Can an Amateur Radio Handheld Stop a Train?
Texas Club Averts a Train Disaster

Every year in the city of Weatherford (Parker County), Texas, the Peach Festival is held. As part of the festival, a bicycle ride - the Peach Pedal -- is conducted, supported by the cooperative efforts of local amateur radio clubs and their volunteers. This year, the Tri-County Amateur Radio Club of Azle, Texas, performed the pre-event legwork and organized the net control operators, rest stop operators, and the SAG (support and gear) vehicle operators. The Amateur Radio Club of Parker County and other clubs' members were signed up for other various radio positions to support the bicycle ride event. The forecast was fine.

The net control plan also called for a Parker County RACES operator to work the radios in the Parker County Emergency Operations Center (EOC). This operator would be able to help with radio traffic between the Fire/EMS Dispatchers, the bicycle ride amateur radio net control, and the county Sherriff's deputies performing traffic control at busy intersections. The usual ride start-up radio traffic came and went, and then the calls for SAG began to increase for flat tires, broken chains, muscle cramps, and exhausted riders.

And then, cutting through the steady amateur radio traffic between the net control, rest stops, and SAGs, a SAG radio operator's voice could be heard transmitting, "Emergency, Emergency, Emergency." Mike Burns, KE5NCS, SAG 3 was sweeping the 61 mile course northbound on Bennett Road, following a pilot car and tractor/lowboy trailer with a large piece of equipment. The tractor-trailer high-centered and stopped on the Union Pacific Railroad (UPR) road crossing. And then Burns heard an eastbound train blowing its horn for the road crossing. Net control Jon Diner, N5JLD, issued a stand-by, hold all radio traffic order, and transmitted, "Go ahead with your Emergency traffic, SAG 3."

Burns then transmitted: "Yes, there is a lowboy heavy equipment hauler with a bulldozer on it that just got high-entered on the railroad tracks at Bennett Road and Goen Road; it can't move, and there is a train coming." In the EOC, the Fire/EMS dispatcher said, "What did he just say?" just as net control N5JLD transmitted, "Please repeat your Emergency traffic."

The EOC Ride Control operator, Thad Weikal, KG5ATD, turned up the radio audio to near maximum so the dispatcher could hear the radio traffic clearly. As SAG 3 KE5NCS was repeating his Emergency traffic, the dispatcher said, "I am getting UPR on the phone right now." Weikal at the EOC used a Fire/EMS radio to make a county-wide call to the county law enforcement dispatcher: "County, this is EOC Ride Control with Emergency traffic." The county dispatcher replied, "Go ahead with your Emergency traffic, EOC." "County, the railroad tracks at Bennett and Goen Roads are blocked by a tractor-trailer hauling a bulldozer, and there is a train approaching." The EOC dispatcher said, "UPhas put out an all stop on all trains on that track." A County Deputy asked, "EOC, what was that location?" "Bennett Road and Goen Road." "Copy, I am enroute," followed by radio silence.

When the EOC dispatcher's phone rang, the dispatcher answered and relayed, "UPR says that they are showing all trains at full stop on that track." Weikal made a radio call to the County dispatcher, saying, "County, this is EOC Ride Control, UPR is reporting all trains at full stop on that track at Bennett Road." "County copies that, EOC." Weikal then made a radio call to the ride net control, N5JLD: "Net control, this is EOC." "Go ahead, EOC." "Net control, UPR is reporting all trains on that track at full stop." "Copy that, EOC." "SAG 3, net control." "SAG 3, go ahead." "SAG 3, EOC is reporting that Union Pacific is showing all trains at full stop on that track at Bennett Road." "Uh...yeah...I can see...that...." -- the eastbound train had stopped 30 yards short of the tractor-trailer. There were no injuries or equipment damage. Weikal reported the road crossing clear 1 1/2 hours later. Yes, an amateur radio handheld can stop a train.

Thanks went out to all amateur radio volunteers and fire/dispatch operators for their quick effort to help narrowly prevent a disastrous collision between a train and a tractor-trailer hauling a bulldozer with a gross weight of 186,000 pounds.
-- Thad Weikal, KG5ATD, Amateur Radio Club of Parker County (Texas) Director

Source:
www.arrl.org/ares-el?issue=2021-10-20