How safe to stick your head out of a window on a train?
Discussion
Obviously, given a certain distance you are at risk of decapitation... but I wonder what the minimum standards are. I quite often stick my head out of the MK3 coaches on the ECML very carefully but I only do this when I know it's safe to - then obviously once the head is sticking out I can monitor obstacles coming up. What I am asking is is there a generalised way of doing this... for example is there always 20cm (or whatever) separation between the window and line side obstacles on UK railways?
Somewhatfoolish said:
Obviously, given a certain distance you are at risk of decapitation... but I wonder what the minimum standards are.
Minimum standards for death by decapitation require a functional primitive cortex (hitherto tasked with maintaining basic life functions) located within the skull to be removed by catastrophic trauma - axe, guillotine, static railway infrastructure, Dave's Insanity Sauce...that sort of thing.By definition, if you make a habit of sticking your head out of railway carriages moving at speed, your *actual* primitive cortex is located next to your rectum, not within the skull - hence, the inevitable decapitation isn't the primary cause of death, but the shock and blood-loss will do the job equally well.
There is a certain required minimum separation, not sure what the figure is but there is room to stick your head out, though sometimes things do come jolly close.
When the Talyllyn first tried to open back in the 19th century they weren't allowed to because some of the bridges were too narrow to achieve the required clearance. Rather than rebuild the bridges they were allowed the bodge solution of slewing the track to one side under the bridges and putting bars on the windows on that side of the carriages.
I'm off to stuff loads and loads of paper down the toilet.
When the Talyllyn first tried to open back in the 19th century they weren't allowed to because some of the bridges were too narrow to achieve the required clearance. Rather than rebuild the bridges they were allowed the bodge solution of slewing the track to one side under the bridges and putting bars on the windows on that side of the carriages.
I'm off to stuff loads and loads of paper down the toilet.
A friend of mine stuck his head out of the window of a train once, after a few minutes he popped his head back in saying it was starting to rain......looking at the beautiful clear sky outside and the chunks of god knows what stuck to his face it was clear that some one had puked out of the window further up the train, and he'd copped a face full! 
eccles said:
A friend of mine stuck his head out of the window of a train once, after a few minutes he popped his head back in saying it was starting to rain......looking at the beautiful clear sky outside and the chunks of god knows what stuck to his face it was clear that some one had puked out of the window further up the train, and he'd copped a face full!
Ah yes, I had a similar experience. The stream of liquid issuing from the side of the loco was not a coolant leak, it was the co-driver having a piss out of the door.eharding old chap, don't knock it until you try it... that said ones eyes begin to water, but I'm sure you've access to flying goggles which should solve that problem. Now you've given me the idea iirc there are no tunnels between peterborough right up to darlington and beyond, so I may be able to do a good hour or two with my head out of the window. Thanks for the idea!
T'aint just other trains you have to worry about. On the Brighton line (a fairly early one so not a lot of clearance for later stock) a dimwit stuck his head out of the left-side window, possibly to see how far ahead the entrance to Clayton tunnel was. Having left it a bit late he found out the hard way when the tunnel mouth decapitated him.
After that 'they' opted for putting bars on all the opening windows.
After that 'they' opted for putting bars on all the opening windows.
In light of the OP's rather silly hobby, I'll recount this. It may, or may not be, an urban myth, but it was told to me as fact...
Surveying of an old tunnel on a line (cannot remember where, I'm sorry) found that the carriages were coming within one inch of the tunnel wall in places. Considering that no train had hit the wall in all the years that the tunnel had been there, and that the engineering tolerances for digging tunnels were greater than an inch, they left it be.
So, keep sticking your head out, and you'll find that tunnel eventually!
Surveying of an old tunnel on a line (cannot remember where, I'm sorry) found that the carriages were coming within one inch of the tunnel wall in places. Considering that no train had hit the wall in all the years that the tunnel had been there, and that the engineering tolerances for digging tunnels were greater than an inch, they left it be.
So, keep sticking your head out, and you'll find that tunnel eventually!
Sounds like 22 inches clearance is what you should have, which is plenty of room. If everyone does their job properly that is;
http://www.cnplus.co.uk/news/firms-fined-240000-fo...
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