22 December 2004
Daring Teens Survive
Bone-Chilling Train Trip
Two Thunder Bay teens got more
than they bargained for when they hopped a CPR freight train in the city and ended up having to hang
on for nearly 200 kilometres.
Police say the boys, both 15, got on the eastbound train on a dare Sunday night and couldn't jump off
as it picked up speed and never slowed down.
An 18-year-old male who had accompanied the pair did manage to get off the freight before
it left the city.
The younger duo weren't able to disembark until they reached Rossport on Monday around 4 a.m. when
the freight finally did reduce speed as it went through the village.
The pair, cold but not suffering from hypothermia, walked to a nearby Ministry of Transportation
depot on Highway 17 where an attendant contacted police.
"They were very fortunate young men," Schreiber OPP Const. Kevin Bahm said Tuesday.
Bahm said officers gave them a meal and bus tickets back to Thunder Bay. The boys' parents were
contacted, Bahm added.
CPR spokesman Paul Thurston said the railway is investigating the incident, adding the boys could
face trespassing charges.
"The number one reason against getting on a freight train is that unless you're skilled and
experienced, there's a good chance you will fall off and end up under the wheels," Thurston
said.
Thurston said freight trains make few stops and reach speeds of up to 80 km/h outside urban
areas.
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