Please be aware of the dangers when railfanning

[Hawghead]

Had this on the point of my ZBRG2B last Saturday.




As you might guess we attracted a lot of railfans.  We had one dedicated group follow us from downtown Portland to The Dalles.  I think they would have chased us further but it was getting dark when we got through the gorge.  After we had put the train together, the head end was stopped near OMSI (Oregon Museum of Science and Industry).  A large group of railfans were there taking photos and video while I waited for my conductor to make his way up to the head end.  We also had to wait for AMTRAK 14 to go by before we could cross over to main two and go up the Graham Line.  This area is multiple main track and is right at the end of a curve with a large building on the inside of the curve and AMTRAK comes though there at 40 m.p.h.  Those railfans were all over main track two (we were on main one) and completely ignored the fact that main two is a hot main.  I was able to contact AMTRAK on the road channel and warn them about the railfans and they came around the corner at restricted speed and no one was hurt.  So please when you're out railfanning be aware of what may be coming that you may not be able to see.  Tell your friends too.  Were all glad to be able to provide content for railfans, and the last thing any of us wants is to hurt or kill anyone out here.

Scott

[Dave V]

I won't ever understand standing on the track to railfan.

I'm not a real railroader but have worked in volunteer mode around real trains--including car service and track maintenance--to have developed a healthy respect.  That said, railfanning is just part of a larger affliction whereby people are so used to viewing the world through the screen of their phone while they record video (I'm guilty of this too) that they lose all situational awareness.  The other downside to that habit--and again I'm guilty--is that in the haste to record the event for posterity, we often forget to enjoy it in the moment.  Whether it's a steam-up at the museum or one of my kids' concerts, sometimes I have to deliberately put the phone down, stop recording, and just experience it.  I think if more railfans did that--even just sometimes--there'd be less risky behavior like what you just saw.

[John]

That's one nice Loco -- I have it in N scale

As a retired sailor who spent time on three aircraft carrying ships - the same applies there .. never go on the flight deck when air operations are in progress -- never go on the track of a railroad except to cross at a crossing .

[Point353]

I won't ever understand standing on the track to railfan.
That said, railfanning is just part of a larger affliction whereby people are so used to viewing the world through the screen of their phone while they record video (I'm guilty of this too) that they lose all situational awareness. I think if more railfans did that--even just sometimes--there'd be less risky behavior like what you just saw.

Try telling that to those YouTubers whose lives seem to revolve around being the first to post new content on their channels.

[learmoia]

I have been digitizing my old Railfan videos and have cringed at some of the stupid things I did at that time (20 years ago)..

I didn't stand on a live main track.. but standing too close to the tracks with a passing train?... yeah guilty..

Most of my unsafe shots were me setting the camera near/on the tracks letting the train pass then retrieving the camera..
.. and it was an old camera, so if I lost it.. Oh well.

But, I was always mindful of no trespassing signs and always left an area without argument if asked.

The one 'unsafe' thing I did do.. was attempt to pace UP 3985... 55mph bumper-bumper with the car head of me.. trusting the he is there for the same reason I am so he isn't going to stop..  Never doing that again!.

[John]

I used to watch trains here -- there is a dedicated group here are always on that platform .. I prefer the other side .. it has an escape route ..

[eric220]

[MK]

Probably saved his life.

[Maletrain]

https://wtop.com/national/2021/08/north-carolina-men-struck-by-train-while-mourning-brother-killed-in-same-spot/

!!!  I am just amazed at how stupid people can be!  But I would not be surprised if the family sues, though.  Or even if the plaintiff "settles".

[basementcalling]

https://wtop.com/national/2021/08/north-carolina-men-struck-by-train-while-mourning-brother-killed-in-same-spot/

!!!  I am just amazed at how stupid people can be!  But I would not be surprised if the family sues, though.  Or even if the plaintiff "settles".

Saw that story. Sad. Key words for court: "alcohol may have been involved."

[MVW]

I attended a concert (shutout to Steve Earle and the Dukes!) in a small Midwestern city Thursday, at an outdoor amphitheater that's hemmed in by a river and railroad tracks. When this place was built 15 years ago, people raised the question of what would happen if there were a medical emergency at the amphitheater, and the only road in/out was blocked by a train.

Well ... there wasn't a medical issue, at least that I'm aware of. But the concert wrapped up about 10:30, and people started filing out, only to find their way blocked by a stationary train.

Instead of waiting, dozens of the young and stupid (there's a lot of overlap) began climbing between cars and through center-beam flat cars ... which of course made it certain that the train wouldn't be moving anytime soon. We sat there for at least a half hour, with lightning intensifying overhead. The only bright spot was the fact that there were squad cars on the other side of the tracks, and knuckleheads were being busted when they jumped off the train. And we eventually made it to our car before it started raining.

Jim

[Hawghead]

I attended a concert (shutout to Steve Earle and the Dukes!) in a small Midwestern city Thursday, at an outdoor amphitheater that's hemmed in by a river and railroad tracks. When this place was built 15 years ago, people raised the question of what would happen if there were a medical emergency at the amphitheater, and the only road in/out was blocked by a train.

Well ... there wasn't a medical issue, at least that I'm aware of. But the concert wrapped up about 10:30, and people started filing out, only to find their way blocked by a stationary train.

Instead of waiting, dozens of the young and stupid (there's a lot of overlap) began climbing between cars and through center-beam flat cars ... which of course made it certain that the train wouldn't be moving anytime soon. We sat there for at least a half hour, with lightning intensifying overhead. The only bright spot was the fact that there were squad cars on the other side of the tracks, and knuckleheads were being busted when they jumped off the train. And we eventually made it to our car before it started raining.

Jim

We have a number of sidings where we can block crossings waiting for another train.  The general rule is that, if you don't fit in the clear without blocking the crossing, hold off the crossing until the other train comes around the corner.  In some cases you can hear the train you are going to meet hit the detector ahead and can use that as a signal to pull into the clear.  If a train is going to be blocking a crossing for a long time, then the crew should cut the crossing.  The train in my original post was blocking three busy crossings, but there is just no way around it until the conductor gets to the head end.  I know that people were climbing through the train and may still have been when I started pulling, but I can't see them and there is no way to ensure that all trespassers are clear of an entire train before it starts to move.  If people insist on climbing through a stop train they have to realize that there is no way the crew can ensure their safety.

Scott

[MVW]

If people insist on climbing through a stop train they have to realize that there is no way the crew can ensure their safety.

Scott

Exactly. That's why I couldn't believe the stupidity of the trespassers.

My old man was 21 when the Depression hit, and spent a few years bouncing around the country in "side-door Pullmans." He was never a big story-teller, and certainly didn't romanticize the experience (after all, he was mostly just trying to find work), but he painted a pretty clear picture of the dangers and consequences of a mis-step. And there was a buddy of his limping around town with a wooden leg, which perfectly illustrated the point.

I've never been inclined to try it ... or go anywhere near a train that might begin moving.

Jim

[Englewood]

I've had dispatchers tell me that we're going to get a light in a few minutes and I don't have to cut crossings. An hour later, we're still sitting there waiting for a light. In the middle of the 4th largest city in the US. With 8,000+ feet of train....