Idiot enthusiast - near miss at Thurston in Suffolk (video)

[whole diary]

[JayMac]

Not really 'Lighter Side.' More a case of 'Jaw-droppingly Stupid Side.'

Take a look at this idiot photter who comes very close to being a Class 170 hood ornament:

For video Click Here

Dishonourable mention for the numpty holding his tripod over the platform edge.

And for an idea of just how close this guy came to being another statistic here's a screen cap:



EDIT NOTE: youtube url changed as original upload is no longer available.

[eightf48544]

The problem with people like this is that they give the rest of us a bad name and make the authorities want to ban photography on railway property sitng H&S^▸ (Health and Safety) to add to terrorism.

With modern VCRs you don't have to be that close you can get exactly the same effect standing back with a bit of telephoto.

Talking of tripods I've got some video at Stiege (Harz) of an Englishman with his tripod over the track on which the loco is advancing, he hastily pulled it to one side. Being Germany nobody batted an eyelid as we were all wandering all over the tracks. 

Also the other day at Taplow awaiting Bittern some guy plonks his tripod right at the London End of platform 4, admittedly behind the yellow line and not on the ramp which is fenced. Which meant that no-one futher down the platform could get a long shot of Bittern approching without him in the shot.

A motto for all railway photgraphers is shoot from the fence line not
the platform edge! Then every one can get a clear shot. 

[IndustryInsider]

Good to see this has provoked wider coverage in the media:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/suffolk/8682769.stm

Over the years I have seen enthusiasts acting in the most irresponsible and dangerous manner when filming special trains.  Whilst it is true that the vast majority act responsibly, this will hopefully act as a wake-up call to a few idiots.  The man in the clip was incredibly lucky - I hope he realises that fact!

[Chris from Nailsea]

Coverage from 'The Sun' is rather more caustic:

COPS are keen to speak to a dozy trainspotter who was nearly run down by an express train.

British Transport Police have issued a safety warning to trainspotters and said they wanted to offer "words of advice" to the railway buff after we revealed footage of his near-death experience yesterday.

 

[JayMac]

So, The Sun revealed the footage on the 13th May did they? Funny how I was watching it on youtube at 1am on 12th May....

[Worcester_Passenger]

And it's now made it to the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) website, at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8683750.stm.

[RichieG]

I've come across rude enthusiasts too... I remember one time at Exeter St Ds when an HST^▸ (High Speed Train) pulled into the platform, and it was quite some time for the doors to be unlocked for whatever reason; somebody was trying to open one of the doors, tried the handle a couple of times, and an onlooking enthusiast said with (to what seemed to me) an obvious 'holier than thou' sneer that they had to wait for the light to come on before they could open the door. Kind of p'd me off a bit that when a bit of politeness would've been nice. As an enthuiast myself (though as a regular traveller on that occasion), I just hope that other people witnessing that (both) event(s) don't tarr us all with the same brush...

[Chris from Nailsea]

Hmm. 

I'll confess to having had a 'senior moment' one evening on a 158 arriving at Nailsea & Backwell: standing in the doorway, I jabbed the button repeatedly when the light appeared - but nothing happened.

A very polite young lady standing behind me then gently pointed out that I was pressing the 'close door' button. 

[Ollie]

Hmm. 

I'll confess to having had a 'senior moment' one evening on a 158 arriving at Nailsea & Backwell: standing in the doorway, I jabbed the button repeatedly when the light appeared - but nothing happened.

A very polite young lady standing behind me then gently pointed out that I was pressing the 'close door' button. 

I've done that on a Heathrow Express train

[johoare]

Don't worry Chris I've done that too on a packed train at Maidenhead so lots of people got to witness it 

[Adrian the Rock]

This one was well hairy: 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8683750.stm

[Chris from Nailsea]

Erm ... thanks, Adrian the Rock, but it's already been discussed in some detail at http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=6742.0 

[grahame]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page)

"A railway enthusiast has had a lucky escape after narrowly avoiding an express train travelling at around 70 miles per hour."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/8683750.stm

[JayMac]

Interesting that that video has made it back into the top 10 'most watched' on the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) News website. Currently at number 2.

It is from 2^ years ago. 

The video at number 3 is from 3 years ago!!!

I think someone has been having fun at the BBC's expense, linking to these videos. And now we're adding to the view count.

[Chris from Nailsea]

As this particular video clip keeps being mentioned, I've now taken the opportunity to merge three topics on the forum into this one here - purely in the interests of tidying up, obviously.