Eastern Railroad Discussion > Recipe for Disaster - Beer and Trains

Separate 100+ beer drinkers from their cars by a busy double-track, high speed railroad with no reasonable pedestrian crossing and that's what is concocted.  Every summer, and especially on sunny holidays, Tim's Rivershore Restaurant  in Woodbridge, VA attracts partygoers in droves as they come by boat and car.  As you can see in these aerials taken on Sunday afternoon, the popular watering hole is squeezed between the CSX (former RF&P) main and the Potomac River.  Parking is at a premium so all "overflow" parking is across the tracks.

1. This north-looking view shows a crossing at the bottom of the picture.  Clearing and grading has just begun for construction of a third track in the vicinity, a CSX requirement before a new VRE commuter station is built just out of the picture at the top.

2.  A closer look shows the many cars parked directly across the tracks from the restaurant as well as a "party barge" rounding up and delivering boaters.

3.  Northbound Amtrak 80 (Carolinian) passes by at 70 mph around 3:50 pm. 

 

---

---

---

And accidents yet?

Looks like a fun place to be!

So let's stop the trains from running...after all, they were there first! 

hazegray Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> So let's stop the trains from running...after all,
> they were there first! 

It's the railroads responsibility to provide safe crossings for where people congregate. And if you didnt know, people were in the area long before the iron horses rode the rails.

Looks like a safe crossing at the bottom of the first photo!
People tend to cross the tracks anywhere they want regardless
of this crossing being there. Too long a walk?

Mike

I have spent many happy hours at Tim's River Shore.  Get a pitcher of beer; a table of steamed crabs (local crabs in Jul - Sep); and then watch the trains go by.

No, don't stare too much at the girls in bikinis......

2720 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Looks like a safe crossing at the bottom of the
> first photo!
> People tend to cross the tracks anywhere they want
> regardless
> of this crossing being there. Too long a walk?
>
> Mike

A sturdy fence might be a desirable addition to the landscape.

How's this place during the week?  Looks like a nice place to enjoy the view as the auto train and various regionals come through

syscom3 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> hazegray Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > So let's stop the trains from running...after
> all,
> > they were there first! 
>
> It's the railroads responsibility to provide safe
> crossings for where people congregate. And if you
> didnt know, people were in the area long before
> the iron horses rode the rails.

tell that to the people along NS's Port Road Branch along the Susquehanna in Md ... for decades, a century no doubt, the locals would take their boats, canoes, rafts over the tracks to the river ... NOT ANYMORE !!! ... NS fought and won (well it really wasn't a fight) ... NS basically DICTATED to the locals paraphrasing "it's our property and you can't cross it ... if you do you'll be ticketed and cited for trespassing" ... so your theory doesn't hold true if the railroad chooses to restrict access across their property and that will change at Tim's with the first injury or god forbid fatatlity and subsequent litigation ...

what's the speed limit through that area ???

Tim's website has the location in Dumfries,Va just north of Woodbridge

1510 Cherry Hill Rd, Dumfries, VA 22026


https://www.google.com/maps/place/Tim's+Rivershore+Restaurant+and+Crabhouse,+1510+Cherry+Hill+Rd,+Dumfries,+VA+22026/@38.5694705,-77.2624142,20z/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x89b6fee8397ee9bd:0x670e820cdaea00a5?hl=en

Posted from Android



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/25/15 15:11 by Out_Of_Service.

Thanks CINDER for your photos as they are always great views.
Even if the railroad were to construct fences to keep people from crossing these tracks I guarantee you that someone would cut the fence and take a short cut.  I have seen the fences that Amtrak has constructed along the busy Northeast Corridor where people have cut them and use this area to save walking a couple of blocks to cross the tracks on a bridge.  Many people are just plain lazy and they will risk it all to save a few steps as they do not want to be inconvenienced for any reason.  However if the train were to hit them as they cross the tracks through a cut fence, you know that their families will take legal action.  This is where we are going wrong in our great country.  People, especially youngsters trespass on railroad property, they climb onto railroad equipment in yards, and if these kids fall and get hurt, the parents automatically call an attorney ready to go to court.  Our judges should immediately throw these cases out as these people should have no right to trespass onto the railroad property in the first place.
God Bless America.
John in White Marsh, Maryland

ClubCar Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Thanks CINDER for your photos as they are always
> great views.

yes i appreciate your aerial views each time you post them ...

> Even if the railroad were to construct fences to
> keep people from crossing these tracks I guarantee
> you that someone would cut the fence and take a
> short cut.  I have seen the fences that Amtrak
> has constructed along the busy Northeast Corridor
> where people have cut them and use this area to
> save walking a couple of blocks to cross the
> tracks on a bridge.  Many people are just plain
> lazy and they will risk it all to save a few steps
> as they do not want to be inconvenienced for any
> reason.  However if the train were to hit them as
> they cross the tracks through a cut fence, you
> know that their families will take legal action.
>  This is where we are going wrong in our great
> country.  People, especially youngsters trespass
> on railroad property, they climb onto railroad
> equipment in yards, and if these kids fall and get
> hurt, the parents automatically call an attorney
> ready to go to court.  Our judges should
> immediately throw these cases out as these people
> should have no right to trespass onto the railroad
> property in the first place.
> God Bless America.
> John in White Marsh, Maryland

case in point ... 2 young teenage boys electicuted after climbing on the roof of a boxcar in a then Conrail railyard and came in contact with catenary wire in Lancaster, Pa ... the railroad fought it instead of settling and lost the suit and delved out millions ... and guess what railroad was responsible ... Amtrak ... it was wire no longer used by Conrail but connected to their cat system as part of their grid ... guess what happened next ... the railroad took down the wire ...

Posted from Android

cinder Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Separate 100+ beer drinkers from their cars by a
> busy double-track, high speed railroad with no
> reasonable pedestrian crossing and that's what is
> concocted.

Presumably, the problem your citing is caused by many of these beer drinkers getting sufficiently intoxicated that they are unable to excercise good judgement about crossing the tracks.  If this is the case, then there is also the hazard of intoxicated people are getting into their cars and driving drunk.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/25/15 17:49 by RuleG.

Out_Of_Service Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
(SNIP)
> case in point ... 2 young teenage boys electicuted
> after climbing on the roof of a boxcar in a then
> Conrail railyard and came in contact with catenary
> wire in Lancaster, Pa ... the railroad fought it
> instead of settling and lost the suit and delved
> out millions ... and guess what railroad was
> responsible ... Amtrak ... it was wire no longer
> used by Conrail but connected to their cat system
> as part of their grid ... guess what happened next
> ... the railroad took down the wire ...
>
> Posted from Android

NJ Transit lost a similar case when an intoxicated college age kid decided to climb up to the roof of an electric locomotive and hold on to the upraised pan.

The court held that NJT had not provided sufficient warnings that this could be dangerous, so people had no way to know this could be risky. (slaps head)  The kid was horribly burned, but I think he survived. 
KaChing...

John:

That doesn't happen enough because the judges are beholden to the lawyers.

ClubCar Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Our judges should
> immediately throw these cases out as these people
> should have no right to trespass onto the railroad
> property in the first place.