Passenger Trains > "Car, LIRR train collide..." (incinerates front of MU)

Train going 80MPH w/o passengers.
2 people in auto dead. Engineer not injured. Fiberglass bonnet of Budd M-3 MU totally incinerated.

http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=news/local/long_island&id=8963540

I doubt they will fix it and the married pair will probably never run again as they are 27 years old and due for replacement within 5 years.

Background info on Ronkonokoma line:
http://mta.info/news/stories/?story=936



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 01/22/13 10:18 by joemvcnj.

Wow, that's nasty. I feel badly for the engineer having to witness that.

I'm reminded of a picture of a sign I saw, I think in Chicagoland, that said something to the effect
that it's takes a train 3 seconds to pass this crossing whether you're on it or not.

Perhaps that needs to be posted in more places.

rfprr

> Officials said the engineer witnessed the vehicle drive around the gates, which were down.

Sounds like another Darwin Effect incident.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/22/13 10:55 by GenePoon.

Wow, that is nasty. Gave me the chills watching that video.

I used to think how awful these situations are, but when you make a conscious decision to ignore a warning device, I really don't have sympathy for drivers anymore. The problem is that there are often other innocent victims - such as in this case. Sheesh.

The M-3's have a great Railfan Front Window.

Most of us get pissed when equipment is designed without them or we are not permitted to stand there, usually on SEPTA Silverliner-V's and on the older Metro North M-3 thru M-6 fleet. But there is a risk and they are watching out for our safety.

LIRR engineers I believe are pulled out of service for 3 days automatically as they could have a hard time keeping their concentration on their job. For something like this, that might not be enough.

Hitting autos at crossings generally does not result in an inferno like this. But gasoline and 3rd rail do not mix well.

The single track portion east of Farmingdale up to Ronkonkoma has 18 grade-crossings. It is a straight, 80MPH railroad.
There are many more grade-crossings between New Hyde Park and Farmingdale.

http://www.mta.info/lirr/doubletrack/images/DoubleTrackMapLg.jpg



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 01/22/13 11:13 by joemvcnj.

I'm guessing this picture was taken right after the incident - no sign of fire/police/ems yet

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=422220&nseq=10

MrMichael Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I'm guessing this picture was taken right after
> the incident - no sign of fire/police/ems yet
>
> http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=42222
> 0&nseq=10


Didn't need EMS. Just the coroner.

A relative watching TV wrote to me and said:

"TV news report says the driver was talking on his cell phone, also looking in the opposite direction from the one the train was coming from. "

good thing train did not climb over car and derail at that speed. RIP!

There is a pilot to prevent that sort of thing.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M1/M3_%28railcar%29

Reminds me of the time two skydivers got tangled up and had a "hard landing" in Perris CA (near Orange Empire Ry. Museum). When we saw the ambulance leaving WITHOUT red light & siren, we knew it was a bad day at the airport.

Before we moved to NM in '57, the then B&O-owned Staten Island Rapid Transit Railway still had a few (5) grade crossings in the middle of the still-operating Tottenville line. It took until the mid-'60s, before MTA took over, to completely raise or depress the twin tracks through the crossings area, finally fulfilling NYC law banning transit grade crossings in city limits.
AFAIK, One crossing remains near the end of the L Canarsie Beach line.

I cannot remember a SIRT train tangling with an auto back then.

The Canarsie line crossing at E105th was eliminated 30-35 years ago. You can't tell it was even there if you go there now.

More photos of this one:
http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/gallery?section=news&id=8963841&photo=1&pid=8963540

The burned out front of the train and the incinerated car shell got some play on Fox 5 news in NY last night. The "going around the crossing gates" got a lot of mention. "What were they thinking?" etc.

It's a really ugly result of stupidity.