Railway Quiz: Answers

1. c.
Freight cars are very heavy, so they cannot stop on a dime! Travelling at 50 km/h, a freight train with 50 cars would proceed for about 1,600 m (1.6 km) before coming to a stop. At 80 km/h it takes this train over 2,400 m (2.4 km) and two minutes to come to a complete stop.

2. c.
A car travelling at 90 km/h takes about 80 m to stop. A passenger train of eight cars is 60 times heavier. Going 40 km/h faster it requires a much longer distance of 1.6 km.

3. a.
Keep going if you are already driving across the tracks when the lights start flashing. It will only take you a couple of seconds to continue, and the warning devices are activated several seconds before a train reaches the crossing.

4. b.
False. You could drive right into the path of a fast-moving train on another track, or slam into its side. Only move once you're sure there is no other train, and never move until the lights stop flashing.

5. c.
Stop. As a train approaches a crossing, federal regulations require that the engineer sound the train's whistle. This signal of four blasts usually is started about 400 m before the locomotive enters the crossing. When you hear it, be prepared to stop.

6.
a. True. Even if you regularly go across a certain crossing, don't assume the trains will always follow the expected schedule.

7. b.
Most collisions at crossings involve drivers living within 40 km. Familiarity tends to make drivers complacent, which can lead to a lack of due caution.

8. b.
False. It is very dangerous - not to mention illegal to disregard crossing gates.

9. a.
True. Act fast! Get out of your car and off the tracks without a second's delay. Run in the direction of the train so you won't get hit by flying debris from the crash.

10. d.
Drivers who do not exercise due caution at crossings are the leading cause of highway/rail crossing collisions. These drivers ignore warning signals and take dangerous risks when they approach a crossing.

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