TRAINS: Rant railed wrongly

This is to G.B. Schensky. Just to set the record straight.

1. The horn of the train was not blowing.

2. Code 49-649 states "This section shall not apply at: (c) Any railroad grade crossing protected by crossing gates or an alternately flashing light signal intended to give warning of the approach of a railroad train;" So to me this means that 49-648 is the code to follow. The statement "shall not proceed until he can do so safely" is where the problem is. This lets the driver decide what is safe or not. Your replay became worthless and childish as soon as you added the comment "undoubtedly at the direction of the husband."

3. The police were hiding about 150 feet to the east on the south side of the tracks in some trees. As I stated in the letter I noticed a news van before the police. I wrote the letter so that others who received a ticket could read the code themselves and make the choice to go to court or not. It was not for your amusement or to give you the excuse to rant and make broad assumptions about something you were not witness to.

4. The train was moving at less than half the speed of trains that go through that crossing. This slow speed was an enticement for cars to cross before the train came close to the crossing. I would guess this was unintentional.

SCOTT BERRIER

Spirit Lake