geomodelrailroader The Bulls who will be watching the tracks like a hawk is you run into them your dead and the last thing you want is them drawing a weapon on you.
The Bulls who will be watching the tracks like a hawk is you run into them your dead and the last thing you want is them drawing a weapon on you.
"Another problem is Highway Patrol if you pace you get nailed Highway Patrol will pull you over, place you in cuffs, and give you a ticket."
I don't think I've ever seen anyone handcuffed for a simple traffic stop-speed, blowing a stop sign, improper turn, etc. They just pull you over, write the ticket, and cut you loose. Pacing, in and of itself, is not illegal, or necessarily dangerous, unless it involves some traffic infraction or somehow creates a traffic hazard. If you're pacing the train at 45 MPH on I 80(speed limit 75 in Wyoming), you could get stopped for impeding the flow of traffic. That act would constitute both traffic violation and hazard. Still, unless they do things differently in Wyoming and Utah than elsewhere, a simple traffic stop doesn't get you in handcuffs.
geomodelrailroaderPacing is extremly dangerous if you don't want to cause an acident, get busted by Highway Patrol, or get wacked by a railroad bull DON'T PACE!
I would submit that if you are on public highways, within the posted speed limits, obey traffic control devices, do not interfere with the flow of traffic, and have one person dedicated to the driving while others shoot the video, you're not going to have a problem with law enforcement.
Having suitable roads on which to pace is another story, and is self-limiting at any rate. If there are no roads paralleling the tracks, you're not going to pace.
OTOH, racing to get from one vantage point to another can be a problem. I saw this in MI some years ago, where the tracks went diagonally cross country, while the roads were almost all on a grid.
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...
Here's one I did back in February of this year that has over four minutes of pacing in it...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jhnR557GmCc
sanvtomanDoes anyone know of other pacing videos or clips?
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
Pacing is extremly dangerous if you don't want to cause an acident, get busted by Highway Patrol, or get wacked by a railroad bull DON'T PACE! With #844 and Big Boy heading to Ogden pacing shots will be almost impossible. With construction on 84/80 and Echo Road traffic will be reduced to one lane. Another problem is Highway Patrol if you pace you get nailed Highway Patrol will pull you over, place you in cuffs, and give you a ticket. And last but not least the people that Railfans and Hobos hate The Bulls who will be watching the tracks like a hawk is you run into them your dead and the last thing you want is them drawing a weapon on you. Play it safe find a rest area, park at Wasatch or Castle Rock, or launch a camera drone.
QUOTE: Originally posted by spbed I will speculate that railfans in general would not do what we see the "average" person do
QUOTE: Originally posted by jhhtrainsplanes I have been a car host on the 844 and the 819 and watched people pace these steam trains. Frankly, after watching those pacing the train I have decided I would never do so in a pack. It is extremely dangerous. Those pacing the train will pull out into oncoming traffic. And not just one at a time but those following will do it also. If that isn't bad enought I have seen people standing up in the bed of a pickup truck shooting video while the truck was doing anywhere from 30 to 60 mph. The pacing pack will include (sometimes) hundreds of cars and trucks, and everyone of them wants a shot of the engine while pacing it. I have seen drivers do some very crazy things while pacing a steam engine. I know this is slightly off topic from the original post but pacing the train is very dangerous to those pacing the train and to on coming traffic. Many drivers lose their sense of safety when pacing a train and the results could be tragic. Please be careful if you ever pace a train. If you have done so then you have an idea of what I mean. If you have never paced a train you might really want to consider not doing so, especially if it is a steam engine. I have seen some very close calls, that would have been extremely grave, so please be careful. There are not as many people chasing diesels so it is definately safer. But there is still a need to watch out what you are doing and be careful.
