Quote:
Originally Posted by dfc99
Growing up there was a decrepit but active freight railroad line near my house in Brooklyn. Long freight trains ran a few times a week pulled by two massive electric engines powered by an 11,000 volt overhead catenary. Kids would 'hitch' a ride on the trains and usually jump off at spots where there was a way to exit the right of way and get back home. Some kids were stupid enough to ride on the roofs of the freight cars. In about 1966 a kid from my catholic grade school was electrocuted doing just that. People in the apartment buildings along the tracks near Ocean Parkway called the police but they were unable to stop the train until it got all the way to East New York.
I don't think the trains had two-way radios then and the cops had to light flares on the tracks to stop the trains. The poor kid's first or last name was 'Kenny'. They told us in school how the cops were crying when they told his mother what had happened. But even that didn't stop kids from hitching the trains.
In the early 1970s the overhead wire system was removed because by then very few trains used that line and I guess it didn't pay to maintain the system anymore.
|
Apparently it can still happen. A few years ago some guy got electrocuted in NY after climbing on top of a passenger train for a stunt.
Adults are into a lot of stupid stunts now- selfies on cliff edges, etc.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
