What a moron...

[370001]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-second-high-speed-train-hurtles-through.html

It's idiots like this that cause chaos for thousands of people...

Interesting point in the article... "engines thundering" :roll: ...

Jaw-dropping moment man runs across railway crossing fractions of a second before high-speed train hurtles through

This is the terrifying moment a pedestrian leapt over the barriers of a level crossing and came within inches of being struck by Britain's fastest train.

Drivers watched in horror as the man, believed to be 61, hopped over the barrier as the 140pmh Japanese-built Javelin train approached at high speed.

Astonishingly, the man fell over in the middle of the track but managed to pull himself to his feet and escape the thundering engine with just inches to spare.

A series of heart-stopping pictures captured the man running across the track as a terrified railworker shouts at him to stop.

After avoiding the train the man, who was frozen with fear, was hauled over the barrier by Laura Robinson, who was waiting with her two children.


The shocking moment was captured on camera by photographer Steve Crispe, 52, who was waiting in the traffic leading to the crossing.

He said today: 'I was just sitting in the traffic and all of a sudden this guy runs past my car.


'I knew what he was going to do, he just ran straight up to the barrier and jumped over it, but as he did so he fell over in the middle of the track.

 

[The Ham]

There is a pedestrian bridge just to side of the crossing, which wouldn't have taken that much more time to cross than it would have taken to climb over the barriers!

https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=Gi...UlnBBcKvbXmUds2qmgiyow&cbp=12,166.62,,0,10.61

I lost count of the number of comments which make reference to him being an idiot!

 

[Crossover]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...-second-high-speed-train-hurtles-through.html

It's idiots like this that cause chaos for 000's of people...

Interesting point in the article... "engines thundering" :roll: ...

Idiot indeed.

Another interesting point "train tower" (i.e. signalbox)

Also, I wonder how many will suggest this train was travelling at 140mph (having read they can do it up to that)

 

[Temple Meads]

Idiot indeed.

Another interesting point "train tower" (i.e. signalbox)

Also, I wonder how many will suggest this train was travelling at 140mph (having read they can do it up to that)

Damn, I was just going to make a post almost exactly the same as yours :P

 

[CC 72100]

Idiot indeed.

Another interesting point "train tower" (i.e. signalbox)

Also, I wonder how many will suggest this train was travelling at 140mph (having read they can do it up to that)

I also was intrigued by the 'train tower' and the thought of the Javelin doing max speed across the crossing!

Edit: I'm well behind, 2 of you have said what I was going to. Must be quicker in future :P

 

[LNW-GW Joint]

Speed limit through Gillingham is 60mph, which no doubt every type of passenger train does on that stretch.
Level crossings on HS1 would be fun, though.

 

[Geezertronic]

What an idiot. Despite almost making himself a statistic, he risked making the lives of the many people involved in such an incident a misery. I hope he is dealt with accordingly...

 

[Donny Dave]

To add to that moron, there's another as buses are replacing trains between Wigan and Southport. Exact tweets from Northern ....

EW: Buses replace trains between Wigan Wallgate and Southport until further notice. A problem is currently ... http://goo.gl/8AULL #fb

serious act car driver crossed level crossing with barriers coming down, train driver applied emergancy and stopped in time, no movement

replacement transport arranged to call all stations no time scale replacement driver enroute to assist.

 

[Rick1984]

Some great captions under the pictures. "woosh" for instance.

 

[GB]

To add to that moron, there's another as buses are replacing trains between Wigan and Southport. Exact tweets from Northern ....

On this occasion the vehicle driver was not at fault and is the innocent party.

 

[aspierail]

What an idiot he has clearly lost the plot.

 

[Cliveblackpool]

What an idiot. Despite almost making himself a statistic, he risked making the lives of the many people involved in such an incident a misery. I hope he is dealt with accordingly...

He came so close to the ultimate punishment, and creating a scene like from a horror movie, which could have given people there nightmares for years to come.
The train tower* controller's (signalman!) heart probably missed several beats.
*Where do they find these journos!!

 

[John55]

What an idiot. Despite almost making himself a statistic, he risked making the lives of the many people involved in such an incident a misery. I hope he is dealt with accordingly...

