I live in Morris county NJ so there’s not to many off road areas, I normally cruise down the street and hop on some dirt near some railroad tracks. I ride a 2004 Suzuki DR200SE its registered and insured so its completely street legal...

I’m New to the off road scene and wanted to know if you can "legally" ride off-road next to rail road tracks, and on power line roads? All the roads i ride on are open (no gates or signs) and there is not any "no trespassing" signs up, so i guess its ok. I just wanted to be sure!
-thanks

technically, no.  Those are private property, and since 9/11 the RR and power companies have stiffer rules about trespassers, and so do the cops.  You could possibly argue a point with a cop about the lack or signs/gates, but in the end he can and probably will still ticket you.  IDK about NJ, but in Ohio the fine for off-roading is $500.  Plus they can tow your bike and arrest you for trespassing if the cop is in a really bad mood.  If they just randomly catch you, it's usually a warning, but if someone calls and complains they are fairly obligated to take some sort of action.  Seems like people like to walk RR tracks and power lines, and everyone has a cell phone.

That being said, quite a few of us ride those places all the time.  Most train engineers wave if you wave at them.  I only recently had an issue with a cop who saw me on some tracks and gave chase, but I managed to get my passenger and I home unscathed.

Be smart- ride easy, have a quiet pipe, don't litter/spray paint and if people are around when you go to ride these areas, just turn around and come back another day.  If you see people walking on the trail, either slow way down and go as far as you can around them, or pull over and let them pass.

Well that sucks... I kind of figured it was not technically allowed. It’s kind of a ride at your own risk thing. My bikes stock and pretty quiet so I can probably sneak by if I plan the time right... It’s hard to find good spots to ride and explore in Morris County, NJ.

As the other poster said, it's not legal.  Some cops are pretty cool and will just give you a verbal if there's no complaints.  In my very limited experience (and apparently most other folk's from what you read on the net) very few railroad cops are cool and are likely to charge you with whatever they feel like if they catch you.

As a trainmen for Union Pacific I can tell you the special agents(RR cops) that work for the company have the same powers as a regular cop. The right of way is usually 25 feet each side of the tracks, and they love to throw their weight around and screw with people. That being said, I've run over 2 people in my career and it is not a pleasant experience. so be careful around tracks.

runmikeyrun, on 15 March 2012 - 01:19 PM, said:

You could, but I certianly wouldn't recommmend it.

Your best bet is to avoid contact with law enforcement altogether.

When I ride along side the tracks here in Cleveland I do it with my lights off and ready to turn and run at the second I see a vehicle - especially the Ford SUVs the RR cops use around here. Avoid the busy main lines. I also avoid being seen by train crews. I don't know about all the RRs but since 9/11 CSX crews have been instructed to immediately report anyone they see on RR property.

And it helps to bring along a radio scanner tuned to the RR frequencies. Then you'll know if you've been reported.

Edited by Goggles Pisano, 16 March 2012 - 04:17 AM.

Does the same apply to abandoned rail road tracks? I’m sure there not being watched but are they still private property if there abandoned? The tracks around by me are some 50+ years old and there’s trees growing inside of them..lol.

The active tracks I ride along side I’m about 15-20 feet from at all times while near, and there NJ transit tracks near Mt. Arlington but ill keep that to a minimum from now on, which sucks because these trials are pretty cool terrain.

Even on abandoned tracks you are technically still trespassing (somebody still owns the land), but usually nobody really cares except for adjacent land owners who may get angry with the noise of passing vehicles (as if they would rather have the trains back, lol) or in some cases (mostly out west) have a claim to ownership of the right-of-way that reverts to the original property owners once abandoned. If there are still rails in place you won't have a problem with this, but overgrown vegetation can make traveling along the line rather difficult. But at least if the rails are still there so will the bridges. Once the bridges are removed that's usually the end of the line as a viable trail.

In some places the state or local governments will buy the right-of-way for future use. But then you usually and up with a paved bicycle trail where motors are striclty verboten unless it's on a wheelchair. At that point you're pretty much SOL. And sometimes they'll fence it all off so nobody can use it...



Once in a while I'll ride along a transit line, but when I get there I'll stop and wait for the next train to go by in my direction then follow it just out of sight. Keep a public timetable with you so you know when to expect a train and where they make their station stops.

A 'private property' no trasspassing sign means NO TRESPASSING.

Gov't, utility, and RR 'private property' signs mean "DON'T GET CAUGHT!"

I have always exercised feroucious caution crossing live RR tracks where there is no crossing (and where there is!).

I have seen morons cross where not safe to do so, and have heard their 'close call' tales.

Morons.

Rails to Trails = http://www.railstotr....org/index.html

I am an Engineer.  Just this past week there was a death of a trespasser on our rails.  Seems a group of teens decided it would be great fun to hike our right-of-way.  Across they went on a trestle that stands 135' above the valley at its deepest.  Don't know how it happened, but one of them fell to their death.

When running trains, I've had some near-misses of trespassers, tractors, ATV's, etc.  EVERY TIME I'm herding a train down the rails and I see someone close to the rails, my butt puckers up and I pray they have an ounce of common sense and won't do something stupid.  I have been involved in crossing accidents (autos/trucks) and thus far, no fatalities.  A trespassing incident is almost ALWAYS fatal... and messy.  PLEASE rethink this idea of riding/hiking/whatever along the railroad right of ways.

Vinduroman

IDK if all areas are like mine, but I ride next to the tracks all the time.  There are plenty others who do the same.  I even had our town's MC cop give me a wave while I did a little trials trick before heading down the tracks and out to open desert.

Sad story,  saw a guy shuffleing along the tracks while I was returning from an afternoon ride. a few hours later, he was killed by a train.  If I were to guess he committed suicide by train, but evidently I happen to be the last person to see him alive.

So be careful when crossing tracks, but I ride the easement all the time.

portlandcsc, on 15 March 2012 - 08:59 PM, said:

I took a train rescue course for the FD and the engineer we talked to said pretty much everyone runs over at least one person in their career.  

After reading this, I'm going to consider myself lucky and stick to abandoned tracks.

I had to bail off a CSX bridge back in the 80's (before things got so nutso with rail cops) because I got caught in the middle by an AMTRAK train while riding across it. There is no outrunning those on a dual sport. It wasn't much fun riding off the edge for a 15' plunge into a gator infested puss hole.

But it beat the hell out of the alternative. I learned a lesson that day. One that dragging my bike out of the swamp made permanent. Now having done CSX, AMTRAK and Metro contractor rail safety training every year for the last eight years it has really been driven home. I want no part of tangling with trains.

The videos they show at the end of thore training sessions makes it pretty clear what happens if you screw up.

Vinduroman, on 18 March 2012 - 10:26 AM, said:

The key word here is "along." It should go without saying that riding/hiking/whatever between the rails is suicide on a busy line and generally not a good idea on any active line.

But around here most of the RR lines were built for 4 to 8 tracks and now only have one or two left. Like I said before I try to hide when I see a train coming, but it's quite easy to follow the vacated roadbeds next to the active rails without going near a moving train (there's usually a dirt road there anyway). As long as you allow common sense to prevail you'll be fine.

Jamoka3,

Shot you a PM. I grew up in morris county and am familiar where you are riding.