Charles Darwin's Darwin Awards 
HOME
Darwin Awards
Honorable Mentions
Urban Legends
Personal Accounts
Slush Pile
2006 May Rejects
Would-be Copper Thief Electroc
Loaded rifle as walking stick
The shark may not be dead...
Sever(ly) Faithful
Deadly Recycling
The cutting truth
Two Strikes and You're Out
Man electrocuted
Modern Day Van Gogh
Death by Horse Penetration
Gun Walking Stick
Salem man accidentally shoots
Man accidentally shoots self
Car Crash, Shoots Self
Florida man drowns trying to s
Don't mess with Marines
Man accused of putting baby in
Stupid Teenager Alert
Man shoots self climbing hill
Salem man accidentally shoots,
Salem man accidentally shoots,
Fatal accident: Attempted thef
British Columbia: Man dies try
Man dies making pipe bomb
Shocked while stealing
Man tries to steal live wire
Florida man drowns trying to s
British Columbia: Man dies try
Blazing mouse sets fire
Australian baby 'put in dryer'
Man dies stealing live wires
Man dies trying to steal live
Man dies trying to steal live
A Shocking Left
Live Wire, Dead Thief
Rob a former marine-bad idea
crook swallows drugs
Man dies retrieving toy boat.
Singer's stage death
Singers stage death
Would-be copper thief electroc
Anatomy Lesson
In the Bag.. Well sort of !
Genetic Driving
Man loses life attempting to s
Don't Steal a Live Wire!
Man electrocuted steeling wire
Drunken Rafting
Biker falls over guardrail, di
Sea Swells Numb Skulls
dumb terrorists
Ironic Darwin?
alberto muniz da conceicao
Jap Lane
egg collector
Shocked the Shark bit him
Two Men Lose Hands In Barbecue
Evolution can't stop greed...
Miss Deaf didn't hear train
Chicken with a train
Train kills two teen escapees
Fatal fight began over chicken
TRAIN SURFING IN MELBOURNE, AU
Diver succeeds where many fail
Man dies in fall from copter
Almost A darwin Moment
drug dealer shot himself
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/sect
Taxi?
3 Calif. Teens Burned in Aeros
Gasoline ignites, burns Omaha
Naked Guy Kills Himself
Shot herself in the abdomen
3 Calif. Teens Burned in Aeros
3 Calif. Teens Burned in Aeros
Full Bodied Rum
Cash dispenser blown away
Sleeping To Death
Hanging By A Thread
Wheelie Man
End of The Line
Died of a Broken Heart
Died of a Broken Heart
squirrels and their nuts
Tractor Starter Repair
A Brother's Stupidity
Wheelie on Interstate 87
Color Blind?
Ex-convict wanted in fatal sho
It's wet, it must be water
You forgot Rose, Jack....
Canadian Miners & Rotten Eggs
niwrad award?
Nudist up in flames
Tape Shows Man Fell Overboard
Flaming Socks
Welding a Motorbike
Ipswich Man Dies in Flood
Gas thief accidently sets him
Need for Speed
Paint Thinner Is Flammable?
Paint Thinner-Cigarette Error
Paint Thinner Ain't Water
Potential Darwin -
duck hunters
Cure for the Hiccups
Dangling For Gators
Heads Up (and off...)
Bridge Jumper Jumped
lagos pipeline disaster
lagos pipeline disaster
Ooh..what a photograph!
Skateboard Smash
Magnifying the Sun
Petrol Prank goes wrong
Thieves Get Burned
Lightbulb Basketball
Search on for killer 'gator in
Pipeline blast kills 200
Villagers had gathered as vand
Keep those gas tanks full!
Wrong time, wrong place
Darwin x 200
Pipeline blast rocks area near
200 village idiots
Oregon Man Survives 12 Nails
Fla. Man Killed In Home Explos
Here it comes!
ATV accident leaves man dead
'Small' penis drives teenager
One lucky hedgehog
Meditating woman plummets.
Surfers Suprise
Ditch Drowning
Teen Asked To Be Hit By Car
Fish Drags Man To Death
Man drowns trying to save dog.
Just For Thrills
Trying hard to win a Darwin
Self-Immolation Prank Misfires
killing the pilot
david bland, er, blane. sorry!
a nice place to nap
Adelaide Shop explosion
fatal drift
The Fast andthe Fundamentalist
Man Plummets from 8th-floor Ba
Sounds like fun
Not really guilty
Teenager Runs Over Friend f
Died whilst fasting for Lent
Boy pulled from sand
Christian dies during fast
Flush Money
Student Suicide Scene Injury
Desperately Needs a Hobby
Homebrewed GHB
Australian Army Mention?
Carbon Monoxide Overcomes Man
Power Washer, Glenview, Il
Killer Copy
Electricity Bridge
Human Fireball
Death by virtual sword
Just a joke - it won't ignite
Motorcyclist Dies
Fire death agony after petrol
Flame-Out
Petrol Joke Goes Wrong
Can't hear the train coming...
Explosion victim 'had lighter'
Joker dies in petrol gag
Not for lack of trying.
Crocodile Hunter Wannabe
Boaters were arguing, drinking
Alligator Bites Fla. Real Esta
Alligator bites Tycoon!(idiot)
Insufficient Postage?
Arctic Adventure
Woman runs self over, seriousl
High speed change
"Iron" Rich Nails
Woman’s own car kills her
Woman’s own car kills her at h
Thieves Gas Themselves
What a Platt
Date rape drain cleaner!
Thieves gas themselves in cyan
Thieves gas themselves in cyan
Row row row your boat
Thieves gas themselves in cyan
Gas attack!
One last park in the cemetary
Gas vs. Gambling Den
Thieves gas themselves in cyan
woman dies at husband's grsve
Queens woman killed near husba
Older Rejects 
 
