The Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad (BNSF) Railroad has established a hotline (at least that is what I'll call it) for reporting a stalled vehicle at a railroad crossing. That number is 1-800-832-5452.
The location for the crossing where the stalled vehicle is located is on a Department of Transportation sign located at the crossing site. Having that number is critical because the central dispatch for all BNSF trains is in Fort Worth, Texas. They don't know your cross streets, you need to provide them with that crossing number.
It takes a freight train up to two miles to stop once the engineer commits to an emergency stop (which my Dad who was a railroad engineer used to call, "throwing the air.") The first thing anyone should do who driving a vehicle somehow gets trapped at a railroad crossing is to get out of your vehicle. The train cannot avoid you. The engineer is not a "driver" he or she is an operator. There is no way the train can avoid hitting you by steering away from you. Stopping is the only option and stopping on a dime is not an option.
Vehicles on tracks can derail trains. Those trains can be carrying passengers or hazardous materials. Our actions count. Be very careful around railroad crossings and be ready to act should you spot a vehicle sitting on the tracks at a crossing. I've put this number in my iPhone contacts.
