[Steve_Seattle1]

When I was a kid, there was a railroad line through north Seattle. (It was turned into a walking/bicycle trail quite a few years ago. The track was active, but not heavily used. It was flanked by an undeveloped area of trees, shrubs, creeks, and ponds, and we used to go on "expeditions" along the track. Once I was startled when a grouse flew up from the underbrush about three feet in front of me. S9ometimes we would do the kid thing and put a penny on the track if we heard a train approaching.

Nobody thought twice about going to the tracks, which passed about three blocks from our house, and we didn't think we were doing anything particularly dangerous because the trains always honked their horns and you knew they were coming. Also, we didn't consider ourselves to be trespassing and I don't recall any signs telling people to keep out.

[T.B. Yoits]

Nobody thought twice about going to the tracks...and we didn't think we were doing anything particularly dangerous because the trains always honked their horns and you knew they were coming. Also, we didn't consider ourselves to be trespassing and I don't recall any signs telling people to keep out.

That's a slow freight line with infrequent trains. The tracks this guy trespassed on are for faster moving passenger trains that run all day long, and several close together during the morning and evening commutes.

[sit-rep]

several years ago, I took my 7 year old son for a walk to the 7 11 across the street. on the way home, we took a little detour and headed for the tracks crossing about 300 yrds from my house. we stopped in the middle of the tracks crossing and looked both ways for a train’s approach but didnt see any. we sat on a log near the sidewalk and finished our ice cream, took one more look down the tracks and turned to walk home... about 20 feet walking away from the tracks, a cop car pulls over and starts reprimanding me about playing near the tracks. I asked... “When you pulled up, did it look like we were playing?” he said he was just responding to a call that there was a guy and a young child lingering at the tracks...

I couldnt fkng believe it!! truth be told I was hoping one would come by to put a quarter on the track!! They smash nice!! But looks like those days were over then...

[higgmeister]

Nobody thought twice about going to the tracks, which passed about three blocks from our house, and we didn't think we were doing anything particularly dangerous because the trains always honked their horns and you knew they were coming. Also, we didn't consider ourselves to be trespassing and I don't recall any signs telling people to keep out.

There is big difference between the railroad track right of way going across the land as opposed to a posted railroad yard with plant, gear and other railway infrastructure.

[MayflowerMadam]

” Also, we didn’t consider ourselves to be trespassing “

Maybe you weren’t trespassing. Maybe those laws were codified later.