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Ed,

 >  On this day...
 >     He saw
 >     The train
 >     And tried to duck it
 >     Kicked first the gas
 >     And then the bucket
 >     Burma-Shave

 EV> While reading this poem I thought that it might be a favorite
 EV> of Yours and Mike since it topic is about Railroads.

  It is NO CONTEST betwen ANY vehicle and a train..whether it's
just a locomotive running light (with no other cars), or if it's
a fully loaded freight train.

  One locomotive is over 300 tons...and a fully loaded freight
train is over 12,000 tons (likely much higher). If it's doing
over 50 mph, it can take from 1 to 3 miles to bring that train
to a stop, once the engineer "puts it in the big hole" (applies
the emergency brake)...and all the crew can do is "watch you die".

  It's the equivalent of you driving your vehicle over a can of
soda pop or beer.

  They will NEVER seat me on a jury involving a grade crossing
incident...the laws of physics win every time.

  In a poem that The Good Lord gave me, called "No One Asks The
Engineer", it basically highlights the tragedy at a railroad
crossing, when a vehicle tried to beat the train. Normally, they
don't even consider the thoughts or feelings of the crew...but
as the poem notes, many had to quit, and have recurring nightmares
over the incident, which was totally preventable. 

  The 2 verses I highlight are as follows:

Had I been the engineer on the train that day,
And if you asked me how I felt, here is what I'd say.

"There was no way that I could stop, or out of the way, swerve".
"They ran a red light at a crossing, and got what they deserved!!".

  You can read that poem at http://www.wx4qz.net/rxr.htm -- along
with a public service announcement I did for Operation Lifesaver,
the organization that promotes safety at highway grade crossings.

  It takes far more inertia to stop something moving, than it does
to get it moving from a dead stop. For that matter, many folks think
that they can stop just as quick on a wet, snowy, or icy pavement,
as they can on a dry street. It easily becomes "demolition derby".

  Across the Earth...we rush to beat:

1) The traffic lights at intersections.
2) The trains at railroad crossings.
3) The boats at draw bridges.

  But, we'll stand patiently for 3 hours on the golf course.

  You figure it out.

Daryl, N5VLZ

... Try to beat a train to a railroad crossing, and you'll be DEAD WRONG!!
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