Over the years, I know that I’ve seen a fair amount of trash dumped trackside near railroads. Seems like a favorite dumping ground for people. I’m curious though - any crews seen trash dumped directly on their trains? Like or someone didn’t need a sink so they just dropped it on top of a coal car from a bridge, or just chuck a few trash bags into an intermodal car well, or just chug something and leave it on the end platform of a hopper etc…
That is a damn good idea! We have like 1500 cars sitting in storage currently in the middle of the woods, no one would ever know…
This thread was inspired by a kitchen sink I saw trackside today (literally!) 
I once saw a toilet get smashed. Crew didn’t appear to even think about slowing down.
Unfortunately the general population views most railroad property as prime dumping areas…then the local politicians come after the railroads for housing a public nuisance with all the trash that is on their property…it is a never ending battle.
Then the RR may come down harder on folks trackside for one more reason. CN had contacted some of the residents near a crossing I and some others tend to take pictures at and asked that they keep an eye on anyone seen around the area, ostensibly to minimize any trash they were blamed for. The neighbors came out several times when we were there shooting/waiting and chatted with us, “Neighborhood Watch” style. After a few visits like this where we killed 'em with kindness they eventually learned who was who and stopped ‘questioning’ our presence there. An acquaintance of mine actually captured a vehicle depositing trash along the area in a photo (including face of driver, make, model, & plate #) which was reported to neighbor & PD. That also went a ways to foster some goodwill.
The public road along the northern side of NS’ Allentown,PA Yard attracts a huge amount of trash, which is periodically cleaned up by someone railroad, city, county solid waste office, etc. The railroad has even put up a chain link fence right by the edge of the road to minimize the area available/ exposed for that.
I wonder if a night-vision or infra-red ‘critter-camera’ or web camera could be rigged to be placed out there in a hidden location*, and to actuate only when some motion is detected, to provide evidence. The staff at the Michaux State Forest in central Pennsylvania had something like that a few years ago, and within the last year I believe the Delaware DCNR did too.
(*Like in a hollow log, a ‘planted’ old tire or bag of trash, etc.)
[:-,] Because, in Pennsylvania there’s a little-known and never-used law** - unique among the states, too, as far as I know - from 1988 that provides for the forfeiture of vehicles used in illegal dumping. I’m sure a judge wouldn’t do that for a chewing gum wrapper or soda can, but a truckload of roofing shingles or vinyl siding might be enough . . .
The forfeiture and any proceeds go to the PA DEP, otherwise I’d be doing that for a part-time source of income and a lot of satisfaction . . . wonder if I could get attorney’s fees for my expenses, time, and trouble, though . . . ???
- Paul North.
**53 P.S. § 4000.1715, part of our “Act 101” of 1988 Recycling Law, as follows [emphasis added]:
Purdon’s Pennsylvania Statutes and Consolidated Statutes
Title 53 P.S. Municipal and Quasi-Municipal Corporations
Part I. General Municipal Law
I, too, have personally witnessed this exact thing! I do NOT think this is funny or right to do, but I chuckled a little bc they always say, ‘everything but the kitchen sink.’ Not true in this case, as it WAS the kitchen sink!
Can anyone please tell me how to change my default font bigger, like for the quote above? (At least, I think I’m asking that correctly.) Thanks.
Pendulum swings both ways, I guess. I’m always seeing used ties, buckets of spikes, and burnt modular printed circuits (field repair?) sliding down RR embankments and onto neighboring properties.
heh, there was this ancient four legged ‘end of line bumper’ sitting in a local hobo jungle alongside the NS main that I wanted to add to my collection, but it was too heavy for me to carry out alone.
Wasn’t it in East Chicago or Evanston that criminal people were throwing refrigerators,stoves and such onto the tracks to stop and rob train contents and/or employees? I read about that some or even many years ago. In “The Emperor of the North” Marvin and Carradine haul nearly empty buckets of grease out of a ravine filled with railroad trash. Railroads can’t do that these days.
One of the satisfactions in my life was getting two illegal dumpers on railrad property busted for dumping, without a camera. One with a local who called the cops and I was right there. The other when I found enough letter addresses for the cops to investigate and prosecute.
R. Flix
Yea the general public seems to think it’s ok to dump their trash on RR property just as they think it’s ok to take things from RR property. They think nothing of it. We have a job that runs up a branch line and right through a government housing neighborhood. We have to switch a customer right in front of these houses, while stepping over trash and broken beer bottles. People have no respect at all. And sadly this isn’t the worst of it.