(The following story by Steve Ritea appeared on the Newsday website on October 3.)
NEW YORK — The Long Island Rail Road said it is increasing track inspections around Floral Park-Bellerose Elementary School after a 3-pound piece of hot metal railroad equipment fell onto a soccer field there as a train was roaring past.
Local police and LIRR officials who were called out immediately after the incident last Thursday found two other pieces of railroad equipment elsewhere on the field, both about the same weight, said the superintendent, Lynn Pombonyo. No children were on the field at the time the equipment landed there.
The LIRR confirmed they found a pandrol clip, which is used for attaching tracks to railroad ties, along with a railroad spike and a concrete clip, which is also used to hold down ties. Railroad officials said they do not believe any of the pieces were thrown by the passing train.
According to Pombonyo, who oversees the district of two elementary schools, a landscaper was cutting grass on the field with a power mower around 3:15 p.m., just as school was letting out, when he saw the pandrol clip land on the field as a train passed.
The four- to six-inch object was hot to the touch and although school officials believe it flew off the passing train, Pombonyo said the landscaper never actually saw it come off of the train or fly over a 12-foot chainlink fence that surrounds the field. The LIRR’s main line tracks are about 25 feet from the edge of the field, she said.
LIRR officials said there are no clips missing from the section of track near the school. They also said the clip was not marked by a train wheel, the only way LIRR engineers say a passing train could have propelled it onto the field.
Pombonyo said the landscaper, who could not be reached Wednesday, told her he did not feel his mower ride over the object, which first landed about eight feet away.
In a statement, the railroad said it will temporarily double track inspections there to twice a week and clean the area. LIRR also promised to step up patrols by safety personnel and MTA police, who will be on the lookout for trespassers.
While that section of the field had been filled with students who often play soccer there during their lunch hour, it was not scheduled to be used again that afternoon. The school has about 920 students in pre-kindergarten through sixth grade.
Pombonyo said she sent a letter describing what happened to all parents in the district. Students still play on the field but are kept off its northern end, where the pieces were found.
Since the incident, “there’s been daily communication and follow-up,” said Pombonyo, who has asked the MTA to look at a higher fence between the field and the tracks. “We have to make sure steps are taken to assure long-term safety.”