The last line of the article was;

"Following the incident a 61-year-old man from Gillingham was detained under the Mental Health Act by Kent Police."

 

[jopsuk]

buried there. Nice. Anyone else want to call someone that's potentially quite badly mentally ill (there's a fairly high threshold for detention under that act, rather than detaining for for trespass on the railways) an idiot?

 

[Monty]

The last line of the article was;

"Following the incident a 61-year-old man from Gillingham was detained under the Mental Health Act by Kent Police."

Sounds about right, you have to be bark raving to jump over a barrier and try to out run a train. I would expect this kind of idiotic behaviour from teenagers not a man in his sixties! :roll:

 

[Skimble19]

I wouldn't normally say it, but for the daily mail that article wasn't too bad.. The only daft bits were quotes I.e. the train tower.

As for the man, hopefully he'll be dealt with and not just released. He's a risk to everyone, especially himself.

 

[tsr]

buried there. Nice. Anyone else want to call someone that's potentially quite badly mentally ill (there's a fairly high threshold for detention under that act, rather than detaining for for trespass on the railways) an idiot?

I see what you mean, but I feel I should point out that being mentally ill does not necessarily prevent you from also being able to behave like an idiot (aside from any illness), and does not remove responsibility for your actions in all circumstances!

 

[jopsuk]

Indeed, but hey, snap judgements and all

 

[merlodlliw]

I wouldn't normally say it, but for the daily mail that article wasn't too bad.. The only daft bits were quotes I.e. the train tower.

As for the man, hopefully he'll be dealt with and not just released. He's a risk to everyone, especially himself.

Signal boxes/centres have differing names, on the first day of Dublin area rapid transit(DART), me & colleagues used the free service from Dun Laoghaire to Bray & then back to Connolly etc , the driver was constantly in touch with Dublin Tower(not realising the train PA was switched on). I just mention this after a wonderful day out on the then Dart network,total cost not a penny.


Bob

 

[Cherry_Picker]

Also, I wonder how many will suggest this train was travelling at 140mph (having read they can do it up to that)

What is the line speed over the crossing out of interest? I know of 100mph crossings and I presume they arent the highest on the network.

 

[Darandio]

What is the line speed over the crossing out of interest? I know of 100mph crossings and I presume they arent the highest on the network.

I read earlier in the thread that the limit was 60mph there. In terms of the latter......

Hett Crossing on the ECML is 120mph on the down fast, although granted they are slowing for the 100mph limit just metres down the line.

I'm sure there will be some at 125mph though.

 

[Oswyntail]

"Train tower" is quite a reasonable description, if you don't know the term "signal box". Like an airport "Control Tower", it is a towering structure that controls trains. [Unlike "signal box", which is not really a box, and doesn't contain signals]

 

[DiscoStu]

Bell end.

 

[Wyvern]

Bell end.

I've never heard signal boxes called that.

 

[user15681]

Speed limit through Gillingham is 60mph, which no doubt every type of passenger train does on that stretch.
Level crossings on HS1 would be fun, though.

Not that it lessens the severity of the incident, but that level crossing is only about 300 meters from the station, so I imagine the train would be doing less on approach to the platform. A very, very close miss though. Hope the driver was okay, must have been terrifying.

 

[DiscoStu]

I've never heard signal boxes called that.

You have now.

I think it would be hilarious if everybody used the word bell end instead of signal box.

 

[krisk]

Makes you wonder what he was thinking?

 

[HSTEd]

I still can't believe the man called it a "train tower".....

As for this guy, it turned out he is probably mentally ill, which solves the "why".

 

[GB]

I still can't believe the man called it a "train tower".....

Why? As someone has already said further up the thread, not everyone in the country is aware of the word "signal box".

 

[MCR247]

I read earlier in the thread that the limit was 60mph there. In terms of the latter......

Hett Crossing on the ECML is 120mph on the down fast, although granted they are slowing for the 100mph limit just metres down the line.

I'm sure there will be some at 125mph though.

What about that one north of Peterborough where the Stamford line splits away