On Friday afternoon June 23, 2023 our RAT pack initially met in Verdi at the local fishing hotspot. Upon arriving, a RAT member noticed a fisherman walking along the tracks to get to his favorite fishing hole. A call to RMCC notified the railroad of a trespasser. A short time later, two RATS witnessed another fisherman walking the tracks to get down to the Truckee River. A second call to RMCC was made, notifying them once again of a trespasser. This time the railroad also notified the Washoe County Sheriff.
About 40 minutes after the call was made, the sheriff arrived, collected information from us and proceeded down to the river. The sheriff was able to talk with the fisherman, get him out of the river and then educate him on what NO TRESPASSING signs mean. This is the first time that we have actually been around when a sheriff arrives and is actually able to talk with the trespasser. We were also able to educate the sheriff about our responsibilities as RAT members and what our protocol is when we see a trespasser on railroad property.
As we were looking around, we noticed a bunch of debris along the tracks that looks to have come off a train. It was not affecting train traffic, so no report was made.
Two people educated about the law and the dangers of trespassing on or near railroad tracks and bridges - that's success!
Our RAT pack then proceeded into town and met at the Bridge Street crossing. We surveyed the area, checked that the crossing inventory was in place and looked around to evaluate any potential crossing issues with trespassers. After this, we headed to a private crossing that most RATs had not been to before. It was noted that this private crossing and road is often used by fishermen to also get to the Truckee River. All looked good at this crossing, so we called it a day and ended our Coffee Tracks field trip.
We would like to thank the Washoe County Sheriff's office for their help in keeping people safe around railroad property. A BIG thank you from the RAT pack!
And ALWAYS remember . . .
