Read the description:
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=313970
Could have been worse!
Dan
If you find that image is distressing, then you would do good to avoid railroading in suburban train territory.
I've watch supposedly intelligent, professional people get off my suburban train at a station, and instead of waiting for the train to depart and clear the crossing, these suited morons would actually crawl under the train as it sat in the station, in order to get to their cars quicker. And like sheep, when one would do it, others would soon follow.
At the stations where this happened frequently, I would watch in the mirror to see when these dolts would make their move. They would act all arrogant and self-confident, perhaps showing off for their fellow commuters. Anyway, when I would see them duck under the coach, I would take about 5psi off the brake pipe--just enough to make the triple-valve under the coach make some noise. These yups would then run from under the car like they were zapped with a cattleprod. After a few seconds they would get their nerve back and start again; of course, that is when I would release the brakes. The speed at which they exited from under the train made it look like two cattleprods were used on them.
Carl
Railroader Emeritus (practiced railroading for 46 years--and in 2010 I finally got it right!)
CAACSCOCOM--I don't want to behave improperly, so I just won't behave at all. (SM)
Two comments:(1) I realize the answer to this observation is: that was then; this is now. But, despite the fact that I have never hopped on a train, I don't know ANYONE from my father's generation who has not. Moreover, when I was about 11, I got a ride on a MoPac coal drag--they let me get off the train while it was still moving. As a lawyer, I flinch when thinking of the story. But, if that kid was so incredibly stupid, so was my father, all of my father's friends, and the most wonderful crew of that MoPac coal drag. I guess my ultimate point is, yes, it is not an advisable thing to do, but let's keep it in perspective.
(2) Perhaps more importantly, if the photographer thought it was such an opprobrium, why the heck wasn't he screaming at the top of his lungs rather than taking the picture.
If I see a kid hoping a train, I am going to stop him. But, I am not going to take a picture and post it on line as an example of how I am more intelligent than everyone else. Looking back on my youth, I have probably done at least ten things that were just as dangerous . . .
Gabe
gabePerhaps more importantly, if the photographer thought it was such an opprobrium, why the heck wasn't he screaming at the top of his lungs rather than taking the picture. If I see a kid hoping a train, I am going to stop him. But, I am not going to take a picture and post it on line as an example of how I am more intelligent than everyone else.
Perhaps more importantly, if the photographer thought it was such an opprobrium, why the heck wasn't he screaming at the top of his lungs rather than taking the picture.
If I see a kid hoping a train, I am going to stop him. But, I am not going to take a picture and post it on line as an example of how I am more intelligent than everyone else.
Well said. And, in any case, how do we know the picture isn't staged with a stationary train and then some graphic text to spark interest?
C&NW, CA&E, MILW, CGW and IC fan
Gabe: " ...Looking back on my youth, I have probably done at least ten things that were
just as dangerous . . ."
It is a wonder that any of us survived our childhoods. The good Lord must have been watching over us, probably overtime. Maybe that is why we can examine photos like the one linked, and grasp the inherant and implied dangers.
With the advantage of a certain level of maturity brought along with gray heads we see 'youts' taking chances that we possibly have gotten away with in our pasts, and now fully realize the chances we were taking. Remembering when some adult rudely interupted "our fun" and quite posibly alowed us to get to where we are today.
My father used to say" you can't put an old head on young shoulders." Go figure.
CNW 6000 Could have been worse!
,,,,What can one say......Thinking how many places in America this is happening. One slip away from losing a leg or much worse, and what's so terrible, kids that age have not even a hint of how much danger they are playing with.....Sad.
Quentin
gabe (2) Perhaps more importantly, if the photographer thought it was such an opprobrium, why the heck wasn't he screaming at the top of his lungs rather than taking the picture.
At that point in time, the kid needed to be paying attention to what he was doing, not being distracted by somebody yelling at him. As it was, he ended up falling off on his own, after which he did get what-for from the photographer.
As galled as I would be to see a kid hanging off a car, I'm not sure it would sit well with me to know that my yelling at him caused him significant bodily damage.
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
This month's Trains magazine has a pictorial of a group of kids doing this. The author said they started throwing ballast at him when they noticed him taking pictures. The ballast may have also hit passing motorists on the bridge. It's a great pictorial. The kids' parents just watched the whole thing happen.
