The latest issue of the Hawaiian Railway Museum newsletter tells about a pickup truck that tried to cross their tracks but not at a grade crossing, got stuck, burst into flames and was abandoned. The museum had to clean up the mess, including replacing some burned ties.

Something similar happened at my home Minnesota Streetcar Museum this summer. In the middle of the night someone turned left from a grade crossing onto our tracks and bumped along the ties for a few hundred feet before colliding with and flattening a switch stand. Spinning their wheels to back out, they dug up the ballast and caused a leak in our depot garden irrigation line.

Anyone have a similar story to share?

In Pine Bluff, Arkansas, the former Missouri Pacific mainline, also used by the Cotton Belt (all now Union Pacific), operates down the center median of 4th Street. We always had someone on call on Friday and Saturday nights to respond to cars on the tracks, especially about the time the bars closed. One or two calls a weekend was normal.

It was the 4-wheelers and large pickups that were on our tracks through the swamps that were the real problem. They would use our bridges as a shortcut. I can't count the number that wound up in the rivers or swamps down below.

Bart

Happened a lot when I worked for a class 1. Often. ATVs, had them errode the embankment up to the access road so bad had to side dump 3 hoppers. Roadmaster dumped over a keg of roofing nails. Also saw an old Roadmaster stop wait for the four-wheeler to go by and smash the guy with a pick handle up side the head, pick up the ATV and cut every wire and fuel line with his pocket knife.


I had some running everyday on the right of way, I had the electricians fixing a neutral on my high voltage feed. Had the bulls hid their truck between my bucket truck and the electrician. Atv riders came, u got one stopped the bulls came out, detained them. The driver had a warrant, meth and stole .atv..his buddy hanging on copped information on a string of murder and arson so he didn't get get cited for wantant trespass on railroad property

Presented without commentary

https://i.imgur.com/gRfxDFy.jpeg

There's a seemingly endless string of YouTube videos from Ashland, VA showing people turning left onto the tracks instead of 'where they're supposed to go'. The problem is that the crossing is 'bermed down' to ballast level at a sharp angle just off the pavement, so once a car is 'down' it often can't get back 'up' without assistance... and drivers often forget and 'cut the wheel' and get hung up worse.

I would make greater fun of this, but I was driving on a 'dark and stormy night' north on Wells Station Road, where there are inadequate street lights, and turned smartly west onto the ex-L&N main instead of the correct left turn about 30 yards further up. Fortunately did not get the undercarriage hung up, and was able to reverse back onto the crossing.

Just after high school graduation in 1989 a classmate took a date back in the woods at night and tried to cross the tracks in his new Jeep. It got stuck when he tried to cross the tracks. The NYS&W had a stack train come through and took out the jeep.

Afterward the railroad blocked most access to the area with large boulders.

There was the Steamtown incident less than 2 weeks after they opened as a National Park, where they struck the two kids who had gotten an ATV hung up on the tracks.

Oh ashland, I leave VRF for it running in background, at work, and at least once a day it looks like someone makes that wrong turn.

If you thread drift this into 'parking on the track' I'll add my favorite.

We were involved on restarting service on a moribund main line that hadn't been used in a decade. The locals considered it 'abandoned', it certainly was not.

Hirail inspections found a used car lot where they were parking up and even over edge of tie. First visit was friendly enough, but the owner said he could park there and had been for years, the track was abandoned. It very much was not.

Second visit involved a formal letter. Get off the ROW, your vehicles are blocking a track that is going to be restored to service within 30 days'.

Third visit was a notification to the local police to have the vehicles towed away from the track. That didn't happen either.

Final visit was with the Jordan Spreader.

Now, the final visit was worthy of youtube.

Some guy in a produce truck was following a "bus" EB on Woodland Ave. At 40th St. the "bus" turned left. then right and entered a tunnel. The truck followed bouncing and bucking, dumping green peppers on everything. all blamed on the paving until they came to a track switch where Route 10 came in. The truck climbed the 9" girder rail, slammed down on the other side and that was as far as it got as the "bus" continued down the track.

The cars (5 lines; 30 min. street each;) diverted to the 40th St. Elevated station. a work car towed the truck out. There were green peppers in the Trolley Subway for months.

Phil Mulligan

Sometimes one of those truck drivers in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (it happened many times) asked how to get to the center of the City and was told to "Just follow the trolley car".