Train, train, go away - at least, from Wartrace crossing

Sitting in front of the Wartrace railroad crossing for 10, 15, 30 or 45 minutes can be irritating, frustrating, costly-- and deadly.

That was the message Wartrace citizens tried to get across to CSX Transportation Thursday morning in a special meeting at the town's community center. State Sen. Jim Tracy, State Rep. Curt Cobb and Sean Gilliland, a representative from U.S. Rep. Bart Gordon's office, attended along with Wartrace elected officials, area first responders and concerned citizens.

"We want to explain to you and demonstrate to you not only the inconvenience ... but also the safety hazard," said Mayor Don Gallagher.

The problem arises, he said, when the railroad company pulls one train onto a side line to allow another train to go through. In the past, that wasn't a problem -- the trains were shorter than the side line. But as the trains have grown in length, the side line has not, and when they park now, they extend across the intersection.

It's not just a Wartrace problem either, said Gallagher.

"This is happening everywhere."

Losing precious time

Jane Covington, resident vice president of state and government affairs for CSX, asked if there were other crossings the first responders could use when the main intersection was blocked.

"From our perspective, it's not so much about inconvenience as it is about safety," said Scott Johnson, director of the local Emergency Management Agency. "There is no good alternative route for emergency vehicles."

He said the two closest crossings were the ones on Fairfield Pike, towards Bell Buckle, and Haley Road, toward Shelbyville. Using them could add anywhere from 5 to 20 minutes to response time -- and that's if the responders knew ahead of time the crossing is blocked. Arriving at the intersection and then having to reroute to the alternate crossings could add more than 30 minutes to valuable response time.

There have already been instances when the blocked crossing has caused problems for the emergency crews. Terry "Mookie" Smith, firefighter for the Wartrace Volunteer Fire Department, said it wasn't long ago when they were called out to a choking case.

"A 2-year-old was choking on something," he said. "The ambulance was coming and got stopped because there was a train parked on the tracks. It was a good 20, 30 minutes before they got there."

Luckily, he said, they were able to remove the obstruction from the toddler's throat and he lived, although Smith said the child was throwing up blood.

"They can do things we can't," he said, referring to the ambulance team. "We just got lucky -- this time."

Smith said there was one occasion when a house fire did far more structural damage than he thought it would have if firefighters had been able to reach it sooner. Earlier in the week, at the Wartrace Board of Mayor and Aldermen meeting, he said there was one cardiac patient the first responders revived -- but the man died anyway in the ambulance that had to wait for the railroad to move a sidetracked train.

Covington said CSX runs an emergency hotline similar to 911 and if emergency crews know they are going to need an intersection open, CSX will stop the trains.

"Of course, that doesn't help if there's a train already stopped," she admitted.

A difficult problem

Communication, said Covington, is the key. She suggested linking Wartrace's new security camera system, which has views of the intersection, to the 911 dispatch office -- a plan she was told is already being worked on.

But, warned 911 director Cathey Mathis, with only three dispatchers trying to guide first responders on several calls at a time, just sitting and watching a monitor isn't always possible or effective. She asked if the railroad could call the dispatchers and let them know when they were going to have a train on the side line.

"A lot of times, when a train goes onto a siding, they don't know how long they're going to be," said Covington, adding that at this time there was no process in place for notifying the community involved. "But we're willing to evaluate that."

Another possible solution, she said, was to "cut" the train -- dividing the train at one point and moving each half to opposite ends of the intersection, clearing a path for drivers. But even that solution has its drawbacks, she said.

"Whenever a train is 'cut,' there are federal regulations that have to be met when it's put back together," said Covington. She said the train could end spending even more time crossing the intersection than it would have uncut.

First responders were not the only ones to express concerns about the blocked intersections. Gallagher read letters from Cascade High School principal Sharon Edwards, as well as two from bus drivers Glenda Cooper and Harold Reynolds. Edwards pointed out that when the school buses are late because they've been waiting as long as an hour for the intersection to clear, the children are marked as tardy even though it wasn't their fault. Those tardies count against the children and, as far as the state is concerned, against the school as well.

The bus drivers were more worried about the health of the children waiting in a hot bus.

Reynolds wrote that on more than one occasion, the bus was stopped for almost an hour, fully loaded with 50 or 60 students, in 110-degree weather.

"What's going to happen if one of these children has heat stroke while we're waiting on a train?" he asked in his letter.

Wartrace resident Joel Luscinski, who initiated a petition with hundreds of names to present to CSX about the issue, also complained about the noise, saying that during one track to track transfer, the trains blew their horns 35 times.

"It's aggravating," he said. "We're supposed to be out in the country."

Covington explained there are two types of whistles, a manual used by the train operators that can be adjusted and an automatic whistle that cannot. The federal government, she said, has a mandated minimum decibel level for safety's sake.

She did tell those present to document everything and to let CSX know. She said they should make sure they note the time and date and, if they can get it, the engine number and any numbers on the cars.

"Trains have something similar to the black box on airplanes," Covington said. "The horn activity is recorded."

A long-time situation

The recent letters sent to CSX from Wartrace and Tracy are not the first to cross the CSX office. In his opening remarks, Gallagher said they have been notifying CSX of the crossing problem since 1999, including follow-up letters in 2003 and 2006.

"He (the stationmaster) just asked they give us some appreciation and break up the trains," said the mayor.

Covington later said essentially the same instructions have been passed down. The operators have been told not to use the siding in Wartrace if at all possible, but, she warned, it will take time before they all remember it and there may be cases when a substitute driver will not know. She said the railroad was eager to work with Wartrace to resolve the issue.

"I have worked with communities on similar problems before," she said.

Covington stressed how important it was for the community and the railroad to work together. She said the CSX stationmaster for this area is currently stationed in Jacksonville, Fla., as are the other stationmasters, but by this time next year, they will have operating bases closer to their areas. The stationmaster whose range covers Bedford County will be located in Nashville, which will give him a better feel for the area and its needs, she said.

"A more local perspective will help a lot," said Covington.