Living nearby to MP 186 of the UPRR Austin TX Sub
QUOTE: Originally posted by jhhtrainsplanes QUOTE: Originally posted by spbed H'mm where I did it there was really no traffic & it really was a thrilling experience & I have come back to talk about it. Naturally I just paced a plain old ordinary stacker & maybe when you are talking of a special train like 844 or 3985 there may be more people but also they do not wi***o get killed so I am sure they were just as careful as I was & I was doing 70MPH while my bro was taping the train. See for yourself & notice how many cars were on the road with me in either direction during the taping. http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4360162034832389620 If you keep you sense about you I see nothing wrong with doing it on roads that are hardly ever traveled. [:D] QUOTE: Originally posted by jhhtrainsplanes I have been a car host on the 844 and the 819 and watched people pace these steam trains. Frankly, after watching those pacing the train I have decided I would never do so in a pack. It is extremely dangerous. Those pacing the train will pull out into oncoming traffic. And not just one at a time but those following will do it also. If that isn't bad enought I have seen people standing up in the bed of a pickup truck shooting video while the truck was doing anywhere from 30 to 60 mph. The pacing pack will include (sometimes) hundreds of cars and trucks, and everyone of them wants a shot of the engine while pacing it. I have seen drivers do some very crazy things while pacing a steam engine. I know this is slightly off topic from the original post but pacing the train is very dangerous to those pacing the train and to on coming traffic. Many drivers lose their sense of safety when pacing a train and the results could be tragic. Please be careful if you ever pace a train. If you have done so then you have an idea of what I mean. If you have never paced a train you might really want to consider not doing so, especially if it is a steam engine. I have seen some very close calls, that would have been extremely grave, so please be careful. There are not as many people chasing diesels so it is definately safer. But there is still a need to watch out what you are doing and be careful. I guess you really didn't pay attention to what I said. I have witnessed some nearly head on collisions. People loose all sense of safety when pacing a steam engine. Many of them get down right crazy. It is a madhouse. When pacing a diesel you may have driven safely. When pacing a steam engine in a crowd of many cars EVERYONE wants to be in front and jockies for that position. So ride a steam excursion such as the 844 or 3985 and you will see what I mean. People on the train talk about how crazy the drivers pacing the train actually are. And they see some very wild things happen. Some of those pacing the train may try to be safe, many are not. Go pace a diesel, it is much safer.
QUOTE: Originally posted by spbed H'mm where I did it there was really no traffic & it really was a thrilling experience & I have come back to talk about it. Naturally I just paced a plain old ordinary stacker & maybe when you are talking of a special train like 844 or 3985 there may be more people but also they do not wi***o get killed so I am sure they were just as careful as I was & I was doing 70MPH while my bro was taping the train. See for yourself & notice how many cars were on the road with me in either direction during the taping. http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4360162034832389620 If you keep you sense about you I see nothing wrong with doing it on roads that are hardly ever traveled. [:D] QUOTE: Originally posted by jhhtrainsplanes I have been a car host on the 844 and the 819 and watched people pace these steam trains. Frankly, after watching those pacing the train I have decided I would never do so in a pack. It is extremely dangerous. Those pacing the train will pull out into oncoming traffic. And not just one at a time but those following will do it also. If that isn't bad enought I have seen people standing up in the bed of a pickup truck shooting video while the truck was doing anywhere from 30 to 60 mph. The pacing pack will include (sometimes) hundreds of cars and trucks, and everyone of them wants a shot of the engine while pacing it. I have seen drivers do some very crazy things while pacing a steam engine. I know this is slightly off topic from the original post but pacing the train is very dangerous to those pacing the train and to on coming traffic. Many drivers lose their sense of safety when pacing a train and the results could be tragic. Please be careful if you ever pace a train. If you have done so then you have an idea of what I mean. If you have never paced a train you might really want to consider not doing so, especially if it is a steam engine. I have seen some very close calls, that would have been extremely grave, so please be careful. There are not as many people chasing diesels so it is definately safer. But there is still a need to watch out what you are doing and be careful.
Best Regards, Big John
Kiva Valley Railway- Freelanced road in central Arizona. Visit the link to see my MR forum thread on The Building of the Whitton Branch on the Kiva Valley Railway
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