The photo in this article was taken while walking across a designated public crossing on the Enid Walking Trail.
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ENID, OK - Life couldn't have gotten much better in the early and mid seventies than those days when my friends and I would use the railroad tracks as shortcuts to reach each others homes. It was almost a daily ritual to see how long we could balance on one of the rails while walking, sometimes barefoot. In the summer that became very painful but never seemed to discourage us from always trying it.
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Other days we'd walk in between the rails and kick the rocks as we wondered around and shared boyhood stories. As we got older and had bikes, we'd try to balance our bikes on the rails or jump in and out of them as we rode. Finding a random spike was like finding a nugget of gold. There were also metal strips laying around that you could fold in half and turn into whistles.
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Many times the highlight of the day was finding a fresh penny that we could take straight to the tracks and lay on the rail. We were always told that the train would run over it and flatten it into a smooth, shiny piece of copper. Unfortunately I don't ever remember finding any of those pennies that we set up for destruction. They must have been pushed down the track or we forgot exactly where we set them.
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In those days we were never warned or told to stay away from the railroad tracks. We didn't know that we were breaking any laws and being as young as we were we always felt like we could easily get out of the way of an oncoming train. We were grade school boys and to us the railroad tracks were a place of adventure and discovery, we never thought of them as being dangerous.
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Fast forward to today and we are becoming more aware of the laws and dangers surrounding railroad tracks. Please read the tips below and share them with your kids. As I was walking the trail in Enid the other night I spotted two boys, much like me at their age, riding bikes down the middle of the tracks. As much as it brought a smile to my face because of the memories it also scared me to death that one or both of these kids could be killed on the tracks.
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What we know today is that pedestrians who choose to walk or play around railroad tracks are trespassing on private property and could be fined, seriously injured or killed. Below are some safety tips that should be shared with the kids in your family or neighborhood. They come from Operation Lifesaver. The reason for this article is the fact that another photographer was killed while doing a shoot on railroad tracks.
Railroad Track Safety tips:
• The only safe place to cross is at a designated public crossing with either a crossbuck, flashing red lights or a gate. If you cross at any other place, you are trespassing and can be ticketed or fined. Cross tracks ONLY at designated pedestrian or roadway crossings.
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• Railroad tracks, trestles, yards and equipment are private property and trespassers are subject to arrest and fine. If you are in a rail yard uninvited by a railroad official you are trespassing and subject to criminal prosecution; you could be injured or killed in a busy rail yard.
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• If a photographer or a client asks to do a photo shoot on railroad tracks you should inform them that it is illegal and several photographers and film crew members have been killed recently. Story.
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• It can take a mile or more to stop a train, so a locomotive engineer who suddenly sees someone on the tracks will likely be unable to stop in time. Railroad property is private property. For your safety, it is illegal to be there unless you are at a designated public crossing.
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• Trains overhang the tracks by at least three feet in both directions; loose straps hanging from rail cars may extend even further. If you are in the right-of-way next to the tracks, you can be hit by the train.
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• Do not cross the tracks immediately after a train passes. A second train might be blocked by the first. Trains can come from either direction. Wait until you can see clearly around the first train in both directions.
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• Flashing red lights indicate a train is approaching from either direction. You can be fined for failure to obey these signals. Never walk around or behind lowered gates at a crossing, and DO NOT cross the tracks until the lights have stopped flashing and it's safe to do so.
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• Do not hunt, fish or bungee jump from railroad trestles. There is only enough clearance on the tracks for a train to pass. Trestles are not meant to be sidewalks or pedestrian bridges! Never walk, run, cycle or operate all terrain vehicles (ATVs) on railroad tracks, rights-of-way or through tunnels.
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• Do not attempt to hop aboard railroad equipment at any time. A slip of the foot can cost you a limb or your life.
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• Be aware trains do not follow set schedules. Any Time is Train Time!
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