He is running, but there is no way he can get out of the way. A train is chasing him down and there are only seconds left to find a solution. He dives down and covers his head with his hands. Just a moment later a long train passes rumbling over his head. He is shaken, but alive. We‘ve seen this scene a number of times in different movies, but is it possible to recreate it in real life? Is it possible to avoid a certain death just by hiding between the railroad tracks?
A lot of railroad tracks are not even big enough to hide a human being. Image credit: Beyond silence via Wikimedia (CC BY-SA 3.0)
The answer to that question is really not that simple. In many cases there isn’t even enough space between the tracks – they may be too small. However, bigger trains ride taller, bigger tracks and those are certainly higher than a man lying down. Then add the fact that wheels of the trains are quite large as well, which makes their axles stay quite some distance away from the tracks, and it all seems probable. However, survival in such situation is actually unlikely.
The bottom portion of the train is certainly not flat. Sometimes there can be various devices on different cars and sometimes there are just some structural parts hanging down. You have to remember that if you know about that gap between the train and the bottom of the tracks, train operators know it too and take advantage of it whenever possible. For example, in some cases the pilot (also known as a cowcatcher, cattle catcher or cow plow) can be mounted quite low to clear debris or snow off of tracks.
But even it is not the main thing that would pose a great threat to a guy hiding between the railroad tracks. Different carts are connected with hydraulic hoses and wires that are used to keep brakes and electric systems functioning. These hoses have heavy metal fittings that usually hang quite low. Hoses must be long in order not to snag or brake, so these heavy metal fittings sometimes hang lower than the top of the tracks. When a train is moving at 90 km/h (or a lot faster) a swift blow from such object would certainly take you out.
Hydraulic lines between train cars are usually hanging pretty low. Image credit: ArnoldReinhold via Wikimedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Even if hydraulic fittings wouldn’t kill you, there is a chance that you would get stuck to the bottom of the train and would be dragged across the tracks for kilometres – that would certainly bring you death. So the answer is yes – it is possible to survive lying under the oncoming train, but it is very unlikely that you could survive that without a major injury.
It is a good idea to stay away from railroad tracks. Just by hanging around such places you are putting yourself in danger. Sometimes trains can be rather quiet and very fast. You may get distracted or simply not notice it coming. So don’t get ideas – it is not worth testing any myths or playing any games anywhere near railroad tracks.
