Tuesday, September 30, 2014

What's it Like to Lie on the Tracks and Watch a Train Go Over Your Head at 75 Miles an Hour?

What's it like be beneath a train when it passes over your head at 75 miles an hour? Watch this video and find out. If you're impatient, skip to the 56 second mark.

(On a railroad forum, someone disputes whether the train is actually going 75 miles an hour. No matter; it's fast.)

As it turns out, this isn't the only train-passing-over-your-head video on the Web. There are others, like this one of a Norfolk Southern train going slowly over the camera. It gives you a chance to appreciate the wheels and the underbody detail in a way that the first video doesn't. Skip to the 3:26 mark to enjoy the show.

You can also enjoy this bottom view of a CPR train passing overhead. It's a little faster than the NS one, but the video is short--just 31 seconds.

Earlier I posted about drones taking great video of trains from above; now it's GoPro and other cameras taking interesting footage from below. From above or below, railfan photographers have got you, and trains, covered.

Note: I am not condoning unsafe behaviour around railway tracks. I am just pointing to videos that show an unusual point of view. 


  1. Publicly posting proof of trespassing on a railway right-of-way shortly before a train arrives is not good railfanning etiquette in my opinion and extremely dangerous. This sets a bad example for young railfans and the public in general.

    The more people do stuff like this, the more the railways, train crews and railroad police will look at "train enthusiasts" with a jaundiced eye.

    Operation Lifesaver recently released an info package targeting railfans. Videos like these are proof that a lot of enthusiasts could use a refresher.


    My 2 cents.


  2. Thanks, BA.....too many fools out there causing trouble for the rest of us with bad behavior.