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Oni Baloney
 |  | Re: Does anyone do train yards?
<Reply # 20 on 5/12/2005 9:52 PM >
|  | | | Posted by Sixmoons
I'm sure if you infiltrated the local trainspotter's club they'd love to reel off info on schedules and where to spot the best trains etc.
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Railfans are great for getting information. They usually have the best intel on train departures and locations, other than the yard workers of course. They're usually really knowledgeable about old-school hobo culture and fun to talk to.
--- oni --- |
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ofberenonehand
   
location:
Minn-e-snow-ta
"Where now is Boromir the Fair? He tarries and I grieve."
| | Re: Does anyone do train yards?
<Reply # 21 on 5/12/2005 11:43 PM >
| | | | Also, watch "Emperor of the North." Everything you'll ever need to know about train hopping. Or at least about being awesome and kicking the shit out of Earnest Borgnine while doing it!
"That's What Government Is For; To Get In A Man's Way" -Mal |
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Explorer Zero
  
| |  | Re: Does anyone do train yards?
<Reply # 22 on 5/12/2005 11:55 PM >
| | | | Posted by ofberenonehand
Also, watch "Emperor of the North." Everything you'll ever need to know about train hopping. Or at least about being awesome and kicking the shit out of Earnest Borgnine while doing it!
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I love that movie. Im going to write A number 1 on a water tower somewhere if I can find it on DVD, Blockbuster and Hollywood dont have it here!
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ofberenonehand
location:
Minn-e-snow-ta
"Where now is Boromir the Fair? He tarries and I grieve."
| | Re: Does anyone do train yards?
<Reply # 23 on 5/13/2005 2:19 AM >
| | | | Posted by 2Xtreme
I love that movie. Im going to write A number 1 on a water tower somewhere if I can find it on DVD, Blockbuster and Hollywood dont have it here!
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I have a crappy VHS dub. The only VHS I actually watch.
"That's What Government Is For; To Get In A Man's Way" -Mal |
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007
Gender: Male
| | Re: Does anyone do train yards?
<Reply # 24 on 5/13/2005 5:30 AM >
| | | | When crossing lines always try to use the ladders on the sides of the train and be ready for sudden movement. Do not cross lines by going underneath trains unless you are 100% that there is no activity going on further down the line in each direction. Scrap yards are sometimes full of interesting work cars,cabooses or old passenger stock to explore.
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Hobbes
location:
Finland
Gender: Male
| | Re: Does anyone do train yards?
<Reply # 25 on 5/14/2005 10:49 AM >
| | | | From my personal experience large trainyards are fairly easy to explore (in the dark).
I've read and heard stories that units like NYPD vandal squad have been observing such places in hope of catching graffiti writers.
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Sparta
Noble Donor
location:
Las Vegas, Nevada
Gender: Male
| |  | Re: Does anyone do train yards?
<Reply # 27 on 5/15/2005 2:55 AM >
| | | | The last location I added the LDB was a train yard actually. It was the first time I ever explored a train yard and it was a lot of fun. I wasn't even expecting ti find it, I kinda found it on accident. Here's the link to the pictures.
http://www.uer.ca/...ow.asp?locid=22714
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Explorer Zero
| | | Re: Does anyone do train yards?
<Reply # 28 on 5/15/2005 4:25 AM >
| | | | Posted by Sparta
The last location I added the LDB was a train yard actually. It was the first time I ever explored a train yard and it was a lot of fun. I wasn't even expecting ti find it, I kinda found it on accident. Here's the link to the pictures.
http://www.uer.ca/...ow.asp?locid=22714
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unfortunately Im not allowed maybe post a couple here?
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AdventureGrime
location:
Chicago, Illinois
Gender: Male
Something original.
| | | Re: Does anyone do train yards?
<Reply # 29 on 5/15/2005 6:07 AM >
| | | | If you feel a need to wander in, don't bring a backpack, and dress as nicely as possible. Bulls are dickheads, and if you get caught you'll probably get grilled by homeland security and/or FBI if you're unlucky enough. You may just get tossed out, but that's a longshot. When a buddy of mine got busted (on her way to hop a freight) she was interrogated by both of the guilty parties mentioned above. You'll also get a court date/fine for trespassing if busted. If it would pose a problem for you, look out for immigration too, they're the assholes driving the green pickups, Bulls are usually in white SUVs. The workers are generally friendly, at least to tramps, I'm not sure about explorers. Check out my newest post in the Other section, it won't help you out, but maybe it'll give you a better reason to visit train yards ;)
Just keep on the D/l and run like fuck or get grilled by the authorities, choice is yours.
