Stay off the tracks, assholes!

[blas87]

I also don't get why people mess around near train tracks where trains are active, for any reason. It's just stupid.

Lots of kids have been killed in the summer time by jumping off a tressle into harsh waters because OH MY GOD a train is coming! All the trains around here come or go at least once or twice per day. Everyone knows that.

[Skelly]

But, then we have things like this. This idiot, was hit by an Amtrak train while "walking along the tracks." If he was "walking along the tracks," the train probably wouldn't have hit him. Instead, I think he had his MP3 player a bit too loud, and was in the *middle* of the track. Considering I saw the train minutes before it happened, and I heard the horns, there's no way he couldn't have heard it.

Sadly, it's not the first time that someone has been hit on the tracks around town. All too often, people don't realize just how badly a train can fuck them up. They ignore the warnings, the danger, and then sue the railroad over their stupidity I don't know how it's their fault--in the location mentioned in the article I posted, there are several things meant to keep people off the damn tracks. Things like high walls, fences, no station platforms (unless you count the ones on the parallel Busway...and even those are relatively secure), and constant patrols by the transit cops.

With all that, if someone is stupid enough to be walking the rails and not paying attention, they *deserve* to get hit. Hell, why not make their survivors foot the bill for the locomotive crew's counseling, as well as cleaning the mess off the train?

But, but, are you saying trains can't be steered out of the way? They work just like cars, don't they?
No...no sympathy. Few months ago we had a case over here with two late-teens who were killed after having climbed the roof of a train at a (depot? yard? whatever) and got in contact with the electrical wires/cables running overhead that supply the power to the trains. IIRC, 40K volts at a fairly high amp...again, no sympathy...

[blas87]

Sure, trains stop on a dime, just like a small car. That's what the idiots seem to think.

I think a lot of it is younger people don't think that trains even exist anymore, and that the tracks are still there either for decoration or memories, or just because the city won't get rid of them.

That has to be why the dumbshits get killed every year on that tressle, or they are deaf, because I hear that ear piercing howl of the horn every night between 11 pm and 3 am.

[protege]

I also don't get why people mess around near train tracks where trains are active, for any reason. It's just stupid.

Some of us, myself included, are railfans...and like trains. In fact, this photo was taken not far from the tracks. Of course, when I took that photo, I was well aware of what was going on, and was back far enough, that I wasn't going to get hit by something coming up the line. Nor was I about to do something stupid...like crossing the tracks ahead of an oncoming train. You'd be surprised at how many of the locals will casually jump the rails, in their quest to go fishing along the Allegheny Nope, I'd rather stay out of the way of the train crews to get my shots. Even though I know that the majority of traffic on this line (NS' Conemaugh Line) is eastbound, there are the odd trains moving west. It's worth looking the other way just in case. You don't want to get whacked in the head with a broken piece of metal strapping...

With that said, I don't know what gets into the heads of some people around trains. They seem to get a major case of "teh stoopidz." For example several years back, I saw a trio of idiots walking on a trestle near Grafton, WV. A trestle, that had no walkways (usually the railroads leave them off to discourage trespassers), and was a good 50 foot drop to the river below. If a train was coming, those idiots would have had no choice but to jump

After seeing that, and several other instances, it's no wonder why some railroads are outright *hostile* towards railfans. Don't believe me? Come to Pittsburgh, and try to take photos of Union RR trains. You'll get a visit from their police department pretty damn quick, and they *will* bust you for trespassing, even if you're not on their property.

But, most lines will leave you alone if you respect not only the potential danger, but their property lines as well. For the most part--and I photographed trains in many places (along CSX, NS, Amtrak), and as long as you don't do something stupid, they'll leave you be. If their security does come, they'll usually ask what you're doing, write down your ID info, and let you on your merry way. Sometimes, they'll even tell you when the next train is coming.

Back on topic here... Not long ago, a couple of idiots were killed while messing about along Amtrak's Northeast Corridor. For whatever reason, they thought it would be a good idea to climb atop a boxcar...and were electrocuted upon contact with the overhead wire Their families sued Amtrak...because there weren't any warning or "no trespassing" signs. Uh, considering that much of the line (at least the parts I've seen) is fenced off, and isn't at street level--wouldn't "we did this because we don't want you on the tracks" be pretty fucking obvious?

[ExRetailDrone]

Their families sued Amtrak...because there weren't any warning or "no trespassing" signs. Uh, considering that much of the line (at least the parts I've seen) is fenced off, and isn't at street level--wouldn't "we did this because we don't want you on the tracks" be pretty fucking obvious?

Gads, please tell me they didn't win that lawsuit.

[HYHYBT]

I also don't get why people mess around near train tracks where trains are active, for any reason. It's just stupid.

Well, that depends on where the tracks are, what you mean by active, and what you mean by "mess around." In Commerce, the tracks run essentially down the middle of main street. So to cross the street, anywhere, you have to walk across the tracks, and stop on or too close to them to wait for the other half of traffic to clear. Same when driving cars; many of the crossovers are designed and marked for pulling up onto the tracks, stopping there, and continuing when traffic on the other side is clear. It works because the trains go through town at about 15 mph or so; I've lived here all my life and never heard of anyone being hit. People stood in the tracks to watch the Christmas parade last week, though I strongly suspect NS knew about the parade and wouldn't have sent a train through during it.

But you *have* to make sure there is no train coming, and *keep* making sure of that... and why the ##### people go places they cannot get out of immediately, like a tunnel or trestle or closely-fenced area... well, people are stupid. And there's the temptation to assume, very foolishly, that if the trains come at about the same time every day, there won't be one any other time.

[Ipecac Drano]

Yes because everything is deemed newsworthy, has an article written, and automatically ends up on the internet nanoseconds after it happens.

