Fog and a Train Horn at a Passive Crossing
You are driving a 40-foot bus with 52 students on a rural two-lane road. The schedule is tight, and fog limits visibility to about 100 feet. You approach a passive railroad crossing: crossbucks only, no gates or lights, single track. You stop 20 feet from the nearest rail, open the door and driver window, and listen. You hear a train horn but cannot see the train. A student in the back has earbuds in and is talking loudly. The road beyond the crossing curves right, and there is no alternate route for 8 miles. The crossing has a slight upgrade, and your bus is loaded. You have 45 minutes to finish the route.
1. Describe the stop, look, and listen procedure you must complete before crossing.
Read the worked answer
Stop within 50 feet but not less than 15 feet from the nearest rail. Set the parking brake, place the transmission in a safe gear, open the door and the driver window, and turn off noisy equipment. Silence the students so you can hear. Look both ways, listen, and check the track in both directions. Do not cross until you can see and hear that no train is approaching. When clear, close the door, select a low gear, and cross without shifting or stopping. Keep both hands on the wheel and do not use the radio or PA while crossing. The slight upgrade and the loaded bus mean you need power before the rails, not after. Your tight schedule is not a reason to shorten the scan.
2. The horn sounds but you cannot see the train. Do you cross? Why?
Read the worked answer
Do not cross. A horn means a train is near, and fog plus the curve limit your sight distance. A loaded 40-foot bus accelerates slowly, so once you commit you cannot clear the crossing quickly. If you cannot confirm the track is clear, wait. Contact dispatch about the delay and keep the students quiet so you can listen for a second horn or the train. Do not use the 8-mile alternate route unless dispatch approves it. Do not back across the tracks or creep forward to look around the curve. The safe judgment is to stay stopped until you have positive evidence that no train is approaching, even if that means a late route.
3. If the bus stalls on the crossing after you start across, what is your sequence?
Read the worked answer
Evacuate immediately. Do not try to restart the engine first. Open the emergency exits, get the students off the bus, and move them at least 100 feet from the tracks at an angle away from the crossing, not parallel to the rails. Account for all 52 students. Call 911, then dispatch, and give the crossing location and direction. Keep the students together and away from debris. Do not send anyone back to the bus. A train can appear quickly even after a horn has stopped. Evacuation is the priority because a stalled bus on the rails is in immediate danger.