An operational error resulting in two trains moving toward each other on a single main track and stopping before a collision occurs. Resolving it requires one of the trains to back up to the nearest siding so the other can pass.
Heard on the job
Dispatch gave out overlapping warrants and we ended up in a Mexican standoff at milepost forty.
Insider tip
This usually triggers an immediate investigation into the dispatcher's track warrants or the crews' signal compliance.
Do not mix it up with
- Cornfield meet: A Mexican standoff is a near-miss where the trains stop in time, whereas a cornfield meet is an actual head-on collision.