Is there any way to get to ride in the cab of a class 1 frieght train, along with the crew? I’ve heard people talk about being invited up into the cab for a few minutes or short time while switching, but have never heard of anyone actually going out across the mainline with the crew. Will railroads allow this under certain circumstances? Do they have release of liability you can sign?
You’re most likely reading some really OLD stories. Many railroads today don’t even want non-employees on the property, let alone anywhere on the train.
Getting invited up to the cab on a standing locomotive nowadays is a really rare occurance, and will probably get worse, if it even exists today.
I agree with what Tom had to say on this subject. Today’s class 1 railroads do not want non-railroad employees riding in locomotive cabs or anywhere else on a train, chiefly for liability reasons. Also, if an engine crew were to invite me to join them for a local run, it could very well cost them their jobs.
A year ago this past May I was invited to climb up into the cab of a BNSF locomotive by the engineer, they were coupling onto a string of cars in a yard ajacent to a business that I work for part time and I asked him where his train would be going once they pulled out of the yard. He told me they were headed for Madison, South Dakota and he motioned to me to climb up into the cab and chat with him for a few minutes. That was nice, but I have doubts that it would ever happen again.
CANADIANPACIFIC2816
“There was a time in this fair land when the railroad did not run, when the wild majestic mountains stood alone against the sun, long before the white man and long before the wheel, when the green, dark forest was too silent to be real.” Gordon Lightfoot
Absolutly not! Unless you are a Law Enforment Office on a training run, or an FRA Inspector, non-railroad employees are prohibited from being on board a locomotive.
You can be charged with tresspassing, and the crew will almost certainly serve a suspenion. Our security forces, make a big deal about taking people (hitchhikers and stuff) off the trains.
Even if it wasn’t illegal. It’s really boring anyway, especially if all you get to do is sit at a red signal for 6 hours, and then lay in the hotel for 12 hours, waiting for your trip back.
Nick
For her birthday earlier this yr, I brought my girlfreind along for a ride on our night local turnaround job. She works as a contract taxi crew driver, so she knows some of what the rr is like, but has never been on a train ride. We came to work @ 7:PM, made two stops @ stns to switch, back in 12:30 and took her home. She said that was the best bday she has ever had. For me that goes down as the best trip I ever had. Other crew members have brought their wifes, girlfreinds and kids along on this job before, it was my first time to invite someone along.
There nothing legal or illegal about riding in the cab of a freight train. It is up to the management of the railroad. Fairly frequently my customers would be interested in taking a cab ride and we would accomadate them on a freight, Challenger dead head move or as a part of a trip on a business train trip with other customers. I always tried to escort them on the Challenger dead head moves!
Yes, you can get a cab ride if you can find the right railroad official to contact. Generally, if you can offer a purpose for your ride as well as a way to convince the railroad they will be viewed in a good light afterwards they will consider your request. It may not always be granted but not Fred Frailey gets more than a few miles in the cabs of locomotives nearly every year. Certainly shortlines and switching operations offer the best possibilities.
Taking an unauthorized ride in the cab of the locomotive is fraught with potential problems these days. Homeland Security and Transportation Security as well as the FRA now have their hands in all of this and who knows where they will really come down if they find out about it.
So select your most probable line with a favorable response and cross your t’s and dot your i’s and prepare for some waiting time while your request works it’s way through the system. Good luck.
A couple of weeks ago CRANDIC held a raffle for one lucky person to get a cab ride on the thrice-weekly Iowa City turn- the winner can spend the whole day with the crew if he/she wants. I bought five chances at that one, needless to say I didn’t win. This forum would’ve known it if I had.
When I was around 4 years old crew members on back of a Burlington Northern train that stopped at my home town let my dad and I see the inside of a green BN caboose. That was back in 1980 or 81, when cabooses on consists were still coommon.
Of course you could just get a job with a railroad…
CC
I caught a short ride on a local - right place, right time, and I already knew the trainmaster. The engineer was accomodating as well.
