Trains delayed when truck blocks railroad tracks behind Gandy Dancer restaurant in Ann Arbor
Firefighters work to remove a pickup truck that got stuck on the Amtrak railroad tracks behind the Gandy Dancer in Ann Arbor.
Melanie Maxwell | AnnArbor.com
The man, a tile worker, was driving over the tracks on his way to Depot Street to pick up supplies when he got stuck in mud, blocking the tracks, firefighters said. He dug a foot-deep hole with his rear wheels trying to get out. Firefighters attached chains to the truck and used a fire truck to lift it and pull it out in about 30 minutes. The tracks were cleared about 12:50 p.m.
A westbound Amtrak train with about 100 passengers on board headed to the station was stopped about 100 yards away near the University of Michigan Hospital. An eastbound train with about 200 passengers was also delayed in the Chelsea area.
Battalion Chief Robert Vogel said the man was trespassing.
“Don’t drive over the tracks,” Vogel said. “That was not a legal crossing.”
About 50 people were waiting in the station in Ann Arbor, many of whom cheered when the tracks were cleared.
Twelve Ann Arbor firefighters were on the scene and at least two police officers.
It’s unclear whether the man received any citations.
Comments
trs80
Wed, May 18, 2011 : 3:44 p.m.
He should have bought a Jeep! My XJ would have walked right over those tracks.
Walt
Wed, May 18, 2011 : 12:33 p.m.
This is not exactly what I visualize when I see the TV ads for Chevy Trucks.
EyeHeartA2
Wed, May 18, 2011 : 2:04 p.m.
Like a rock (sittin' on the tracks)
Boo Radley
Wed, May 18, 2011 : 12:28 p.m.
I can see the possibilities now of new consolidation of services and resource sharing that lots of people here are often talking about. And at the same time, solve the fire staffing issue ... All of the tow truck drivers in the city can respond and fight fires. A new study about fire response times can be done after all of the wrecker services are on board with this and we can see if there is significant improvement.
treetowncartel
Wed, May 18, 2011 : 2:26 a.m.
he was driving a chevy, nuff said
jamullet
Wed, May 18, 2011 : 2 a.m.
Did you all miss the big news a few weeks ago? Al Qaeda had planned attacks on - passenger trains? Two inbound trains and a popular restaurant, in a midwest college town. And a truck gets stuck on the tracks where a truck shouldn't begin to be crossing. Looks to me like emergency services folks were the right people to call. Sure, after they've decided the guy's just harmless and clueless, they could have called one of the bigger tow trucks out, but by then, they had the fire engine there and could pull the truck off fairly quickly.
Cendra Lynn
Wed, May 18, 2011 : 1:26 a.m.
Why not a tow truck? Because the only people nearby are the firefighters who have the equipment and knowledge to stabilize the truck before towing it out. And if there had been a fire in town during this rescue...?
DBlaine
Wed, May 18, 2011 : 12:42 a.m.
Who knew there were so many experts on this blog in: Journalism. Emergency Response. Towing. Railroads, etc. It's amazing all you experts can maintain your expertise and still find the time to post on this blog....
Fat Bill
Wed, May 18, 2011 : 10:51 p.m.
DBlaine, I am an expert on recovering vehicles, with over 11 years experience. I even have time off to get involved in civil discussion from time to time...
fight hunger
Tue, May 17, 2011 : 11:26 p.m.
he was wrong i hope he dont do it nomore very very dangerous
Fat Bill
Tue, May 17, 2011 : 10:40 p.m.
One skilled wrecker operator using an $85,000 privately owned, insured truck built for the sole purpose of recovering vehicles would have easily removed the vehicle. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing but respect for the can-do attitude of the firefighters, but I would certainly question the use of a $500,000 fire truck, or even a publicly owned fire pickup truck, was the right answer in this case. Tow operators are trained in recovery and have equipment that can lift and pull at the same time. No, AAA doesn't pay for off-road lunacy, but the risks to the city would have been greatly reduced, and the charge from any of the three main police towers in Ann Arbor would have been manageable.
anti-thug
Tue, May 17, 2011 : 10:11 p.m.
what morons in this town! homer j simpson?
CityFF
Tue, May 17, 2011 : 9:53 p.m.
Alot of Armchair quarterbacking going on here. It's like asking why did Obama send in SEALs when he could have sent the UofM ROTC.
huh7891
Tue, May 17, 2011 : 10:23 p.m.
