Barry Williams reports from Brentwood that “very expensive” signal lights, bells, gates, and a cantilevered structure were installed where the Union Pacific Railroad’s Lake Branch crosses Brentwood Boulevard in Brentwood, and all for a short freight train that serves a single customer in Rock Hill — the Forest Products Supply Co. — once a day.
Williams says it’s a notable event for Brentwood because he believes this is the first railroad crossing in the city to ever be protected by active electronic safety devices in the city’s 105-year history. Previously the crossing was protected only by passive wood crossbuck signs.
The Union Pacific’s Lake Branch extends 1.3 miles west from Lake Junction on the railroad’s St. Louis-Kansas City mainline, to the Forest Products Supply Co. on Manchester Road opposite the Trainwreck Saloon. About 50% of the line is located in Webster Groves, 45% in Brentwood, and 5% in Rock Hill. When it was built by the predecessor Laclede & Creve Coeur Railroad in 1881, it extended beyond Manchester Road about 11 miles to Creve Coeur Lake, and thus the line’s name, Lake Branch. See a map of the line: The Creve Coeur Branch – Abandoned Rails
I saw the LSE59 heading east over this crossing today. Because of the heavy foliage on the west side of the crossing blocking sight lines, downhill slope of Brentwood going southbound, and unexpected nature of train traffic, gates might relieve the railroad, city, and state from a lawsuit. I took some YouTube footage from today which shows the typical driver behavior despite blaring horns and warning signs. Crew members used to flag the train across on foot, but after several almost got hit by cars and trucks, the railroad advised them just crawl and sound the horn. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HKOqhLBXxWU&t=2s
Whoever did the grading leading up to the actual tracks going southbound did an extremely bad job. Unless one drastically slows after gaining speed going down hill, your vehicle will go airborne over the tracks.
Brentwood had quite a few RR crossings. The old one on McKnight (actually in Rock Hill) near Deer Creek, Hanley Industrial courts had some of them too.
So, the $2 million plus wasted here is like 10 crossings elsewhere (with oversight) with real train speeds and numerous more trains a day with BLOOD not getting lights and gates. The misappropriation of funds MURDER charges will go when more people are killed/injured at the real deathtrap crossings?
https://ecode360.com/BR3250/laws/LF1948010.pdf Then there is the question why Brentwood will pay $1,000s’ in signal/surface maintenance fees and state law says signal/surface maintenance fees are the railroads baby to rock. NOBODY else pays these fees.
I remember the grade crossings at Manchster Rd. in Brentwood and Highway 40 back in the ’50s. Line used to service Breckenridge materials at Lake Junction too back then.