New York Central Railroad v. Holland

180 N.E.2d 770, 133 Ind. App. 194, 1962 Ind. App. LEXIS 150
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedMarch 20, 1962
DocketNo. 19,431
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 180 N.E.2d 770 (New York Central Railroad v. Holland) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
New York Central Railroad v. Holland, 180 N.E.2d 770, 133 Ind. App. 194, 1962 Ind. App. LEXIS 150 (Ind. Ct. App. 1962).

Opinions

Gonas, J.

A group of sixteen citizens, named appellees, filed a petition with the Public Service Commission praying for an order that appellant railroad install a flagman, an automatic gong or bell, or other [196]*196automatic device at its crossing at Pike Street in East Gary, Lake County, Indiana, pursuant to Burns’ Stat. §§55-2016; 55-2019. Burns’Stat. §55-2016 provides:

“The Public Service Commission of Indiana is hereby authorized and empowered to require that all persons, firms or corporations owning or operating any railroad or interurban ' railroad within this state shall, at all public crossings where the view of approaching trains is obstructed, if said persons, firms or corporations are unable to remove said obstructions as herein provided, equip such public crossings with a flagman or an automatic gong or bell so as to warn the traveling public of an approaching car or train.”

The legislature has authority to impose upon the corporation without its consent, ánd even against its protest, such obligations as will enable it to perform its public functions.

A railroad company is a quasi-public corporation, private in the ownership of its stock, but public in the nature of its duties. One of the duties imposed upon a railroad is that it shall equip public crossings with a flagman or an automatic gong or bell if required to do so by the Public Service Commission, pursuant to statute cited on page one. Burns’ Ind. Stat. §54-112 provides that:

“The Commission created by this act (§§54-102, 54-109 — 54-120) shall in all controversial proceedings heard by it be an impartial fact finding body and shall make its orders in such cases upon the facts impartially found by it.”

It is conceded that appellant by devoting its property to the public, and by putting it in the service of the public, thereby, subjected it to the regulation of the legislature and control of its administrative body [197]*197to the same extent as other public common carriers are controlled.

The facts should be found specially and not generally, and the findings must be specific enough to enable the court to review intelligently the Commission's decision. Pub. Serv. Comm. v. Ft. Wayne U. Ry. Co. (1953), 232 Ind. 82, 111 N. E. 2d 719; Wabash Valley Coach Co. v. Arrow Coach Lines (1950), 228 Ind. 609, 94 N. E. 2d 753; Indianapolis & Southern Motor Express, Inc. et al. v. Public Service Commission of Indiana et al. (1953), 232 Ind. 377, 112 N. E. 2d 864; Pub. Ser. Comm. et al., etc. v. Ind. Bell Tel. Co. (1955), 235 Ind. 1, 130 N. E. 2d 467, (Rehearing denied, 1956). The finding should state the “essential basic facts.” Gen. Tel. Co. etc. v. Pub. Serv. Comm. of Ind. et al. (1958), 238 Ind. 646, 150 N. E. 2d 891, Rehearing denied 154 N. E. 2d 372.

After the hearing which was conducted in East Gary, Indiana, the Commission entered several purported findings. Said findings are as follows, to-wit;

“1. That this matter was instituted by Denis J. Holland and more than five citizens of Indiana, under and pursuant to the statutes of Indiana; that said petition is regular in form and contents and signatures;
2. That Respondent Railroad is a common carrier of freight and passengers, engaged in intrastate commerce in and through Lake County, Indiana; that Respondent’s said railroad runs generally in a west-east direction through its grade crossing with Pike Street in East Gary, Indiana, — which Pike Street runs north-south and passes through said crossing;
3. That said crossing of Respondent’s north line of railroad tracks (6 tracks) is elevated some 4 or 5 feet above the base of the road, which, in itself, creates a dangerous condition, particuarly when considered in connection with the approach-from Marquetté Street, the parked train [198]*198cars and/or trains on other lines; that the view of the said railroad grade crossing is ‘obstructed’ approaching from each direction;
4. That there are some 18, more or less, Respondent trains daily that use this crossing, some of which proceed as much as 35-40 miles per hour; that a train speeding 40 miles per hour covers a distance of 66 feet per second, while one proceeding at 35 miles per hour covers a distance of 52 feet per second, that, while the accident record at this crossing has been relatively good, considering the speed of the trains, number of trains, the elevated tracks and embankments, and the public use of same, there have been a number of accidents and probably one or more fatalities, although the posting of a guard by the town at this crossing has materially reduced the danger when he is on duty.
5. That this Commission is legally constituted, competent authority for insuring the public safety at all railroad crossing of streets and highways generally in Indiana, and specifically in this cause, (Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines v. Public Utility Commissioners (1951), 13 N. J. Super. Ct. 540, 81 A. 2d 28) ;
6. That, in exercising its power to regulate grade crossings in the interest of the safety and health of the public, the Commission, of necessity, possesses broad discretion in determining what the public welfare and interest requires (Commerce Commission v. N. Y. C. R. R. Co. (1947), 398 Ill. 11; 75 N. E. 2d 411);
7. That the exercising of the power to require adequate warning signals (whether to be operated by electricity or by watchman) is not confiscation of property nor the denial of equal protection of law nor deprivation of the rights of property without due process (Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines, v. Public Utility Commissioners, supra);
8. That the expense of providing proper and sufficient crossing devices and appliances at rail crossing doubtless must have been considered and contemplated by the railroad and taken into account when it accepted the privileges and [199]*199franchise granted it by the state, such expense being an incident to the functioning of the police power of a state (Pennsylvania-Reading Seashore Lines v. Public Utility Commissioners, supra);
9. That to require either the maintenance of a flagman or an electrically operated flasher signal device at a dangerous crossing is not a burden upon interstate commerce so as to be invalid, (Nashville C. & St. L. R. Co. v. White, 278 U. S. 456; 73 L. Ed. 452);
10.

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Related

New York Central Railroad v. Holland
180 N.E.2d 770 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1962)

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Bluebook (online)
180 N.E.2d 770, 133 Ind. App. 194, 1962 Ind. App. LEXIS 150, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/new-york-central-railroad-v-holland-indctapp-1962.