I came across a couple of guys a while back that took a go cart, extended the axles on it, replaced the tires with urethane wheels and were using it to run up and down the tracks near their house… Now bare in mind, these guys weren’t kids, and looked to be in their late 30s and early 40s. I asked them if they’d ever been caught and they said no because the urethane wheels insulated the cart and prevented the track sensors from being set off. They said they only ran it at night, and that any time they saw a train coming they’d pick it up off the tracks and carry it into the bushes and hide until it had passed. The muffler they put on the engine made the thing so quiet you could hardly hear it. I thought it was really neat. The drivers seat faced one way and the passengers seat faced the other way so each direction was always being watched for trains. They really put some thought into this thing.
sounds fun, but what happens when a train comes around the curve at 60 MPH? You won’t have time to get off the tracks, and I am sure we will hear about this on the news sometime. Not a bright idea, unless the tracks are abandoned.
Brad
I’m very familiar with the tracks these guys run this thing on, and there aren’t any “curves”.
Also, the speed limit is between 45 and 50 mph through there, so they’ll have plenty of time to react to a train which they’ll see miles away because they only run their cart at night and it’s as flat as flat can get out there. If however something does happen and they get killed, they’ll die having fun…
Cool. I’ll watch for them in the news: “Two grown men, who should be old enough to know better squashed by a train.” I’ll assume the article would go on to mention the pending lawsuit, and that alcohol was believed to be a factor.Oh yay!
So you’re saying it’s “neat” to tresspass on railroad property and put your lives in danger just to go for some stupid drive? Let’s promote stupid, illegal activities on a public forum! 40 mph? That train will be on you before you know it, believe me.
I’d like to see what the real railroaders have to say about this.
Well, I will say that is probably something I wouldnt do just for the fact if I got caught, or somehting were to go wrong, the results would suck [xx(]big time.
On the other hand, I know out here in Arizona, there are long stretches of track that have been “Declared Abandoned”. I can think of one out in the middle of the desert that has been out of service for 15 years. Enough so the signals have been hung with signs that say “Exempt” I have always wondered about building/doing something like that and running that stretch. Even something hand or legpowered based off a bicycle.
Please dont flame me (too bad) for a open minded moment
I have seen similar things at speeder gatherings. They are pretty cool, but ONLY when we are having a speeder parade and the tracks of some short line are closed to trains.
1sec,
Simply connecting the two rails together (like two steel wheels and an axle of a train) compleats a circuit for the signals.
As is usual in these matters, Ed hit the nail right on the head. Another safety aspect that needs to be considered is grade crossings. As built, the kamikaze wagon as described above won’t activate grade crossing signals and is too small and too quiet to be noticed at crossings protected only by crossbucks, especially if the corn or wheat crop is getting tall. It would be a most interesting legal tangle when these thrill-seeking morons get broad-sided by a motorist at some grade crossing because the signals weren’t activated or they couldn’t be seen.
Its the location where they run it. Old abandoned tracks are hard to find.
That, and how flat is flat? A train moving at 50 mph will take about 70 seconds to cover a mile…