Luanne Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 My daughter and I were coming over here to the library and a train blocked the intersection (actually three fairly major intersections due to the angle of the streets and train tracks) for about 30 minutes which I know is illegal. Who would you complain to about this? This is an ongoing problem in this city and especially at those intersections. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Farrar Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 The mayor? Your city/town councilperson? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frugalmama Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 The mayor? Your city/town councilperson? all of the above plus your state's railroad commision Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juniper Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 (edited) I am not sure about it being illegal. It is not the trains fault. Usually there is a problem or back up with dispatch. You can complain, but if they have to choose between making you wait or potentially causing derailments further up and down the line...Well, I would choose wait. It is also good to remember that most of the railroads have been in place longer than the auto roads. On top of that, your dealing with an entity that is completely separated from our government. You could try contacting AREMA. Edited: dh said that in extremely rural states (his example was Montana) Engineers can be known for stopping their trains for lunch. He said contact the State DOT and they will be able to direct you. Or call the railroad and ask who the Road Master is. I guess this is the Sheriff of that portion of the railroad. Good thing dh is home for the holiday weekend, I learned something. :) Edited May 25, 2012 by Juniper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luanne Posted May 25, 2012 Author Share Posted May 25, 2012 I am not sure about it being illegal. It is not the trains fault. Usually there is a problem or back up with dispatch. You can complain, but if they have to choose between making you wait or potentially causing derailments further up and down the line...Well, I would choose wait. It is also good to remember that most of the railroads have been in place longer than the auto roads. On top of that, your dealing with an entity that is completely separated from our government. You could try contacting AREMA. Edited: dh said that in extremely rural states (his example was Montana) Engineers can be known for stopping their trains for lunch. He said contact the State DOT and they will be able to direct you. Or call the railroad and ask who the Road Master is. I guess this is the Sheriff of that portion of the railroad. Good thing dh is home for the holiday weekend, I learned something. :) This particular intersection is where the train goes forward and backward and stops for several minutes each time so it IS the person operating the trains fault. They may need to do this, but they don't need to do it at 11 in the morning and continue it until after 1 in the afternoon. I can still hear the train out there so it hasn't even left yet and it is over an hour since we first were stopped there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dobela Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 Contact customer relations for that particular train company. If they are stopping and going repeatedly it sounds like they are hooking and unhooking cars. Is it near a train yard by chance? There is one place by us that has trains working constantly and blocking traffic constantly. Even with many complaints they have not stopped because there are alternate routes around the tracks. The advice of those who work with the trains and such say to simply drive a different route during those hours. Sometimes though it is not the individual engineers fault. Actually I would think that this is true most of the time. Every move he/she makes is determined by dispatch and others in higher positions. Sometimes dispatch is in a completely different state. If there is a problem somewhere else on the line such as unexpected repairs then it causes problems everywhere before and after. As to the engineer stopping for lunch, that actually makes me laugh. We have a secondary line here that is very small. The tracks run right next to the local Captain D's. On their first pass the engineer and his crew will place their orders and then on the way back they will stop the train to pick up their orders. However, as this is also at one of the busiest intersections in town, they always stop before crossing the road and never block traffic. But, even with that people are never happy - the number of letters to the editor complaining about the crossing lights blinking when the train isn't moving is surprising. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pitterpatter Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 Interesting. I would never think to complain. I just assume it's part of living in a small, rural town that has a depot. I wouldn't think they would intentionally block traffic, would they? Growing up, our gravel road was a couple of miles down the tracks from the depot. Maybe even three miles. There were a couple of times my mom couldn't make it to (or from) work on time or the bus couldn't get across the tracks to pick us up. The train was just that long and it was stopped at the depot. It was our only way out of our gravel road. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2squared Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 Our neighbor has train tracks through their driveway (which is a country driveway, so it's about a 1/2 mile long). The trains aren't supposed to block their driveway for more than 24 hours in a row. If it's going to be more than 24 hours, they break the train so my neighbors can use their driveway. When the train is blocking the driveway, they use a dirt path through a cornfield to get to and from their house. They have an old farmhouse on an old farm site, so I'm not sure which was there first. Isn't that the craziest thing? ETA: These neighbors are 1 mile from us as the crow flies so the train is just a necessary annoyance for us. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scuff Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 I would never think to complain, either. We live by tracks that switch cars all the time. We avoid going that way if they're out. More annoying is the need they feel to repetedly blast the whistle at 3 in the morning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momma2three Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 I would call the non-emergency police line and ask their opinion. It seems like a major issue if it's preventing police/fire trucks/ambulances from getting places. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WishboneDawn Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 (edited) double post Edited May 25, 2012 by WishboneDawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WishboneDawn Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 This particular intersection is where the train goes forward and backward and stops for several minutes each time so it IS the person operating the trains fault. They may need to do this, but they don't need to do it at 11 in the morning and continue it until after 1 in the afternoon. I can still hear the train out there so it hasn't even left yet and it is over an hour since we first were stopped there. DH (a railway signal maintainer) says it sounds like this train is picking up cars. As Dobela stated, it is mostly likely NOT the engineer's fault. Engineers are not like taxi or bus drivers and don't have the discretion to piddle around at an intersection for an hour or two. :) It's just not the way it works. If it's illegal then I'd say contact whichever level of government has made it illegal. Is it a municipal or state law? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
momtoamiracle Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 I don't think there is anyone that can do anything about it. It depends on where the switchyard is and how many cars they are switching out. They could move the siding maybe or the switchyard but that would cost a lot of money so it's not likely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyJ Posted May 25, 2012 Share Posted May 25, 2012 It is illegal to block streets for more than a specific number of minutes inside city limits here. I have not called myself but I know people who did when it had become a huge problem a few years back. They called local police and after enough complaints the trains changed routines. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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