A train locomotive clipped the back of a pickup truck Wednesday at a railroad crossing in the Animas Valley north of Durango.
No one was injured in the collision, but the gray/black 2014 Toyota Tacoma sustained a fair amount of rear-end damage, according to the Colorado State Patrol. It was ultimately able to drive away from the scene.
The driver of the Toyota was cited; the CSP did not immediately have the driver’s name or the exact citation that was issued.
The crash occurred shortly before 3:30 p.m. at Hermosa Meadows Road, which accesses Animas Valley Elementary School and the field where hot air balloons are launched.
Locomotive No. 482 was on a test run traveling south when the Toyota crossed the railroad tracks and came to a stop in the railroad right of way while waiting to turn onto U.S. Highway 550, said Darren Whitten, superintendent with the D&SNG.
Another vehicle was already stopped at the stop sign waiting to enter Highway 550, and the Toyota was apparently unable to pull far enough forward to avoid being struck, he said.
The vehicle was not on the tracks; rather, the rear-end of the vehicle was within striking distance of the locomotive, Whitten said.
The engineer was about 50 to 60 feet from the vehicle when he applied an emergency brake and blew the horn continuously, he said. But with no room to pull forward, the vehicle was struck.
“We struck the very rear of the bed of the pickup truck,” Whitten said. “Some pretty significant damage to the truck, it looked like, but as far as the locomotive – really it came down to just paint scratches.”
Locomotives travel at 20 mph or less through the valley, he said.
He estimated vehicle versus train collisions occur about once every other year, on average, along the D&SNG line.
“It’s not a very common occurrence, but it can happen when somebody makes a last-minute decision to cross and is not looking out,” he said.
CSP Capt. Angela DeGuelle said unprotected railroad crossings are common in rural parts of Colorado, so she urged drivers to take precautions.
“Anytime you come up on tracks, you should be slowing and, you know, stop,” she said. “Look and listen. ... Make sure that there is not a train coming.”
shane@durangoherald.com
