(Apparent) Railfan Injured While Filming Train in Southern Illinois

[C855B]

https://www.southernillinoisnow.com/2020/11/09/marion-county-sheriffs-department-releases-more-information-on-man-struck-by-train/

I don't know the named victim, but reading between the lines of the article, it sounds to me like this was a group of foamers on a railfan outing. Bit by the viewfinder is my guess. I extrapolated the location to this trestle:

https://goo.gl/maps/vAJEcMRbEW9tMNoW6

[dem34]

Its one of those "sooner or later" kind of deals. It always bugs me when I see foamers sitting right on top of the tracks because stuff like this article is exactly the kind of thing I think about. Theirs also occasional incidents like these.

[Maletrain]

I've never done that with a train, but I did something much like it with a moose and a zoom lens.

Long story short: I was backpacking alone off-trail, and saw a photogenic swamp with white tree trunks in good morning light, so I stopped to take a picture.  While doing so, I saw a large bull moose way down at the end of the swamp.  So, I got out the long telephoto zoom lens and started snapping pictures (film).  The moose slowly headed my way, repeatedly sticking its head under water to grab some nice juicy plants to eat.  At some point, I realized I could no longer get the whole antler rack in my viewfinder, because I was zoomed as wide angle as it would go.  So I looked over the camera and there was the moose maybe 15' away, looking right at me with lily pads hanging on its antlers!  I grabbed the tripod and backed away as the moose came out of the water right where I had been standing seconds earlier.  Probably weighted around 1,000 pounds.  At least it was too early for rutting season, and he didn't "take exception" to my presence, which didn't last much longer.

That incident reminded me of the stories you hear about people finding an abandoned tent with a camera on the ground, and when they develop the film, it shows a bear getting closer.

But, with a train, you know where it is going to go, so standing too close to the tracks somehow seems dumber than getting run over by a moose.

[bman]

I am constantly amazed by how close some folks get to the tracks. Having watched the bands of a steel coil whipping around on a moving train travel by I know not to get close. Even at what I consider a "safe" distance a friend and I had an interbox connector bounce by us from an intermodal train traveling at a track speed of 55 MPH several years ago. Anything can happen. And with my luck I don't like to push it.

[BCR751]

You know, you just can't fix stupid.

Doug

[Missaberoad]

The longer I work for the railway the farther away from the tracks I stand. Never mind if anything goes wrong... I've seen more then one bleed rod sticking out 5 to 8 feet from the car...
I used to park right next to the station (obviously next to the tracks) but after seeing a few incidents first hand I park at the far end of the lot and walk.
Stay back from the ******** tracks, the crews will thank you and you will get nicer photos with more context 

[davefoxx]

Its one of those "sooner or later" kind of deals. It always bugs me when I see foamers sitting right on top of the tracks because stuff like this article is exactly the kind of thing I think about. Theirs also occasional incidents like these.

I tell you.  I've seen this video before, and it's downright scary.  In addition to cars going in a few directions, you can see the point when the rail rolls over, as well as truck springs shooting out to the side!   

DFF

[Mark5]

Stay back from the ******** tracks, the crews will thank you and you will get nicer photos with more context 

Good advice (my older self tells my much younger self).

[nkalanaga]

A BN safety policy from years ago said to keep a minimum of "20 feet + one foot/mph" from the ends of the ties.  The 20 feet is in case a stationary car falls over.

Don't laugh - it happened at least once in the Seattle/Tacoma area, through nobody's direct fault.  In a particularly wet season, an industrial track got water logged, and when a forklift crew tried to load the car, the track gave way.  The forklift made it back onto the dock, but the car turned over.

Centerbeam flatcars are notorious for that, if crews load them unevenly.  Most have warning stencils on the inside of the ends just for that reason.

[John]

I tell you.  I've seen this video before, and it's downright scary.  In addition to cars going in a few directions, you can see the point when the rail rolls over, as well as truck springs shooting out to the side!   

DFF

This is one reason why I stopped going to St Dennis !!!   There is little possibility for escape from that platform .. and you're coming out of an S curve past the bridge.

[Mark5]

This is one reason why I stopped going to St Dennis !!!   There is little possibility for escape from that platform .. and you're coming out of an S curve past the bridge.

Yeah, that's a dicey spot.

[nkalanaga]

Not to make light of the derailment, or the danger to the videographer, but I imagine the investigators were happy to have that video.  How often do they get live footage of the wreck in progress?