Train Wrecks - I have a plan.
When my wife and I bought our home in St. Paul, MN, nobody mentioned the four-track crossing just a couple of blocks from it. We came to the house from another direction. The day we moved in, I heard the first train go by, just two blocks away. It was a surprise, but we didn't really mind. The trains that pass through sound their horn for the crossing about four times a day, and we can hear the sounds of the train as it travels by at a leisurely 25 mph or so. We're used to it, and almost enjoy the sound.
Freight trains. Every once in a while, when I take the route from my home that crosses those four tracks, I watch the cars go by, many of them heavily decorated with graffiti. Many are open cars, laden with taconite headed for the Mississippi River, where the iron ore will be barged down to the Gulf. Many are also tank cars. There's a 3M rail stop and warehouse just down the road, which is why there are four sets of tracks near my home. The tank cars bear placards that would tell me what was in them if I knew the code. I don't know what's in them, but I suspect that some of it is hazardous, given the 3M connection.
Because of this, my wife and I made a plan for what we'd do if we heard the sound of an accident on the tracks, like a derailment, or whatever. The plan is to leave the house, drive half a block and head north, away from the tracks. That's all that the plan includes. We'd do that as quickly as possible. Within 30 seconds, we'd be in our car, heading north. It's probably sufficient.
Trains pass through neighborhoods throughout the country. They're noisy, annoying in a minor way, but are very important in the grand scheme of transportation. Still, we all need to be aware that they are there and, if we live close to the tracks, have a plan that we can instantly execute in the case of a train wreck.
Such a wreck is highly unlikely where we are. The trains are moving slowly, and the tracks are well-maintained in that section. The crossing arm system, on the other hand, is not. All too often, the arms are down, with no train in sight. We're all used to it, and check carefully in both directions before going around the arms. Still, the risk seems minor to me. But, we have a plan...just in case.