We have learned to allow a little extra time when we are going almost anywhere around here because we have to cross railroad tracks and there are plenty of trains that can cause delays. There is a crossing on the way to our son’s farm that is a spur line running to an oil refinery. The trains on that spur travel relatively slowly because it is close to the refinery. And some of the trains are fairly long. A delay of 5 minutes isn’t unusual and I have been delayed more than 10 minutes at that crossing on occasion.

If we head into Blaine, the town that appears in our postal address, there is a railroad crossing that is near an intersection that often leaves cars stranded in the intersection and slows traffic in several different directions. We’ve seen lines of dozens of cars delayed at that crossing.

In addition to the crossing on the way to our son’s place there is another crossing just before we get to the Interstate highway. That crossing has two tracks of the main north-south railway line. In addition to refinery traffic, long coal trains pass that location. The unit trains are transporting coal from a mine in Wyoming to a Canadian port for export to Japan. They return empty on their way to make another round trip.

The Interstate highway has over- and underpasses so that traffic can move on the highway regardless of the presence of trains. However, most of the local roads leading to the Interstate cross railroad tracks and traffic can back up beyond the ramps and onto the Interstate itself.

In the short time between our son moving to Whatcom County and when we moved up here I was working at the farm one day when a train moving petroleum derailed and caught fire. I noticed the black smoke and soon was informed that the fire was forcing evacuations and was very close to the school that our grandchildren attend. Fortunately there were no students at the school when the accident occurred due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Had school been in session at the time, the accident would have created panic as many parents have to cross the tracks to get to the school from their homes. My wife volunteers at the school and she has been delayed in getting to the school because of that crossing. There are two crossings between our home and the school.

Yesterday traffic was snarled in the small town of Ferndale because a Burlington Northern Santa Fe drain de-coupled on a bridge at the edge of town causing the train to stop and block an intersection in town. I don’t know exactly how long it took for crews to get the train hooked back together and get traffic moving. Fortunately, I had completed my errand in town and barely missed the traffic stoppage. I was on the other side of the train tracks, so could make my way back home while I noticed traffic in the other direction to be completely stopped.

There have been problems with railroad crossings for as long as there have been railroads. We just happen to live in a place that has both lots of car traffic and lots of railroad traffic. The combination of those two elements can be problematic not just for people trying to get from one place to another, but also for first responders such as fire and police departments responding to emergencies. Although I didn’t hear of any delays of emergency vehicles being delayed, there is a fire station very close to the intersection that was blocked by the stalled train yesterday, so the potential for fire trucks and ambulances to be caught up in the traffic was very real.

Thinking of the train traffic reminded me of our visits to Japan where the high speed trains travel on tracks that do not have intersections with highways. The tracks are installed so that they either go above or below intersecting highways. Like a freeway in the United States, with controlled access, the train lines allow movement of trains without any conflict with automobile traffic. Of course, there are many things that are different in Japan including the simple fact that more people are moved by railroads than by highways. When we traveled in that country, we did very little driving outside of the town where our daughter lived. It was easier and faster to take the train if we were going any distance at all. Here in the United States it is almost always faster to drive than to take a train.

We do have passenger service on the rail lines that we cross, however. There are trains that carry passengers along the I-5 corridor all the way from southern California to Vancouver, British Columbia. Railroads have been important factors in the recent history of this area. The location of railroad switching yards and offices played a big part in the economies of many cities and towns in Washington. Terminals where freight is transferred to and from ships from railroads provide a lot of area jobs. It is, however, a mixed blessing. Railroads also bring many problems, including significant environmental impact. The reasons that Wyoming coal bound for Japan is transferred to ships from trains in Canada instead of a Washington state port has to do with environmental concerns, coal dust, and potential contamination of critical salmon habitat.

The oil spill and fire threatened a school and an entire community. Fortunately the fire was contained to the immediate area. There are stories from many places around the world where railroad accidents involving petroleum transport have had tragic results.

We are lucky not to be bothered by the sound of trains passing close to our house, though having lived for a decade in a house that was near the railroad tracks I know that you get used to the trains coming and going and can even sleep through the sound. We are learning, however, to be a bit more patient and to plan on the potential of delays when we have to make appointments.