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Thursday, November 05, 2009
FULLERTON, Calif. — A father and son who were trainwatching died yesterday after being struck by a train, the Los Angeles Times has reported. Virgil Lamphier, 56, and his son, David, 23, both of Fullerton, were hit around 11:15 p.m.
The Fullerton Metrolink station is a common hangout for railfans. The Lamphiers apparently decided to walk along the tracks. BNSF spokeswoman Lena Kent said the train's engineer sounded the horn, but the men were apparently unable to get out of the way in time.
"It looks like they were a couple of guys who liked to go down to see the trains once a week," said Fullerton Police Sgt. Mike MacDonald.
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WHAT were they thinking? Doing? Not doing?
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Rail Fans Killed by Train.............(opps!)
#1
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Posted 05 November 2009 - 06:10 PM
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MultiQuote
#3
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Posted 05 November 2009 - 07:36 PM
rrdude, on Thu, Nov 5, 2009, 06:10 PM, said:
The Lamphiers apparently decided to walk along the tracks.
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WHAT were they ... doing?
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WHAT were they ... doing?
Walking on an active line? And they were railfans?
I had a choice to fly United from PDX-PVD or to "fly" Amtrak - I chose to "fly" Amtrak!
I don't care where the train is going - as long as I'm on it!
Being normal is vastly overrated
I don't care where the train is going - as long as I'm on it!
Being normal is vastly overrated
#4
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Posted 05 November 2009 - 11:55 PM
I transfer buses at Fullerton Station twice a week while coming home from school and sometimes I'll sit on the platform and watch a few Metrolink trains drop off passengers. I'm not as hardcore as these guys though. I occasionally see dudes walking on the right of way or even the track. I really don't understand it.
#5
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Posted 05 November 2009 - 11:58 PM
Another LA Times articles says they were not train watchers.
http://www.latimes.c...al/la-me-tr...0,6186936.story
http://www.latimes.c...al/la-me-tr...0,6186936.story
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Posted 06 November 2009 - 11:43 PM
There are railfans that make our hobby harder for us. These are some of them.
Travelled: Broadway Limited (1), Lake Shore Limited (4), Capitol Limited (4), Empire Builder (1), Southwest Chief (1), Coast Starlight (1), Silver Meteor (5), Silver Star (5), Silver Palm (2), Cardinal (2), Auto Train (4), Pennsylvanian (2), Palmetto (1), Acela Express (1), Empire Service (1), Northeast Regional (7), Keystone Service (1) --- Total Miles: 34,474 --- Total Trains: 43
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Most important: Keep it Simple, Stupid!
Dream of love, dream of me, for you are my love. I love you.
Avatar and sig were done by my fiance, Corvidophile.
#7
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Posted 07 November 2009 - 11:51 AM
Quote
It was like their bonding time ... They'd go out and do that and reconnect. It wasn't to go to the train tracks. It was their space, their time. It had zero to do with the trains themselves.
I guess they really bonded together!
I had a choice to fly United from PDX-PVD or to "fly" Amtrak - I chose to "fly" Amtrak!
I don't care where the train is going - as long as I'm on it!
Being normal is vastly overrated
I don't care where the train is going - as long as I'm on it!
Being normal is vastly overrated
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Posted 08 November 2009 - 01:05 AM
Green Maned Lion, on Fri, Nov 6, 2009, 08:43 PM, said:
There are railfans that make our hobby harder for us. These are some of them.
Uh, GML, they weren't railfans:
Quote
What the two were doing on the tracks is still unclear. Authorities initially speculated that they had been train-spotting. But although many people are fascinated by trains and enjoy watching them roll through town, the Lamphiers weren't among them, said Summer Lamphier, the 27-year-old daughter of the older victim and sister of David Lamphier. She didn't recall them ever mentioning trains.
Rather, she said, the tracks were merely a nearby destination for the pair's weekly nocturnal walks that allowed the men to talk about things both large and small.
"It was like their bonding time," she said Thursday. "They'd go out and do that and reconnect. It wasn't to go to the train tracks. It was their space, their time. It had zero to do with the trains themselves."
Rather, she said, the tracks were merely a nearby destination for the pair's weekly nocturnal walks that allowed the men to talk about things both large and small.
"It was like their bonding time," she said Thursday. "They'd go out and do that and reconnect. It wasn't to go to the train tracks. It was their space, their time. It had zero to do with the trains themselves."
L.A. Times article linked in a prior post
This post has been edited by DET63: 08 November 2009 - 01:06 AM
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