Topic: Trains on old Rock Island Line
started by: Expatriate
Posted by Expatriate on Jun. 03 2016,6:25 am
First let me say I think transporting by rail is a good thing and I don't mind trains passing through the city.But a few weeks ago the trains all started stopping before the crossing on Garfield Ave., they then use their whistle to sound some railroad morse code..I've heard one engineer sound his whistle over 20 times in a period of a few minutes.
At first I thought this is construction season and there must be maintenance crews on the mainline, but this goes on night day and even on the Holiday weekend..
My question, in a day of excellent radio/cell phone communication and minimal train crews/engineer and conductor, why is it necessary to sound that obnoxious whistle except when approaching a crossing to warn traffic?
Posted by This is my real name on Jun. 03 2016,7:04 am
Maybe he was driving that train, high on cocaine.Probably not, but I just wanted everyone to have that song stuck in their head.
Posted by Self-Banished on Jun. 03 2016,9:25 am
^^ was his name Casey Jones? 
I'm not exactly sure how it's done but the mighty BN made a deal with some of the metro cities that it wouldn't sound horns at crossings.
I live just far enough away from the main line that I'd hear that whistle at night and it was kinda cool, a lonesome sound, sometimes I could cry.
Posted by alcitizens on Jun. 03 2016,12:25 pm
Four horn blasts at every intersection.. The City never brings up investing in quiet zone intersections..It wouldn't take that much to invest in one intersection every year until done..
Posted by nzeroesc on Jun. 07 2016,3:16 am
In order to create a quiet zone covering Albert Lea from Margaretha to Hammer Rd there is really isn't that much to do. The Federal Railroad Administration rules for Quiet Zones dictate that all at-grade crossings in a QZ have gates. Well all of the roads in the city already do. The sticking point is there is a pedestrian crossing between the two sides of Johnson St on the end of Columbus Ave. There would need to be gates installed there, the crossing removed, or at a minimum somehow closing it between the hours of 10p-7a if we applied for a partial QZ designation. The FRA also provides a calculator to figure out the risk index for a QZ. At least one of the two major grade crossings in town (Margaretha or Broadway/Front) would need to be upgraded to what are called quad gates (Gates on both sides of road on both sides of the tracks) or have centerline medians installed with reflective barricades that prevent cars from driving around the gate arms.
< http://media.cleveland.com/north-r...410.jpg >
< https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ee93yveCDGM >
In playing with the calculator, creating a zone covering the majority of town from 10p-7a can be accomplished surprisingly cheap if the NE neighborhood supports removal of that ped crossing, and the city installs barriers in appropriate locations to lower the risk score. Quad gates at Broadway and Main would be easiest due to the odd geometry of our busiest intersections, barriers at Margaretha won't work well, and Broadway / Front is impossible due the the intersection. Newton would be the easiest to install a center median on, and IMO would have the least impact on drivability in town.
Posted by alcitizens on Jun. 07 2016,10:37 pm
Quad gates at Broadway and Main? I don't understand.. Main doesn't have a RR crossing, or does it?Good information for those running for City Council, Thanks..
Posted by nzeroesc on Jun. 07 2016,11:17 pm
My bad. Was late when i typed that. Should be referring to Broadway / Front intersection.
Posted by Expatriate on Jun. 08 2016,6:57 am
It's not so much the crossing whistles I'm complaining about, the trains all seem to be stopping before the Garfield Ave. crossing. At that point I believe they signaling with their whistles-air brakes on-stopping- air brakes off- proceeding forward- when you add these whistle blows to the double crossing I've counted 20 whistles in a period of five minutes.A quit zone would great but at the expense of the pedestrian crossing wouldn't be fair to the Hawthorne students.
I'm sure building an overhead pedestrian bridge would be costly but a quite zone may be worth the expense.
Posted by nzeroesc on Jun. 08 2016,8:33 am
(Expatriate @ Jun. 08 2016,6:57 am)
QUOTE
It's not so much the crossing whistles I'm complaining about, the trains all seem to be stopping before the Garfield Ave. crossing. At that point I believe they signaling with their whistles-air brakes on-stopping- air brakes off- proceeding forward- when you add these whistle blows to the double crossing I've counted 20 whistles in a period of five minutes.
A quit zone would great but at the expense of the pedestrian crossing wouldn't be fair to the Hawthorne students.
I'm sure building an overhead pedestrian bridge would be costly but a quite zone may be worth the expense.
A quit zone would great but at the expense of the pedestrian crossing wouldn't be fair to the Hawthorne students.
I'm sure building an overhead pedestrian bridge would be costly but a quite zone may be worth the expense.
I'd be quite interested to see just how many students are walking that route every day. While nothing tragic has happened yet, it isn't exactly an ideal "shortcut" parents should be encouraging.
While I understand it would create an impact, in reality it adds less than 1/5th of a mile to anyone's walking distance to the school by simply using Ramsey to access Garfield Ave rather than crossing at an uncontrolled intersection.
In today's day and age of younger and younger kids with ipods and cell phones it's only a matter of time until someone not paying attention is unable to hear a train coming. Less than 1000ft from that intersection you are unable to see a train around the curve. About 15 seconds warning if you're looking at 40mph. There is no active warning device at that crossing, just a stop sign and RR Crossing signs.
Posted by alcitizens on Jun. 10 2016,12:44 am
The Federal Railroad Administration says Trains will stop blowing their Horns with this simple improvement.. Mountable medians with Reflective Traffic Channelization Devices can be installed from Margaretha Ave. to Garfield Ave for a total of $91,000..
This would create a 24 Hour Quiet Zone in Albert Lea..
Posted by alcitizens on Jun. 10 2016,12:50 am
The Federal Railroad Administration says Trains will stop blowing their Horns with this simple improvement.. Mountable medians with Reflective Traffic Channelization Devices can be installed from Margaretha Ave. to Garfield Ave for a total cost of $91,000..
This would create a 24 Hour Quiet Zone in Albert Lea..
< http://safetydata.fra.dot.gov/quiet/login.aspx?exit=YES >
Posted by nzeroesc on Jun. 10 2016,10:20 am
(alcitizens @ Jun. 10 2016,12:50 am)
QUOTE
Mountable medians with Reflective Traffic Channelization Devices can be installed from Margaretha Ave. to Garfield Ave for a total cost of $91,000..
This would create a 24 Hour Quiet Zone in Albert Lea..
This would create a 24 Hour Quiet Zone in Albert Lea..
Except you are either forgetting one thing or don't care about any of the houses on the north side of town. A quiet zone cannot contain any crossings that do not have gates. So either they move, close or put gates on that pedestrian crossing on Johnson St, or everyone from Hammer Road to Garfield still has to listen to the trains every day / night.
Posted by alcitizens on Jun. 10 2016,5:39 pm
That pedestrian crossing on Johnson St is now required to have gates installed.. Once done a 24 hour zone can go all the way to Hammer..
Posted by Expatriate on Jun. 11 2016,7:09 am
Think it was the late 1950's when the city/railroad installed the pedestrian crossing, prior to that it was a well used dirt path.I remember Hawthorne school would assign patrol guards (sixth graders) to the crossing in the morning and after school as monitors for the younger children.
The trains of the day 1950's 60's moved slower even the passenger trains move slower in the city limits. I don't remember those older engineers being so whistle happy and they didn't have the benefit of cross-arms at every crossing.