It's been TWO DAYS since it happened.

sorry this is a MAJOR pet peeve of mine, everyone now has the mindset that if you can't provide a link to a news article you're lying or only giving half the story, or it didn't happen at all. It's absurd.

Did I say something to the effect of "Story or STFU!"? No. I just wanted to read up on it as I haven't been paying too much attention to the news in Northern Europe lately.

As for your "pet peeve", I find that the people who get their panties twisted over things like being asked for a source tend to make shit up on their own and then play the "I'm offended" card to cover their asses. No, this isn't the Gestapo or any other police state you wish to name check; it's not like having to walk around with papers in case a police officer suspects you of something. Nevermind that on the Internet, people tend to not be who they say they are.

[Skelly]

It's been TWO DAYS since it happened.


Did I say something to the effect of "Story or STFU!"? No. I just wanted to read up on it as I haven't been paying too much attention to the news in Northern Europe lately.

As for your "pet peeve", I find that the people who get their panties twisted over things like being asked for a source tend to make shit up on their own and then play the "I'm offended" card to cover their asses. No, this isn't the Gestapo or any other police state you wish to name check; it's not like having to walk around with papers in case a police officer suspects you of something. Nevermind that on the Internet, people tend to not be who they say they are.

I'm still looking. I know I read an account of it somewhere, probably from some blogger complaining about being carried away by the cops. Just don't remember where the hell it was .

[smileyeagle1021]

Lots of kids have been killed in the summer time by jumping off a tressle into harsh waters because OH MY GOD a train is coming! All the trains around here come or go at least once or twice per day. Everyone knows that.

Blas, our mass transit is almost exclusively surface level (there are a few bridges over rail yards and really major streets, but that's it). The TRAX trains in Salt Lake run every 15 minutes, each direction, on each line, the Frontrunner express trains between Salt Lake and Ogden run every half hour each direction. TRAX gets up to 60mph and Frontrunner gets up to 80mph. People should know that they do come regularly and they come fast, yet it seems every other month some idiot is hit because they stopped on the track. I've seen people playing around on the tracks all the time. At least with both Frontrunner and TRAX, there is enough space on either side of the rail (in most places) that you could get out of the way, there are places where the only place to go is the other track, which may or may not have a train on it also...

[Ipecac Drano]

I'm still looking. I know I read an account of it somewhere, probably from some blogger complaining about being carried away by the cops. Just don't remember where the hell it was

Don't worry about it. Thanks, anyway!

[blas87]

I guess by active I mean trains that still go by....period. Like here, there is one railway that is active still daily, and one that isn't used as much, but the risk is always there. Why people just follow the train tracks while walking instead of sidewalks or walking a safe distance away from the tracks or why people insist on fishing on train tressels or using them as a summer hangout when that is the place where the train that goes by EVERY day....you get me here, I hope.

[Racket_Man]

But, most lines will leave you alone if you respect not only the potential danger, but their property lines as well. For the most part--and I photographed trains in many places (along CSX, NS, Amtrak), and as long as you don't do something stupid, they'll leave you be. If their security does come, they'll usually ask what you're doing, write down your ID info, and let you on your merry way. Sometimes, they'll even tell you when the next train is coming.

one of my past times in my younger days was to walk RR tracks down by the Mississippi River south of St. Louis. My Dad used to do the same thing years before. I did this up until about 20 years ago when I moved out of the area. Yes the line was an active line BUT the trains had LOUD horns/whistles and the RUMBLE was able to be felt way before the train arrived. most of the time the RR people just let us do our thing and did not really bother us as long as we were just walking along or hiking.

Spend many a Sunday afternoon walking along the river and occasionally getting a train pass by. I got to know every bend and curve and the terrain along a 10 mile or so stretch of tracks. when the trains did come by we all skooted partially up the cliff face so to get as far away as possible from the moving train. once it passed we resumed walking/hiking.

The one thing that did kinda suck is that I was born just after the steam engine era came to an end in the late 1950's

The problem back then (and still is today) is vandalism to RR property ie. junction control cabinets/strongboxes, signals, tracks and communication lines. people used everything from rocks to knives to crowbars to pistols to long guns or high powered rifles. people would toss big rocks off of the cliffs and try and hit the communication lines or signals. I remember one particular junction box near a road crossing that had soooo many bullet "dings" in it. the RR even went so far as to weld 1 1/2 inch steel plates to the sides to keep it from getting shot up. the "telephphone" poles for the communication lines were also sooo shot up that they too got metal sleves (not that it did any good). some poles got "cut in half" from all of the shots fired into them.

Too bad I will never get the oppurtunity tio introduce my Grandson to this wonderful activity.

the other problem was as others have pointed out was the train tressels or bridges

[protege]

Too bad I will never get the oppurtunity tio introduce my Grandson to this wonderful activity.

If he's into trains, why not take him on a railfan trip? I don't walk the tracks at all--too much of the right-of-way (including said tracks) is private property. Locally, the "Big Two" (Norfolk Southern and CSX Transportation) don't mind if you pull up a chair and watch their trains go by. I know from experience, that the NS people are rather proud of their railroad...they always wave to me when I'm out with the camera. Even the Amtrak guys wave if I'm at the station. Speaking of Amtrak, sitting at a station along the Northeast Corridor is also pretty cool--Acelas, HHP8s, commuter service, Metroliners...tend to show up frequently.

[HYHYBT]

The one thing that did kinda suck is that I was born just after the steam engine era came to an end in the late 1950's

One story Dad's told makes me glad, in a way, to have missed that. He remembers watching the steam locomotives going by when he was little... one fired up, pulling a string of dead ones, all on the way to the scrapyard.