Coffee Tracks and AMTRAK Support

On Saturday, March 23, 2024 the Rail Auxiliary Team held its field training, affectionately known as Coffee Tracks at two locations in the Reno area. Our first stop was Crossing#833583P at Socrates Drive. While observing the crossing, we matched the current crossing inventory visible to the DOT Crossing Inventory Form and found that that were several discrepancies. We discussed how to recognize the crossing inventory, where to find the crossing inventory forms and how to report a discrepancy.

The app Railroad Crossing Locator (Apple / Google) was demonstrated by showing how to locate a current crossing near your location, how to see the Inventory Report and other pertinent information regarding the crossing.

We traveled a little further down the road to Crossing #833581B on Comstock Drive. Once again we looked at the crossing inventory and discovered one discrepancy, a missing an Advance Warning Sign known as a W10-1. This missing sign is the responsibility of the City/County, not the railroad.

There was a comparison made also with what Google Maps displayed at/near the crossing and what actually existed around the crossing. One concern noted was the construction going on extremely close to the tracks. This raised several questions. First, has the railroad been notified of this construction activity so close to their tracks and secondly, has the construction firm been educated on safety around railroad tracks.

The Washoe County Rail Auxiliary Team conducted its monthly support on Sunday, March 24, 2024 to the Reno AMTRAK station.  The Team provided a station perimeter check, station entrance support and helped with the AMTRAK passengers as they debarked and embarked from their trip.