Railfan stories

[Guilford Guy]

I'm sure CN wouldn't be happy to read that, and believe it or not, railroad officials DO read forums, although this one is probably patrolled less frequently seeing as its more of a modeling forum than a railfanning one.

[Santa Fe buff]

I'm not to sure how far the train really was. This is the best I could remember.

Link

He didn't dash in front, he ran with one leg over the rail, and one on the platform. The engineers out there are already on there toes. You won't believe how stupid some people are. One walked around the gates and an Amtrak train stopping for the station came 5 seconds from nailing him after he cleared the crossing. Tons of kids and stuff cross the tracks.

Yeah, I figured companies view these boards, it explains the Mirco-Mark catalogue.

[Guilford Guy]

And people wonder why responsible railfans are given such a hard time!! Mr. B, how about removing this before more people think it's a good idea.

HEY! Look Mike I think your talking about those my space  dip diddles! we all know it's not ok so calm down. I don't want to start a fight but what in the bloody world makes you wanna delete this for something some what illegal? and for the rest. Are you blaming Josh? He did not do anything! Stop giving people a hard time about this. It takes one person to ruin it for every one and really deleting this will not help anything!

Santa Fe buff: look, if this gets deleted, I will not be mad or blame you in any way. I will be upset but not at you. So don't look at this as your fault.

Okay, one, putting a penny on the tracks is illegal. Its trespassing. Even being on an Amtrak platform when a train is not approaching is trespassing. Two, he's not starting a fight, but you're reacting like an "idiot railfan." Most railroads dislike railfans, because they interrupt their movement of train traffic, and put their and others lives at risk. Having the crew dumping the air and having to wait for it to recharge is interrupting their business. YOU need to grow up, because YOU are taking this way differently than anyone else.

Josh, I'd recommend removing your post. While unlikely, you don't want CN knocking on your door. ALSO, you don't want other people thinking its okay to run in front of a train, to trespass, not to mention coins make deadly projectiles when shot out from beneath the wheels of an SD70.

[Santa Fe buff]

It was actually a GE unit (We get more SD70s then we need. ), but I understand what your saying exactly. This isn't the first problem by the platform. CN came to the museum and told not to allow young children on the platform and put up a big fence around the non-passenger areas of the track to prevent more people from doing so. That was a year or two before this incident.

Joshua

P.S. Don't badger Ryan about this. He simply placed his penny in a hurry.

[jward]

you know, people doing dumb stuff in front of trains has ruined alot of good railfan spots over the years. keep in mind the engineer can only guess your initentions when he sees you near the track. and he may or may not be able to see your camera from that far away. at any rate, he would not be able to stop in time to avoid hitting you.

as for how much we've lost, liability insurance has made most railroads think twice about letting people on the property. prior to the mid 1980s, it was possible to write to the b&o and get tours of cumberland shops. not a group tour, just a couple of railfans who wanted access. around the same time, i was able to walk into conway yard, which is huge, and get premission from the yardmaster to wander the service roads taking pictures, ON FOOT! the maine central woudl provide you with release forms good for each yard, if you asked nicely at their headquarters in portland. and last but by no means least, some of the best photo locations in the altoona area are now off limits. we used to camp overnight at most of them years ago......

[jettrainfan]

I am sorry i did this, i feel like an idiot for not truly looking at the facts. I seriously don't know why i typed that but i am going to delete that reply. I do know that some one could have been killed right on the spot and never thought of what could have happened. I really did not think things through.
i do get mad at people who do illegal things that ruins it for every one.

[Guilford Guy]

I am sorry i did this, i feel like an idiot for not truly looking at the facts. I seriously don't know why i typed that but i am going to delete that reply. I do know that some one could have been killed right on the spot and never thought of what could have happened. I really did not think things through.
i do get mad at people who do illegal things that ruins it for every one.

Rather than run yourself further into the ground, think before you post. Grammar helps too, and using less smileys makes your message more serious. I'm only a few years older than you, its not that hard.

[jward]

you know, this is something you can learn from. i mean we all did crazy things as kids not realizing the danger we were in. learn from it and move on.

where your friend erred was not so much putting a penny on the track, it was doing it in front of a moving train. engineers have nightmares about stuff like this.....we've all placed pennies on the track. next time just do it when the train is not in sight.

rule number one on the railroad is safety first. you see it on turntables, locomotives, freight cars, and countless paper items railroad employees are required to have in their posession while on duty. we have it pretty good as railfans. you can go to station platforms and overhead bridges and watch trains. and in out of the way places, the railroads aren't even that worried about us hiking along the tracks. all we need to do is stay out of the way and not hamper the running of the railroad......

