[Magdalen] another train wreck

[Charles Wohlers]

Long, long ago (late 1800's, I believe) the city of Brockton, which was 
prosperous then, had the main train line elevated as it went though town, to 
eliminate all grade crossings. It was thought at the time to be a major 
advantage to the city. As Jim notes, that would never happen today - too 
much noise, etc.

On another South Shore line, the MBTA brought back passenger service south 
of Boston, and one line ran right though the center of Hingham (a *very* 
upscale town), very close to buildings. A big hoo-ha was raised that the 
additional trains would damage the buildings, etc. Never mind that those 
buildings had been there, next to an active train line, since the 1840's. 
Delayed passenger service for some years until the MBTA finally agreed to 
depress the tracks, at great expense.

Chad Wohlers
East Bridgewater, MA USA
chadwohl at satucket.com



-----Original Message----- 
From: Jim Guthrie
Sent: Thursday, February 05, 2015 8:11 AM
To: Cantor03 at aol.com ; magdalen at herberthouse.org
Subject: Re: [Magdalen] another train wreck

>>Any information about eliminating these crossings by the construction
>>of overpasses and underpasses?

>It is a congested area of the country, and I suppose it may be  impractical
>to fix them all.

Crossings are eliminated from time to time, but one bridge might cost
$100-million or more, and usually such a project requires several bridges. 
And
the NIMBYs fight them all the time because raising the tracks will cause 
noise
and dislocation during construction, and "ruin their view"  when completed.
There's an on and off battle royale about this on the Long Island Railroad's
Main Line in Nassau County these days.

Then there was the case of the Van with six teenagers at the Herrick's Road
Crossing near Mineola, who puled out of the traffic lane when the gates came
down and tried to drive around the gates -- and ended up with all six being
killed.

Was the discussion about the driver being stupid? No, it was about the 
railroad
train not stopping in time.

The result was a$100 million grade crossing elimination at that ONE 
crossing,
with a fairly steep grade on each side.

OTOH, Robert Moses, the Master Builder -- eliminated hundreds of grade
crossings -- dozens in Brooklyn, and making the entire Babylon line of the 
LIRR
grade-separated, so trains there can routinely hit 80 mph without fear of
hitting a motorist.

Cheers,
Jim Guthrie