We all know that we should never mess around with a train - right?  As kids we're told to not play on railroad tracks.  When we start driving, the instructions are to stop, look both ways, and go through train crossings as expediently as possible.  The train always wins!  So - why do some people think that posing for pictures on railroad tracks is an okay thing?

According to Operation Lifesaver, someone is hit by a train every three hours.  In almost all of these cases, it wasn't the trains fault!

In unison, railroad companies are urging the general public to stop posing for pictures on their tracks.  Why?

  • It's against the law;  those tracks are private property.  How would you feel if every couple of days some wedding party or graduate decided to start prowling around your yard with a photographer?  In some cases, the train property line right of way is up to 200 feet away from the tracks proper.  Simply put - when you're posing on railroad tracks, you're trespassing on private property.
  • It's not safe and you could die.  Just for a minute, forget the fact that you're trespassing on private property.  Standing on train tracks leaves you wide open to being hit by a train.  Stop fooling yourself into believing that "you'll hear (or see) the train coming";  Depending on the wind, the geography, and what you're wearing (I.E. - hats and hoods) it's possible for that train to get right up to you without you hearing it.  It can take more than a mile for a train to stop.  What if your foot got caught on the track you were posing on?  Add in the fact that you'll be distracted by posing for the photographer and there is a strong chance that you could be killed as you smile for that picture.

Still looking for a reason not to pose on those tracks?  How about the fact that railroad track pictures are about as trite as those old 3-headed shots in the 1970's or as "been-there" as someone holding and staring at an inanimate object.

Looking for train picture ideas that don't involve actually sitting on the tracks?  This article gives some good advice and tips.

 

 

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