TheExmoorBeast
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The video was one from the 1950's or 1960's. I think it was in NY state.
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How close...?
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That is still not an excuse for tresspassing or going past warning signs.
The warning signs were down the ramp. No one passed them.
Broken Viking
On Moderation
After a
If he doesn't though, I'd have no problem satisfying his Death wish...Assuming of course I could persuade FGW to lend me one of their HSTs with an extra pair of 43's (For more power, speed, and especially weight), an industrial size bottle of antiseptic soap, and a Kärcher pressure washer. In any case, the bloke in question would finally find out what being hit by an HST at 165mph would feel like...
hock:
Exactly my point...Those signs are there for everyone's safety. Personally, I'd much rather put up with missing a "good shot" on one day, knowing that I could get it again next time the loco/unit/rake in question is in that location. In extreme circumstances (I.E: A "must have" shot that might be blocked by an adjacent train) I might consider other safe vantage points, including some cunning timetable planning that would mean taking the shot from a window or vestibule of a passing train.
Any idea why the heck some photters insist on putting themselves at grave risk just to get a few holiday snaps? I've taken a few photos in my time that I now treasure (I.E: My collection of photos of 370006) but I would never stop in an unsafe place to take even the briefest of snaps! :eek:
The most dangerous thing I think I've ever done when photting is sticking the camera on my NEC 313 phone out of the side of an HST between Reading and Paddington at about 100mph. Even then I was deliberateley holding the phone in such a way that only the camera was protruding from the train, and I was holding it loose so that should anything have caught the phone, it would've slipped harmlessly out of my hand. Would've meant a lost 'phone, but better that then loss of life!
On a lighter note though, I did have to chuckle at the above video of Tornado (And a well-timed Sprinter!
) passing through Necropolis! Not good for those who were there, I'll admit...But if nothing else, I reckon it'd be a great entry for You've Been Framed! 
Ivo
Established Member
How close? It doesn't even bear thinking about...
As Death says, six inches further on the track and I somehow doubt that we'd have all seen that video...
...and it would have given the anti-enthusiast crowd some serious firepower.
As Death says, six inches further on the track and I somehow doubt that we'd have all seen that video...
...and it would have given the anti-enthusiast crowd some serious firepower.
37401
Established Member
his coat must have been so close to the steps on the doors, could have gone wrong so soon, I think what should have happened is <camera off, slap, "idiot">
Kernowfem
Member
How about getting the picture of him circulated to every railway station in the country, and ban the idiot from ever risking his life and a drivers sanity again?
At least he should be fined. I have a feeling that an incident such has this would not have made him more wise. The desire to get that picture/film seems to over whelm some enthusiasts common sense and manners at times.
You should here the tutting corus you get when making your way safely along a platform in order to see whats coming through. I always try to stand well clear of any lense so as not to interfere with their snapping, but when platforms are full to overflowing in some cases you have no choice to stand where there is a space....
At least he should be fined. I have a feeling that an incident such has this would not have made him more wise. The desire to get that picture/film seems to over whelm some enthusiasts common sense and manners at times.
You should here the tutting corus you get when making your way safely along a platform in order to see whats coming through. I always try to stand well clear of any lense so as not to interfere with their snapping, but when platforms are full to overflowing in some cases you have no choice to stand where there is a space....
If this was circulated this is enough to give the anti enthusiast crowd a worse name than they already have, in my daily driving I see some photters too close to the edge and once at Birmingham Interntional doing 100mph, the said gent was ushered back by the station staff, if this had not happened this would have been a close one, I have seen the trying to photo my train in the cess adjacent to footpath crossings even wearing HV vets and not acknowledging my warnings, I have seen many on platform ramps, so, this is probably not an uncommon incident and it is only a matter of time when someone is going to be killed and if this happens and I am involved either it be myself or one of my colleagues I will send a complaint (demand) to whoever it needs to be sent to ban all photography from station platforms to protect the drivers of an incident. OK, you will reply and say to me "but it is only the minority" however if an incident happens and when it is investigated measures need to be put in place to prevent it happening again so any suggestion would be gratefully accepted on how any of the photters on here would prevent this or a more serious incident happeneing? Total ban on photography is the only option I can see without any cost being involved!