~Eric AntiFa
All your neighbours are competitors
Where'd you all go wrong
There never was a mountain to climb |
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djdrew
location:
Raleigh, NC
Gender: Male
-=djdrew=-
| | | Re: Does anyone do train yards?
<Reply # 30 on 5/24/2005 10:49 AM >
| | | | Back when I was a kid *when I didnt know what UE was I use to love playing in the rail yard I have friends down there and I would bring them lunch and they would let me do basically any thing I wanted to a degree (you know what I mean)
-=djdrew=- |
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blue
| | Re: Does anyone do train yards?
<Reply # 31 on 5/30/2005 11:16 PM >
| | | | i've got tons of railroads by my house that dont have fences, or anything blocking them, they're just out there. i like the idea of going on a hike down one of them, chances are they'll lead somewhere. ill just go check google maps to see.
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Engine666
location:
Hamilton, Ohio
Gender: Male
| | | Re: Does anyone do train yards?
<Reply # 32 on 6/2/2005 11:54 PM >
|  | | | Does it count if you work in one?
"May the forces of evil become confused on the way to your house."
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Engine666
location:
Hamilton, Ohio
Gender: Male
| | | Re: Does anyone do train yards?
<Reply # 33 on 6/3/2005 12:05 AM >
| | | | Couple more. Just figuring the picture posting part out so bear with me.
Burnt out shell of a boxcar that'd been converted to a yard office.
"May the forces of evil become confused on the way to your house."
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Engine666
location:
Hamilton, Ohio
Gender: Male
| | | Re: Does anyone do train yards?
<Reply # 34 on 6/5/2005 6:51 PM >
| | | | These are older pre digital (sorry for the bad quality) shots from the exC&O yard at Silver Grove, Ky. At it's peak it employed over 400 people who were shuttled in from the Cincinnati area, had it's own power station, and was pretty much a small town to it's self. Closed in the early 80's with the opening of the more modern Queensgate yard in Cincinnati, we first found it in '84. Hind sight being 20/20, I now wish I'd taken more interior shots. Desks sat with dried up coffee in mugs, lockers hung open with personal belongings, coats hung from hooks like everyone just left in the middle of their shift. This area pretty much sold me on the whole UE thing.
There's nothing left of this yard now. The area flattened and replaced by a dry wall plant which, to the delight of the town's residents, coats their cars and property with a fine white dust. It was fun while it lasted, though!
I'll put a few more up later if anybody wants to see them.
"May the forces of evil become confused on the way to your house."
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PoT.
location:
Vancouver Area, BC
Gender: Male
What? I'm not supposed to be here?
| | Re: Does anyone do train yards?
<Reply # 35 on 6/6/2005 4:24 AM >
| | | | Posted by grit1
I've often wondered what lies inside of those little metal buildings by every intersection of a road and tracks...I surmise that they are full of switching and signalling equipment, because they are by intersections, but I have often wondered what specifically is in there. Anybody ever been in such a building? ~Grit.
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Around here we have some that just handle the train-crossing, but in some areas there are ones that have telecommunications equipment in them. In Canada at any rate, the rail companies started doing their own communications to save money, they figured they've already got to lay cable for some of the crossings and monitoring, so why not lay their own. They had enough land to safely run cable where nobody would ever dig it up too. So, both CN Rail and CP Rail formed a joint communications company called CNCP (not too original now are they?). It later became known as UniTel and then got bought out by AT&T Canada and merged with a numbered Canadian corporation to for AllStream Communications. The ones out here that have the communications equipment usually have a CNCP, UniTel or AT&T Canada sticker on them. I haven't been by any since AllStream was created, but, I would imagine that there may be some with Allstream stickers as well.
I have no clue if any of the shacks in the States have this sort of equipment or connection to a communication company. I would think it would make sense for a communication company to lay trunk-lines along the rail routes anyways.
Cheers!
-PoT
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sean121982
location:
Harrisburg
Gender: Male
| | | Re: Does anyone do train yards?
<Reply # 36 on 7/24/2005 8:22 PM >
| | | | Hi all,
I'm brand new to this forum and saw this one in the archives, and thought I should chime in since I am an avid railfan.
