SU-99 Hits Car in Riverdale, NJ- 1/14/08

[ErieLimited2914]

Last night at 9:05 PM, the SU-99 (renamed the F-U 99 by the Daily Record which was wrong) hit a Grand Prix stuck on the Hamburg Turnpike crossing. The man inside from what I heard made it out with only minor injuries and is in the Morristown hospital which is miraculous. I could hear the odd sound of the horn cracking from all the air rushing through the vents for the emergency brake. Last I heard, the locomotives and crew were okay, and the train made it to Narrowsburg at 12:35 PM today.

The train was held there for 4 hours last night to clear the wreckage and go over the locomotives to make sure it was safe.

That crossing is extremely dangerous for a number of reasons:
1) Blind curve on the road
2) Trees block the view on both sides
3) *There are no crossing gates*
4) Steep road grade going across the tracks

I can almost guarantee that in the very near future the FRA or Walter Rich will demand gates installed there.

I wish that man the best on his recovery. God bless.

[kingfish]

That scenario is not what the engineer and conductor reported to the Police. That is is to say the SU99 hit a stalled call in the road crossing.

The remarks concerning the dangers at that xing (items 1-4) are quite accurate and it has been that way for decades.

BTW ErieNJTman5950, Mr. Rich has been dead and buried for some time. Thus it is very unlikely that he will petition for aid to install gates!

PS to all,

the automated flashers were working, the road was marked and proper road signage put in place by State authorities.

Dang, those pesky tracks must be moving...

This does not mean I belittle the injured person. It merely expresses my disgust with the idiotic folks who work for news print and television.

No back ground and informational checks.

Cheers.

Kingfish

PSS

Flame away...I have my fire suit on.

[ErieLimited2914]

I meant to say he would. This computer has a virus and writes over things. Sorry.

[ricebrianrice]

BUT a FU-99 has a fun ring to it!

Brian

[trainwayne1]

FU-99 ??

Wasn't that a censored line from Maxwell Smart on GET SMART??

[cjvrr]

That crossing is extremely dangerous for a number of reasons:
1) Blind curve on the road
2) Trees block the view on both sides
3) *There are no crossing gates*
4) Steep road grade going across the tracks

I can almost guarantee that in the very near future the FRA or Walter Rich will demand gates installed there.

extremely dangerous is a relative term.....

1) While the crossing is in the middle of a reverse curve, it is not 'blind'. Advance warning signs and a 25 MPH posted speed limit give a driver enough advance warning of the crossing.
2) Trees block the view. I won't debate that, some tree clearing could be performed, but the entire area is wetlands, floodplains, etc. So the enviromentalists would be looking for inkind replacement elsewhere. The Town of Riverdale will soon own all the property on the "track west' side of the crossing, so clearing there may be possible. The bridge beams on the east side block a good portion of the view in that direction.
3) Crossing gates have not yet been required by the NJDOT. AFAIK the FRA has little to no say in requiring gates. It would be the NJDOT's Office of Railroad Engineering & Safety. This crossing isn't on the recently posted list of crossings in need of upgrade.
4) The grade is not steep on either side of the crossing. While the track is definitely raised above the road surface the eastern leg is nearly flat coming into the crossing and the western leg has a slight up grade as is approaches the crossing. Again at the 25 MPH posted speed neither are a problem. I know however no one drives the posted 25 MPH.

The other thing to look at is how many accidents have occured at this intersection. I know of one other, many years ago in which a pedestrian was struck. I have heard of no other train / vehicle strikes and have lived in the area for over 36 years with the last 11 as the local County Traffic Engineer. There has also been no local outcry for gates or other improvements at this crossing.

I also wonder if the severe reduction in staff at the NYS&W's PD (down to one officer I believe) was the reason the train stayed put for four hours. The local municipal PD's have no jurisdiction over the accident scene.

