A freight train

Last night I was waiting on the platform for the train. I arrived about 20 minutes early and was sitting on the bench talking to one of my brothers-in-law on the phone, only about 6-7 feet away from the tracks. I've had to sit there a lot, but this was the first time that a freight train came by. It was going a little too fast for comfort and was very loud. And it kept going and going and going. Jonathan and I couldn't even hear each other anymore, so I hung up. Soon after, the thought of derailment popped into my mind, and I couldn't get it out. And here I was sitting on this bench, only a few feet away with this really heavy train just ready to bounce off the tracks. I would be a gonner. Morbid, I know, but man was it a real fear. Funny how minds work. Frankly, I'm surprised freight trains can use those tracks so close to a passenger platform.

So today I was talking with my lab buddies over lunch and mentioned the train experience of yesterday. We laughed about the derailment "dream." They said the trains are so stable it would probably take an 18-wheeler on the tracks to knock a train off, and it rarely happens anyway. Yea, I guess so. Then, ironically, a few hours later we heard about the commuter train near Los Angeles that derailed from hitting a suburban. Now we know.
(By no means are we insensitive to this tragedy.)