The degree of success you're going to have exploring yards will vary from place to place and railroad to railroad. 2XTREME, from the photo you posted, I'm assuming the yard you tried to get into is owned by Norfolk Southern. NS is an EXTREMELY unfriendly company. Their cops are mostly hardasses and if they catch you on the property it will cost you a few hundred bucks. I heard of a guy who took his son railfanning near Harrisburg, PA and were found on NS property. The cop issued a trespassing citation to BOTH of them. Keep that in mind if you want to explore NS' facilities. Some railroads are much more lax, such as CSX. I've encountered a few of their cops and never had a problem, even when I was trespassing. Smaller railroads are generally much cooler about things, I know of a shortline in New Jersey that allowed a friend and I to walk all over their property and take pictures once we signed a waiver.
Trying to get into an intermodal (that's the term for carrying trailers/containers on railcars) terminal is not a wise idea. They are always going to have more security than your regular yard. EVERYTHING we get from overseas arrives in those containers, so they're a good target for thieves. There was a group in North Jersey a few years ago who stole several million dollars worth of goodies from boxes in an intermodal yard. People even try to break into them on moving trains. Couple that with the new "homeland security" program and a out-of-place person on the facility is going to be met with some sort of response.
On the subject of security, it has seemed that major cities are generally more uptight about things. I just graduated college here in Pittsburgh, and I have NEVER had someone question me for being around rail lines. My hometown of Philadelphia is a different story. I know several people who have been questioned/detained for taking pictures of trains and industrial facilities, and it also happened to me a few weeks ago when I was out there. Washington D.C. has been trying to ban the rail routing of hazmats through the city, and is installing some surveillance cameras along a stretch of track in the wake of the recent London attacks.
On the subject of railroad cops: in the state of PA, they're commissioned by the governor. In other words, they have the same authority as a state trooper. I have yet to run into a pissed-off one, thankfully. Then again, I avoid trespassing so as not to piss them off at myself and other railfans.
As far as schedules go, I wouldn't rely on them. Railroads try to keep things on-time, but there's too much that can go wrong. A train will usually be seen within a few hours of a certain time each day, but railroading isn't the sort of operation I would set my watch to. I once heard a dispatcher say "priority trains are only important when it's convenient", referring to stopping one due to congestion further up the line. No matter what, I can't condone hopping trains. Yes, I know there are hazards involved with UE, but if you fall under a moving train, it's "game over, man". Not trying to sound like a pansy, but it's something I wouldn't consider doing.
"And that's when the C.H.U.D.s came at me..." - Homer Simpson |
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rapcw
location:
Antioch, CA
Gender: Male
| | Re: Does anyone do train yards?
<Reply # 37 on 7/25/2005 6:31 AM >
| | | | I explored some railyards in California. They are very interesting to me and I enjoy looking at the different train engine models.
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oh-ten
location:
San Francisco CA
Gender: Male
| | Re: Does anyone do train yards?
<Reply # 38 on 8/12/2005 5:05 AM >
| | | | Posted by David Keetz
i go by my local railyard every day and it seems like i could be able to just waltz in...i have yet to try...
but speaking of railways...i've been wanting to hop a train and ride for a while. But i want to get on one, and then get on another one and come back. Does anybody know how to get a hold of some kind of freight schedule?
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BE EXTRAORDINARILY CAREFUL IF YOU ARE PLANNING TO HOP TRAINS. In addition to getting killed, maimed, decapitated, etc... You can also get trapped INSIDE a boxcar and starve/dehydrate. Railbums carry a "deadman" 2x4 to wedge in the track of the door so if the door should slide, it wont shut all the way. Otherwise you have a good chance of being trapped.
There's an excellent thread on 12oz by someone who's been hopping trains for years. It blew my mind... If anyone is interested in rail safety/the difference between bums and hobos/how to hop trains check it out
http://www.12ozprophet.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=9409&hl=
**ALSO IF YOU ARE GOING TO EXPLORE RR YARDS, KNOW ABOUT "SLACK ACTION" and "THE HUMP" it may just save your life!
http://www.12ozprophet.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=9322
stay safe and good luck
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A Casual Fellow
I don't like UER.
location:
New York City
| | Re: Does anyone do train yards?
<Reply # 39 on 8/14/2005 6:35 PM >
| | | | Didn't see any security/police besides a few cameras in the underground Union Station tracks in Chicago. Pretty easy to sneak around in there, surprised I didn't see much graff besides the scrawling of what seems like a worker.
If you're going to hop trains, easiest way to get on 'em is to go to a yard or wait right outside the yard. Yard has railroad police... the "bulls," but it's not difficult, there's always places to hide. It'll probably be hard to catch a train anywhere else because they'll be running fast, but you might get lucky where there's a signal, or whenever there's construction or work on the tracks they will slow down.
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