Chris

[nysw3636]

I'm curious on one thing here. How does the crossing at Baird's Farm ( Baird's Lane?? ) in Warwick,NY get "gates", but Hamburg Turnpike does not? Seems like more traffic at Hamburg Turnpike than the one at Baird's Farm, no?

[kingfish]

cjvrr,

good comments and I applaud you for stating the facts concerning the area.

One statement I will make is that the local PD do have jurisdiction on the roadway part of the incident. They have no legal authority under Federal statute as regards the right of way and train operations. Having said that the RR does supply the local PD and Prosecutor with information relating to the crossing lights/locomotive down load and other pertinent train conditions.

I can state for a fact that SU99 did everything correct as it relates to responsible reaction to the vehicle entering the crossing.

The vehicle was not stalled but rather ran the warning signals.

The crew is to be congratulated on their quick response to seeing the vehicle blow through the lights.

Cheers,

Kingfish

PS

The D&H has more trackage, units and employees than NYSW and has only one (1) railroad bull. My prior RR experince has seen little or no internal RR police capacity. The locals, State or Feds (FBI) can and do fill the bill.

[cjvrr]

kingfish,

Thanks for the correction about the PD jurisdiction.

Chris

[ErieLimited2914]

Theres a good 2-3 inch lip on the "west side" of the crossing that I have bottomed out on my car before. And in the dark like when the accident happened, I would consider it "blind" because there is no way in hell you could be able to see a train coming around that curve and over the bridge.

[Steve F45]

what about the bright ass lights that are shinning thru the tree's especially now in the winter months when the tree's are bare? what about the sound of the approaching locomotive?

Hellen Keller should be the only person to have an excuse here.

[RichM]

Steve, thanks. I thought I was going to be a cranky old man if I said the same thing.

You've assured me that I can still have faith in your generation not be be dependent on a nanny state.

[cjvrr]

FYI, a local newspaper reported the driver was 18 years old.....

Also, ErieNJTman, I know if you hit the crossing going eastbound at a speed around 40 mph you can get a little air. Been doing that for about 20 years of driving now, and the kids get a kick out of it, wife doesn't like it too much though But seriously if you are driving at the posted speed you are in good shape to safely traverse the crossing and have ample time to see the crossing lights and the train.

This kid tried to blow the crossing, could have been any number of reasons why and we won't know them until it becomes public information. He should just thank his stars he didn't end up with more than his car destroyed.

[GOLDEN-ARM]

That crossing is extremely dangerous for a number of reasons:
1) Blind curve on the road
2) Trees block the view on both sides
3) *There are no crossing gates*
4) Steep road grade going across the tracks

I can almost guarantee that in the very near future the FRA or Walter Rich will demand gates installed there.

I wish that man the best on his recovery. God bless.

Well, blind curves exist everywhere. Since you ( or local drivers know it's there, YOU ADJUST your driving habits to suit that curve)
Trees blocking the view? This may or may not be the railroads problem. State laws are clear, however, on how to proceed at railroad crossings, especially if the view is obstructed.
There are no crossing gates. So? the majority of railroad crossings in the U.S. are "dark" crossings, without warning lights or gates. See above comments, in regards to how to approach railroad crossings.
I would be suprised if Walter Rich demanded crossing gates at this, or any other crossing. Unfortunately, Walter is no longer with us, having passed away last year. The FRA doesn't say where they go either, only dictating what's required for any set of safety standards. The fact there wasn't a fatality makes gates unlikely. Dark crossings don't seem to become gated, or lighted, unless there has been a fatality, or a dramatic increase in traffic and trains on that particular crossing. The Railroad isn't responsible for lights or gates, only for maintaining them. Instead of wishing that man "the best on his recovery", I wish he had yielded to the train, and hadn't put the crew through the unnecessary trauma of hitting another idiot who didn't feel the need to yield to a train.

[Noel Weaver]

In so far as New York State is concerned, it seems to me that some years
ago the state required all crossings that were on a school bus route be
equipped with both flashers and gates. I do not know whether this law
also applies in New Jersey or not but if it does not, it probably should.
Noel Weaver