What’s A RAT To Do?
First off, KUDOS to the Reno Area Dirt Bike Group (RADs) for their excellent cleanup of the offroad area along Peavine Mountain on September 7, 2024. Their herculean efforts brought out at least 7 vehicles, trailers filled with discarded tires and tons of other trash from not so eco-friendly other people.
Several RATs (Rail Auxiliary Team members) gathered at the previously designated briefing location and discussed what the goal of the morning was to be: Check the area around the Peavine rail crossing (Crossing # 833572C) and educate any members of the public about train safety around tracks and trains.
Boy were we in for a surprise! Here is what we encountered.
- When we arrived at the crossing, we saw that there were items near and on the tracks. A trailer, snowblower and plastic garbage bins were next to the tracks, while there was a large burlap bag in the middle of the tracks. A call was made to RMCC, and they were notified about the large burlap bag in the middle of the tracks. Come to find out later, these items had all been stolen. They were reclaimed by the owner. The Washoe County Sheriff arrived, kicked the burlap bag, then put his gloves on and removed it from the tracks. After the sheriff removed the large stuffed burlap bag, RMCC was notified that the hazard no longer existed, but that there was still a tremendous amount of activity at the crossing. We were able to share with the Washoe County Sheriff what the RAT team purpose was and some safety tips for being around the tracks.
- While watching the activity around the crossing, a bulldozer and trucks brought 7 abandoned and damaged cars across the tracks to be picked up later and put on flatbeds. That was interesting to watch as several of the cars were literally dragged across the tracks. According to the Sheriff, all vehicles had VIN numbers, and they were tracking down the owners. We were also able to talk with the bulldozer operator about operating equipment around the tracks and what to look for. He was surprised to learn about the Blue ENS sign at each crossing and what to do if your equipment/vehicle gets stuck on the tracks. The RATS got to educate one more person!
- A dirt bike rider approached the crossing to talk with us. We were able to share with him some safety tips while around train tracks and trains.
- And then here comes the train, blasting its horns. The one comment that stuck with us came from one of the Reno Area Dirt Bike group was, “This answers the question of if this is a live track?” Yup. Once again, we were able to educate several people.
- We also talked with a sportswriter that covers dirt bike racing and was able to inform him about the RATS, our purpose and some basic train safety. We even suggested he write an article about the RATs. We’ll see!
What we anticipated as being a quiet day at the crossing, ended up being a busy day with lots of safety information imparted to the public, while keeping the RAD volunteers safe. So, what’s a RAT supposed to do? Always be prepared and expect the unexpected.
Below is a link to the video of our unexpected day: