It might seem romantic to walk on train tracks and trestles — those mysterious roads to elsewhere.
But before do, you should know two things: It is always illegal and it can be deadly.
Railroad tracks, trestles (bridges), yards and equipment are private property and walking on them is trespassing. Railroads are very serious about enforcing this and they have to be. Not only is trespassing dangerous, and possibly deadly, to the trespasser but also for railroad personnel.
On the nation's 160,000 miles of track, train trestles or bridges in particular attract nuisance traffic. Some tracks necessarily pass over areas that could be attractive to kids, hunters or fishermen: wooded areas, ponds, rivers or lakes. The problem is it isn't obvious that there is zero clearance for a pedestrian on a trestle, no place to stand except on tracks. The trestle is just wide enough for a train.
In 2015, an Indiana man found that out. He was fishing off a trestle that crosses a river. When the train approached, the teenager, trapped with nowhere to run, was clipped by the train, forcing him to fall more than 60 feet into shallow water. Rescuers were amazed he survived. He suffered compound fractures to his leg and damage to the spleen, according to the Muncie Star Press.
Walking on tracks on the ground is dangerous. Even here there might be precious little clearance. Most people don't realize that a train overhangs the track by 3 feet and standing anywhere in train space is a deadly act.
The only safe place for a pedestrian to be on the tracks is at a designated pedestrian or roadway crossing, and then only for the brief time it takes to cross safely.
In Metro areas crossing tracks is especially dangerous. For one thing, trains can come from either direction, the first train blocking your sight of the second.
Always obey flashing lights. Never try to duck under crossing gates and guardrails. Never try to beat a train on foot or in a car. If there is a tie, the train always wins.
