Emmett, How Did You Not Hit a Car Every Time?

[Michael Knight]

This thread is about dangerous grade crossings; specifically, the KXHR crossing at Kingston Pike in Knoxville.
There are red lights on both sides of this crossing. The eastbound light, however, is closest to the tracks. Nearly every time I go by- which is usually a minimum of twice per day- there are people stopped over the crossing.

Keep in mind that this track usually only sees two movements per day, although sometimes four movements may pass. Nonetheless, the trains don't go very fast; although, they move fast enough to cause some serious damage.

Did you, Emmett, ever have any close calls here? Maybe it's just getting worse now.

Anyone else may chime and share dangerous crossing stories as well.

[E.M. Bell]

That Kingston Pike crossing was indeed a bugger. As you said, it is protected with STOPLIGHTS that activated in all directions when a train gets into the circuit.  We always came around there ready to stop becuase there was ALWAYS some numbnuts setting on the track, trapped in traffic. I loved to come around the curve there by the park at 4 or 5 mph, blowing the horn like I was running the crescent at 79mph and scaring the crap out of those idiots.. Worst part was, heading out to the industrial park, we where usually heavy and long with coil steel cars, and it was pretty steep down through there, hard to stop if we had to. I never hit anyone there, but had a few close calls, including a city bus that turned out in front of us one afternoon...missed him by inches..

We had a bad derailment right there one time. Was headed out to the river with the 2391 running LHF, and a butthead MUed to it. I dont remember how many cars we had, but with two engines, we probably had a decent sized train...lots of steel and cement.  About two car lengths past the crossing I felt the engine raise up and sit back down hard twice, but it just felt like a low joint. We went on a little bit and right as I was looking back watching the rear of the train clear the crossing the slack ran out hard and we went into emergency . There was a broke rail just out of the crossing that we got most of the train over but would up getting the rear 7 or 8 cars on the ground, all loads of coil steel. That was a mess that took for ever to get back up, and we did it with good ol oak blocks are rerailers.

One more Kingston Pike Story... The last year I was in Knoxville we hosted a Amtrak Special for the local NRHS.  It was to run from Knoxville to Ashville and back two days in a row.  The train would leave from the riverfront down by the football stadium, meaning we had to swtich, service, and run the thing while it was in Knoxville. I was called as engineer for all those moves on the KXHR, meaning I did all the switching to get it ready for the trips, and take it out from the rivefront, onto the NS and give it to a NS crew at City Yard, then bring it back in when they came back that night. We had a pair of Amtrak P40's 12 superliners and 6 PV's on the rear. 

The night NS handed the train over to us it was around 0300.  I climbed up on Amtrak 26 in the middle of a thunderstorm, pulled down the NS mainline till the rear end cleared the old connection switch  at Wilohby, and after my Con got it all lined up we started backing down that STEEP hill to the KXHR main.  Now, up to this point in my RR career, I had been running second hand EMD's, Alcos, ect that where all older than I was by 20 or 30 years. So here it  is raining cats and dogs in the middle of the night and i have hold of two of the (for then) newest things GE had in the way of passenger power with more buttons, flashing lights, things beeping and squawking, computer screens blinding me, trying to back several million dollars worth of passenger cars down that hill...it was like going from the Wright Brothers plane to the Bridge of the Enterprize. 

So here we go, backing down to our mainline, mostly under control. That Kingston Pike crossing was just around the corner from the connection track, so the rear end was in the crossing about the time I hit our big rail.  My con call out crossing clear keep shoving on em 26, and by this time the rear end is starting up a bit of hill on the other side and we slow way down. I kick em off and get a notch or two and them engines just sit there...they reved up but didnt really load any more...so I got another notch...or two...or three...still not helping much. About the time I think I must be in trouble them dang GE's decided to wake up and do somthing and before I know it we are doing 12 or 15 mph and gaining...I back off to idle about the time the engines go over Kingston  pike and then, out of no where, the one I am on shakes to the right, the left, up...then down, with the most god awful thumping, scraping noise you ever heard...  A quick shot of air brings is to a stop,and I just KNOW we are on the ground in the same Spot...and I might have just  wet myself just a little...

While the Con is walking back up in the rain, I climb down to see just how bad it is. Nothing is off the rail, but the pilot on the lead engine looks funny. After closer inspection, it seems that we had bottomed out on that crossing, and the pilot had caught a crossing board, ripped it out, and bent the tee-total hell out of the pilot in the process. It was sticking out a good 8 or 9 inches on one side.  We limped down to the to riverfront and the next morning used a chain and one deftly applied SW1500 winch to pull the damage back into line and weld it back...before the AMtrak folks ever showed up to check out their equipment..

Only Three or Four people ever knew that happend...until now  

Yup..Kingston Pike is one heck of a nasty crossing...thanks for making me dredge up some bad memories

[Michael Knight]

KXHR has been doing a lot of track t&s work on their line lately. They have even had a Sperry test truck out checking the rail. There are many new crossties  stacked up at the Kingston Pike crossing, perhaps they will be rebuilding the crossing soon.