[panniertankboy8751]

I'm not to sure how far the train really was. This is the best I could remember.

Link

He didn't dash in front, he ran with one leg over the rail, and one on the platform. The engineers out there are already on there toes. You won't believe how stupid some people are. One walked around the gates and an Amtrak train stopping for the station came 5 seconds from nailing him after he cleared the crossing. Tons of kids and stuff cross the tracks.

Yeah, I figured companies view these boards, it explains the Mirco-Mark catalogue.

If you were talking about the people who jump in front of trains, Then look at this. I give it five stars for the best two morons chaught on tape EVER! http://www.rail-videos.net/video/view.php?id=3415

[jettrainfan]

to close for comfort! They should have waited. I think they learned their lesson. It would have not been a pretty site.

[Santa Fe buff]

I already saw that, several times, and it never gets old. Featuring:

Stupid

and

Stupider (They guy who tripped like a drunk.)

I think they learned their lesson, if not, the train shall see to it that they don't act stupid no more. I can't believe people are that crazy.

Joshua

EDIT: Railfanning track side at a safe distance on the edge of the ballast is fine by me, stepping on the tracks and endangering yourself isn't my way of waving to the engineer if you know what I mean.

[jsmvmd]

Dear Jeff Ward,

Grew up in Conway.  Many pleasant memories of watching trains over the years.

Best Wishes,

Jack

[jward]

yes, conway was the place to be. you used to be able to hang out on the bridge at the east end of the yard. on the bridge was a mailbox, where one of the enginehouse employees would leave copies of the day's lineup. if you were lucky enough to get a copy, it told you what trains were on the entire system heading for conway, what locomotives they had, and an eta.

the whole area was and still is a great place for trains.

[jettrainfan]

Saturday, Happy 4th of JULY!!!
Who has gone to the cuyahoga valley scenic Railroad? My grandparents volunteer their. I have gotten 2 trips to the yard. I will talk mostly of the first and only the ride of the second. It was a cool morning, I was in the back of the car thinking "what is the surprise?" Well, My grandparents were in uniform. I knew something to do with trains. I watched a sign go by with the C.V.S.R. logo. I was gonna go "back stage"! Excited i got out and saw 2 trains at the fueling station. We fist went to the Office to talk. Got to meet the manager in person and talk to the crew. Then my grandpa took me to the shops. I saw their CN&W diesel with 2 RDC-3 units. I got to see the cab in one. It was neat. What more could you ask for? Then got to do a surprising job.... testing...toilets? Yep,strange. I did the lower half. All worked. So went to the snack bar car to chat with the crew. They asked if i wanted to go ride in the cab.... YES! Got to ride in this fellow. http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=82470&nseq=10 A bit shaky and I was standing most of the time.(kept falling out of my seat.) Lot of dear rushed over the tracks. Got to talk about G scale trains. When we reached peninsula, I got out. It was worth it. The rest of the day was smooth. Went from Rockside to Akron twice. Lots of fun! The second trip was from peninsula to Rockside in the cab of a F7A! I will tell you now, They shake! I got a nice chat. Well... at the end... it is not easy to get off. It is hard because as soon as you open the door, You got to use the ladder. Now, add a down slop ballast with no plat form. It is hard! I fell off because the bottom part of the ladder is 3 feet off the ground do to the down slop! It was easy to get back on the coach. And went back the yard. That was it.
Hope you enjoyed.

Update:I noticed this was dieing out so I am just gonna say the rest in a list.
1.Wheeling & Lake Erie a berea
2.lots of BNSF with Santa Fe Diesels
3.Steam Days at the C.V.S.R.
4.Operation lifesaver special
5.track inspection(motor car http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=108232&nseq=64 )
6. track inspection(with diesel,N.S. not Conrail http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=180897&nseq=39 )
7Canadion national at Wendy park
8.Two rares in one day!(Soo line diesels, and later a CSX SW1500 on a mixed freight)
9. Canadians with Americans(CN,Soo line, & CSX Diesels)
10.BN coal
11. Chain gang
That is about it so if this topic dies, atleast people enjoyed it.
if you want me to tell the story(this might be the longest story) of one of these, just comment or E-mail. I don't want to bother people with this still on the first page if not wanted. Hope you enjoy!