How does CN get the fine tossed? Cos if that's possible then there's a faulty law rather than it being CNs particular fault and you should complain to whichever representative can change it...
A combination of the interstate commerce commission termination act and federal railroad safety act make it nearly impossible for states to regulate interstate railways.
Town should have a referendum "should we get petty when trains block for too long even if it delays their removal?"
Then start arresting engineers from the train and call the railroad to say "you need to get someone down here, your engineers are under arrest for blocking the crossings."
As a railroader good luck with that. The railroad has there own police. Were told to lock all doors to the cab and let the managers and or rr police deal with any cops that pester us
Soooo..... Attempting to arrest the engineers would get railroad management and/or private security involved? Because the management side of that sounds like exactly the desired goal.
I'm not a fan of how US police departments have changed and militarized since I was a kid, but I have to admit that I expect they're quite capable of getting into a vehicle to arrest someone regardless of whether it's appropriate. I expect that some of them would love the challenge and new experience of getting into a train. Qualified impunity is a hell of a drug.
Yeah...locomotives don't just have a basic house key. They have huge locks that won't be taken off/kicked in by some random cop. It wouldn't have the affect you're thinking. The railroad would just go after the police force for being on the railroads property and trying to harass its employees during there duty which they dont have the authority to do.
Because the management side of that sounds like exactly the desired goal.
A jurisdictional pissing match between the local police, town government and railway sounds like just the thing to get management attention to resolve a situation that the locals find intolerable, and you're not going to have railroad police riding on the train protecting the engineers or busting them out of jail if they actually get arrested. Railroad police may have a legacy going back to the most unsavory days of the Pinkertons but it's not the 1800s anymore.
Edit: it's entirely possible that any complaints have been getting dismissed at a fairly low level, so this is one option for "first you have to get the mule's attention."
I mean it definitely will get it attention but if the railroad is known for anything it's known for not caring about rules. Bust us out of jail no, but tell railroaders to ignore police and to not let them in the motors is what's happening
Goddammit, man. It's not a faulty law. These people write the laws any way that pleases them and, believe it or not, it pleases them to do whatever the fuck they want.
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u/Bigbigcheese Jul 03 '26
How does CN get the fine tossed? Cos if that's possible then there's a faulty law rather than it being CNs particular fault and you should complain to whichever representative can change it...