Amtrak and malfuntioning crossing

Going down to a railroad crossing to see the westbound "California Zephyr" on June 6, 2011, I found an odd sight. The crossing gates kept going up and down with no train in sight. The first clip is just on cycle out of many of the crossing gates rising and falling. I was later told that this was caused by overheating in the crossing shed.

The second clip is Amtrak #5 passing through the crossing. After which the gates come back down on a car that had been waiting for Amtrak to go by.

Engines:
Amtrak 173
Amtrak 123

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• California Zephyr
• passenger
• train
• Amtrak
• GE
• Genesis
• P42DC
• 173
• 123
• Superliner
• Agency
• Iowa
• cemetery
• graveyard
• BNSF
• railroad
• crossing
• defect
• detector
• Ottumwa
• subdivision

[Jaystrain08]

@AugustTrain where did you get it

[AugustTrain]

@Jaystrain08 It was given to me.

[Jaystrain08]

what kind of radio scanner did you use?

[AugustTrain]

@Jaystrain08 A Uniden Bearcat 55XLT.

[zachsaber1]

What was talking at 0:33?

[AugustTrain]

@zachsaber1 That is a defect detector heard over my radio scanner.

[Jaystrain08]

what kind of radio scanner dis u use

[19NEWMAN98]

Im sure there testing it

[AugustTrain]

@POON3345 This isn't California. This is at Agency, Iowa.

[POON3345]

Whare in California is this?