(rshsdepot) Railroad safety

["James Dent" <james.dent_@_itochu.com>]

An interesting article from the Detroit Lakes (MN) Tribune about a railro=
ad
safety "rally" and some issues raised by it.
Thanks to the Transportation Communications Newsletter for finding this.

Railroad safety rally grabs the spotlight

By VICKI L. GERDES
Staff Writer

The first-ever =93Railroad Crossing Safety Rally=94 held Sunday at the ol=
d
Burlington Northern Santa Fe Depot near downtown Detroit Lakes may not ha=
ve
attracted a large crowd, but it certainly got its share of attention.
Television news crews from two different area stations were in attendance=
,
along with U.S. Congressman Collin Peterson (D-Minn) and Cheri Bonebrake,=
 a
BNSF grade crossing safety coordinator.
Also in attendance were Minnesota State Patrol Lt. Mike Hanson, who
investigated the June 1999 fatal railroad crossing collision west of Detr=
oit
Lakes that killed Gerry Nybo, Jr. and friend Ryan Nelson.
That accident two summers ago this Monday prompted Lillian Nybo, Gerry=92=
s
mother, to begin her initial foray into her new role as a railroad crossi=
ng
safety activist.
Hanson said he came to know the Nybos and the Nelsons during his
investigation of the crash in 1999, and that part of his job was to provi=
de
support to the families in dealing with their loss.
=93Any time we handle investigations like this, we can=92t help but becom=
e
involved with the survivors,=94 Hanson said. =93Anything I can do through
working with the Nybos and the Nelsons to help prevent another tragedy li=
ke
this from happening in the future, I=92m going to embrace that and take p=
art
in it.=94
In his job, Hanson has seen first-hand the tragic consequences of fatal
accidents such as the one that occurred near Detroit Lakes two years ago.
He feels that =93education and raising public awareness are things we can=
 do
that might prevent another needless tragedy from happening.=94
Train engineers even seemed to take notice, as one locomotive crossing th=
e
main railroad intersection adjacent to the depot let loose with a long,
drawn-out whistle just as the rally was getting underway. At least a coup=
le
more trains would pass by before the rally was over that afternoon.
=93It looks like we got their attention,=94 noted Lillian Nybo, who toget=
her
with her husband, Gerry, formed the rally=92s sponsoring organization,
Citizens Against Railroad Tragedies.
The group=92s membership has grown to approximately a dozen members, and =
there
are similar organizations in at least 23 other states across the country,
Gerry noted.
Ryan=92s mother, Becky, was present for Sunday=92s event as well, despite=
 the
fact that she had lost her husband, Larry, a little less than a week
earlier. A fluorescent yellow sign, dedicating Sunday=92s rally =93in lov=
ing
memory of Larry D. Nelson, December 1, 1951-May 25, 2001,=94 was prominen=
tly
displayed. =93He=92s here fighting with us today,=94 said Becky, determin=
edly
upbeat despite her all-to-recent loss.

Safety from both sides
Nelson was determined to make a difference in the fight for better railro=
ad
crossing safety.
=93If we can save at least one person =97 just one mother, one son, one f=
ather
or brother =97 that=92s one family that doesn=92t have to go through what=
 Gerry
and Lil and Larry and I did,=94 Becky said, adding quietly, =93You wouldn=
=92t
believe the hurt.
=93That call I got two years ago (regarding Ryan=92s death) was a mother=92=
s worst
nightmare. You never think it=92s going to happen to you =85 but when it =
does,
it=92s so devastating.=94
Becky said she was pleased with the attention from BNSF surrounding the
rally =97 besides Cheri Bonebrake, the aforementioned railroad safety exp=
ert,
there were also three BNSF security officers present at the rally.
=93If we can get them to understand just a little, that means a lot,=94 N=
elson
said. =93We have to try and make BNSF understand we mean business, and we=
=92re
not going to stop until we do (make them understand).=94
Bonebrake, for her part, said that she was on hand mainly to answer peopl=
e=92s
questions about what BNSF is doing to improve highway-railroad grade
crossing safety.
The safety efforts being promoted by BNSF include Operation Lifesaver, a
series of classes promoting crossing safety which =93targets highest risk
populations =97 new drivers, adult drivers and professional drivers,=94
according to an informational packet Bonebrake distributed at the rally.
=93We particularly target drivers education students, because we want the=
m to
be good, safety drivers around railroad tracks,=94 Bonebrake said.
BNSF also employs 22 other full-time crossing safety coordinators like
Bonebrake at various locations along its 33,500-mile network of railways
across the country, she noted. In addition, BNSF conducts law enforcement
training classes which enable officers to learn more about things like ho=
w
long it takes to stop an average train, how much distance is necessary to
avoid a collision and how to provide assistance at the scene of a car/tra=
in
collision.
There are classes for fire fighters and first responders, and a program
called =93Officer on a Train,=94 in which law enforcement officers are in=
vited
to ride along on a train trip and get a first-hand perspective of train
safety.
Bonebrake said BNSF is also involved in efforts to close some smaller
railroad crossings in areas where they create safety hazards for both
motorists and railroad engineers =97 such as the plan to close four small
Detroit Lakes-area crossings and replace them with a single, regulated
crossing.
This effort has the particular blessing of the Nybos, whose goal is to eq=
uip
every railroad crossing in the state with =93at least lights,=94 and hope=
fully a
safety gate as well, Gerry noted.
=93A crossbuck and a stop sign are not adequate protection nowadays,=94 h=
e
added.

