Multiple Tracks, Fog, and a Train Horn
At 6:55 a.m. you approach a rural railroad crossing with two tracks, a passive crossbuck, and no gates or flashing lights. Fog limits visibility to about 200 feet. Your bus carries 42 middle-school students. The crossing is on a slight upgrade, and the pavement is wet. You stop at the stop line, 20 feet before the nearest rail, open the service door and driver window, turn off the radio and fans, and listen. You hear a train horn but cannot tell which direction it is coming from; a second train could be on the far track. A student near the front says, "It's clear, go." The bus has a manual transmission. There is a blue Emergency Notification System sign on the crossing post.
1. Describe your crossing sequence and the decision point for proceeding.
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Stop within 50 feet but not less than 15 feet before the nearest rail. Open the service door and window, silence radios and fans, and look and listen in both directions. Because this is a multiple-track crossing, check each track separately; one train can hide another. Close the door before moving. Proceed in a gear low enough to cross without shifting, and do not stop on the tracks.
The decision point is before the bus enters the crossing. A student's opinion and a horn with no visible source are not clearance. If you cannot see that both tracks are clear, wait. Once you start across, keep moving steadily and do not shift gears until the rear of the bus has cleared the last rail.
2. What do you do if a train becomes visible after you have started across?
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If the bus has not entered the crossing, stop before the tracks. If the bus is already on the tracks, keep moving off the crossing; do not stop on the rails to reconsider. Do not try to beat a train or judge its speed by sound alone. If the bus stalls or is trapped, evacuation takes priority over troubleshooting. Get the students out through the emergency door, move them away from the tracks at an angle, and call 911. Then use the blue sign to notify the railroad.
3. If the bus stalls on the crossing, how do you evacuate and where do you take the students?
Read the worked answer
Evacuate immediately through the rear emergency door or the door farthest from the approaching train. Move students at least 100 feet from the tracks and at a 45-degree angle away from the train's path; do not send them down the track or across another track. Take the roster if it is immediately available, but do not delay evacuation to retrieve it. Call 911, then use the Emergency Notification System number on the blue sign to report the obstruction. Keep students together and away from the scene until emergency responders account for them.