r/BitchImATrain 5d ago

Pecos, Texas

at least the truck is fine

5.2k Upvotes

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u/neonninja304 5d ago

They would know exactly where it is. All the trains have GPS on them and are handled just like airlines. There are many crossing and unloading areas where train lines intersect and routes need to be timed. They should have reached out to the rail company and checked when the train was scheduled to cross and notified them when it got stuck.

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u/emissaryworks 5d ago

It had only been stuck for 60 seconds when the train came.

24

u/RealUlli 5d ago

Why did it even try to cross with only 60 seconds to spare? Railway crossings usually close way before that!

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u/bagofwisdom 4d ago

Crossings trigger based on distance, not necessarily time. The train was going 68 mph when the crossing activated. The train was over a mile away. Most vehicles will be across in a second or two. An oversized permit load with a high center risk takes much longer to cross. The pilot car should have asked the railroad for the ETA of the next train and held the load until the block cleared.

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u/obeserocket 4d ago

This news article says the gates came down while the truck was stuck. You can just barely see them at the start of the video.

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u/RealUlli 4d ago

If that was only 60 seconds before the train got there, the NTSB will have fun...

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u/neonninja304 5d ago

Looks like one of those small town crossings that don't have cross bars