City (Portsmouth) and State (VA) Codes

Sec. 29-5. - Trespassing on track.

(a)

Any person who goes upon the track of a railroad other than to pass over such track at a public or private crossing or who willfully rides, drives or leads any animal, or contrives for any animal to go on such track except to cross as aforesaid, without the consent of the railroad company or other person operating such road, shall be guilty of a class 4 misdemeanor.

(b)

A second violation of the provisions of this section occurring within two years of the first violation shall be punishable as a class 3 misdemeanor. A third or subsequent violation of the provisions of this section occurring within two years of a second or subsequent violation shall be punishable as a class 1 misdemeanor.

(c)

This section shall not apply to any section of track which has been legally abandoned pursuant to an order of a federal or state agency having jurisdiction over the track and is not being used for railroad service. For purposes of this section, "track" shall mean the rail, ties and ballast of the railroad.

(Code 1973, § 30-10; Code 1988, § 29-10; Ord. No. 1993-52, § 1, 6-22-1993)

Link

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State of VA Code 18.2-159

§ 18.2-159

Trespassing on railroad track.

Any person who goes upon the track of a railroad other than to pass over such road at a public or private crossing, or who willfully rides, drives or leads any animal or contrives for any animal to go on such track except to cross as aforesaid, without the consent of the railroad company or person operating such road, shall be guilty of a Class 4 misdemeanor. A second violation of the provisions of this section occurring within two years of the first violation shall be punishable as a Class 3 misdemeanor. A third or subsequent violation of the provisions of this section occurring within two years of a second or a subsequent violation shall be punishable as a Class 1 misdemeanor. This section shall not apply to any section of track which has been legally abandoned pursuant to an order of a federal or state agency having jurisdiction over the track and is not being used for railroad service.

For purposes of this section, track shall mean the rail, ties, and ballast of the railroad.

Brattleboro: Officials urge safety after Amtrak death

Brattleboro: Officials urge safety after Amtrak death < (click)

Police believe a man was struck by an Amtrak train while trying to cross the railroad bridge over the West River on Sunday, Nov. 1. (photos by Kristopher Radder —Reformer Staff)

Mark Kalina, Jr. on RR Safety

Former Ohio State Student Mark Kalina Jr. talks about the dangers of trespassing on railroad property in this new video for Norfolk Southern.

Norfolk Southern Corp urges everyone to be safe and alert at railroad crossings and to never walk on train tracks. Former Ohio State Student Mark Kalina Jr. talks about the dangers of trespassing on railroad property in this new video for Norfolk Southern. Kalina, who survived a 2012 pedestrian-train incident in Columbus, Ohio, is now a double amputee and national spokesperson for Operation Lifesaver Inc.'s "See Tracks? Think Train!" safety campaign. “Using railroad tracks as a short cut is never worth it,” Kalina said. “Besides being illegal, it can dramatically change - or end - your life." Last year, more than 900 people were injured or killed while trespassing on railroad property throughout the United States, according to Federal Railroad Administration statistics.

Teen hit by train north of DC was taking photos on tracks

Sixteen-year-old John Martin DeReggi Jr. and his girlfriend were being photographed by her twin sister at a picturesque spot in Boyds, a town about 20 miles north of the nation's capital, on Monday afternoon. But they say when the train came through, the girls went in one direction and DeReggi tried to go in the other, but he didn't get out of the way in time.

An adventurous life cut short on the railroad tracks

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/teen-killed-by-train-was-having-photo-taken-near-tracks-with-girlfriend/2015/09/15/d46f761c-5bc3-11e5-b38e-06883aacba64_story.html?tid=sm_tw

Teenage boy killed by Amtrak train near Boyds

http://wjla.com/news/local/teenage-boy-struck-by-amtrak-train-near-boyds-md-pronounced-dead-service-interrupted

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https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/taking-photos-on-train-tracks-a-mistake-you-cant-undo/2015/10/02/99769f94-6218-11e5-9757-e49273f05f65_story.html

https://www.washingtonpost.

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Operation Lifesaver Hashtags # on FB

Operation Lifesaver Hashtags # on FB

A collection of posts on Facebook related to Railroad Safety

 

DERAIL

Derail - or why you should keep a safe distance when railfanning

Rail fan trip to Metairie LA.

https://youtu.be/03Nq632eV6I

July Update

More Tragic News
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https://www.facebook.com/Pianist247/photos/a.345189628838630.87105.138966729460922/1022610221096564/?type=1&theater

or click on the link below.

FB Post by Marcus Stanley

So I'm sitting at a railroad crossing watching a train go by, and after it goes by the lights continue to stay on, and the gates remain down. The man in front of me gets angry after waiting for two minutes with no sign of another passing train and decides to just cross the train tracks anyway. People behind me went around as well, and then 30 seconds later, another train zooms by. I really need your honest answers on this one, because I want to know if it's just me, but would you cross a train track just because you see someone else do it? I sat there and just asked myself a simple question. "Marcus you've survived the impossible in your lifetime by God's grace. Would it be wise to cross this train track?" 😂
The three 3 P's help me all the time 😃 - Pause, Pray, & Ponder
#Food4Thought Marcus Stanley
“You must not follow the crowd in doing wrong."
Exodus 23:2 NLT

 — in Ashland, Virginia.



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Photographer hit and killed by train as he took photos of a model on the tracks

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3175309/Photographer-hit-killed-train-took-photos-model-tracks.html

Christopher O ‘Guinn, 25, died on Thursday after being hit by a northbound train in Fresno as he photographed a model on the tracks 
The northbound train honked its horn but O ‘Guinn didn't hear the train behind him until just before it was going to hit him

'He was truly an amazing person and photographer,' said O’Quinn’s friend Kayla Aguayo

By ALEXANDRA KLAUSNER FOR DAILYMAIL.COM

PUBLISHED: 15:01 EST, 26 July 2015 | UPDATED: 18:34 EST, 26 July 2015

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3175309/Photographer-hit-killed-train-took-photos-model-tracks.html#ixzz3hFfIF46b
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

A photographer was hit and killed by a train on Thursday as he was taking pictures of a model on the tracks.

Christopher O ‘Guinn, 25, a budding artist just starting to make a name for himself in Fresno, didn't hear a train speeding towards him below the Stanislaus overpass until it was too late.

ABC reports that O ‘Guinn was killed instantly after being hit by a northbound train despite the train being warned by the southbound train conductor that there were people in his way.

His broken camera lens still lay scattered on the tracks as of Friday.

Lieutenant Joe Gomez said the southbound 'engineer told the one going northbound, "hey, there are people on the tracks," he started throttling down, actually.'

Gomez said the northbound train honked its horn but O ‘Guinn didn't hear the train behind him until just before it was going to hit him.

O ‘Guinn tried to jump out of harm's way but he was clipped and killed instantly.

'He was truly an amazing person and photographer,' said O’Quinn’s friend Kayla Aguayo.

'It's definitely a hard time right now,' Aguayo said.

'I think it's a hard time for all of us who knew Chris.'

Aguayo said that O ‘Guinn was artistically drawn to the tracks and that his career was just starting to see some momentum.

'Really, just started putting his name on the map here in the valley,' said Phil Perez, a photographer who also knew O ‘Guinn.

'Chris is a talented individual,' Perez added, 'he created beautiful images for everybody to see.'

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Scroll down for more posts on the  Limo / Train wreck in New Paris IN.

http://www.wndu.com/home/headlines/No-one-injured-after-train-hits-limo-in-Elkhart-County-316985041.html

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