Two-Track Crossing With a Student Warning
You are driving a 36-passenger transit-style school bus with 38 students aboard on a field trip. At 10:40 a.m. you approach a rural crossing with only a crossbuck; there are no gates or lights. The tracks cross the road at a 30-degree angle, and a stand of trees 40 feet from the track on the right blocks the view down the track. The speed limit is 50 mph. A freight train has just cleared the crossing on the far track 20 seconds earlier; this is a two-track crossing. Kansas requires you to stop. You stop about 20 feet from the nearest rail, open the door and window, and turn off the radio. As you look and listen, a student in the back calls out that a second train is coming from the left. You cannot see it because of the trees. Traffic behind you is beginning to back up.
1. What is the required stop procedure at this crossing, and what do you do with the student's warning?
Read the worked answer
Stop 15 to 50 feet before the nearest rail, but never closer than 15 feet. Open the door and the driver window, silence the radio and fans, and look and listen in both directions. At a two-track crossing, a train clearing the far track proves nothing about the near track, and the trees make your view unreliable. Treat the student's warning as real until you have verified otherwise. Ask the students to be quiet so you can listen, use the open door to improve your view, and do not move until you are certain both tracks are clear. Do not shift gears while crossing, and do not start across unless you can clear the tracks without stopping. Backed-up traffic is not a reason to hurry.
2. The first train has passed and traffic is backed up behind you. What must be true about the far side before you cross, and why does the crossing angle matter?
Read the worked answer
Before moving, you need enough space on the far side for the entire bus to clear the tracks without stopping. If traffic is backed up on the far side, wait before entering the crossing; stopping on the rails is the dangerous outcome. The 30-degree angle matters because the bus occupies the crossing longer than it would at a right angle, and the driver's view down the track is worse. That combination means you need a larger gap in traffic and a clear exit. Do not follow the vehicle ahead too closely just because it crossed. If the far side is blocked, stop short of the tracks and wait, even if drivers behind are impatient.
3. The bus stalls with its rear axle on the far rail, and the crossing lights begin to flash. What is the evacuation decision, and where do you move the students?
Read the worked answer
Evacuate immediately. A stalled bus on the tracks with a train approaching is an emergency, and there is no time to troubleshoot. Get everyone off through the safest exit, move them at least 100 feet away from the tracks, and keep them together. If a train is visible, move in the direction of the approaching train but well off the track, because debris is thrown ahead of the train. Do not send students down the track or leave them unsupervised. If a radio or phone works, call 911, but do not delay evacuation to make the call. Account for every student by name and keep them away from the bus until emergency responders say it is safe.