If You See The Trailer Rockin’ It’s Probably a Train…

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by Larry (the bear II)

(Torrance, CA.)

A favorite RV spot is located about 30 feet from active railroad tracks. We have camped here many times and are very familiar with the trains and the noise they make. The ground shakes and the rumble of a heavily loaded freight train is what I imagine a tornado sounds like.

We invited a non-RV couple to come along with us on a weekend camping trip to our favorite spot. They agreed and we left after work on Friday. By the time we arrived at the spot and got setup it was dark. We roasted hotdogs over the campfire for dinner, spent some time watching the stars and then turned in for the night. For some unknown reason not one train had gone by the entire evening. This is usually a very busy rail route.

We had not told our friends about the proximity of the railroad tracks.

We settled into bed, they in the dinnette bed and we in our bed. Around midnight, I could hear a train coming so I began rocking back and forth, my wife caught on to what I was doing and she joined in. We had the trailer rocking pretty good just about the time the train was getting to us. The noise of the train was tremendous, it was a long freight train.

Our friends jumped out of bed ran outside screaming. They thought the train was going to hit the trailer.

It was a funny sight seeing them standing out in the cold in their PJ’s watching the freight train go by.

They never accepted another invitation to go camping with us……we’re still friends though.

Comments for If You See The Trailer Rockin’ It’s Probably a Train…

Apr 28, 2012

 We must have set up on the railroad tracks

by: Bo Walker


Jan and I called ahead to Suwanee River FL state park and told the attendant we would be late arriving. The attendant said that’s okay. The gate will be locked but here is the combination to the lock. We arrived some time after darkness fell.

We pulled up to the gate. I got out of the motor home and went up to the gate and began to complain about there being a padlock on the gate when the attendant told me that it would be a
combination lock.

Feeling disappointed but not defeated, I released the 69 VW from the motor home and backed the motor home underneath the large branches of a huge oak tree. It was a perfectly level spot parallel to the park. Soon we drifted off to sleep in our king size bed.

During the night, maybe around midnight, we heard a train coming. Very soon the coach was vibrating and rocking. We could feel rumble.
I knew the tracks were there between us and the park. But, Jan had not seen them.

We both are awake now with the approaching noise. I casually ask, “reckon we should get off the tracks”? That frightened Jan extremely. She really thought we were about to die. That’s when I realized she had not seen and didn’t know we were parked close to the railroad tracks.
She nor I will ever forget that experience.

By the way, the next morning after we had had our breakfast, we proceeded to enter the park through the now open gate. Soon, to my embarrassment, I realized the “padlock” was indeed a combination lock with little wheels on the bottom of what look like a padlock.

Feb 25, 2009

 Tears

by: John


I live in Flagstaff and know full well how these trains are. I was laughing so hard I had tears running down my face.


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