Stay Off the Tracks
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I was not pleased with Glenn Sides’ photo “Balancing Act” on the front page of Friday’s Pilot (Feb. 15).
In the first place, Ms. Mix was trespassing on private (railroad) property. If a railroad police officer had seen her, he could have reprimanded her or fined her.
Secondly, people should not be encouraged to play or walk on railroad tracks or property. The potential for a serious accident and/or death is very great. Every year hundreds of trespassers are injured or killed by trains in this country.
Thirdly, if it is absolutely necessary to cross the tracks, they should be stepped over, not onto. They are slippery. Ms. Mix could have taken a bad fall.
James H. Stevenson
Pinehurst
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Comments
emb6683 2 months, 3 weeks ago
Charles Darwin had a theory about this.
dogboy 2 months, 3 weeks ago
As a career railroader I agree with Mr. Stevenson. Add ear buds on a person walking on the tracks and you have a recipe for disaster.
bobbylaton 2 months, 3 weeks ago
Picture was totally irresponsible. I am glad others had the same opinion.
doughnuts 2 months, 3 weeks ago
Glenn Sides does a wonderful job taking quality pictures throughout the community and documenting events as they happen. She should get a raise!
geoffcutler 2 months, 3 weeks ago
And just imagine if the girl was cradling a 20 oz. soda and trying to keep her balance on the rail at the same time. Now that really would have been dangerous! Something needs to be done about this.
Courseaire 2 months, 3 weeks ago
Yo Goober, what's that rumbling noise & why are my feet shaking.
The_AnonymusProfit 2 months, 3 weeks ago
This is a joke right?
geoffcutler 2 months, 3 weeks ago
Now that you mention it, maybe the Pilot is having some fun with us. I mean, this can't be real letter, can it? This has got to be a hoax.
Thatcher 2 months, 3 weeks ago
geoff-- I'm afraid that like the issue of Global Warming, Americans have for far too long ignored the perils of "railroad track walking," as vividly captured in this chilling documentary: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7ewsJ.... Don't let yourself become just another statistic. Cheers!
bobbylaton 2 months, 3 weeks ago
I believe I have read of two incidents of persons killed on rail roads in North Carolina this week.
Themis 2 months, 3 weeks ago
I agree with Geoff....Someone needs to call Larry Caddell so he can add an amendment to the county's constitution about walking on railroad tracks. Who of you have never walked down a rail for at least a short bit as a kid? I know I did. We have really hit bottom if this is all we have to worry about in this town!
mickielindsey 2 months, 3 weeks ago
Can someone provide the link to the article that this thread is about. Thanks
bobbylaton 2 months, 3 weeks ago
You don't need to call county commissioners, I believe it against the law to play on the railroad tracks already. Yes, I walked the railroads and played on boxcars but that doesn't mean it was safe. There have been many children killed and maimed while playing on railroads including some here in Moore County. Fun? Yes. Dangerous? Hell Yes! And we don't need a picture of kids playing on an ice covered pond in Moore County.
geoffcutler 2 months, 3 weeks ago
Most kids in my day and before grew up around and on the tracks....exploring, walking for miles, laying pennies down and waiting for the train to come. I know I did, and none of us died. Guess it's a different day now.
clodfelter37 2 months, 3 weeks ago
She was not "walking on the tracks." She was doing her "balancing exercise" as prescribed by her physician. She had train schedule in her hand to know when it was safe.
geoffcutler 2 months, 3 weeks ago
TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED THE 1930's, 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's!!
First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked +/or drank while they were pregnant.
They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can and didn't get tested for diabetes.
Then, after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-based paints.
We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, locks on doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had baseball caps not helmets on our heads. And when we had our sleds, we tied them to the bumper of a car and had a really neat ride as long as you made sure you didn't slide under the car when it stopped.
As infants & children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, no booster seats, no seat belts, no air bags, bald tires and sometimes no brakes.
Riding in the back of a pick- up truck on a warm day was always a special treat.
We drank water from the garden hose and not from a bottle.
We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle & no one actually died from this.
We ate cupcakes, white bread, real butter or lard and bacon. We drank Kool-Aid made with real white sugar. And, we weren't overweight.. WHY? BECAUSE WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING !
We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on.. No one was able to reach us all day. And, we were OKAY.
We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride them down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a few times, we learned to solve the problem.
We did not have Play stations, Nintendo's +/or X-boxes. There were no video games, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVD's, no surround-sound or CD's, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet and no chat rooms. WE HAD FRIENDS …and we went outside and found them!
We fell out of trees, got cut, broke a few bones, teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents.
geoffcutler 2 months, 3 weeks ago
Part 2
We would get spankings with wooden spoons, switches, ping pong paddles, coat hangers or just a bare hand and no one would call child services to report abuse....
We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.
We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up games with sticks and tennis balls and, although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes.
We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door, rang the bell, we just walked in and talked to them.
Our Little League had tryouts. Not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!! The very idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!
These generations have produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever. The past 50 years have been an explosion of innovation and new ideas.
We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned how to deal with it all.
If YOU are one of them, CONGRATULATIONS!
Something my sister emailed me a couple of years ago.Been waiting for a good chance to use it. This is it. (Author Unknown) Apologies to those of you who have already seen this
bobbylaton 2 months, 3 weeks ago
It is hard for me to believe a doctor told his young patient to do balancing exercises on an active rail road track. It is also hard to believe she obtained a schedule of all the passenger and freight trains that use these tracks. For those who haven't heard of children getting killed or maimed while playing on train tracks, you need to wake up. Years ago there was an incident near Jackson Hamlet. Also I have a friend that lost part of both his feet when he was a child playing on railroad tracks. There has been an incident or two in the past few years in Southern Pines where persons were killed on the tracks.
bobbylaton 2 months, 3 weeks ago
Maybe someone at The Pilot could do some research about the safety of children playing on railroad tracks and write an article. Check with the Rail Road owners about the laws. I just don't want to read about some kid getting hit by a train. I believe a person has hit rock bottom if he thinks there anything more important that the safety of our children. Tell me something that is more important.
katimae 2 months, 3 weeks ago
Thanks Geoff. Things have gotten quite out of hand. The only thing that would put her in danger is if she suddenly became unconscious. That's why Glenn was there-he was looking out for her! Really people, can we please not make it The Pilot's responsibility to keep people safe? We do remember that people have free will and make their own decisions, right? Has Mr. Stevenson ever been downtown during a family event. Perhaps he should stay away for his own safety. He might have a stroke seeing all the parentally supervised children frolicking on the tracks. I grew up in Southern Pines, and have walked those tracks many times, even placing a coin or two for flattening. Let's just let this litigious super-safe society of ours take a chill pill. People should be out living, instead of trying not to die.