NJT Conductor Gets Ticket in Red Bank

cobra30689 wrote:They'll get over it. Besides..... eastbound trains can't really hang back from the station. First and foremost..... there is the phase gap and 2 grade crossings immediately west of the station (one of which being Route 35.....lesser of two evils i'd rather block the roads in town than 35).....where are you going to stop? White Road? Then hope you can make a run for it to get across the phase gap while running on an approach (remember there is an automatic on the curve east of the 35 crossing)?

For what it's worth, today, 9-29-14, I heard two different dispatchers tell eastbound electric trains not to block the crossings in Red Bank because they were going to wait for westbounds.

I was under the impression that trains always had the right of way? Perhaps a forward indicator of gates being down could help re-direct traffic?

Here's an interesting question - how does the conductor/engineer get said ticket? You can't just come charging onto the train when the doors aren't keyed open.

Tadman wrote:Here's an interesting question - how does the conductor/engineer get said ticket? You can't just come charging onto the train when the doors aren't keyed open.

I think they were on the platform?

philipmartin wrote:Ronnie Hakim is a nice lady, who doesn't need any "parking" tickets. I got on a crowded train in Penn Station (NY) a few weeks ago and spotted her standing there. She didn't like being stared at, so I moved on.

Generally speaking, people don't like being stared at... especially women who are being stared at by men in a train station.

philipmartin wrote:Ronnie Hakim is a nice lady, who doesn't need any "parking" tickets. I got on a crowded train in Penn Station (NY) a few weeks ago and spotted her standing there. She didn't like being stared at, so I moved on.

Somehow by staring at her and making her uncomfortable you determined she is a nice lady.

You can't make this stuff up.

Doesn't NJT have crossing protection (anywhere)? On the LIRR there is a way to key the gates at multiple locations.

SwingMan wrote:Doesn't NJT have crossing protection (anywhere)? On the LIRR there is a way to key the gates at multiple locations.

Yes, most gates on NJT have an apparatus (or apparati) to raise/deactivate the gates. The configuration of how this is done does vary. There apparently was an issue here, which is not unheard of.

I would LOVE to see the ticket. I wonder what the officer put in the section for the vehicle's plate number (or the operator's DL number)...

Not to mention how many points is this against the conductor's driving record?

I thought it was generally accepted by law-enforcement agencies by now that an engineer cannot be compelled to produce a driver's license since he is not driving a motor vehicle. Certainly if the complaint is that he is blocking a crossing he certainly isn't doing it with an automobile. I assume he might be charged in the same manner as someone blocking a street with debris or something else, but that shouldn't require production of a driver's license.

ExCon90 wrote:I thought it was generally accepted by law-enforcement agencies by now that an engineer cannot be compelled to produce a driver's license since he is not driving a motor vehicle. Certainly if the complaint is that he is blocking a crossing he certainly isn't doing it with an automobile. I assume he might be charged in the same manner as someone blocking a street with debris or something else, but that shouldn't require production of a driver's license.

Correct. An engineer does not have to produce a motor vehicle license much the same as a bicyclist does not, and the bicyclist subject to motor vehicle laws, so the distinction is even greater. Both may be asked to present some reasonable form of identification dependant on the specific facts and circumstances.

Ken W2KB wrote:

ExCon90 wrote:I thought it was generally accepted by law-enforcement agencies by now that an engineer cannot be compelled to produce a driver's license since he is not driving a motor vehicle. Certainly if the complaint is that he is blocking a crossing he certainly isn't doing it with an automobile. I assume he might be charged in the same manner as someone blocking a street with debris or something else, but that shouldn't require production of a driver's license.

Correct. An engineer does not have to produce a motor vehicle license much the same as a bicyclist does not, and the bicyclist subject to motor vehicle laws, so the distinction is even greater. Both may be asked to present some reasonable form of identification dependant on the specific facts and circumstances.

Locomotive engineers are to remain in the seat until properly relieved by supervision or another qualified person. The train must be properly secured before the engineer can be removed for whatever reason. The only credentials a locomotive engineer is required to show law enforcement while in the performance of his duties is his employee ID and certification card. His personal drivers licences does not carry any weight.

Most NJ Transit engineers carry a company issued card on them explaining this should an incident arise.

Unless that is an internal NJT Engine Service policy, Locomotive Engineers, once their Engine(s) are properly secured, can most certainly exit their Locomotive in performance of their duties. This does not mean he has to entertain local law enforcement regarding grade crossing delays, just speaking in general.

sullivan1985 wrote:

philipmartin wrote:Ronnie Hakim is a nice lady, who doesn't need any "parking" tickets. I got on a crowded train in Penn Station (NY) a few weeks ago and spotted her standing there. She didn't like being stared at, so I moved on.

Somehow by staring at her and making her uncomfortable you determined she is a nice lady.

You can't make this stuff up.

Somehow, by reading philipmartin's post, you determined that he thought she was a nice lady because he stared at her and she felt uncomfortable. How do you know that he didn't already think that?

You can't make this stuff up.

Also, have you never seen someone who you thought you knew from somewhere, then realised that your recollection processes have taken longer than you realised and that you have been staring?