Good one cityff...I was thinking the same thing...lot of experts on this blog.
John A2
Tue, May 17, 2011 : 9:17 p.m.
The fire fighters were there because there are a lot of lives on that train. As we all know how owns a car that it takes at least an hour for a toe truck. The trains run on a single track now, so it has to be in certain spots to be able get off the main tracks for freight trains. Now freight trains take at least twenty minutes to stop because it is so long and heavy. The truck has to be moved right away, so to not block the timing of the freight trains. The Amtrak company rents the usage of the tracks and in no circumstance are they allowed to impede the movement of the freights, because they are so dangerous and theirs a lot of people in the Amtrak that will have their live put in jeopardy. A freight train would is an unstoppable force hitting another heavy unstoppable force. So, the smaller one looses out every time.
Fat Bill
Wed, May 18, 2011 : 10:50 p.m.
John, when the police call, the most it can take is 20 minutes, per contract rules. Both Brewer's and Triangle have shops that are very close, both are subject to terms of the aforementioned contract, and especially in the middle of the day, both would have been there very quickly...
DBH
Tue, May 17, 2011 : 9 p.m.
12 firefighters might seem excessive, but if a train had hit the truck there could have been a dangerous fire and, who knows, perhaps the train might have jumped the tracks. Also, my understanding (based on my conversation with a former fire chief) is that OSHA requires a minimum of 12 firefighters for a structure fire, based on the various roles that need to be manned. While this would not necessarily have been a fire in a structure (had one occurred), perhaps there was concern that the restaurant could have been in harm's way.
Bertha Venation
Tue, May 17, 2011 : 9 p.m.
uhhhh... would this be considered jay driving?
LBH
Tue, May 17, 2011 : 8:50 p.m.
Amtrak is generally delayed because people do stupid things on the tracks, or Conrail has them shunted to the side waiting for freight to pass, or has put very slow speed limits on the passenger trains because the tracks are in disrepair. The freight trains don't run as fast as Amtrak would if it could. Amtrak doesn't own the tracks.
Top Cat
Tue, May 17, 2011 : 8:56 p.m.
Conrail no longer exists. The trackage is owned by Norfolk Southern.
dogpaddle
Tue, May 17, 2011 : 8:09 p.m.
To Rusty and others who like to slam Amtrak: I have been on more on time Amtrak trains than not. But, funny thing, the last time I took one back from Chicago, we, too, were delayed by over 30 minutes by a vehicle that got stuck on the tracks just west of Kalamazoo. Good thing the engineer was able to stop in time not to hit the car. And why it took so long to get a tow vehicle there is beyond me, but we can't blame that on Amtrak. In fact, the only times I have been delayed on Amtrak is because our rail system in this part of the country is useless for passenger travel and while there is a push to change that, I will be surprised if it improves in my lifetime. And, yes, I agree with those of you who say the truck driver should be charged for all costs the city incurred in addition to his trespassing and moving violation citations.
rusty shackelford
Wed, May 18, 2011 : 11:51 a.m.
For me and most people I know, Amtrak to Chicago is hell. I know friends who took over 12 HOURS to get there. Then there was the trip when there was some delay on the tracks and the conductor literally abandoned the train. So... that was a few more hours before they could find another one and drive him in. Not to mention the freight trains getting priority and the inability to travel over 50 mph. It's been Megabus for me any time I'm not driving since the 1st time I took it. Oh yeah, and it costs 1/2 of Amtrak.
Mick52
Tue, May 17, 2011 : 8:45 p.m.
If the rail system is useless, why do you use it so much? Especially when most are on time?
leezee
Tue, May 17, 2011 : 7:49 p.m.
What a ridiculous statement. That would be like me saying all guys named Tom are mean and dumb.
Ricebrnr
Tue, May 17, 2011 : 7:12 p.m.
What's the big deal? Tracks are there for Ann Arborites to use at their convenience right? It don't matter that it can be dangerous and violates property rights... No harm no foul.
Joslyn at the U
Tue, May 17, 2011 : 7:09 p.m.
I love it! This is SOoooooo Classic
Forever27
Tue, May 17, 2011 : 7:08 p.m.
Not that it should have even taken this, but didn't the recent accident involving a car and a train in town make the driver think twice about this? What would ever make somebody think that this would be a good idea?
Ann English
Tue, May 17, 2011 : 9:51 p.m.