On the other hand, I volunteer with a tourist RR and have been in the cabs of most of our locomotives at one time or another. And we do do some “switching,” running the loco around the train at the endpoints of our trips.
Bob -
With due respect you haven’t worked for the NS as Nick and I have. I have little doubt that a trespassing citation wold be issued and the crew fired in an unauthorized cab ride situation on the NS.
Also, the rides you are talking about are with permission and as such cannot be trespassing from a legal standpoint. The essence of a trespassing charge is being oon the property of another without their permission. Persons riding without permission on a train, whether in the locomotive or otherwise are trespassers and can be prosecuted. Employees do not have the authority to grant permission to ride on most railroads.
LC
LC is absolutely correct. Although, I work for CSX, the principle is the same.
Someone (a shipper, LEO, reporter, etc) contacting a railroad official for a cab ride is far different from Joe Average walking up to the crew asking for a ride. It’s spelled out in the Operating Rules, that employees may not give cab rides. The only people allowed free access to the locomotive cab or caboose (if present) are company employees or FRA inspectors, carrying the proper ID.
I will admit, that there were plenty of times I was up in the cab of various Conrail locomotives. But, then again, I was also Dave Brodar’s kid. The rules are little different when your old man is the Trainmaster or Road Foreman.
Nick
I guess after reading some previous posts, we have really been lucky here in Parsons; the last couple of years, Union Pacific has spotted locos[3793 in 2005, and 1988 in 2006] to be toured, open to the public to visit in the cab, to have UP employees offer explanations of the various controls, and photograph as much as you want. This has been a much visited exhibit, and part of our Katy Days Celebrations here. We were fortunate that this past year the last of May 2006, UP brought in the 1988 Katy Heritage Unit for Display [You could almost smell the “new” on her, in the cab. Of course there were U P crewmen present to answer questions and pass out “OLI” handouts and info, as well.
Not to mention that the UP was proud to show off its facilities, and has done much work to make their area look welcoming to all for the Katy Days, and all year around.
Katy Days info: http://www.katydays.com/
So technically, If I wanted to ride on a NS train from around my area, I would just have to contact a higher up with a ligitimate reason, (how about photographs, and details for a logistics class I"m taking) and there is a possibility they would allow me to ride along with them?
While I was up in Bozeman, Montana going to school, I would hang out around the Livingston Rebuild Center in the city of Livingston. One cold day I actually drove up on private grounds, walk through the employee door onto the locker room and ask who I needed to see to get a tour. They took to the “big man” who was really nice and informative but told me that since 9/11 they have came down and said that there won’t be any more tours nor cab rides (when I menchioned to him that I wanted to get a cabride up the pass with the helpers). I then walked out of the yard and offside when an off-duty imployee stopped and said that he could get me a tour. We ended up walking right back into the head guys office, but still got shut down. Needless to say, I got some great pictures though:
And he would say “No”. There is no “legitimate reason” for a cab ride unless you are a member of the crew, official, Federal or DOT Inspector or one of certain law enforcement officials. There is always a possibility you could get lucky and someone could risk their job for you, but that’s not a cab ride I want.
You may have better luck on a short line, or if you have a connection to “the brass” but the rules against this are quite strong. People have been fired for allowing unauthorized riders before.
LC
Sorry Nick, didn’t mean to lump you in with those of us who’ve been to the “dark side”. My mistake.
LC
That’s OK. The “dark side” migrated over here with Mr. Ingram. Maybe you were sensing that. [}:)]
There are days, however, that I think a made the wrong choice when I went CSX at Split Date.
Nick
I met Tony Ingram on the switching lead at Elmira, NY before the acquisition. I wasn’t all that impressed.
I have often wondered if I made the right choice as well. I did bid for CSX at the split but was talked out of it by a certain local chairman. In hindsight I’m not sure it was the right call, but things have turned out okay.
LC