How do I find train schedules for cargo trains?

[Alexwantstodie]

So I've decided that jumping in front of an automated cargo train would be a good method, and I need help figuring when the train will pass because it's not very often. I live in America, and the south. I know of a good rail next to my house.

 

[faust]

I am mentally ill myself and would not like to make a train driver mentally ill too.
PTSD is not an easy thing and this person may live with it all their life.
I think it would be better for you to check the "bus timetable" in Resources.

 

[toomuchtimetodie]

I will be using a high speed train myself, im in the UK and thought the industrial trains carrying coal etc would've been more convenient but they don't pass at a certified time... But this is in the UK.

 

[Sslsh]

I hope you dont "Jump" in front of a train. The most painless and least gory way to go would be to put your neck on one of the tracks,

 

[GoodPersonEffed]

I'm not sure how to access this info since it's for private rather than public use. If you're not in a hurry and/or are determined this is your choice regardless of availability of the information, you could keep a log of when automated cargo trains pass to determine if there's any predictability.

 

[MyStateKilledMe]

The first course of action is to find out which railroad owns the line you plan to use. Most crossings have a utility box with that railroad's name and contact information. For example, Union Pacific, one of the largest US railroads. Unlike passenger railroads, freight railroads usually don't publish their schedules. It doesn't hurt to check their website. But if you happen to see the gates come down and a freight train at a crossing near you at a specific time, see if the train comes at the same time each day; it usually does. (For Amtrak or commuter railroads, the schedules are available on their respective websites.)

That said, I'm against CTB'ing by train. You're forcing that driver to be an instrument of your death against his will. At best, you'll ruin his day; at worst, you'll give him lifetime PTSD. That's as wrong as forcefully keeping someone alive against their will.

 

[Living sucks]

That's as wrong as forcefully keeping someone alive against their will.

Agreed! Best analogy yet

 

[last_tour]

This reminds me of the time when I was going to go 'train hopping' across Canada and I researched + gathered so many notes but like everything else I do it never came into fruition.

From what I remember they don't have a schedules like passanger trains, and move out whenever they get called.

 

[TheGoodGuy]

Train decapitation is much more reliable, I have seen dozens of videos of people cut in half because they jumped in front of a train it´s to unpredictable.

 

[BPD Barbie]

I am mentally ill myself and would not like to make a train driver mentally ill too.
PTSD is not an easy thing and this person may live with it all their life.
I think it would be better for you to check the "bus timetable" in Resources.

This. I am a survivor of a train crash in the UK back in 2004 when someone committed suicide on the tracks. The train derailed, killed many, injured more and scarred some people for life. I implore you to look at other methods.

 

[faust]

This. I am a survivor of a train crash in the UK back in 2004 when someone committed suicide on the tracks. The train derailed, killed many, injured more and scarred some people for life. I implore you to look at other methods.

Even more scary is if these things will be seen by kids. They may never be same again.

 

[darkhorse256]

I personally would not go with a method that involves hurting another human being (mentally). I'm already feeling so horrible, I would not want someone else to feel guilty because they "killed" me when I intended for that to happen. They'd live with so much guilt and I don't think I could do that to someone else.

 

[Cloudy]

Maybe I'm being thick, but doesn't automated mean driverless?
I thought that's what the OP meant when they mentioned "automated cargo trains", but I can't find anything about driverless trains being implemented yet in the USA (while there are cases in the EU).

 

[MyStateKilledMe]

Maybe I'm being thick, but doesn't automated mean driverless?
I thought that's what the OP meant when they mentioned "automated cargo trains", but I can't find anything about driverless trains being implemented yet in the USA (while there are cases in the EU).

You may be thinking positive train control (PTC). It works similarly to GPS, by calculating distances between trains by computer, and automatically stopping a train if it gets too close to the train in front of it, in case the driver fails to do so. Basically, PTC forces trains to practice social distancing. It's not designed to stop a train if a person or an animal darts onto the tracks right in front of it, or jumps onto the tracks from a overpass in front of it. While PTC is an American system, I'm sure Europe's driverless trains have something similar in place.

 

[Cloudy]

You may be thinking positive train control (PTC). It works similarly to GPS, by calculating distances between trains by computer, and automatically stopping a train if it gets too close to the train in front of it, in case the driver fails to do so. Basically, PTC forces trains to practice social distancing. It's not designed to stop a train if a person or an animal darts onto the tracks right in front of it, or jumps onto the tracks from a overpass in front of it. While PTC is an American system, I'm sure Europe's driverless trains have something similar in place.

Thanks for the explanation, but I meant driverless trains as in trains that don't have a driver which I thought was what the OP meant because it wouldn't traumatise the driver. The DLR in London is an example, nobody drives it, it's automated, while this article talks about driverless freight trains working in Australia, but not been implemented yet in the USA. I guess I answered my own question, but I still wonder what Alex meant with "automated cargo trains"

 

[Remember to forget]

I have thought of this many times. I know it's awful but it does seem so easy to just walk out while the train is heading towards you. No real planning, just done but as many others have said I hate to think of the trauma I could cause. To be honest I think I would still do it though if I couldn't take anymore.

 

[MyStateKilledMe]

Thanks for the explanation, but I meant driverless trains as in trains that don't have a driver which I thought was what the OP meant because it wouldn't traumatise the driver. The DLR in London is an example, nobody drives it, it's automated, while this article talks about driverless freight trains working in Australia, but not been implemented yet in the USA. I guess I answered my own question, but I still wonder what Alex meant with "automated cargo trains"

To my knowledge, there are no major railroads in the US that use automated, driverless trains. (The US focuses much of its commercial transport on trucks, rather than trains.) Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) doesn't allow automated trains. Only a few public transit railroads in US cities are like that, like the People-Mover in Detroit. So if you CTB by train, there will be a driver in the locomotive or the head car. (The People-Mover and other light rail trains are too light to act as an effective CTB tool.) And he will feel responsible, even if you CTB'ed on your own accord. He doesn't want to be your bus; he just wants to put in his 8 hours, collect his paycheck, go home, and have sex with his wife. Forcing him to act as your bus is as morally wrong as for a pro-lifer to put you in restraints. Although, someone who's really desperate to CTB might not care, where I rest my case.

I have thought of this many times. I know it's awful but it does seem so easy to just walk out while the train is heading towards you. No real planning, just done but as many others have said I hate to think of the trauma I could cause. To be honest I think I would still do it though if I couldn't take anymore.

Yes, I agree: CTB'ing by train is one of the easiest ways to do it. But you're going to traumatize the driver for no good reason. Although, if a rail line runs in an open-cut trench, falling onto the tracks from an overpass at least gives the driver plausible deniability.