The world's most expensive parking ticket?

From the July issue of Trains magazine:

A Union Pacific coal train blocked a grade crossing near Caledonia, Wis., for more than six hours April 18, and racked up more than $13,000 in fines, according to the Racine Journal Times.

The train was delivering coal to a nearby power plant. The crew parked the train, uncoupled the diesels, and left. The rear car of the train blocked the crossing from at least 4:33 to 10:33 p.m.

Caledonia police issued 20 tickets. Nineteen of them, written every 20 minutes, carry a fine of $660 for blocking the highway. The other, for $1280, was for being a public nuisance. It was the sixth time since October 2003 UP had been cited for similar violations.

Union Pacific said the crew had broken thetrain apart to open one crossing, but didn't realize it was blocking another.

I'd feel more sympathetic toward the Yellow Borg if they didn't have such a track record (so to speak) of arrogance toward railfans, modelers, employees, and everybody else. Clearly the Caledonia cops were fed up with the repeat offenses.