I am amazed the media have't got this already. To be honest i would like to see something done or this addressed. I'm not anti photo/film, but anti where the photo/film is taken.... As a driver i don't want to hear of a tragic incident let alone being involved in one!
Kernowfem
Member
Wouldnt this be akin to closing a whole playground for the sake of one naughty child?
Maybe the answer is to permit ALL railway photography, with all permits carrying a photo ID and address...this way if any incidents occur the persons involved can at least be traced and prosecuted....Just a thought.
Peter Mugridge
Veteran Member
I would like to see those who go out of bounds dealt with quite severely, starting now.
There is quite simply no need to trespass or stand right on the edge of the platform in order to get any picture. Excellent pictures can be taken quite safely. If you cannot get a picture safely, don't take it.
I have taken almost 18,000 photographs in 31 years, the vast majority of them railway ones, and I can assure you that I have not once stepped out of bounds in all that time.
If people who go where they should not are clamped down on, while ensuring at the same time that those who are behaving properly are left alone, the message will get through very quickly indeed.
Permits - I would not object to having a permit myself.
But to be effective they would need to have a passport type picture of the permit holder otherwise people will just pass them around, which defeats the whole point of them. This, combined with the neccessary database of all of them, means there will be some administrative costs involved so then we have to think about what would the cost of a permit be? Will it be on an annual basis? Is there going to be leeway for a permit holder to accompany a non holder on their own responsibility?
And the key point: If a permit holder is banned and their permit removed, how do you stop them getting another one in a false name from a different address? If you cannot prevent this, then again the system would be worthless.
Oh yes... what about all those non-enthusiast passengers taking pictures of themselves at stations? Or the tourists?
It is a subject that needs serious debate, before a trespassing photographer does meet a gristly end.
There is quite simply no need to trespass or stand right on the edge of the platform in order to get any picture. Excellent pictures can be taken quite safely. If you cannot get a picture safely, don't take it.
I have taken almost 18,000 photographs in 31 years, the vast majority of them railway ones, and I can assure you that I have not once stepped out of bounds in all that time.
If people who go where they should not are clamped down on, while ensuring at the same time that those who are behaving properly are left alone, the message will get through very quickly indeed.
Permits - I would not object to having a permit myself.
But to be effective they would need to have a passport type picture of the permit holder otherwise people will just pass them around, which defeats the whole point of them. This, combined with the neccessary database of all of them, means there will be some administrative costs involved so then we have to think about what would the cost of a permit be? Will it be on an annual basis? Is there going to be leeway for a permit holder to accompany a non holder on their own responsibility?
And the key point: If a permit holder is banned and their permit removed, how do you stop them getting another one in a false name from a different address? If you cannot prevent this, then again the system would be worthless.
Oh yes... what about all those non-enthusiast passengers taking pictures of themselves at stations? Or the tourists?
It is a subject that needs serious debate, before a trespassing photographer does meet a gristly end.
Too true. There's also the point that if one or more of those people in the OP's video had been hit then they could cause injury to someone else standing around them. The collateral damage caused by a flying body (plus camera hardware) on a crowded platform could be significant.
In common with most heritage railways, I suspect, we've had a few problems with a minority of lineside photographers at the GCR - some of them had a lineside permit but were acting irresponsibly, and the others were trespassing. Since 'special' hi-vis clothing was introduced for lineside permit holders - 'special' in that they have a little holder for the permit itself, and a unique number printed in large letters on the hi-vis itself - it's been quite noticeable (to me, at least) that behaviour's improved, as those who shouldn't be lineside at all know that there's now an easy way to distinguish them from those who have a permit, and those who have a permit know that there's an easy way for staff to clearly identify and report them if they do put themselves in a silly position. Permits can work then!
