Record number of under 18s trespassing

[PatB]

Chilling.

 

I guess the fear for us all must be that one of our sons or grandsons will decide that that's the way to show to his mates or a group of girls that he's the most daring in the pack, just as two guys that I went to school with proved their bravery by finishing themselves off in motorcycle crashes, aged c18.

 

I'm with 34C, at least part of the way, in that there is definitely a strand in young male behaviour that society doesn't know what to do with when it doesn't need 'death or glory boys' to send into battle on its behalf, and I'd wager that, if we think carefully, most of us will recall doing 'stupid stuff' in our teens or early twenties.

It's been said that it's better for parents not to know what their teenage children get up to. We'd all die of fright otherwise.

[Steven B]

Crass stupidity isn't confined to teenagers. This was on the BBC News Website today:- https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-44916009

 

The older generations did a good job of trespass related stupidity when Flying Scotsman finished its overhaul:

https://www.networkrailmediacentre.co.uk/news/flying-scotsman-fans-urged-to-stay-safe-during-north-yorkshire-moors-railway-visit#

 

Steven B.

['CHARD]

 

Meanwhile, just what that guy was warned about, yesterday evening (Sat) at Chester-le-Street station (line speed 115 mph, approached northbound on a blind left-hand curve, sighting distance about 10 seconds)

There were two boys, one sat on the platforn edge, the other, 15 y.o. down on the track in the 4 foot.

The platform apparently was crowded with people going out for the evening waiting for their train. None it would seem, tried to warn them to get clear, or failing that alert the railway, or the police who would have done so, to get trains stopped.

Tragically it wastn't their train coming first, but an LNER express. 

 

'There was “significant disruption” to East Coast Mainland services following the incident.'

 

(Chronicle Live)

[Oldddudders]

Even adults have no concept of speed above a certain familiar level.

 

Several decades ago, in the course of a F1 grand prix, a marshal decided to cross the track with a fire extinguisher. He no doubt looked down the track first, saw nothing close. An oncoming car hit him, the fire extinguisher beheading the driver. These are speeds we know nothing about but best beware. 

[Nearholmer]

Very good point.

 

I've been around railways for a fairly long time, but last week it came home to me, all in a very safe way.

 

Was on a slightly curved platform with lots of other people, all nicely behind the yellow line, happened to glance up and saw the top of an approaching pendolino, thought it was the due train pulling in, glanced back down, then it shot past at full line speed, 115mph I think.

 

The eerie thing was that it was effectively totally silent, quieter than the general background noise, which wasn't at all high, and it got from where I glimpsed it, perhaps 100m away, to passing me in 'the bat of an eye' (quick calculation suggest it's was actually 2s, if I've got distance and speed right).

[Ken.W]

Reminds me of an incident about couple of years ago.

Even elder rail enthusiasts you'd think would know better.

 

There'd been quite a number of photographers about, so obviously some sort of special running. I later passed an LMS Pacific coming the other way.

 

At Newark, there was three elder gents lined up along the fence at the platform end; the end one being closer to the platform edge than the yellow line, and intently focused on using an arriving HST in the opposite direction as a practice shot..

 

I spot them from the other end of the platform, however they're totally unaware I'm behind them, or rapidly approaching them at around 120 mph having just started braking for the 100 for the flat crossing...

 

Despite their apparent age, they were rather spritely in jumping clear...

but then again, there's nothing quite as effective as the full blast of an HST air horn at point blank range....

Edited July 23, 2018 by Ken.W

[dvdlcs]

Even adults have no concept of speed above a certain familiar level.

 

Several decades ago, in the course of a F1 grand prix, a marshal decided to cross the track with a fire extinguisher. He no doubt looked down the track first, saw nothing close. An oncoming car hit him, the fire extinguisher beheading the driver. These are speeds we know nothing about but best beware. 

 

Kyalami, sometime in the 1970s, I forget which year. The fire extinguisher was apparently found in the car park behind the main grandstand, seemingly having cleared said grandstand in the process.

 

A car stopped on the opposite side of the track to the pits. Two marshals and an extinguisher went to assist. The second marshal didn't make it, nor did the driver of the car that struck him.

