Controlling the urge to doorplate
The past week has been an unfortunate for us railfans and for everyone who loves trains in this country. It started with the untimely, unfortunate death of railfan Swapnil David who was reportedly doorplating.
Then came news about the deadly fire on the TN Express which claimed countless precious lives. Very sad.
Being a railfan - and a very passionate one at that, there have been numerous instances when I have taken "some" amount of risk to take that perfect shot or video. I am very careful whenever I am near railway tracks, though. But still.. railfanning is a risky business. No two words about that.
With Swapnil's...
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death, it has dawned upon me that there is nothing more precious than ones own life, the love of your loved ones and the concern of your friends.
That brings me to the subject of doorplating. While doorplating at low speeds is sort of OK, i would advise everyone to refrain from this practise from now on. I understand that it might be an irresistible thing to do when inside AC coaches, but remember, a good shot can be taken later as well. There is only one life.
If at all you have to doorplate, make sure you have someone along with you who can hold you from the back just to ensure that you don't fall off. Always be aware of the heavy door which can hit you and throw you off the train. If at all you want to doorplate and you are alone, you can do so while sitting down - although even this is not recommended at high speeds.
Remember that you have only yourselves to blame if anything untoward happens whilst railfanning. I for once, am done with doorplating alone and would do it only if I have some friend accompanying me who can hold me back and ensure my safety whilst doing that.
I hope all my railfan friends pay heed to my plea. Let us all hope nothing of this sort ever happens again.
RIP Swapnil :(
-
Rahul