NTSB preliminary report on AMTRAK Congressional Special Collission

[Philip H]

try not to muddy this up with politics ok?

https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/HWY18MH005-prelim.pdf

Data extracted from the camera postcrash showed that as the crossing came
into view, the gates were down and the refuse truck was on the grade crossing. Witnesses to the
crash reported that the refuse truck entered the crossing after the gates were down.

[learmoia]

... So the one picture of the crossing shows a steep drop off after the crossing, so it's entirely possible that the truck bottomed out on the crossing.

EDIT.. Comment removed since the text doesn't clarify if the truck was parked or crossing the tracks.

Hopefully it's one hell of a coincidence..

~Ian

[nkalanaga]

NPR was reporting Wednesday afternoon that witnesses said the gates were down before the truck entered the crossing.  If so, it sounds like a simple case of "try to beat the train".

[learmoia]

NPR was reporting Wednesday afternoon that witnesses said the gates were down before the truck entered the crossing.  If so, it sounds like a simple case of "try to beat the train".

Well there should be a good 15+ seconds between the gates going down and the train approaching..

Is this a regular Amtrak line?.. I assume it is...  Crossings are setup based on track speed to yield a cretain period of warning before the train arrives traveling track speed.

[nkalanaga]

I don't know if it was a regular Amtrak route, as it was a chartered train, but regardless, the train shouldn't be going more than "track speed", and the gates should work just as well as for a freight train.

[Point353]

Is this a regular Amtrak line?..

Amtrak's NYC-Chicago Cardinal uses that line.