If this video is a fake, it is well done!

Trains Magazine General Discussion
1

http://www.glumbert.com/media/traincam

Edit:

link fixed–thanks, Carl

2

No problem, Jim! As you said, it’s probably a real (definitely a realistic) situation, and I can’t figure how the camera got turned around in the middle of it. Could it have been controlled by someone actually under the ties at this trestle?

3

Carl:

I think you’re right on it. Shot on a trestle or bridge–Looked to me like it was a VIA locomotive --maybe with a small mini camera?? Interesting, but still an ilegal, and dangerous iundertaking…[2c]

4

…Morning Carl…Just watched that video. Yes, definitely…in my eyes that video is real. I’d say the person doing that set up had a mechanical devise and controlled by him electrictly that could raise and rotate it, {the camera}. Overall the camera was moved steadily and precise, and rotated slowly and smooth. What a view…!

5

a couple of interesting clues from the video…

The way the camera decends to closer to Tie level as the train approaches; after the rotation, notice the grass and weeds in the near field of the camera, and the end of the guard rail for the bridge, and how the camera raises up after the train passes.

Looks like someone poking up from the end of a bridge…the height before and after the train would be just about right for an arm sticking up between ties.

I would hope that was done with some sort of periscope device…but why do I doubt that…(?)

I recall a link to this video in the last six months or so, and at least one postulate that it was done with train sim or something similar. I dunno…looked like lots of detail on the undersides of the cars, and the grass/weeds had too much detail for the train sims I have seen…

6

…That camera is too steady for it being on the end of an {human}, arm. It seems precise in it’s movements. Being held in place {and moved}, mechanically.

7

…One thing that does bother me is that the track doesn’t seem to be as high quality for a passenger train to be traveling as fast as it appears to be…??

8

If it is real, as others have mentioned, the camera was probably set up on some kind of mechanical/mounting device (such as turning it 180 degrees while the train is still over the camera’s position), as if a human had been lying there the train would have likely seen the individual and went into emergency.

9

If the camera were small enough and the space beneath the trestle large enough, the camera could have been mounted on and maneuvered from a decent tripod. Somebody’s got nerves of steel, though!

10

Either that, or they were drunk or really stupid![D)]

11

I believe there are some tripods on the market that have motorized “pan and tilt” heads on them, and they are for use with video cameras. the rotation is controlled by a “remote” attached to the motor by a wire… I have seen them before, so yes it is quite possible this was done mechanically.

12

It must be taken in Atlantic Canada.

13

Carl, I think your explanation is the most plausable.They either have nerves of steel or mountains of stupidity.

Chico

14

Some people are just asking for it.

15

Now there’s a view I never want to witness first hand.

16

Speaking only for myself, I would NEVER have the gonads or nerve/stupidity to do such a thing as I like living way too much for that.

17

I was thinking that if the camera was closer to the (engineer’s) left rail it’d have been smashed.

18

[#ditto]

If I were to take a video like that, I would sit the camera down and get far back out of the way. I would probably never attempt anything like this until I have a new video camera so I could use the old one as a “stunt camera” - so many have been destroyed when taking video like this.

That said, though, I myself would NEVER, EVER stand in between those two rails - whether I was over or under them!

19

I searched YouTube, and it looks like this guy has other videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XVlfLkTTwM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=84rGC6C_8Zw (his camera’s going to get smashed if he does this one very many more times…)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Xrjc5gpHrI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S26NR3pS6l0

I’m not sure whether I’d want to do this as much as he apparently does…[:-^]

20

My vote goes for a “lipstick” camera on a stick. Small monitor below the track so he can see what he’s shooting. Small enough profile not to alarm the train crew.