By Annette Newcomb – Editor
Critter Store owner Jamie Geneder called Silver Lake Police several times last month after seeing local students playing “chicken” with a freight train traveling at 60 mph through the Village of Silver Lake.
Silver Lake Police Chief Dan Kingsley said he is extremely concerned with reports that area children have been playing chicken on local tracks.
“We have upped patrol around the crossings to keep the area safe,” he said Monday. He notes that railroad property is private property and it is considered trespassing unless vehicles or pedestrians are following the marked crossings.
“The problem is some people have used the tracks as a short cut for so long they don’t think about the danger. It was just a month ago that a boy was killed near Milwaukee, because he was wearing headphones and walked into the path of a train.
“These trains are dangerous and everyone needs to pay attention to those dangers,” he said.
Kingsley said police were able to identify three of the juveniles who were playing chicken as Riverview School students and discussed the situation with each of their parents.
Kingsley has also been in contact with Riverview School officials and is hoping the school will take advantage of a free safety workshop the Canadian National Railroad offers throughout its coverage area, called Operation Lifesaver.
Local business owner Geneder told police she saw kids on two separate occasions walk around the railroad crossing gates that were down, as a train approached.
In one case the kids were seen walking around the gates and then walking toward the train on the tracks, as the train approached.
Lindsay Fedchyshyn, public relations and government affairs with the Canadian National Railroad, said approximately 20 trains pass through Kenosha County in a 24-hour period, traveling at an average of 60 mph.
“CN police have received reports of trespassing activity on railroad property within the county and will continue to conduct regular patrols of the area. CN takes community safety very seriously and reminds the public that trespassing on railroad property is very dangerous, as well as being illegal.
“Trespassers are subject to a monetary fine of $300,” she said Monday.
According to the National Safety Council, it takes a lightweight passenger car traveling 55 mph about 200 feet to stop; a commercial van or bus, 230 feet; a tractor/trailer can stop in about 300 feet…that’s the length of two football fields.
The average freight train traveling at 55 mph needs 18 football fields to come to a stop.
Locomotives can weigh 120 to 240 tons each. Railcars can weigh 30 tons empty and up to 140 tons loaded and some more than 200 tons based on size and cargo.
Remember, freight trains don’t travel on a regular schedule like passenger trains. You should expect a train anytime from either direction. And safety experts remind you that trains are closer than you think. Like airplanes that appear to be flying very slowly, your eyes can misjudge the train’s speed and distance, especially at night.
Kingsley urges parents to talk to their children about the dangers of playing on or near local railroad tracks.
According to Railway Age, in the first 11 months of 2010, 10,037 accidents occurred on U.S. rails, resulting in 644 fatalities. A total of 387 of those deaths were trespassers. A total of 226 of those trespasser deaths occurred at highway/rail grade crossings.
Fast Fact: The average freight train traveling at 55 mph needs 18 football fields to come to a stop.
– National Safety Council