enough of the traffic getting a gate that pivots up and down, instead, a gate that is always down, and pivots to allow only one form of traffic through. Either the train, or the cars, but not both, and this would prevent vehicles from getting hit by trains.
Just an idea. Not really thought out much farther than, "that oughta do" and with zero interest in what the stupid things would cost, or how they'd be operated, etc etc
Just an idea. Not really thought out much farther than, "that oughta do" and with zero interest in what the stupid things would cost, or how they'd be operated, etc etc
Well Jesse, it's rather simple answer. Start to move a train is a process, stopping it move is even longer process. You can push a break on car and stop almost instantly or have that couple of meters "eeeeeeeee" and then you stop. Train need time, the bigger & heavier composition than longer the road. They stop according to mathematic formula: braking distance = mass + speed of train. There are also variables like temperature of train tracks, angle ect. But train that push emergency breaks and move with speed of 100km/h need a 1 kilometer to stop.
ReplyDeleteSo when car can stop in a moment and then gain momentum and speed up in equal time. Train need a whole longer time to do both, so trains tend to not stop, they move faster or slower but they don't stop to not lose that momentum of move. When you trying to pull (and it the same time you are pushed by) sometimes 20 or even 50 thousand tons of cargo... well, stopping before railroad crossing for some cars is not a good or productive idea.
And in little funny answer, train don't stop because on a road there is only one rule, the larger one has priority. ;D
Don't do that.
DeleteDon't miss my big picture, because you took a quick look and spotted something that you thought I am ignorant of.
I drove 7 thousand ton submarines, and 60 thousand pound trucks, and I'm very familiar in a very hands on way, with inertia, momentum, and slowing down.
Have you gotten the impression I'm stupid? Don't realize the reasons that trains are fuel efficient from not making frequent stops, or why they don't use the brakes very much?
SO, take the short little idea I posted, and look at it another way...
I was postulating that a gate that pivots around, and blocks either the cars, or the train, would PREVENT cars from being on the track, or arriving at the crossing when the train did.
Only one would have an open path for travel, and like we both know, that means the train would keep on rolling, and when approaching the crossing of a road, highway, or street, would cause a gate to PIVOT from allowing cars access through the intersecting area, to PREVENTING cars from driving across the tracks and hitting the train.
Right?
Can you see that I actually said in the small print? I get it, yes, in the title, I have a train stopping... and they need an awful long time and lots of distance to do THAT.
But seriously? If you think I'm stupid, just quit reading along.
How about instead, think about the concept I brought up... gates that pivot up and down are quite well proven to fail too much, like that video I posted earlier this week, or last week.
We've seen too many examples of truckers getting hit because they high center on the crossing.
I'm not thinking that you are stupid, I assume in this case incorrectly that you just don't know about this specific thing. I don't assume people know everything, hell yesterday I had a second in month conversation with person that had no idea how automatic gear change work in car... after that we move that he had absolutely no idea how gearbox work, 14 years of driving license and everyday driver. No idea how work one of main element of car. So I don't assume everybody have knowledge about everything.
DeleteBack to the topic of your idea. I think I did move on that stopping train part because maybe I miss a crucial information about crossroads in US. They are mostly "unguarded" as we say... right? A clear road that cross tracks and only sign in form "hey, tracks here". I used to our system that most main railroads crossings are "guarded", they have now mostly automatic system that when train approach lower barrier and engage light and sound sign informing of approaching train and preventing entering crossroads to anyone. Of course people are people and they many times don't give a shit about it so accidents still happens. Those are light barriers and if you really want you can just ram them or drive around and enter the crossroads.
About such system you had been talking about? Or something much more solid that would prevent any try to enter the crossroad like those concrete pillar blockades that move from underground that can stop even a truck?
Yeah, if the gate HAS TO BE OPENED for a train to pass through, and the only way for the gate to open to let the train through is to close the car traffic, you've solved the accident problem, because there's no middle ground.
ReplyDeletethose accidents are Darwins
ReplyDeleteIf youre stupid enough to drive around a gate and across the tracks, without looking to make sure a train isnt coming, then no amount of devices are going to help.
plus the gates malfunction in alot of places, they stay down for hours, Ive seen em at one crossing on a state highway where the gates were down for almost a week, you had no choice except to drive around them. the RR nor the state would repair them, so some trucker finally snapped off the arms so traffic could get around without having to weave between the arms.
the railroads dont care, they dont pay for or operate or maintain the gates, the state and local govts have to do that, and the RRs are exempt from most lawsuits, just like cops are.
and in my state at least, the standard for installing gates is that they install a gate when two or more people have been killed at that crossing.
thats how they determine which crossing gets a gate.
there was a big lawsuit a while back were some people were on a RR bridge and got killed, and part of the lawsuit was they wanted the RR to sound the horn before crossing bridges, like they do at highway crossings and the RR refused, the RR spent millions so they wouldnt have to honk the horn approaching a bridge.