Children and railway tracks.

[LocalHero1953]

The photo posted by Dukatum looks like the track through Sydney Gardens in Bath. This prompts me to declare an interest: as a school boy, a group of us used to hide under one of the bridges shown here, from where you could jump a fence onto the track, and put pennies on the rail for the train to flatten. We were easily entertained, but dangerously.

[chauncey]

It didn't take me long to find this: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...lled-them.html

I stand corrected...was probability due to my interest in the USA stats...my bad.

put pennies on the rail for the train to flatten

Oh yeah, I remember doing that stupid stuff as a kid. That underdeveloped prefrontal cortex plays havoc.

[Shadowman]

The photo posted by Dukatum looks like the track through Sydney Gardens in Bath. This prompts me to declare an interest: as a school boy, a group of us used to hide under one of the bridges shown here, from where you could jump a fence onto the track, and put pennies on the rail for the train to flatten. We were easily entertained, but dangerously.

I think we've all taken our chances on railroad tracks as youngsters; only not with the consent of our parents.

[MrB]

The greatest percentages of accidents involving the injury or death of a child are for those that occur either in the home or on the roads. So if you manage to get them to the railway without incident, the safest course of action would probably be to keep them there.

Cheers.
Philip

[John 2]

....................................On the day, it may have been safe (e.g. if a disused line), but those kids are just too young to appreciate it as a "one time special event" and they were clearly left to play for sometime and be comfortable there.......................

Some kids will undoubtedly understand the difference, some will not and some out of a sense of mischief will break the rules. Why take the risk? We owe our kids more than that.