A Norfolk & Southern train locked up its brakes on the afternoon of March 24 to avoid hitting a bicyclist and then tied up traffic for an extended period in Belleville while the engineer walked around the entire train to check that everything was all right before proceeding.
Norfolk & Southern said the train did not hit the cyclist, but the blocking of South Street was unavoidable. The checking of the entire train was company policy in such a situation.
Belleville Police Chief Gene Taylor said teenagers and adults climbed over the low platform cars on the stopped train between the South Street and Savage Road crossings in order to cross the tracks, disregarding police officers who tried to shoo them away to keep them safe.
Southbound traffic on Main Street turned into a parking lot north of the tracks and on northbound Sumpter Road, south of the tracks. Many motorists said they assumed there had been an accident.
The situation was complicated with the dismissal of students from the high school and South Middle School during the time the train was stopped.