Most Embarrassing Track-side Moment

If that's the biggest gaffe you've ever made, you've got nothing to worry about!

MELGAR

I could do that !

Ah, yes...  The "ATM": Any Train Momentarily!?!

Bazinga!

Great story!   

KD

While getting off of a train for a photo-run by, I slipped down an embankment. Thankfully, I wasn't hurt but I was pretty embarressed.

Maybe 40 yrs ago, the Hatfield, PA (RDG) train station was closing to commuters & I was taking some pictures outside.  I was standing on the southbound tracks aiming towards the station across the tracks.  All of the sudden I became aware of someone yelling….at me !  It was the brakeman on the caboose of a backing Rdg freight train - heading towards me on the southbound tracks !  Gee, did I feel dumb !  (Thk you Mr Brakeman !)

Tresleking, that reminds me....I almost got hit taking pictures at an unprotected industrial crossing!!

I kicked a caboose against a tofc flat car that had its coupler skewed to one side.  The impact broke the brake pipe off the caboose, so I had to take it over to the rip track and grab another caboose.  That was 42 years ago and it still bothers me a little bit.

I tripped and fell on my own caboose at Viaduct Park in Ohio at Tinkers Creek. I just went to take a step back and somehow tripped. The engineer was probably amused if he/she noticed.

Re: "trestleking" and "endless tracks" anecdotes:

This is not intended as an upbraiding toward the above posters, I trust they learned a lot from their incident that they shared.

However, their incidents do bring up the point for us all to be very aware of, in that we are best served to never foul the tracks. On an operating RR, doing so is illegal (trespassing), and on a tourist operation where access is permitted, doing so is putting yourself at risk.

One of the most stressed rules in railroading is:

"Expect a train on any track in either direction at any time."

Enjoy your love of trains and knock yerself out doing so, but PLEASE, for your own safety: Do not foul the tracks.

Andre

Back in 1991 or 1992, Santa Fe 4-8-4 3751 made its first main line trip in almost 40 years, from Los Angeles to Bakersfield, round trip with overnight layovers in Barstow, Bakersfield, and (again) Barstow.

The train arrived after the first segment, and after the crowd thinned out we turned the passenger cars on the Valley Jct. wye.  I was the Road Foreman of Engines at Barstow at that time, and was with the switch crew turning the train, as there are many things done differently when switching passenger equipment.  We got a GP30 out of Diesel Service and approached the rear car of the train, an ex-California Zephyr dome observation car.  We did not notice that the folding crossover platform on the front of the locomotive was not folded up and locked.  (Insert the sound of Dragnet theme music here.)  We made a safety stop as required, opened both couplers and eyeballed them for proper alignment, then eased ahead to make a pillow-soft coupling . . . or so we thought.  The couplers made a perfect click, but there was also a crunching sound, then a buzz and a flash.  The crossover platform had punched through the glass of the CZ tail sign, and had also broken into the neon tube lettering and design.  There was a moment of silence, probably not very long, but it sure seemed long to me, as my heart and my breathing stopped.  So, we uncoupled, backed up, raised and locked the crossover platform, and then coupled on, again.  

After turning the train, I found the owner of the car, and he was very gracious about the damage.  He said it could be repaired and had a cover to replace the broken glass.  And the humiliation served to remind me of my own human frailty.  I did not assess any discipline to the crew, and there was no report made.  The Claims Agent handled the matter discretely.  And the train steamed off toward Barstow the following morning.

@laming posted:

Re: "trestleking" and "endless tracks" anecdotes:

This is not intended as an upbraiding toward the above posters, I trust they learned a lot from their incident that they shared.

However, their incidents do bring up the point for us all to be very aware of, in that we are best served to never foul the tracks. On an operating RR, doing so is illegal (trespassing), and on a tourist operation where access is permitted, doing so is putting yourself at risk.

One of the most stressed rules in railroading is:

"Expect a train on any track in either direction at any time."

Enjoy your love of trains and knock yerself out doing so, but PLEASE, for your own safety: Do not foul the tracks.

Andre

So noted! The train was moving at walking speed, and the crossing is mid-way through a customer's parking lot so I was not (nor would I) trespassing. I was just being another idiot gawker....