Mr. PRSL I've been holding my self back on replying to your posts but I can't any more. That crossing isn't exactly on a four lane interstate. Sure a electronic or manual crossing would be nice and there should be two people on the loco and one on the ground, but a mechanical crossing block that stops traffic is overkill. People can see the train, the whistle will warn them, and they should be paying attention anyway. People are responsible for them selves, the railroad should not be held responsible for drivers inattentiveness. There is too little emphasis on personal responsibility in this country. To have the engine stop, wait for traffic, go across, them repeat the process on the other side would waste the time of the train crew and the motorists waiting. That crossing has been in place for more then 50 years as is and there hasn't been a serious accident that I am aware of. If the crews are paying attention and there is someone handling the switches so that the crews aren't distracted from the job of running their locomotive then everything should be fine.
As a side note, you keep posting as "Professional Advice" yet you don't sign your name and you don't give your e-mail address. A professional opinion without any credentials is pretty worthless. I can understand that some people don't want to use their real name, but that means that I will not take your post as seriously as I would if you signed your name. The real professionals on this board are not afraid to put their name on their posts, and realize that they won't be permanently marked if they do. It gives everyone the opportunity to know that their posts are legitimate and not the rant of some lunatic. You keep post mostly on trivia and most of it is trivial, you expect us to take you seriously and don’t sign you name, you seem concerned with safety but don’t seem to have any concept of how things are actually done. Rule books and ideas may seem great in the comfort of your computer, but in practice they sometimes need to be side stepped. Feel free to put my name on your list, I am not afraid to voice my opinion in my name.
Paul Gibbs
