Foo - Trains, Brains and Acting Like Sheep

Okay, I've always considered cyclists a tribe with above average intelligence in spite of a lot of dissapointing experiences with them. Funny that most of those dissapointments happen during organized events.

Check out these pics. These riders would rather risk life and limb instead of waiting 10 minutes for the train to clear their route.

Pic1 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/tenderisthebridge/1253753958/)
Pic2 (http://flickr.com/photos/shmoovio/1262199044/)
Pic3 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/shmoovio/1262184430/in/photostream/)

Interesting see the herding instincts of a human pack of bikers. Got to love the pic of the parents carrying over their child bike carrier. That's a keeper.

Meh, I've gone around stopped trains before on my bike, and over them when on foot, although never over them with a bike. I fail to see the big deal.

So far on my nearly 100 miles of riding (overall) I've dealt with a few trains, I take it as a point that I can stop, relax, take in whats around me, plan where I want to go exploring next. I haven't had to wait 7 minutes, but I wouldn't mind it... but I would NEVER start climbing over a train. If I want to ride so badly I'll double back for a mile and come back later.

Not a big deal.

Meh, I've gone around stopped trains before on my bike, and over them when on foot, although never over them with a bike. I fail to see the big deal.
With your small children?

HUGE F***ing deal.

#1 The crew up front can't see you, and have no idea a bunch of nit-wits are doing something very illegal.

#2 slack action, when that train moves, It will take up an impressive amount of slack between cars, and do it quickly, that flat car could jump several feet with allmost no warning. Anyone near the end of the car is in serious trouble.

#3 say you are on the car, and the train takes off, and you manage to stay on. Know how often a road freight stops?? Not the local, the manifest freight. Might be 100+ miles before you see the ground again.

This is exactly why Operation Lifesaver exists.

I'll begin by saying that I don't take stupid lessons at railroad crossings, whether a train happens to be around or not.

One classic example I saw happened to be at the end point of a 183 mile trek. After crossing the finish line, hundreds of dead-tired bicyclists dismounted their bikes and went to seek refreshments and rest. Many cyclists left their bikes at the edge of a parking lot where an old railroad spur eventually led to a little-used pier by the sea. I brought my bicycle down into a field where everyone was eating and resting. Thinking that the rail line was disused and abandoned, many cyclists left theri bikes lying on the aging railroad tracks and walked away. The cyclists' reverie was suddenly broken by the sound of an approaching locomotive. The cyclists were able to save their bikes because the train was a slow-moving freight loaded down with cement. Otherwise, their bikes would have been turned into instant scrap metal. Stupid, stupid, stupid...

Looks like Darwin was right…

- Wil