How do you recover something if you've accidently dropped it down to the track level from the platform?
I noticed a $100 bill wedged under the track about midway through Montgomery on the East Bay track this morning as I was walking toward the escalator. My initial instinct was to go get it (who's isn't?) but an arrest didn't sound too appealing to me (and certainly wasn't worth 100 bucks).
But that brings me to a question:
If you lose a hat, article of clothing, whatever down onto the trackway is it gone for good or can you get the SA to recover it for you?
If anyone does maintenance at Montgomery and finds the bill, you owe me a cup of coffee.
I would totally hop down
I would totally hop down there and climb back out for $100. It's not like you can't find a time when you know a train won't come through for at least a few minutes.
Though I suppose if I were
Though I suppose if I were going to leave a fake $100 bill somewhere as a joke then that is definitely where I would put it.
Yup people drop fake money to
Yup people drop fake money to play on the greed of folks.. As for jumping down there, the money would cover about 1/2 the police fine.
What is entertaining is to superglue quarters or dollar coins on the floor under faregates or anywhere it is difficult to stand and work at it. Did it as a teen at Powell, and watched people try to kick it or bend down when the gate was open and get hit in the head.
Call the Agent.
Contact the station agent.
Contact the station agent. I've seen them use grabbing sticks used by the custodians to retrieve cell phones from the track. The agent must arrange train operations even when they don't actually stand on the trackway.
I've watched with some amuzement at Market and 4th when a prankster epoxied a fake American Express gold card on the sidewalk - on a Saturday afternoon.
That's a good way to die. I
That's a good way to die. I remember about 10 years ago, a Navy officer realized he was on the wrong platform and tried crossing the tracks to try and get to the opposite platform. He ended up wedged between the train and the platform, a universally fatal situation.
I think that happens more
I think that happens more than we think, I remember some asian lady tried to get to the other platform at West Oakland, crossed the track and didn't make it.
Darwinism, the weak, mentally and physically, in the animal kingdom shouldn't survive.
How is it "universally
How is it "universally fatal"?
Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't there a crawl space beneath every platform that people can duck into in emergency situations like that?
I know I've seen one at Berkeley, MacArthur, West Oakland, Embarcadero, Civic Center, and every other station I've actively looked at...
Read it again master
Read it again master chief.
He said wedged between the TRAIN AND THE PLATFORM. Considering that there is only 2-3 inches between the train and the platform to begin with, yes that is universally fatal.
The trackway clearance underneath is irrelevant in that situation.
But my point is that he was a
But my point is that he was a fucking idiot for not going into the crawl space that's available on every platform.
So yeah, the platform clearance underneath is totally relevant in that situation since it was readily available for Dipshit McGee to crawl into.
Nobody should ever be on the tracks to begin with, but being on the tracks when a train is arriving is only fatal if you're a dumbass and you try to crawl on the platform instead of getting into the crawl space.
Christmas Eve, a few years
Christmas Eve, a few years back, I had a 10 car commute train that started at Daly City about 5 PM. At the last minute, a group of drunks kicked in the closing door and broke it. We swept the train out of service, and a tech rode in the car with the broken door, attempting to fix it. We left DC about 6 minutes late, delaying everyone else (Dublin, Richmond, Fremont, ...) behind me.
Here's the important part - since my train is now out of service,, it does not show up on the destination sign. All you would see at Balboa is Dublin 6 min, Richmond 8 min, Fremont 10 min - but you won't see "Out of service train in 2 minutes". The platform sign will say "Train won't stop" about 10 seconds before it arrives.
A large (300 pound) Polynesian dude was picking up something from the trackway when I came around the corner. I was about 200 feet from the platform when the signs first displayed "Train won't stop." That dude moved the fastest he ever moved in his life and hand-squat-jump (like a gymnast on a Swedish Box) and got on the platform.
That dude (and you) looked up and saw "Dublin train 6 minutes" and thought he had six minutes. He was wrong, but, fortunately, not dead wrong.
There is a process. See an agent - that's the only safe way.
DC's real time displays show
DC's real time displays show "No Passenger" along with the rest of the arrivals... i.e. Shady Grove 5 min, No Passenger 8 min, Grosvenor 10 min. Might be a good idea to grab from them.
Stay off the tracks, pick up
Stay off the tracks, pick up the white courtesy phone tell the agent, and wait while central stops the line and the agent retrieves what ever it is for you. Anything else is is just asking for a Darwin event.
Wave bye-bye to whatever you
Wave bye-bye to whatever you drop on the 3rd Rail... Who wants to die?
-Chrystal Flanders
http://www.damnyouchrystal.com
I will never understand what
I will never understand what compels an individual to hop down into a track or worse yet, cross a trackway that is powered (1000 volts!) with trains moving through a station. It completely blows my mind. They either have a death wise or are just stupid. Go see the agent, this IS one of their responsibilities, retrieving items dropped in the trackway. The agent just needs to call Central who will stop trains and power down the rail (if needed) and the item in the trackway can be retrieved SAFELY. But please for the safety of yourself and other patrons, don't be stupid.