In our case, the permit allows them to access almost any part of the GCR lineside (specifically barring a few locations with poor sighting or complex movements) - I'm guessing (hoping!) yours would be limited to public locations? I'd be wary of it for three reasons. Firstly, it'd be difficult to enforce at locations like the one in the video, and it's that sort of location - away from busy stations - where linespeeds tend to be higher. Standing foul of a running line at the end of the platforms at Waterloo's still very dangerous of course, but there's more opportunity for an idiot to get clear at the last minute. There's no way the Driver of that unit would have been able to make use of the details on that chap's permit to report him for his actions! Secondly, I think there's a chance that a minority might take the permit as conveying some sort of authority to stray that little bit further from the public areas of the platform, especially where a crowd without permits has turned out to see a special! Thirdly, it'd possibly make life even more difficult for the spotters on platform ends at busy stations (though admittedly it could work in their favour) without solving the problem of chaps like this one at rural locations. Administration would be complicated too, and surely there'd have to be a small fee to cover that?
I'm a bit disappointed that photographers aren't more "self-policing". It's in their best interests to make sure that they do their best to stop any irreponsible behaviour, yet most seem happy to ignore the actions of others. Whenever I get chance to go for a ride out on the GCR, I still see the odd trespassing photographer standing alongside permit-holding photographers - I know I'd have something to say about it if I paid for something that the next chap enjoyed for free! The same goes for photographers putting themselves in danger - I'd like to think no-one on here would carry on filming if they could see a train rapidly bearing down on one of their "colleagues" from behind, and do no more than quietly squeak in his general direction!
Kernowfem
Member
Indeed..i cant understand why the bloke who filmed this little masterpeice didnt give the bloke some sort of warning....Seems to prove my point about SOME filmers/photographers not caring a sod about what happens as long as they capture something decent....does a man getting killed come under this bracket??
Who's worse, the idiot who filmed it or the moron who put himself in danger in the first place.....you decide!!
Who's worse, the idiot who filmed it or the moron who put himself in danger in the first place.....you decide!!
For me, the chap who filmed it! You don't have to be an irresponsible idiot to put yourself in a dangerous position (though this chap clearly was!); standing and watching potential disaster unfold (over quite a few seconds) without making any serious attempt to avert it is inexcusible...to make light of it by posting it online and suggesting that it wasn't really his fault is even more so. And he wasn't alone in failing to do anything - the pair furthest from the platform saw the approaching train in time to move back in plenty of time themselves, but did nothing (other than exhibit a large coat-shaped red handsignal, of course) to shift the chap in immediate danger.
O L Leigh
Established Member
There were actually the three of them in line to be hit, including the guy filming the incident. Only two of them stepped back from the edge, but one stayed put. That Cl170 wouldn't have needed to have been very much earlier (or the kettle that much later) for all three of them to have been at risk of death.
Mind you, why do they think the driver of the kettle whistled up? What is a train whistle/horn for? He could see the approaching danger, as could everyone else if only they'd thrown a glance in the opposite direction.
O L Leigh
Mind you, why do they think the driver of the kettle whistled up? What is a train whistle/horn for? He could see the approaching danger, as could everyone else if only they'd thrown a glance in the opposite direction.
O L Leigh
Surely the answer is to avoid station shots if possible. Whether it be a train up on the embankment over the other side of the valley or one just over the fence, I always much prefer lineside shots (provided you don't trespass to get them). The Hitchin car park provides a decent low-angle view of the down slow, if you have a lens that fits through the gaps in the palisade fencing. There are some problem areas (people standing on the Dawlish sea wall for instance) but there are miles and miles and miles of railway with low hedges, up on embankments, crossing bridges. Stations always end up crowded and difficult to use.
