Train vrs Truck with wind turbine that didn't make it out of the way in time

Are train tables still a thing? The lead company didn't mark the crossing and verify with the railroad?

That's a few hundred thousand dollars of fiberglass, balsa wood, and resin down the drain.

Near my home is a Sheetz...down one side of the building is a drive lane. Truckers constantly park in this lane .....The giant signs that say NO PARKING IN DRIVE LANE are posted every 25 feet......the truckers will park there and block the signs out. I have came to the conclusion that Truckers cant read. This trucker in this vid is just an idiot and he may frequent this Sheetz I speak of.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus

Actually, it looked to me like the back of his trailer got hung up on the train crossing gate/light assembly more so than on the grade. Those blade trailers are actually pretty high off the ground (at least the thousands of them which go through here practically weekly). I've seen them go over grades much more aggressive than this crossing.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

The second video.

a reply to: AugustusMasonicus


Trains rock

ALWAYS remember when recording anything that a lot of people will see, make sure you repeat something stupid over and over and over again instead of the date, time and location. Got to keep it as stupid as possible, stupid as possible, stupid as possible.

Oh and record in portrait too.

a reply to: cmdrkeenkid

Are you kidding? Those blades are hugely expensive. They are made from high tech carbon fiber, composites, polymers and in many cases kevlar.

Maybe some of the smaller ones are made of fiberglass and balsa, but I've never seen one. Most of the ones I see here are huge, like 100m or longer. No way balsa and fiberglass would hold together under the forces exerted on these things.

Although this is hilarious….bwhahahah…

It should never have happened.
Those type of loads are scheduled and the railroad should have been informed of the crossing time.
Somebody dropped the ball.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Not kidding.

Solving the Problem with Wind Turbine Blade Disposal

Modern wind turbine blades typically comprise fiberglass, sheets of balsa wood, and epoxy thermoset resin.

How Much Do Wind Turbines Cost?

For the average wind turbine, a single blade can cost about $150,000. Blades for larger turbines can cost over $500,000 each.

originally posted by: Bluntone22

It should never have happened.
Those type of loads are scheduled and the railroad should have been informed of the crossing time.
Somebody dropped the ball.

Looks to me like he was trying to prevent from causing any damage to the load and also the crossing gate. Had he actually known when the train was going to be passing through there, I'm sure those things would have been less of a priority.

I don't know how long they had actually been stuck there before the video begins, but I assume that the train schedule should have been the #1 concern of the guy in the lead truck. As soon as the trailer stopped on the tracks, he should have immediately been on the phone with the train switchboard people or whoever.... someone.

Just a hunch but it appears to me that the train engineer was probably not aware of this until he actually saw it with his own eyes, which was obviously too late.


Also, it seems like their route must have been poorly planned to begin with. I mean it looks like he was making a turn in a location where he never should have been turning.


On the other hand, it does look to me like that train may have been going a bit fast for such an area. Within the city like that, at least compared to what I see around here, there should be a bit more time between the crossing arms being lowered, until the time when the train actually passes.

a reply to: TerryMcGuire

I was at a local bar in Texas one time and there were a bunch of old regulars in there gathered around this one guy ooohing and aaaahing at some pictures he was showing them. After a bit I became curious (I was the youngster there compared with these guys), and asked politely if I might look at whatever it was he was showing everybody. He said sure and showed me the photos of a giant grizzly that he had hit with his train (turns out he was a conductor). I said, wow, I can't believe that you actually hit that, to which he replied with a laugh, oh, we hit things allll the time. Really, I replied, and he said oh yes, especially truck trailers, they're trying to catch a light and don't want to wait so they get caught with their trailer hanging over the tracks. I guess this is more common than we thought...

a reply to: BrokenCircles

Originally, this was just a great comedy, but I think you nailed it. It as a cockup from top to bottom. The route should have been better planned and that should have been the responsibility of the companies transportation department.

The lead pickup should be much more than just a warning to on coming traffic, they are intended to be a navigator for up coming problems and should have heard the warning klaxons prior to the guards coming down.

And yes, that train did seem to be highballin. Again from the video we don't know how long that rig was taking to make that turn, but it should not have been put in that position in the first place.

All that said, I think I will go and watch it again. What a hoot.

a reply to: TheMirrorSelf

Did he actually stop the train to get out & take pictures of the bear?

I would assume they just kept on going.

originally posted by: BrokenCircles
On the other hand, it does look to me like that train may have been going a bit fast for such an area. Within the city like that, at least compared to what I see around here, there should be a bit more time between the crossing arms being lowered, until the time when the train actually passes.

The NTSB has strict speed limits for rail systems and the one in the video, Union Pacific, has automated monitoring of speeds.