Recent rail developments
The reality, however, is that the cost of adding both lights and gates is
roughly $175,000 per crossing, which makes Cititzens Against Railroad
Tragedies=92 goal a difficult one to achieve, Gerry said.
The Nybos have taken their crusade directly to the BNSF=92s top managemen=
t.
In April, Lillian Nybo participated in the railroad=92s annual shareholde=
r
meeting in Fort Worth, Texas, where she was allowed to address the group =
as
well as to speak directly to the railroad=92s president, Matthew Rose.
As a result of that meeting, Lillian has been appointed to BNSF=92s safet=
y
committee.
=93We=92re willing to work with them,=94 Gerry said. =93We=92re happy tha=
t we=92re
finally being able to open up a dialogue (with BNSF) and talk about these
things, and maybe to start working together.=94
Gerry also noted that similar railroad safety organizations have begun to
spring up across the country, and =93we=92re in 23 states now.=94
The various organizations have begun to band together, he added, through =
the
Internet.
=93It takes more than one small group to do anything,=94 Gerry said, noti=
ng that
with the cooperation of groups such as Angels on the Track, based in Ohio=
,
and the Texas-based Hands Across the Rails, =93we=92re not alone in this =
quest
anymore.=94
The Nybos=92 quest has also attracted the attention of U.S. Seventh Distr=
ict
Congress Collin Peterson, who stopped in briefly at the rally to discuss =
his
efforts to introduce federal legislation that, if passed, would help
strengthen the U.S. Code to hold railroads more accountable for all aspec=
ts
of railroad safety.
=93I was not aware that all of these fatal (railroad) accidents were not
necessarily required to be investigated, or that the railroads had the
authority to do the investigating themselves rather than an outside sourc=
e =97
I was very surprised by that,=94 Peterson said, using the example of airp=
lane
crashes, which must undergo scrutiny from the FAA and law enforcement.
=93That just doesn=92t seem to make any sense,=94 he added.
Peterson has been heavily involved in efforts to negotiate with railroad
interests as well as the National Transportation Safety Board and the
Minnesota Department of Transportation to make improvements in safety
regulations at the administrative level, but those efforts have met with
little success thus far, he noted.
=93So we=92re going to try to change things legislatively,=94 Peterson sa=
id,
adding that the effort is going to be =93an uphill battle.=94
A particularly touching moment during Sundays=92 rally occurred when Beck=
y
Nelson pinned a yellow ribbon on Peterson=92s lapel, signifying his
participation in the group=92s cause.
Gerry Nybo=92s sisters, Peggy Olson and Annette Pawlak, were kept busy se=
rving
up hot dogs and soft drinks to rally participants, but they stopped brief=
ly
to comment about the pending legislation.
=93We give Collin Peterson all the credit =97 he really went to bat for u=
s in
Congress,=94 noted Olson. =93He moved mountains,=94 Gerry agreed.
Pawlak noted that =93cooperation is the key=94 to getting a congressional
endorsement for the proposed legislation, and by working with BNSF and ot=
her
safety organizations, it might just happen.

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End of RSHSDepot Digest V1 #81
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