Whats the minnimum distance you can park from a railroad track?

Question

Whats the minnimum distance you can park from a railroad track?

Answer 1

If you're five or six feet from the butts of the ties, your car will probably be fine. That's as close as you can get, though, and I definitely DON'T recommend it. In most situations, that would also be a very illegal parking job. Remember, when you're that close, any damage that occurs is easily written off as your fault.

Answer 2

4 feet  from tie edge is safe, but the FRA says 7 feet.

Answer 3

on it

Answer 4

I don't believe there is a minimum distance, merely far enough to stay clear of the locomotives' and cars' width clearances.  Highball116's comments, though, are probably the most accurate in terms of how far one should at least stay clear of the right-of-way.

Answer 5

Be very careful, if the train is going over 50 it can suck your car into its sides.  A friend of mine had his truck sucked in while waiting at a crossing with his foot on the brake...he just lost his engine.

Answer 6

Well dare devil, I'd say since most railroad locomotives and cars width extend out to the length of the ties, I'd say by just being observant you wouldn't want to park any closer than the edge of the rock on the sides.

What if there is a car in the train, such as a flatcar that has a wide load on it that comes by and seriously damages or destroys your vehicle. Not to mention if you would happen to be in it at the time of the incident.

I'd say you wouldn't want to be any closer than four or five feet and that's to close even then. If you are sitting at a railroad crossing, you shouldn't be any closer than twenty feet from the nearest rail.

Most laws here in the states I believe say that when at a railroad crossing, you should stay between twenty to fifty feet from the nearest rail cupcake.

Have an exciting day.

Answer 7

"Far enough to not get smashed" is called the "loading gauge".  Everything on the railroad has to be that far from the tracks.  The non-smashed distance.

That's not, however, how far away you should park.  You should park off the right of way.  Off railroad property.

Answer 8

100 feet from center line of tracks. anything within 100 ft is private property. the railroad owns all space within 100' and will tow your car

Answer 9

Far enough that your car doesn't get smashed.

Answer 10

7 to 8 feet away from the edge of the ties

Answer 11

my answer would have to be between 3.0-6.0 meters from the railway land if you're in the country and if you're in the city there is some times fences barricading u from entering the railway land and stopping you from being sucked in front of the train or into it  its like a railway plat form you have to b at least 1 meter away at all times from the train i think that's right and that's coming from a school child {laugh out loud}

thanks Michael H