How close is too close to stand by a moving freight train?

Question

I have heard some people say that it can suction you underneath if you stand to close. Is standing by the gate signals too close?

Answer 1

nope mythbusters

but the yellow line on a platform is about 18 inches back of the curb. stay back that far.

stay outside the crossing gates.

Answer 2

If a brake pad happens to fall off I wouldn't want to catch that in my teeth.

Answer 3

Depends a LOT on the speed of the train.  5 MPH, maybe 10 feet.  70 mph, well, 30 feet is too close!

It isn't just air sucking you in, it's debris off the train hitting you... thrown chunks of ballast, junk somebody put on the track bouncing off and hitting you... or as Hoghead will tell you, go to Home Depot and notice how whole pallets of lumber are wrapped by metal straps.  Sometimes straps come loose off flatcar loads, and they'll cut you in half.

So stay out of rock and strap range.   It's kinda like standing under a coconut tree and getting your head cracked open by a falling coconut.  No reason to ever do it, so dying that way is pretty dumb!

Answer 4

I had a neighbor with mental retardation who was fascinated by the trains that would pass in front of his house.  He knew the schedules and never missed a train sighting.  My guess is he was actually Autistic, since this is a huge symptom you see in Autistic kids today. But this guy was born in the 1950s before they knew anything about diagnosing people more accurately.  Anyhow, he would stand in the grass about the same distance from the tracks as the rails would be that come down to protect people from driving on to the tracks while a train is coming.  As far as I know, he's still there every day, unless he had to be institutionalized. His mom passed away a short time ago, and I haven't been down in that neck of the woods for a while.

I've never seen him or anyone else standing that close get "sucked in".  I've had trouble while passing 18-wheelers. Sometimes it feels like I'll be sucked under the truck. My guess is, a fast moving train could do that. But it would have to be going a lot faster than most trains do when they go through towns and cities.

Answer 5

From experience I can tell you that a 'safe distance' is unbelievably close. On a bridge for instance, a 'refuge' is no more than 3 feet from even an express train doing 100 m.p.h.

You will feel the air movement of course, but no you won't get sucked in, so standing by the gate signals is perfectly safe.

Answer 6

it depends on how close the gate is to the train

Answer 7

no, but if the train hits you then thats to close. And then say hello to Darwin for us.

Answer 8

The myth of suction has been busted by scientists (okay, the Mythbusters...still, you saw them do it).

I work with trolleys and I'll get a little too close (like a hair's width) from them. So, don't get that close to the train.

Too close is when you feel the wind coming off of it and it knocks you backwards!

Answer 9

They say like 50 feet away from the tracks.

Answer 10

6 feet if the minumum distince as stated in RR rulebooks.  It is illegal to be on RR property

Answer 11

You should always stand as far away from a moving train as possible. Standing right by the gates is still kinda risky, you never know when a train can jump the tracks.

Answer 12

Rex, ya want to stay back as far as practical.

Though a train can scatter all over h**l at any time or place is one consideration, but there are many more frequent dangers involved.

A shifted load, protruding lumber, something falling off the train or, and the most common, broken metal bands that are used to bind lumber on flat cars.  These break often and they don't have to drag on the ground very far to become razor sharp.  It will cut you in two quicker than a samurai can...

Answer 13

No, because the signal gate is far enough away from the train that A) You should be safe and B) you'll have something to grab onto. My model railroad club has a layout at an old refurbished VRE station in Virginia, and one member mentioned that at about 18 inches, he was getting sucked towards the train. We have some high-speed freights that pass thru, and they can really pull some air! So you should give it about 3 feet to be safe, I'd go no closer. And still brace yourself leaning away some, to be on the safe side. If you REALLY want to be that close.

- The Gremlin Guy -

Answer 14

Rule of thumb for train service folk is an arm span off the rail( hold your arm out with extended fingers, also a good guide for judging clearances of normal width rail cars).

However if you do not work around trains then you should never be that close; ever. But 10 to 12 feet off the track is a good place to start ( and often about the same distance for most crossings I have come across)

And it won't suck you in, but even a fast moving train  can be surprisingly quiet, so keep a good distance and you eyes and ears open when around tracks.