Thought they had the perfect spot, too. (Eagle Bridge)

From the Albany Times Union

Teen rescued from rail trestle
She and a friend had climbed to a platform on bridge over Hoosic River

By BOB GARDINIER, Staff writer
Click byline for more stories by writer.
First published: Wednesday, May 24, 2006

EAGLE BRIDGE -- Rescuers from two counties had to pluck a frightened teenage girl from a railroad trestle that spans the Hoosic River on Monday.
Emergency services workers from Washington and Rensselaer counties responded about 6:45 p.m. to the bridge that carries the Battenkill Railroad over the river just south of Route 6 after receiving calls of a stranded girl.


The unnamed 13-year-old was alone and sitting on the substructure of the span below the tracks, said Washington County Deputy Sheriff Scott McFarren.

A rescuer walked across the tracks above the teenager and rappelled down, securing the girl in a rescue harness, and she was pulled to safety, McFarren said.

The girl and a 14-year-old male companion climbed through the cross-members of the bridge from the Rensselaer County side and then jumped down to a concrete abutment about midway across the span.

The boy was able to jump back up, but the girl could not make it, McFarren said.

The boy went home, where he was interviewed after the rescue.

No charges were filed.

Parking lots at night were always better for me. But I was also a little older too...

If you drink, don't park. Accidents cause people.

Accidents cause people and people cause accidents. Certainly probably a most embarassing event for the two, I'm sure.

I spent more than one night on the Lackawanna viaduct over the Delaware River, camping on the arches with female company, back in the late '70s....

While my situation doesn't involve raging teenage hormones and girls on bridges, I did find myself stuck...

I was exploring the old E&N Branch on the LVRR in Easton. I climbed up to the end of the E&N trestle over the Lehigh River over the CNJ main. Before I knew it I couldn't get down. After 45 mins of being stuck I actually started to panic. This was long before cell phones and no one was around. I managed to get down as far as I could and jumped, trying to hit the soft mud embankment. Which I did, but then rolled down unconrollably to the CNJ ROW.

Here's an interesting one. I grew up with the EL main in my back yard when I was a kid in Little Falls, NJ. I live at the top of "Great Notch Hill" a 1.2% grade that usually required helpers for the long 150 car freights. Any way, Me and a frfiend were walking on the ties on the side of the tracks. Right where there was a switch for a passing siding, is where we hung out. Trains never came on the passing siding so we'd hang out on the siding. So we were walking on the ties, and I decided to balance on the tracks. I slipped and fell at the switch. The switch machine engaged, and just when I pulled my foot out, the tip of my sneaker got caught, and almost cut my toes off. I could hear the train approaching, closer and closer. I couldn't squeeze my feet out because the damn switch caused my sneaker to get tighter and tighter. I saw the light approaching and cresting the hill only about 1/4 mile away. I was gonna get splattered by a train, what a way to die. I finally ended up squeezing my foot out and dove to the side. Well the train ended up was travelling at 5mph to head into the siding for a westbound to pass. The train stopped. two guys got out and ran toward us. I was crying like a baby. The guy (Rich) who was the brakeman, rescued my sneaker, and kind of consoled me and invited us into the engine. He started the engine moving slowly, and we travelled about two miles along the passing siding, and saw the westbound pass from the cab of an EL Fairbanks Morse Trainmaster with about 4 SD somethings trailing. We ran home excited, and never played on the tracks again.
Long story but 100% true