Ok i am probably going to get arguments on this but i had been trainwatching in my front yard and i had not been by my crossing and i watched it go by and i walked on the tracks to watch it dissapear around the curve and i just happened to look down and seen 2 large cracks in the rail joining plates and i called the wsor about it. And i told them that it was down from the crossing and they had reamed me a new one because i was walkin on the tracks. And he had also said that it was a 1000 dollar fine if i get caught i think that it would be worth running. But what would be better tell them about it and have them yell at me for walking the tracks, or have the plate break and have a train derail than i would have to hear them b**** as to why they couldnt have caught the plates break. So i helped them out a little, the inspection truck wouldnt have found it until it was too late and i had put my life in danger by helping them out alittle WHAT WOULD YOU DO???
So if there is another cracked one i aint sayin anything!
I recall Mudchicken saying that kind of observation should be reported ASAP (exact quote was “NOW”), so you did the right thing in calling it in. Whether walking the tracks was the right thing is a different story, though WSOR would probably be better off if they heeded your warning.
That is interesting. When you posted earlier about finding the defect and reporting it, I wondered about the trespassing issue that is implied in discovering the defect. It would take a special blend of arrogance and pettiness to confront you for trespass when you reported the defect. I can’t imagine that that would have been the universal response, but it would be bound to be a possible response. Another response would be to ignore the issue of trespass, thank you for the report, and fix the defect. Still another response would be to ignore both the issue of trespass and ignore your report. Did they come out and fix the joint?
Your experience raises another question. There are rare, but possible circumstances where an act of saving a train from disaster or even saving someone’s life might require the savior to trespass on railroad property. What do you do then? Trespass is trespass. Zero tolerance means what it says. Is there any relief from the legal prohibition for special circumstances?
Two stories come to mind with yours kid. One relates to a Hobo that found a boulder smack in the middle of the track, He flagged down a passenger train and warned them. He was called a hero and when asked about a reward he claimed with all the free rides he had taken on that companys equipment he would like to call it even.
The second same scenerio and a little boy found said boulder.The engineer thought he was fibbing but he insisted there was a problem ahead so around the corner they crept and there was the boulder.If I recall right this young boy went on to become a RR president or something like that. All my books are at home on these two matters.
I as a train crew memeber would have thanked you up and down and bought you pizza or something.I would like to keep it on the rails thank you.Plus whatever happened to the days when a private citizen could see a defect and call it in and be taken as truth?
On the line form Galesburg to Quincy, just out side of Macomb there used to be alittle old lady that would give roll bys to the trains.And she knew all the right hand signal as well.Once the engines would go by they would call the caboose and say “Lulus giving us a roll by"if nothign was wrong” Highball from Lulu"or whatever and whereever the defect would be.
Let em yell at you,sounds like someone with high and mighty disease.But please do be careful when your out there. I remeber being young once and walking the tracks,now I cringe when I see kids withing 15 feet of them.Be safe and thanks for helping my brother rails.
They should thank you instead of giving you the third degree. I would have thanked you, but I might also ask as to why you were on the tracks. You did the right thing by reporting the defect, just sounds like the person you talked to was on a power trip.
I think somebody must have woke up on the wrong side of the bed, or tracks. If they charge you for trespassing, sue them for some type of thing when a train derails (I am joking).
With a word like kid in your name, I assume you are younger. Now adays, with everything going on, kids and railroads are mixing more and more for things you might not expect. The tracks near my high school are a favourite hangout for people to do drugs. Last year my principal told us to walk the tracks instead of cutting through a farmers field to get to a store for lunch. Tricky to know what way to go when you get conflicting messages from everywhere.
Or, you were’nt walking the tracks, you were walking on the property beside the ROW…
well see i just thought that maybe he was a crabby bass-turd and didnt even thank me i wouild have rather put my life in danger to save someone elses. but i guess if i had been caught trespassing could have gotten a fine i probably would have ran to get away (mind you i have never gotten into trouble with the cops) but i probably could have faught it in court though i just couldnt believe that he was mad at me
Oh and i am 16 well in 8 days ill be 17 so i am not a kid it just sounded good in the name!!
Screw em. If they are going to treat you like that were you called in a dangerous situation that presented itself, even tho you trespassed. I personally wouldnt even think about calling them again.
Maybe the answer, is that you’re both correct. Once you saw something dangerous, you felt it was the right thing to do, to call the railroad. How would you feel, if you hadn’t called, and something happened?
On the other hand, the railroad guy was doing his job, to point out that you were somewhere you knew you should not have been. It sounds like he wanted to make sure you don’t do that again. From the sounds of it, I think he succeeded.
If the C&NW back in 1881 was as anal as the W&S seems to be today, then the Kate Shelly bridge would likely have a different name.
Perhaps the name would remember all the lives that would have been lost if Kate Shelly had not walked crawled across the damaged bridge to warn the oncoming passenger train.
On the afternoon of July 6, 1881, cloudbursts caused a flash flood of Honey Creek, washing out timbers that supported the railroad trestle. A pusher locomotive sent from Moingona to check track conditions crossed the Des Moines River bridge, but plunged into Honey Creek at about 11 p.m., with a crew of four: Ed Wood, George Olmstead, Adam Agar and Patrick Donahue.
Shelley heard the crash, and knew an eastbound passenger train was due in Moingona about midnight, stopping shortly before heading east over Honey Creek. She found the surviving crew members and shouted that she would get help, then started to cross the damaged span. Although she’d started with a lantern, it had failed, and she crawled the span on hands and knees with only lightning for illumination.
Once across, she ran a half-mile to the Moingona depot to sound the alarm, then led a party back to rescue two of the engine crew survivors. Wood, perched in a tree, grasped a rope thrown to him, and came ashore hand-over-hand. Agar couldn’t be reached until the flood waters began to recede. Donahue’s corpse was eventually found in a corn field a quarter mile downstream from the bridge, and Olmstead, the fireman, was never found. The passenger train was stopped at Ogden, Iowa, with 200 aboard.
My first “knee jerk” reaction was to say “SCREW THEM” but after thinking about that for a minute, I’ll change that to “let your conscience be your guide” and since I assume you are didn’t call them for the “attaboy” you might have received you could simply NOT give your name and hope for the best outcome.
I would have insisted on getting a big reward for all that valuable information., you may have been nominated the Rail Fan of the Year., do you ever seen anyone running around crossing gates these days?Think there is a reward for turning these folks in also![tup]Contact a Claim Agent…
This is always a tricky one, as you obviously did what you felt was right. Especially today, though, railroads seem to be on edge about anything. Hopefully they at least did go check it.