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Two Letters Re: Railroads Tracks and Right of Ways as Bug-Out Routes

JWR:
Please pass on to Larry in Kansas and anyone else interested that they need to look well ahead of time at any railroad beds as a bug out route. Here in Michigan the railroads have closed off all the service roads beside the tracks. Some are simply chained and easily defeated with bolt cutters, but other are blocked with ties and high mounds of gravel.
My primary escape route has an emergency “go around” for a choke point that is active railroad bed. It will be hairy, but my Ford Ranger pickup will be able to make the trip. The wife’s current auto will not.
One other thing to check. In our area there are a lot of small streams and drainage ditches that the tracks cross. The service road usually does not bridge the gap and you would have to drive over the rails to cross. Not all vehicles can handle that type of use.
The old American Survival Guide magazine had a how to article on making a G.O.O.D. vehicle out of a bicycle that would ride the rails and haul a fair amount of gear. If your area has lots of active rail lines it might be a good idea to check out something similar for your use. - Wolverine

Dear Jim:
Also to be considered for bug out routes are utility/power line right of ways/easements, fire lanes, biking trails, running trails, ATV trails, and snow mobile trails. Local groups for such recreational trails often give away free maps paid for by advertising. As for high voltage power lines, look up and around as you drive around. Note that most of these trails have lock-offs for regular vehicles, usually using standard padlocks. Note for most, there must be access for emergency vehicles so there is a way in. One might remember the scene in the movie Terminator 2 as Arnold was driving along the access trail along the top of the drainage system. You might consider waterways as well, but remember they tend to flow toward the Ocean and toward population, eventually. There is no substitute for a good map. - Rourke

JWR Replies: Use extreme caution if you ever have to use a railroad right-of-way in the event of an emergency. Many lives have been lost because someone thought that they were on "inactive" tracks. Readers might consider joining a legitimate "speeder" (powered railcar) club affiliated with the North American Railcar Operators Association (NARCOA), to gain both practical skills and as an entree for learning railroad company schedules and information on seasonal closures. (In many Plains states and in the Intermountain West, it is not unusual for smaller railroads that mainly carry grain to only operate part of each year.) OBTW, I featured a sequence with a Fairmont speeder in my screenplay, "Pulling Through."

My father always referred to his bolt cutters as "The universal key." While I do not condone trespassing, vandalism, or theft, I think that it is important that every family own a pair of good quality bolt cutters, preferably 36" length, such as those made by Woodings-Verona Tool Works. They are an essential tool for mobility--and inevitably for survival in the event of a worst case disaster--even if the lock you need to cut is your own when you've lost the key. If you are on a tight budget, Northern Tool & Equipment sells imported bolt cutters. The imports are of lower quality, so don't expect the same service life. Also keep in mind that many tools from China (such as the "Westward" brand marketed by W.W. Grainger) are usually the product of the laogai ("reform through labor") prison factory system. (Which confines political prisoners.) So if at all possible, buy American, or at least from another free country. (Such as the Japanese HIT brand.)

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