Not a backhoe. Some kind of Amtrak repair equipment and the two dead were in that.
“Whut we got heyah, is faya, to communicate”
RIP
Santa Fe please get back into the passenger service for many reasons Amtrak is a parasite.
That’s what signals are for. Dispatcher is supposed to keep these things straight.
They were using a digger where there ain’t no dirt and mowed over...
Ironic, another train-related incident happened in Philly.
The large yellow machine is a “Ballast Regulator”, it follows a laser to adjust the track elevator, improving ride ability and increase in speeds. The tire shown in the other pictures is the front tire of a backhoe/loader that assists in handling ballast stone.
This work is usually done on weekends due to low track usage.
This was not a last minute idea, it was planned well in advance. The track was out of service and closed to train traffic, it is called a “outing”.
When this work is done you are in a “Fouling Limit”, that is within 21 LF of the center line of a active track. Present are Flagmen and Safety Inspectors, their word is “law” and can and will have you arrested if you present a danger to safety, at the site of work and distance before and after the work zone all connected by radio, ALSO, the Central Control of that track section has a system that tells them what track the train is in and it’s real time location.
By the time you see the train coming at you and it is moving at 60 to 100 mph you are dead.
Why did it happen? We will find out soon enough, but someone screwed up, wait for the results of the investigation before assigning blame.
And may those killed Rest in Peace, and God Bless them and their families. Amen.
Prayers for the deceased and their families.
Why didn’t they jump out and get away before the train hit?