

Windsor Connecticut (Hartford - Springfield main) has (very unfortunately) had several grade crossing accidents over the years

mwhite wrote:

The kid lives on a side street in Old Town that descends a short but precipitous hill, at the bottom of which is a grade crossing for the MEC main.

Is the crossing you are talking about in Orono not Old Town? I'm not aware of any steep ones in OT, but the one you describe sounds like Island Ave in Orono, which is a real corker.

Sounds like where the tracks cross French Island before going over to Milford. My mother grew up on this island. She used to tell of how there were many times the island was cut off by stopped trains, how once the fire dept couldn't get to a house fire because a train had all 3 access roads blocked. The island is only a few hundred feet wide where the RR crosses.

I nominate Faunce Corner Rd in Dartmouth, MA. First off it only has crossbucks. The crossing is on a hill and the ROW is cut into it. Lots of trees near the crossing make trains to pop in from nowhere. The neglected but still used tracks have a curve on both sides of the crossing and to top it all off; there is tons of car traffic.

1. The Framingham Route 9 crossing was double tracked until the 80's, but had automatic gates. I think the gates are gone now.

2. The Faunce Corner crossing was where a truck actually ran into the side of a Bay Colony engine in December 2001 as the train was crossing the road. Surprise!

Two crossings on NHN's Conway branch come to mind right off.

The Betts road crossing, just south of Hayes is blind and on a somewhat steep decline when approaching from the west side of the line. And the Burleyville crossing on NH 153 is also at the bottom of a blind rise in the road.

I'd nominate Portland Ave. in Branchville on MN's Danbury branch. No gates, road crosses at an angle on a blind curve for northbound trains- which are going 40+ at that point even though it's just short of the station. If you're driving west over the crossing, the oncoming train is coming up from behind your left shoulder, in your blind spot. Car got hit there on Wednesday, driver miraculously walked away.