Harlem Line train strikes truck at Green Lane 9/20

At approximately 8:30 this morning, a southbound Harlem Line Metro-North MU train struck a car-carrier at Green Lane crossing in Bedford Hills. From radio reports, it sounds like the trailer was either getting onto or exiting the Saw Mill Parkway (where tractor trailers do not belong), and got hung up on the crossing some how.

Some injuries were reported, its not clear if the train crew was injured, but the truck driver was not- the train pushed the tractor from the trailer... it sounds like the train came to an emergency stop behind the new Kohl's department store (former location of Caldors), where a temporary medical triage center was started. Passengers were led off the train and assembled at the ShopRite parking lot to transfer to busses.

Service has been suspended between Katonah and Mount Kisco until the investigation is complete and the wreck is cleared. From radio reports, it sounds like the train was not damaged too much- except the lead cars had broken windows, and it sounds like broken glass injured people in those cars.

For those that aren't familiar, Green Lane is a kind of a "blind" crossing, located on a curve. There is not a lot of time to react to an obstruction.

http://wcbs880.com/topstories/topstorie ... 91952.html

-otto-

train no 638 out of Southeast struck a car carrier. the truck got stuck on crossing but did not notify the railroad, but did call for tow truck ??

I am unfamiliar with the crossing. What happens when Green Lane reaches the Saw Mill Pkwy? My Hagstrom would seem to indicate that Green Lane goes under the parkway. I Green Lane dead-ends at the Parkway, then there is no reason for the truck to be there. I wonder where the driver had just been.

No, it's very much a grade crossing. Green Lane is two-way road and is an exit from the Saw Mill northbound, and an entrance to the Saw Mill northbound as well. Up until about 1985, you used to be able to cross the median to access the Saw Mill southbound, and the other half of Green Lane, but no more. The Saw Mill Parkway is restricted to passenger traffic only, because of height restrictions.

Radio reports say the truck had Colorado plates, so it is very possible that the driver was lost and was not aware of the restriction... or just plain ignored the posted signs regarding trucks on the parkway. (Pretty common.. how many times have you heard on the traffic report about police shutting down a road and removing an "unauthorized tractor trailer" from some area parkway?) There are many car dealerships up and down Route 117 in Bedford Hills and Mount Kisco, it is possible that the driver had just made a local delivery and was trying to leave the area.

There railroad is also on a bit of a rise at this point, very easy for large trucks to get hung up at this point. I remember the family station wagon bottoming out here a couple of times.

-otto-

The railroad re-opened around 2:00 pm today. Latest reports say the truck driver was trying to exit the Parkway, and got hung up on the crossing. He was outside of the truck at the time the train hit.

No word on the condition of the crew, though. I bet an engineer's first instinct is to dump the air and start running towards the rear of the train.

The original electrified lines didn't have to deal with grade crossings... it wasn't until the third rail was extended from North White to Brewster did grade crossings come into play. The same vulnerability that an engineer has in the cab of an MU is extant in the cab of a control-ended coach... no protection from collisions!

-otto-

Well, the problem here that I see is that the truck driver didn't notfy MN -- depending on when he got stuck, there probably would have been enough time to prevent this accident.

<i>Well, the problem here that I see is that the truck driver didn't notfy MN -- depending on when he got stuck, there probably would have been enough time to prevent this accident.</i>

Bingo.

Now, if you dial 911, can they immediatly notify MN of a blocked crossing?

Also, can the dispatcher punch the signals near it to something more restrictive, to at least initiate a slowdown of any potentially approaching train (Obviously, it's better to approach a blocked crossing at 15mph, instead of 80!)

What's the MAS through here, anyway?

Terminal Proceed or Dutchrailnut: Was the engineer able to get out of the cab safely.

The Harlem Line is cab signal territory.

I think there are emergency signs posted at every grade crossing with an 800 number to directly call MN if you are blocking a crossing or if gates are malfunctioning.

Channel 7 WABC-TV got all sorts of photos:



This looks like where the rear of the train stopped at Green Lane:


"The driver of the tractor-trailer claims he got lost, and was attempting to make a 3-point turn to try and turn around. He says he got out of the truck and left it there for 10 minutes to seek help. But somehow he didn't notice there are two large signs on either side of the intersection with a phone number to call in case a driver is stuck." --WABC-TV

WNBC-TV Channel 4 has an even better angle:

Top left corner is north (towards Brewster). Bottom left heads to the Saw Mill Parkway northbound (just out of sight). Top right heads to Route 117 and the ShopRite plaza.


Top left corner is southbound (towards New York).


Local fire departments get all sorts of training for this type of thing... they often perform drills on how to get people out of various kinds of MN equipment...

Grrrr

I want pics of the *front* not the back!

It's the FRONT that hit the truck.

From news reports - 47 injuries, mostly minor (worst was a busted leg).

A few things:

1) Most injuries were reported to have occurred due to seats comming loose. Don't the seats bolt down to some beam under the floor? A decent bolt down and well designed seat would have prevented this. IMHO, a good design would have retained the seat to the floor, and allowed the back to deflect somewhat to absorb any impact from kness, chests, heads.

2) The trailer tumbled along the side of the train and dammaged the sides.

3) No dramatic 'front of train smashed' photo.

4) Reported speed was 50mph - was that a collision speed or the MAS?

6) The train stayed upright, inline, and didn't appear to derail. This is a good thing.

5) Trucker deserves a good wack over the head for NOT calling the posted phone number at the crossing, and doing nothing to flag any comming train down.

7) The MTA's going after the idiot and his company. Good.

The truck driver was obviously at fault he had to call the railroad, but to flag the train down would require 2 people for both directions. The floors on these trains are made out of pressed board or some other crap material because I know when I walk thru a M-2 I sometimes sink into the floor.

The floor is plywood over structural stainless steel panels.
The question can a dispatcher dump the signals ?? no. only at CP points.
The cabsignal blocks in between act just like automatic signals, the dispatcher has no control over those. the emergancy number is posted on a bleu sign on the signal control box at each crossing, if he had dialed that number the dispatcher could have told train via radio there was trouble at green lane and to stop and protect.

Saw the front of train on the news tonight. Some damage to the front of the train- face is made of fiberglass, right? Looks like the firemen's side took the most impact. A gash below the windows was torn into the side of one of the cars... front window was smashed, other windows may have been damaged. But all cars stayed on the rails, footage was shown of the damaged cars heading off to Put Jct (towed?)...

-otto-

Hmmm.

Yes, the ends are in fact fiberglass. The whole carbody design, though, is claimed to actually be rather normal. I've searched - I can't find a patent relating to it, though I've bumped into various Metroliner/Amfleet ones. I've found the Pioneer III truck patent, a few modifications of it, etc, but nothing relating to the M-1 carbody.

I've been watching the news at 11, but the media is naturally fixated on Dan Rather getting caught with his pants down, as opposed to any real stories. *rolls eyes*.