[RJS1977]

Kyalami, sometime in the 1970s, I forget which year. The fire extinguisher was apparently found in the car park behind the main grandstand, seemingly having cleared said grandstand in the process.

 

A car stopped on the opposite side of the track to the pits. Two marshals and an extinguisher went to assist. The second marshal didn't make it, nor did the driver of the car that struck him.

 

Tom Pryce was the driver, 1977.

[luckymucklebackit]

Reminds me of an incident about couple of years ago.

Even elder rail enthusiasts you'd think would know better.

 

There'd been quite a number of photographers about, so obviously some sort of special running. I later passed an LMS Pacific coming the other way.

 

At Newark, there was three elder gents lined up along the fence at the platform end; the end one being closer to the platform edge than the yellow line, and intently focused on using an arriving HST in the opposite direction as a practice shot..

 

I spot them from the other end of the platform, however they're totally unaware I'm behind them, or rapidly approaching them at around 120 mph having just started braking for the 100 for the flat crossing...

 

Despite their apparent age, they were rather spritely in jumping clear...

but then again, there's nothing quite as effective as the full blast of an HST air horn at point blank range....

 

Same thing at Shieldmuir (we were also waiting for a Duchess), I have posted this before but offer no excuses for highlighting these individuals desregard for their safety

 

 

 

Jim

[luckymucklebackit]

Tom Pryce was the driver, 1977.

 

 

There is a gif on line that shows the impact, it is horrific viewing.

 

Jim

[Rugd1022]

Same thing at Shieldmuir (we were also waiting for a Duchess), I have posted this before but offer no excuses for highlighting these individuals desregard for their safety

 

 

Jim

 

Now imagine that scene from the point of view of the Driver on the 90 - he'll see a dark homogenous clump of figures at the end of the platform from a few hundred yards away, but probably didn't see the ar*ewipe crouched down in front of the other one...

[Nearholmer]

is it any wonder railway enthusiasts sometimes get a bad name?!

 

it genuinely is, to quote Mr Meldrew, unbelievable.

[cheesysmith]

I do wonder how much of the youths tresspassing is due to the teenage automatic anti establishment? They have to prove themselves and the more of the high security fencing is put up, the more it is a challenge to be overcome. After all, there was less when all that stopped you was 3 wires strung between concreate posts.

[Reorte]

I do wonder how much of the youths tresspassing is due to the teenage automatic anti establishment? They have to prove themselves and the more of the high security fencing is put up, the more it is a challenge to be overcome. After all, there was less when all that stopped you was 3 wires strung between concreate posts.

Was there less? I'd like to think that fencing has made the problem worse and thus it would be better all around to remove it, but I'm sceptical. The harder you make it to trespass the more of a challenge it'll be to some, but the more casual trespassers it'll deter.

[The Stationmaster]

Was there less? I'd like to think that fencing has made the problem worse and thus it would be better all around to remove it, but I'm sceptical. The harder you make it to trespass the more of a challenge it'll be to some, but the more casual trespassers it'll deter.

 

I'm sure that in the past massive amounts of trespass took place which were simply never recorded, - generally because nobody knew about them.

[Nearholmer]

Yep.

 

That what the point that I was attempting to make a long way back up the thread.

 

Put another way:

 

- trespass has probably gone down in the long run; but,

 

- recorded trespass has gone up since effective recording began.

Edited July 26, 2018 by Nearholmer

[Reorte]

Not all trespass is the same either. It's easy to say "it's all trespass, it's all therefore dangerous" but some is more dangerous than others. You've got those with some common sense but no respect for the rules, you've got those with neither who'll randomly bumble around anywhere oblivious to what's going on, you've got those seeking the biggest "challenge". Any changing nature of trespassing is as important as the numbers and the changing environment they're trespassing in.

[caradoc]

Crass stupidity isn't confined to teenagers. This was on the BBC News Website today:- https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-44916009

 

While changing trains at Warrington Bank Quay this morning the Pretendolino set passed on the Down main line, top and tailed by Class 68s. I would estimate there was no more than a couple of seconds at most between the 'next train does not stop' announcement and the train passing at a fair rate of knots. A child at the platform edge would have been scared out of their wits, if not far worse had they slipped or fell while trying to stand up, if in the same position that this prat allowed the youngster to be.