Hazmat and railroad tracks.

[jonp]

No signs, exempt or otherwise, or really any way to tell there is a set of tracks there except for the tracks themselves. The tracks have obviously not been used in a looooooooong time, but there are still tracks there.

Personally, I've never stopped at that crossing due to the fact that the chance of a train coming down those tracks is about as good as my dog successfully running for president. It is in an industrial area and NMDOT likes to hang out on some of the roads near there and hit up the dirt / rock haulers to see what they can be fined with.

"But sir, ain't no choo-choo been down them tracks in years."

Please, Please run your dog for President this year. He would be better than both of the choices we have right now.

[jonp]

I'm going to say that you should take a little time and find out who owns the tracks and talk to them about whether it is an active set of tracks or not. If not, ask them to put up a sign saying exempt or not in use or something like that.

[Fredog]

Just for the sake of safety and to avoid being hassled by any local cops or DOT, I have been stopping at any and all RR crossing, regardless of how derelict they appear.

At any rate, in this particular part of the city, there are miles and miles upon more miles of railroad tracks that don't go anywhere, switch tracks that stop at a building (i.e. the land was previously owned by a railroad, sold to a private party, and the track removed up to the property line), signs for RR crossings where there are no tracks, tracks that are rarely used but not marked at all, etc.

It's a very screwy situation all the way around as far as being able to tell by looking whether or not a track is active. To give another example, about 3/4 mile away, there are crossing arms and signs at a railroad crossing - however, the rail stops approximately 30 yards onto property owned by General Mills (the cereal manufacturer) and ends in a big pile of weeds and debris. In the opposite direction, this particular spur connects back to a mainline that is currently in use by a commuter train.

Logic would dictate that any train that takes that spur would derail once it entered the General Mills property, so there is obviously not going to be a train using that crossing. At the same time, it is marked and does have crossing arms.....so.....

Stuff like that is what prompted me to ask my original question.

FYI... lots of train crossings now have cameras. So if you cross without stopping they can send the $500 ticket in the mail. And all trains have camera's taking video.

And make sure to cross in the lowest gear. You don't want to stall while on the tracks.

it's not 500 bucks anymore, it's automatic disqualification

[belpre122]

it's not 500 bucks anymore, it's automatic disqualification

That has been my understanding also Fredog. The fines, etc., aside. Disregarding a RR crossing is not a CMV suspension, but a CMV disqualification. Is that how you understand the reg also Fredog?

That's how it is explained to me?

[Orangetxguy]

it's not 500 bucks anymore, it's automatic disqualification

That has been my understanding also Fredog. The fines, etc., aside. Disregarding a RR crossing is not a CMV suspension, but a CMV disqualification. Is that how you understand the reg also Fredog?

That's how it is explained to me?

That's pretty much the deal. It is important for a driver to communicate abandoned crossing such as the OP has asked about, to local authorities, the company he/she drives for, as well as the listed Rail Compnay owner.

If you are aware of a "controlled crossing", where you know that the crossing arms regularly fail and remain in the down position, blocking one or both directions of travel, after the signal lights have stopped, or if you know of a lighted only crossing, at which the lights and bells continue to run, sometimes for hours...stopping and calling the 800 number posted at the crossing, and reporting that location, can save you plenty of trouble.

Each crossing has a location number posted under the cross bucks.

I made one such call three weeks ago in Columbus GA. The lights were running at an industrial crossing, when I reached them at 2 AM. When I exited the plant at 7 AM, into which I had turned before crossing the tracks, the lights and bells were still running, only then, there were 3 school buses, sitting on each side of the crossing, blocking traffic.

After waiting for 5 minutes for someone to move, so I could make my right turn(narrow 2-lane street)...away from the crossing..and nobody moving, I shutdown my truck, walked up to the crossing with my cell phone, and made the call to the number posted. After explaining the problem to the operator, whom answered in a crisp clear voice on the second ring, there was a police car at the crossing within 6 minutes...the officer within which, got those buses cleared across the track and traffic moving.

Traffic was backed up over a mile each direction...yet nobody sitting right there bothered to read the signs....or even call the police department. The bus driver, whom was sitting within four feet of the sign I called the number from, had no clue that the number was even there, or what it was for........even though explained on the posting.

Few officers will ticket for crossing an abandoned rail line...but most will read the riot act for runnning a live one. There are some officers to dumb..or to lazy, to do anything.

[Fredog]

it's not 500 bucks anymore, it's automatic disqualification

That has been my understanding also Fredog. The fines, etc., aside. Disregarding a RR crossing is not a CMV suspension, but a CMV disqualification. Is that how you understand the reg also Fredog?

That's how it is explained to me?

the way I understand it is you are disqualified from driving a commercial vehicle for no less than 60 days, you can still drive your car, but where are you going to go? not to work :sad: