I consider myself an avid railfan and take the opportunity when I can to try and get that perfect shot of a passing train. But, I’ve often wondered, is my presence near the tracks causing undue stress to the approaching train’s crew?
I always feel that I’m safe where I choose to watch the train go by, and am never closer to the tracks that a vehicle could be at a grade crossing. Still I wonder if the presence of a person standing near the tracks makes the crew wonder what I’m doing or if they can see that I have a camera and probably are looking for a good photo opp.
Obviously I have no intention in testing the nerves of train crews in my area, but I was curious if there were things I could do when I’m out watching the tracks that would help the crew know what I was up to. Any advise or feedback would be appriciated and be taken into consideration the next time I’m out enjoying my hobby.
You are a very considerate person, and I give you tremendous respect.
Crews at railway museums (and I put in many hours running streetcars at Branford, CT), are of course used to railfans close to the tracks. I would imagine this is also true of crews running by Rochelle Park and other known railfan gathering points, as well specific scenic opportunities like Castle Gate on the D&RGW UP line. Otherwise?
Well general paranoya, (spelling) will have any crew worried. A person getting hit by a train is generally messy and the train crew has to go out to find the person or what is left of them. But I also know what is too close. I have been watching trains for years aswell. Then my dream came true a couple years ago and I worked for the railroad. When I got out to do a roll-by inspection I got in trouble by my instructors that I was standing way too close to watch the train go by. I never told them I was a railfan and watched trains like this all the time before. They told me I should be a good 20 feet away at least with a clear path to RUN if I need to or don’t even bother getting out to do the inspection in the first place. Railroaders have a different kind of respect for trains than we do. They DON’T trust them. Trains can derail anytime - anywhere! Stuff falls off of cars all the time! I was told that empty cars are more dangerous than loaded ones! Take an empty center beam car for example, it usually has a bunch of that thin metal banding wire used to hold the wood in place flapping around in the wind. Box cars can have doors with broken hinges or rollers and catch the wind come off, what ever… If you are standing too close you can get decapitated very easily. We also experience times when people are going to throw something at us or shot at us. Some kids dare each other to cross right in front of the train. The list goes on. The next time you are out train watching try to see how far away other employees stand and then you should add another 5 feet to that.
A BNSF dectecive informed me when he was moving me back from the tracks @ Colton that I was reported by radio by a train crew taping their & to use his words was to close to the tracks. He contended that the 1st 80’ from end of track belonged to the RR. Have no idea if that is corrcet but that is what the BNSF *** told me.
Usually a camera in hand tells me all I need to know. If there was someone standing extremely close to the tracks, then I would become concerned. Please stand at least 30 feet from passing trains. There are all kinds of nasty things that can happen, and when you are close to a train you have very little chance of avoiding such nasty suprises. I refuse to stand on the opposite side when inspecting a train, I get on the ground and stand behind my locomotive underneath the engineer’s window. I have asked several officials on the subject and they have had no problem with my actions. Every box car could have a faulty door on it waiting to fall off, or a lumber car could have a strap that’s just ready to snap and when a metal strap comes flying at you at high velocity it acts much like a sword. Just be careful and use common sense.
With all the modern cameras available and the zoom lens that can spot a gnat from 1000 feet away, why would anyone have to get that close? Don’t figure you have to be nose to nose to “see” something that big…
I agree with n_stephenson. Stay back at least 30 feet. If you have a camera in your hand it does ease my mind to a degree, but I’ve seen railfans do stupid things too. Mookie is 100% right about today’s cameras. There’s no reason to get right up close anymore, and in fact you’ll probably get better pictures if you don’t.
Another thing that comes to mind is that you should leave the kids at home until they’re old enough to act responsibly. I fully realize that some people never get to that point, so in fact don’t bring ANYONE who lacks common sense. That also includes pets. A lot of guys take their dog everywhere with them, for example. If you must, then keep 'em on a leash. A short leash.
Lastly, thanks for asking the question. The very fact that you understand the need to ask it tells me that you’re smarter than the average bear. That being said, my final piece of advise is this: If you’re moving at all, be moving away from the rails. If you’re moving toward them, my heart rate is climbing very rapidly, but if you’re moving away, I’m breathing a little easier. Remember that even railroaders get hurt and even killed on the job, so ANYONE near the right of way is reason for concern.