~ Randomizer ~
Newsletter
Gift Shop
Rules  Search
Contact Darwin
Submit a Story
Philosophy Forum
Home

  

Darwin Awards
2006 Slush Pile

This item was recently submitted by a reader.
Should I include it in the archive?
Vote to tell me what *you* think!

TRAIN SURFING IN MELBOURNE, AU

2006 Reader Submission
Pending Acceptance

I remember seeing a news report back in the 90's of not one, but at least 2 separate incidents of the insane sport of train surfing. The first resulted in death and the other the poor sod ended up a paraplegic (if he is still alive).

The so called Art of Train Surfing involves a person climbing up onto the roof of a moving train (just like in the Westerns) and freestyling (that is to say standing up without assistance).

The first incident occurred on the suburban Frankston Line in the southern outer suburb of Chelsea (I think!). The train trip to Frankston from the City takes more than an hour with about 30 odd stops on the way. As you well know, teenagers get easily bored on such trips and a case of dare or double dare could take place.

The suburban trains in Melbourne are fully electric. They run on 650 Volts with a high Amperage. Danger signs are placed everwhere there is a railway track. Our suburban trains have doors at either end of the carriage for emergency access. They are kept unlocked, meaning that boisterous teenagers can move between carriages at will. At the end of each carriage there is an access ladder for the purpose of maintenance on the roof. You can see the dare here right away.

Our hapless daredevil decided to prove once and for all that he could do it. He proceeded to climb up the ladder and onto the roof of the carriage while the train hurtled down the track at about 35 - 40 MPH. The track is a little bit rocky at the best of times and getting stability on the roof of a moving train rather difficult. Our hapless teenager grabbed hold of the trains pantograph (the structure that takes the elecricity off the live wire). Unfortunately the pantograph was live and the teenager was catapulted off the roof of the train and died instantly. They said his body resembled that of a burnt chip.

As you know, teenagers can't help themselves when a new daredevil craze comes around. The second incident happened in my neck of the woods on the northern Epping Line between Reservoir Station and Ruthven Station. This time the hapless 17 year old got dared to show his friends how it was done. He climbed up on the roof missed his footing and tumbled off the roof of the train as it was slowing down to stop at Ruthven Station. He landed down on the rough ballast (the metalic rock that stops the tracks from sinking). He was still alive, but was sent to intensive care in critical condition. I believe the railways have put a locked guard on the roofs' access ladder to stop more daredevils.

I hope you liked this story. I have tried in vain to get hold of the dates and the TV and newspaper coverage, but have been unsucessful to date. I will keep trying to access the newspapers data base to verify my story. Thanks Wendy for keeping the Website going and my sanity intact. I check your site regularly to make my life a little more bearable.

p.s. If you reject my story could you please send it back via my E-Mail, so that I could have a record of it.

Submitted on 05/23/2006

Submitted by: Greg Harrison
Reference: EARLY 90'S ON TV & IN PRINT

Copyright © 2006 DarwinAwards.com

>> Moderator Scores <<

James said:
Neutral: Personal Account
I do like the story, and even though we already have a "train tale" from Sydney, I see no reason we shouldn't include this one from the Melbourne area! Of course, lacking any concrete evidence, I will have to list this as a PA (I believe that you read this in the papers back then), and hope my fellow mods will concur with that decision! Thanks, Greg!


Jorge said:
Definitely Toss: Too Common


Greg said:
Neutral: Personal Account
Train Surfing is popular on London's Docklands Light Railway too - it has footplates on the front and rear and no driver - it's computer controlled. I think train surfers deserve a mention. Especially the guy who grabbed the pantograph!


Fitzroy said:
Definitely Toss: Too Common
Train surfing is common and we are talking about a teenagers here. I hesitated a lot in spite of all that though, because the protagonists were verging on adulthood and the information is well-conveyed.


The Darwin Awards Gift Shop

The Darwin Awards Condom

Keep yourself out of the gene pool!
A condom in a matchbook, useful for emergency contraception, bachelor parties, frat parties, and important rites of passage. LOADED inside and out with funny quotes and stories. Everyone loves this item!
Friends don't let friends reproduce!
$13 for Pack of 4

 

 

Slush Pile
Slush Pile Rejects


Advanced Search

HomeRulesFAQsAwardsSlushSite Map
DarwinAward | HonorableMention | PersonalAccount | UrbanLegend

>> The Darwin Awards, by Wendy Northcutt <<
Link to Fight Evil.