I’m a week and a half away from my train chase of the Union Pacific 4014 “Big Boy” in its first-ever trip to New York. I’ve mapped out several shooting locations, along with alternate spots in case my chosen spots are either too packed with other railfans, or my timing to chase the train is off.
But I do need to let you know that being around any sort of train is dangerous. Anything can happen. Any sort of danger. There’s a reason why railfans are strongly encouraged to stay at least 25 feet away from the rails when photographing trains. Trains cannot stop on a dime. It may take them miles to actually stop a train – and if it’s a choice between your car that’s stuck on a crossing and a train, the train wins 100 out of 50 times.
That being said, there are dangers everywhere on a train. As can be seen in this video from when Union Pacific 4014 recently appeared in Kearney, Nebraska. As a reporter attempted to climb into the locomotive as part of a media tour, he lost his grip – and fell back-first onto the gravelly ballast below.
The video here is cued up to the accident.
This is not a joke. This is not some goofy foamer trying to climb aboard Big Boy for a souvenir.
This was an invited guest who lost his grip and fell back-first onto hard ground. The man suffered a fractured spine in the fall.
So even in the best of situations … something terrible can happen. It’s not worth damaging your equipment – or your skeletal system – to get a photo. And NEVER photograph while standing on railroad tracks. You can’t hear a train behind you, and you’re not fast enough to jump off the tracks should something happen.
Just another thing to keep in mind as I prepare for next week.
This is not a joke. This is a massive train that weighs more than some buildings.
And the only thing I want from it are some fantastic photos and great memories.
I don’t need medical bills or broken bones.
Chuck The Writer 
I have often wondered how people get ‘accidentally’ hit by a train. The things are HUGE, they make a lot of noise, you can tell they’re coming from miles away, and they only run on tracks. But it still happens it seems. Falling off while climbing on seems so much more likely by comparison.
LikeLike