Walking or playing on railroad property is trespassing. It is illegal, very dangerous and poses a serious safety and security risk.
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Railroad tracks are private property, not public trails. It's illegal to walk on the tracks unless you're at a designated crossing. It's extremely dangerous to walk, run, or drive down the railroad tracks or even alongside them. Trains travel in both directions and at all times of day and night.
This type of travelling can be extremely dangerous and even life-threatening, because there is a risk of death or serious injury due to falling off a moving train, electrocution by the power supply (overhead catenary wire, third rail, current collectors, resistors, etc.), colliding with railway infrastructure such as ...
Railfans get used to the usual patterns of trains in their area, and use scanners to listen in on railroad dispatch frequencies. But it takes knowledge and practice to decipher what you hear on the scanner.
“People assume that trains are loud, but that assumption is based on the fact that when a train's gone past them in a station it's noisy. That's because the noise a train makes is mainly projected to either side. When trains are moving directly towards you they are barely audible–until it's too late.”
According to the NYPD, as of June 23, arrests for unsafe riding, which includes subway surfing, more than doubled from this time last year. This year has already seen 139 arrests, compared to just 68 in 2021.
NYPD Commissioner Edward A. Caban said, “Our message to New York City's youth is clear: Always ride inside the train. Subway surfing is dangerous, it is illegal, and it can be lethal. The NYPD will continue to do everything we can to stop this reckless behavior — but it starts with sound decision making.
In one study conducted at the BNSF Railway Hobart Railyard in Los Angeles, the California Environmental Protection Agency estimated that residents living near a railyard experienced a higher risk of carcinogen exposure.
If someone has fallen onto the train tracks, call 911. If a train is approaching, turn on your phone's flashlight and wave your hands from side to side. For all other emergencies, call 911.
Fact #4: Trains Can Stop, But Not QuicklySo if you think a train can see you and stop in time, think again. Trains cannot stop quickly enough to avoid a collision, which is why vehicles should never drive around lowered gates or try to “beat” a train.
Surrounding terrain also can affect sound. For instance, in the instance of a train passes through a corridor of trees, those trees can muffle the sound in much the same way as sound baffles that line the walls of a recording studio.
By the time a train operator sees you, it is too late to stop the train in time. An oncoming train is moving faster and is closer to you than it appears. Similar to an airplane traveling at 150 mph that appears to float onto the runway, it's hard to determine a train's speed and distance from you.
True confession (as if you didn't know): I am a railfan. But don't call me a “foamer!” People who love trains come in all shapes and sizes, but “foamer” is a term they universally hate. “Foamers” is how railroad employees refer to railfans because they think we “foam” at the mouth anytime we see a train.
Railroad tracks, trestles, yards and rights-of-way are private property. All filmmakers, crews, film students, and amateurs who want to film MUST get permission from the railroad to film on or near the railroad tracks.
The parallel lines of the rails converge toward the horizon and fool our minds into thinking the train is farther away than it actually is. It is virtually impossible to accurately judge the speed of a train when these combinations of illusions are present.