Train nearly hit bikes

Here's a letter to the Editor of Bike SA magazine, June 2009 issue and I quote;

Train Nearly Hit Bikes

Mr Editor,

would you kindly pass a huge thank you to the unknown guys at the Buff who moved the bikes away from the tracks of the Eastbound monster deisel locomotive train on Saturday morning. One would think rusty tracks = no train but about thirty of us were wrong.

Some questions afterwards were;

"How did that loco get there?" and "Why is it inside the camp?" and "Are you sure the tracks had rust on them?" and "Weren't there two sets of tracks?" and "Are you coming with me to check?"

With great gratitude,

Yours sincerely

The black R1200R (with steering lock)I was one of the valiant bikers who sprang into action to avert what could have been a real tragedy! We had just returned from the mass ride and were gathered at the gate chatting and looking at all of the other bikes when a traffic Police car came roaring up with blue lights flashing.

At first we assumed he was after some innocent biker for some alleged misdemeanour but then he shouted over his PA system "There's a train coming, you must move your motorbikes!" I glanced at the big red machine but she was fine, no railway tracks near her but then we heard the blast from the deisel's horn and saw it approaching and sure enough there were about thirty bikes parked with their rear wheels over the line!

The behemoth had slowed right down as we ran towards the bikes, I grabbed the nearest one and started pulling it forward but it's steering was locked making it very difficult. The train had slowed to about walking pace but I doubt that it could have stopped in time as more guys converged on the scene and by lifting and pulling we managed to move all of the bikes far enough forward for the train to pass by, had the brothers not sprung into action those bikes would have been pushed over like dominoes - it doesn't bear thinking about!

I wrote a letter to Bike SA about this, it may appear in the July issue.

Bikers band together.