Confession time. I'll admit to going down ramps once or twice, but always well back from the line and crouching down out of the way of people at the top. However, benches and footbridges are much better for seeing over crowds, and the old signal box at Salisbury was very useful (probably not allowed, but I'm only likely to hurt myself rather than getting splattered over half the station). I have sometimes used the footbridge at Ashford (which I thought was OK for public access at the time - someone put me right eventually). However, only a complete and utter plonker would ever place himself anywhere foul of the loading gauge. Refer them to the Darwin Awards.
Confession time. I'll admit to going down ramps once or twice, but always well back from the line and crouching down out of the way of people at the top. However, benches and footbridges are much better for seeing over crowds, and the old signal box at Salisbury was very useful (probably not allowed, but I'm only likely to hurt myself rather than getting splattered over half the station). I have sometimes used the footbridge at Ashford (which I thought was OK for public access at the time - someone put me right eventually). However, only a complete and utter plonker would ever place himself anywhere foul of the loading gauge. Refer them to the Darwin Awards.
Having seen photographers at Blackburn climbing over signal equipment, down on the track in front of the train, pushing and shoving on the platform edge as well as pushing ME out of the way because I was not taking photo's there is no wonder "trainspotters" get a bad name.
Although to be fair, if any crowd of people were to be trainspotters, these people were it.
The situation they put themselves and others - i.e. me - in on a narrow platform end such as it between P2 and 3 at Blackburn just makes me think that crowds of spotters at stations should be banned.
Although to be fair, if any crowd of people were to be trainspotters, these people were it.
The situation they put themselves and others - i.e. me - in on a narrow platform end such as it between P2 and 3 at Blackburn just makes me think that crowds of spotters at stations should be banned.
Good idea and charge a fee for it, if a kid is killed in a playground due to being hit by a cricket ball say the cricket ball would be banned, if you ban the trains not photograpers anyway so the photters need to be banned, as quoted earlier this is one incident of many happening on a regular basis
Geezertronic
Established Member
I have to say that someone on this forum or someone who views the video must know who the guy is and could report him if they really wanted to. Talk about self policing, his face is clearly obvious and maybe a knock on the door and a kick up the backside at least from the BTP would be more than required in this instance
Kernowfem
Member
Hmmmm, quite possibly the video owner has realised what a berk he is. Now his actions have started to be questioned. I saw some of the remarks made on the video, and they were damning to say the least. Lets hope he feels like the prize idiot he and the 'almost dead' bloke are.
Id love to hear what they'd both have to say about their actions.
Id love to hear what they'd both have to say about their actions.
bluebottle
Member
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It's found a wider audience... http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepag...r-is-just-inches-from-being-hit-by-train.html
"Woo-hoo" does not equal a warning shout, and makes the person who filmed the video as much of an idiot as the guy who nearly got himself killed is.
Kernowfem
Member
I didnt think it would take long.....
However, my main worry is now this: Kid sees video, thinks 'hmmmmmm reckon if he got away with it, i could. Lets make this in to a new chicken game'. Every time i watch it i become more astounded at just how thick some people can really be.
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In that case why dont they use this publicity to find the bloke and prosecute his backside for being stupid, make an example of him. As for the filmer he's just as rediculous. Both are morons.
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Im watching it now. The police are not looking to prosecute the man, but wish to offer some words of advice...great, that'll teach him!!! (although they did use it as the header story).
Reason for edit: a term of phrase being used literally.
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trainfanatic
Member
If somebody had yelled at him to get clear, isn't it your first instinct to move smartly backwards until the brain has digested the perceived threat? The guy is very very lucky to escape with his life.
I've often watched passengers on Platform 1 at Grantham straying too close to the platform edge as a through runner comes through. The drivers don't have a chance.
I've often watched passengers on Platform 1 at Grantham straying too close to the platform edge as a through runner comes through. The drivers don't have a chance.
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