Person gets off Amtrak 97 in Selma

[Amtrak_Carolinian_2020]

So, just after 12:30 AM, I had tuned into the live rail cam in Selma, NC and noticed a beam of headlights coming around the curve to the north. The southbound Silver Meteor, Amtrak 97, emerged and slowed to a stop at the station. The Silver Meteor does not stop in Selma. Tonight it did, and off hopped a sole person who appeared to be carrying a bag. The train then pulled away from the station, with the conductor waving and the person who hopped off not to be seen or heard from again. Could this have been a passenger who was kicked off, or could it have been a crew member?

 

[n3rdg1rl]

I've definitely seen people get kicked off at more inconvenient places than at an actual station so I wouldn't be surprised.

 

[railiner]

So, just after 12:30 AM, I had tuned into the live rail cam in Selma, NC and noticed a beam of headlights coming around the curve to the north. The southbound Silver Meteor, Amtrak 97, emerged and slowed to a stop at the station. The Silver Meteor does not stop in Selma. Tonight it did, and off hopped a sole person who appeared to be carrying a bag. The train then pulled away from the station, with the conductor waving and the person who hopped off not to be seen or heard from again. Could this have been a passenger who was kicked off, or could it have been a crew member?

The fact that the conductor was waving, and that their was not any law enforcement people around, makes me doubt that it was a person ejected. More likely they stopped as a special favor to a crew member, or perhaps some other pass rider, or maybe even some passenger that had mis-connected for a train that does stop there, although I don't know if Amtrak does that officially...

 

[GAT]

He might have missed getting off at his previous intended destination.

 

[Seaboard92]

I'm thinking it was a pass rider. It's not unheard of for a train to make a special stop for an off duty crew member, or by special permission by the crew for someone. I've had this happen a few times when I've been working.

 

[Brian Battuello]

You know how Amtrak pulls into small stations, boards people and takes off. A man helped his elderly mother to her seat, and was surprised when the train pulled out. A brief but intense discussion followed, where the conductor said he would have to ride to the next station several hours away. He eventually, mostly through volume, convinced the conductor to let him off in the middle of nowhere but conveniently close to a road and tavern, where he could have a drink while waiting for an Uber....

 

[amtrakpass]

Not sure about this situation but there are still a fair amount of freight crews that may deadhead on Amtrak. That or another RR employee makes the most sense for a guess without knowing to me.

 

[Steve's Wanderlust]

I was on 92 this past June. We made an unscheduled stop in a town between stations in NC. From what I could observe, a crew member seemed to be picking up something from a local business near the railroad, as the conductor returned to the train after a minute with a couple full paper bags from a market or hardware store.

We were already 2.5 hours late but had plenty of schedule padding in our connection at RVR to NFK. It was probably an annoyance to some onboard but I took it to be a kitschy event unique to ground travel.

 

[Qapla]

I was on 92 this past June. We made an unscheduled stop in a town between stations in NC. From what I could observe, a crew member seemed to be picking up something from a local business near the railroad, as the conductor returned to the train after a minute with a couple full paper bags from a market or hardware store.

We were already 2.5 hours late but had plenty of schedule padding in our connection at RVR to NFK. It was probably an annoyance to some onboard but I took it to be a kitschy event unique to ground travel.

Yeah, let's see a flight do this ...