That recent accident involving a car and train took place on our other rail line, the Ann Arbor Railroad, which is used for freight trains only. it took place right where the Ann Arbor Railroad crosses over both the Huron River and the Norfolk Southern tracks.
quetzalcoatl
Tue, May 17, 2011 : 6:35 p.m.
Your photographer missed the real story here, since the text indicates the westbound train (due at 12:29 p.m.) was actually AT THE STATION as early as 12:50 p.m. There's bound to be party over that (Amtrak employees only, for obvious reasons) and a big blowup of a shot of that on-time train would have gone far in countering the inevitable doubting Thomases. Now, notaries and affadavits and such will probably be necessary, at least to satisfy those at the GS-16 level and above.
EatKeyLimePie
Tue, May 17, 2011 : 6:20 p.m.
Mr. Tom Choad, I don't quite understand what you feel is "typical" about this man being a Tigers fan. Is it typical for a Tigers fan to get truck truck stuck over top of a train track? Do you know of other events such as this that have occurred to Tigers fans? What is so typical about the actions this man has chosen and his appreciation for the Detroit Tigers Major League Baseball Franchise? Possibly you have some sort of statistics that show fan's of this sport team are more likely to try to illegally cross a train track that the rest of the world is unaware of. I am pretty sure your comment Mr. Tom is in violation of the Annarbor.com guidelines, but I say they leave up your comment so that possibly your neighbors and colleagues can see an example of what an ignorant and unfounded comment entails.
treetowncartel
Wed, May 18, 2011 : 2:31 a.m.
I think he means the Tiger bandwagon train already left the station. Or perhaps, he meant that the tigers are going to run a train on their competition this season. Or maybe, just maybe, he was showing his afection for a Lionel HO caboose.
a2roots
Tue, May 17, 2011 : 6:17 p.m.
Oh...and 9 firefighters there. Little overkill. My guess is one of Brewers tow truck drivers would have had that truck out of there in no time.
a2roots
Tue, May 17, 2011 : 6:15 p.m.
Why in the world was our fire department involved in this. Call AAA and get a tow truck to yank the truck off the tracks. How bout charging the truck driver the cost incurred by the city?
a2roots
Wed, May 18, 2011 : 12:35 p.m.
My guess is they were worried about gas or oil spill and potential for a fire. But, it sure looked like there was plenty of standing around when the situation could have been assessed quickly and everyone on their way.
Mike
Tue, May 17, 2011 : 7:54 p.m.
My thoughts exactly. But we do want to keep our fire fighters busy since we already pay for them. How about charging the driver the cost of a tow truck, anything else is overkill and abuse of the poor guy who now has to be embarassed anytime his friends see him.
Stephen Landes
Tue, May 17, 2011 : 7:53 p.m.
Twelve firefighters versus one tow truck driver. I can understand the fire department responding to the situation due to the inherent danger of a truck on the tracks, but why should AAFD be tasked with pulling this truck out? How many AAFD units responded to this incident resulting in twelve firefighters being on the scene?
Wolf's Bane
Tue, May 17, 2011 : 5:57 p.m.
He (the driver) should have been aware of the soft water soaked ground and not driven into the dirt. In addition, I think that the 'Journalist' could find a better way of stating: "He dug a foot-deep hole with his rear wheels trying to get out." How about: "The inexperienced driver attempted to free his truck by repeatly revving it causing it to sink deeper into the water logged ground." Or muddy earth?
Cendra Lynn
Wed, May 18, 2011 : 1:21 a.m.
"Omit needless words." Strunk & White
Mick52
Tue, May 17, 2011 : 8:38 p.m.
"repeatedly rewing?"
rusty shackelford
Tue, May 17, 2011 : 5:33 p.m.
If the train was only 30 minutes late, it'd be the 1st time in history Amtrak was so close to on time.
UM Rocks
Tue, May 17, 2011 : 5:31 p.m.
I think you mean "firefighters attached CHAINS to the truck," not TRAINS.
Tony Dearing
Tue, May 17, 2011 : 5:34 p.m.
Thanks. That was corrected.
monroe c
Tue, May 17, 2011 : 5:16 p.m.
Per the good folks at Amtrak, the pick up driver had a load of dirt he wanted to dump near the tracks, and then tried to drive across them. OOPS! He got stuck. Nice that he thought the tracks were a dumping ground for his own personal use.