It just goes to show that kids without supervision will do stupid things. I know from experience, but it was never anything this stupid. I wouldn't have the gall to do it and I'll tell you why. When I was about 10 or so, my cousin and I were riding bikes and heard a train come through. We went to a crossing to watch them. They were switching cars on a siding and to a local industry. What a treat.
My cousin was a little to close. Well, the conductor got out and told him to move back. He walked over to an area where the maintenance crew was trimming trees and found a branch that was about one and a half inches in diameter. He then placed it on the tracks and motioned his engineer to drive over it with the loco. It snapped like you wouldn't believe. It had us convinced not stand too close too trains ever again.
I always think of that and realize that they should make a video about that to show the dangers of being too close or hopping freight trains.
Will
zardoz If you find that image is distressing, then you would do good to avoid railroading in suburban train territory. I've watch supposedly intelligent, professional people get off my suburban train at a station, and instead of waiting for the train to depart and clear the crossing, these suited morons would actually crawl under the train as it sat in the station, in order to get to their cars quicker. And like sheep, when one would do it, others would soon follow. At the stations where this happened frequently, I would watch in the mirror to see when these dolts would make their move. They would act all arrogant and self-confident, perhaps showing off for their fellow commuters. Anyway, when I would see them duck under the coach, I would take about 5psi off the brake pipe--just enough to make the triple-valve under the coach make some noise. These yups would then run from under the car like they were zapped with a cattleprod. After a few seconds they would get their nerve back and start again; of course, that is when I would release the brakes. The speed at which they exited from under the train made it look like two cattleprods were used on them.
I am surprised they would risk getting their suits dirty.
If the train is moving in the direction he is looking, then if he falls off he could get caught between the cars and cut in half.
George
As has been commented before...many of us (perhaps most of us) have done things in our youth that were just as (or more so) dangerous (I know I certainly did), and this kind of thing will never stop as much as we'd like them to. We can only hope that our youth finds the wisdom to prevent such occurances earlier in life than generations preceding them (like mine), but we'd better not hold our breath waiting (because we'll all turn blue).
Stupidity is the hand maiden of natural selection.
Kinda like those dolts that cross the ex-BN triple main in the Chicago suburbs in front of the loco, only to get hit by an over-taking train on the middle track. That seems to happen a lot. BNSF took out our pedestrian crossing in front of the Shelby, MT depot. I wish they hadn't. At least the crews knew where the people were going to cross the 2MTs and could make some noise. No injuries yet, but....
Hays
Modelcar CNW 6000 Could have been worse! ,,,,What can one say......Thinking how many places in America this is happening. One slip away from losing a leg or much worse, and what's so terrible, kids that age have not even a hint of how much danger they are playing with.....Sad.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
This is really nothing new and has been going on since the beginning of railroads. Only difference is that today everyone has a camera and the number of images popping up makes it SEEM like it is a bigger problem today. Not that I condone such actions...But I remember kids jumping on and off trains when I was a kid in the 70s. What can one say...some kids are smarter than others. Even at the age of 9 or 10 some kids are intelligent enough to understand that such foolishness can lead to death..or worse...another 60 years of life as a quadraplegic.
Jock Ellis Cumming, GA US of A Georgia Association of Railroad Passengers
Youth has no fear. I remember walking on a bridge outside my home town of Orion. It was the old Rock Island trestle nad we would walk on a 2x6 from bent to bent and back.Did I mention we were 70 feet in the air?Yeah hey dumb ( fill it in) get offa there! SHould have been shouted at us.
In Chicago a friend of mine was taken to court cause he cut a kids legs off.Was it his fault? No. kid hopped on about 80 cars back then fell off. He was cleared in court of any "wrongdoing". Talk about messed up.
As for hopping on a moving train? Never done it when Iw as a kid. One reason was some trains blew by way too fast and others were just at the right speed. But I knew better than to hop on cause I was NOT going to be the one calling home from Galesburg asking for someone to come pick me up! If the train ride wouldnt have killed me, my Grandfather would have!
Yes we are on time but this is yesterdays train
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