I appreciate all of the advise. I’m grateful for such a forum to reach those of you with the feedback I’m looking for. Many of the thoughts you’ve shared are some of the same that I’ve had, but reading it from those in the business really helps to drive home the idea of always keeping safety in mind around the railroad. Thanks!
So the crew knows that you aren’t going to jump in front of them, just get a red flag and wave it to them as they go by, just so they know you’re there…
…actually maybe that isn’t too good an idea. [:-,]
I hate it when people are too close to the track. My heart skips a beat with the thought that someone might make a mistake. I am a railfan and a railroader. Watch the railroaders, you will see that they step way back. Loads like coal can fling chunks off at any time. Stay away from switches. That’s where things come off the tracks. Even the wind coming off a fast moving train can blow you over if you are too close. When I have to walk a train, say for a overheated brake, not only do I monitor my radio but I specifically request the engineer to give me a heads up when anything is approaching. AMTRACK going by at 79 mph is a very disturbing thing indeed.!! I see a lot of questions about why railroader don’t like railfans. The reason is that we know how easy it is to get killed around the machinery and when you take a risk, it ads a lot of stress to our lives. I have nightmares about the day when I have to climb out of my engine to see the results. I also know that the day will indeed come. geoff. stay safe!!!
Here is a perfect example of anything can fall off at anytime-In December 1995 I was a dispatcher for the Indiana Rail Road. A northbound coal train was nearing Morgantown, In when the train went into emergency. The crew walked the train and could not find anything wrong on the west side, when they came up the east side of the train they found the culprit…a strong gust of wind had blown an empty bad order car off the track and onto its side. Had anyone been standing trackside within 50 feet of the R-O-W they would have been killed. Ironically the remaining cars, heavy with coal stayed on the track and actually coupled up to the other loads ahead. Instead of 49 loads, 1 empty, the train showed up at the power plant with 49 loads, 0 empites. After connecting air hoses and building the air the train continued on.
When I am operating at the train museum its not the railfans that scare me, its the unattended children. More than once when pulling into the station has a child come running into the gauge.
[:(!]
It used to be that stations had a yellow line painted on platforms for people to stay behind when trains were passing. At age 12, I’d sit on my hometown station platform with my toes on the line- to keep the stationmaster happy- and be deafened by a high speed (40 mph) express going by. Now the ACELA goes through my hometown at speed… I wouldn’t toe the line when that happened… probably because I’m older, wiser, and have a good idea of the heart attacks the engineer on board would suffer.
The tips offered by the pros here are good ones I learned from… Thanks!
That was my hope, I’ve learned a lot along with everybody else. Hope we can all keep safety in mind first when out enjoying our hobby, just like the pros who do it as their career.
Mike, yeah, I’d agree with most of what has been said. Personally, I don’t get too nervous about people around the track, but then again I haven’t had to deal with hitting anyone yet. If you don’t really look like a kid and you have a camera and seem to be looking my way then I’m not going to worry. You seem to have common sense and I think as long as you apply that when your around the right-of-way you’ll be fine.
BTW, nice photos…your obviously very gifted. Keep up the good work. We’d like to have you around for a long time capturing the artistry of rail photography.
good times…
PS Very nice, clean web design. Drop me a line if I can be of assistance.
Lets put it this way, the closer you get, the more nervous we get. You never know when someone is going to dart in front of the train at the last minute.
Children running into the gauge. Yes, normal streetcar motorman training on conventional streetcars includes: If you need to stop and the brakes have failed shut off power, throw the reverse key into reverse, and apply one point of power. (On a four motored car you DON’T have to apply the one point of power, but who in an emergency is going to stop to think whether he/she is running a four-motor or two-motor streetcar?)
That is why sometime ago when I saw an article on the AT&SF diesel looking like it was about to fly over the highway boardering the bumping posts at LA Union, I wondered, why didn’t the engineer try to reverse the locomotive? (Maybe not possible with today’s microprocessor controls, but back then?