If ya want to ride on the tracks go right ahead, nobody is going to stop ya... besides.. the gene pools getting a lil too crowded anyway.

 

UTU knows what he is talking about. A number of years ago I investigated a death along a RR track. The man that died was working for the RR and had been standing near the main line while his train was on a side line. He had his back to the main line and was talking with a co-worker when the train they had stopped for came by. Unfortunatly a piece of heavy steel had come loose on a flat car and was protruding out about five feet. This piece of steel struck the deceased in the back of the head throwing his body along the mainline about 30 feet. He left a widow and one small child. This steel would have been just the right height to take out an ATV'r setting along the line.

Not nice stuff to write about or remember but anyone that thinks they can tempt this kind of danger and always survive is just flat wrong. If you must ride along train tracks I would suggest you be sure to keep a recient picture of yourself for your survivors to display at your funeral because any train related death I ever saw ended with a closed casket.

 

I grew up around trains, a train yard and railroad tracks. We were always around trains. Like any other large piece of machinery they need to be treated with respect. They can't exactly stop on a dime but they generally don't sneak up on you or chase you either. They are the bigger than a house and noisy and if you watch what you are doing you can be around them reasonably safely. The only people who really ever got hurt were the drunks, the stupid or the really unlucky. The average guys who were just walking through the train yards to go fishing or hunting along the track or riding along the tracks or whatever never got injured.

Now that being said actually riding on the tracks isn't the brightest thing to do. The right-of-way gets used a lot in my area for riding however. Everyone has always hunted and fished on railroad property too. It was always sort of an unwritten compensation for the annoyance for the train noise and whatnot. No one ever bothered any railroad equipment or anything other than ocasionally hopping a freight to get somewhere. It just gave folks access to some good fishing areas some good rabbit hunting and some places to ride atvs and places for kids to go swimming etc. The railroad never got in a twist over it until the past 10 years or so. They started locking gates and charging folks with criminal trespass and the like. It hasn't really discouraged it all that much and really soured the locals on the railroad. It is hard to undo 100+ years of community tradition. After 9/11 if got even worse. I can see the railroad's point. Every nimrod who gets hurt sues (no one around here ever has). Folks even offered to sign releases but still no dice. The company big shots are afraid we're terrorists. Must be all the bib overalls and seed corn hats that tipped them off. Real popular activewear with the splodeydope crowd who go *** up to mecca 5 times a day.

 

For some of you that don't know diddly about mainline railroad operations, there are certain rules that benefit the train crews. One rule allows us to back the train up to pick up a crew member. This rule allows us to back up under certain provisions and let me assure you that a train backing up 20+ mph can very easily sneak up on you as long as the wheels on the cars do not have significant flat spots. Also, I have been on trains that dang near ran over pedestrians walking down the tracks. If you are on an atv, especially one with a louder aftermarket exhaust, I will assure you that it is quite possible for a train to be on top of you before you realize it. Expect the movement of trains at any time, on any track, and in any direction.

A train doesn't generally sneak up on people, what about the people that are hit by trains and claim to have never even heard the whistle?! It happens.

As far as compensation for the noise of the trains, most can be thankful that those trains bring coal to their coal-burning electric company.

Daren

 

Look I'm not trying to be the bad boy BUT I ride the tracks all the time. Only acouple rules 1) Look up and down the tracks most of the time you can see a mile or so. 2) If you get caught where a train is coming up on you get at least 30 feet away from the track. Some times the bands that band things together break and they will spring outward. A guy walking the tracks got clipped by the band and was killed near my work. 3) RAIL POLICE DO NOT GET CAUGHT by them they will lock you up to set an example!! Just run like hell !!!!!!! BUT these guys on here are right, if you have other places to ride take advantage.

 

Just a thought for all who ride active rail lines.........Your chance of winning a Darwin Award is pretty good.

 

Look I'm not trying to be the bad boy BUT I ride the tracks all the time. Only acouple rules 1) >>>>>>

Rule #1, fix the hole in your brain.

 

Remember all it takes is one more ATV related death and the media and CPSC is all over the manufactures and will try to shut down the areas that we can ride in

 

basic rules for riding near tracks

- dont get hit by the train
- dont damage the tracks
- squish a few coins when the oppurtunity arises

 

Just remember places to ride are few and far between. There are more places opening up and as LONG as responsible riders out there more will open up. Railroad tracks are,never have,never will be a safe place to ride! Just be responsible! Ride safe!!