Published by darreng on 02 Jun 2008
Old train surfers never die. Oh, wait…
…there’s probably no such thing as an old train surfer.
I suppose that train surfing has a lot to offer. The high-speed, high voltage and highly illegal activity has, for many years, attracted those with a suicidal disregard for their own safety.
Even if the trains don’t run to schedule all the time here in Melbourne, there’s still a regular supply of trains on which to surf if you were that way inclined.
For good reason, surfing is not made easy on Melbourne trains these days.
Before they were retired, many a train surfer reached the roof of a Hitachi train by simply opening the window and pulling themselves onto the roof.
Often the train surfer climbed out the window in full view of stunned passengers. We presume the designers didn’t envision “train surfing prevention” as an essential component of good train design.
These days it’s probably easier simply to climb onto the roof when the train is at rest in the station. If the cameras don’t catch you, that is.
Please note: We certainly don’t advocate this activity.
The worldwide phenomenon known as train surfing claims many lives each year as foolhardy adventurers catapult themselves headlong into the Darwin awards.
Train surfing is by no means a rarity, nor exclusive to Melbourne. Videos like this one abound on youtube:
There’s even a website where you can buy train surfing-themed apparel to show your support for “The Trainrider” - a German train surfer of doubtful authenticity.
In Melbourne on May the 18th a 20 year old man from Werribbe was found dead atop a train as it arrived at Flinders Street station. His blackened, lifeless hand was still wrapped around the pantograph. Another man was found dead at Heathmont in January after climbing onto the roof of a Melbourne-bound train at Bayswater station.
Try as you might it appears as though you can’t convince Melbourne’s would-be train surfers to find a safer passtime. Despite the frequent deaths, these foolhardy folk still climb aboard and touch the electrified pantograph.
(Perhaps unfortunately) it’s not obvious to the surfers that the entire pantograph assembly is electrified and not just the arm that touches the overhead wires.
