Just picked myself up my first ATV...05 Polaris Sportsman 800. Not bad for a first machine I might say so.
I live right on some freight tracks. A train of no more than 12 cars goes up and back each day at no specific time. Usually only during the weekdays too. I figured this will be a great means of taking me virtually anywhere I want to go without having to trailer my rig. However the other night I decided to venture out on them and thought it was pretty unnerving. Never knowing if and when a train is coming and I could only go comfortably about 15 mph. I know the trains go faster than that. Getting on them at about a 60 degree angle was no problem but getting off them was another thing. I found I had to stop, put it in low, try to get over the rails cleanly without scraping my rims. I'm sure if a train was coming I would be a little more aggressive on the throttle! Even if I do get over quickly, there are many areas where there are wet drainage ditches on either side. More like small streams. I'd have to put myself in the ditch in an emergency. There's one spot where the tracks split off into a lumber yard and getting over that was next to impossible.
Anyone have any tips or experiences, good or bad with traveling down the train tracks?
PS I know it's illegal but lets face it, most riding spots are illegal in MA!

 

Dont take this personal,but you are plain stupid for riding your ATV on ANY train tracks,and anyone that gives you even one idea how to better navigate them is even a bigger dummy.

Your time would be better spent joining a local ATV club and discussing what your club is planning on doing to remedy the lack of riding area's in your State.If you need help with this area,im sure there are many of us that would rather offer this advice instead of helping you do something that is not only illegal,but down right dangerous.

 

We're going to read about you in the paper one of these days.

 

Alright alright already! You guys confirmed my bad vibes!!! I'll stay off of them. Now if I could just figure out a way to drive down the highway that's in front of my house! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

Bah don't listen to them guys, they don't know your situation

I ride some train tracks on occassion and it's not a big deal as long as you know where the train is. The tracks I ride has but one train that runs on them and it only goes 20 mph at max. It is a bit unnerving though I'll admit hehe.

I found that on my Grizz I have enough ground clearence to straddle one of the rails, then I can go a good 45mph without too many worries....just make DAMM sure you keep a good eye out for cross rails and culverts etc etc. If you don't have enough ground clearence perhaps remove some gear from your quad as tons of people have these big boxes mounted and full of junk..perhaps you can also stiffen your springs a bit.

I found that it's a great way to get places I otherwise couldn't.

 

Depending on your local law, trains travel anywhere from 12 to 60 mph. Even if you ditched yourself on the side of the tracks, you can still get sucked under when the train passes by, depending on how fast it is going. And trust me, the train would not even feel a bump if you got under it.

 

"Sucked" in?

That is ridiculous


Oh and for the record I DO NOT condone riding on railroad tracks, you take your life and put it at risk by doing so.




I am satasfied in my situation because I know where the train is at all times, and I don't ride the rails but for short sections ans always where I can see down the rails for a long ways.

 

at the place that i ride here there is one part were u have to cross a train track in order to get to the other trails... CROSS not RIDE. my grizzly has plenty of ground clearence to get over it with no problem. o yea one more thing i forgot to mention.... its an abandoned train track and never used, haha. i think its extremely stupid to ride on train tracks aspecially wen u have no way to get off of it in certain areas.

 

i work in a locomotive shop and we get locomotives in to fix every so often that have had collisions with tractor-trailor rigs and such.some of these locos are not even damaged except for cosmetic stuff. the pilot (read "front bumper") of these 465,000# babies is 1 1/2" steel.

you decide who is gonna win. a person + quad is only gonna make a grease spot

and you are trespassing on private property when on the railroad right-of-way

monty

 

Some tracks have enough room to SAFELY ride along side. I've done that before however I've never ridden ON the tracks. There's a defference between riding on the tracks and riding along the tracks...I only partake in the latter.