We want to hear about your wildest experiences on a train! These can be from any type of train; they just have to be wild.
#1
Once, on a late-night train ride, I saw a fellow passenger unpack the whole picnic spread, complete with candles, onto his fold-down tray. The jolt caused the candles to fall, and everyone panicked as they thought that was a fire hazard. The person calmly told everyone that he was "manifesting a romantic dinner for one." To finish it off, he began singing to himself on the ukulele, leaving everyone laughing and cringing in unison. When we approached the next stand, he waved goodbye to all of us as if he was a celebrity. It was strange, yet in a weird way, charming, and it's still a moment that makes me laugh whenever I think about it!
7points
#2
22nd December 2023. I was travelling from my uni town to my home town. Initially, I was supposed to ride three stops one my first train (Intercity Express) and five stops on the second (Intercity). Start time 15:29, ETA 20:50.
However, my initial train had a forty minute delay and was halted at the first stop. The conductor basically said "We don't have enough staff to keep going, good luck and get out of here." Fifteen minutes later, I was in a different train which was packed, so I sat in the entry area right next to the WC for an hour until we got to the second stop, where the brakes malfunctioned and the train didn't start again.
At that stop, there was one single train going to my destination (and further north), which *everyone* was on. The conductor threatened to clear the train with help of the federal police if we didn't make room at emergency exits and fire extinguishers. At that point, it was 19:30. I called my mother in a panic and she told me to get out of the train at any cost and to wait at the station for her to pick me up. We did offer to give others who were waiting there a ride but no one took us up on it.
By the time I was home, it was almost midnight. Average experience in Germany.
However, my initial train had a forty minute delay and was halted at the first stop. The conductor basically said "We don't have enough staff to keep going, good luck and get out of here." Fifteen minutes later, I was in a different train which was packed, so I sat in the entry area right next to the WC for an hour until we got to the second stop, where the brakes malfunctioned and the train didn't start again.
At that stop, there was one single train going to my destination (and further north), which *everyone* was on. The conductor threatened to clear the train with help of the federal police if we didn't make room at emergency exits and fire extinguishers. At that point, it was 19:30. I called my mother in a panic and she told me to get out of the train at any cost and to wait at the station for her to pick me up. We did offer to give others who were waiting there a ride but no one took us up on it.
By the time I was home, it was almost midnight. Average experience in Germany.
6points
#3
I live in Berlin, so weird is actually "normal"
Things I have seen (all in one short trip)
1. A guy p*ssing in the corner
2. The same guy pleasing himself a few minutes ate.
3. A sleeping drunk guy falling over when the train stopped and doing the most spectacular roll I have ever seen.
But probably the weirdest thing I experienced here in Germany what the train actually being punctual.
Things I have seen (all in one short trip)
1. A guy p*ssing in the corner
2. The same guy pleasing himself a few minutes ate.
3. A sleeping drunk guy falling over when the train stopped and doing the most spectacular roll I have ever seen.
But probably the weirdest thing I experienced here in Germany what the train actually being punctual.
4points
#4
This happened when I was 13. I was on a subway and this woman sat next to me and screamed at me "Bobby Brown didn't do it! He didn't r**e her up the a**!" I was young and clearly confused so I said something like 'yeah I agree.' She screamed back and me "That's what I've been saying!" My older sister grabbed me and we got off at the next stop. That woman was obviously mentally ill and/or adamant of Bobby Brown's Innocence.
4points
#5
Weird but sorta funny and cute one in the end.
When I was a teenager, I was sent on a 3 day solo train trip to Ottawa to visit family I hadn't seen in about 4 years, and to meet my 2 year old cousin at the time. Folks had paid for the train ticket, gave me a credit card to use, made sure I had a place to sleep during the overnight layover/connection in Toronto.
It wasn't the first time I've taken the train, and not my first solo journey.
On my way back home, another 3 day journey, I get on the train and a train attendant notices I, a young looking 15 year old, is on the train alone. She becomes worried and concerned. I tried reassuring her I'm fine and have done this before.
The train attendant leaves then returns telling me she would feel more comfortable if I was sitting with someone. So she found another "young boy" she's been fussing about, too, travelling alone and brings me over to him to sit with. This guy, ngl, wasn't that young, but really hot.
(I know what some of you are thinking, and yes, I wasn't so keen on just being sat with a stranger, let alone a guy, but I had a more hostile experience sitting next to a young girl on the way to Ottawa. So, I was more worried it wouldn't end well.)
This guy was actually super friendly. We were both laughing at how the train attendant (a middle aged lady) was babying us. It ended up being a fun train ride, and another younger guy came to sit with us along the way. He told me about working in the theatre, and his life, where he was going. I kept forgetting I was talking to people not from my city, and had a good laugh when they didn't know what I was talking about when mentioning areas and streets where I live.
When I got to my city, there was a 2 hour layover for him, so he helped me carry my suitcase through the station until I saw my folks. He totally didn't have to do that.
On the trip, our train let on passengers of another train that crashed. That was pretty unnerving.
When I was a teenager, I was sent on a 3 day solo train trip to Ottawa to visit family I hadn't seen in about 4 years, and to meet my 2 year old cousin at the time. Folks had paid for the train ticket, gave me a credit card to use, made sure I had a place to sleep during the overnight layover/connection in Toronto.
It wasn't the first time I've taken the train, and not my first solo journey.
On my way back home, another 3 day journey, I get on the train and a train attendant notices I, a young looking 15 year old, is on the train alone. She becomes worried and concerned. I tried reassuring her I'm fine and have done this before.
The train attendant leaves then returns telling me she would feel more comfortable if I was sitting with someone. So she found another "young boy" she's been fussing about, too, travelling alone and brings me over to him to sit with. This guy, ngl, wasn't that young, but really hot.
(I know what some of you are thinking, and yes, I wasn't so keen on just being sat with a stranger, let alone a guy, but I had a more hostile experience sitting next to a young girl on the way to Ottawa. So, I was more worried it wouldn't end well.)
This guy was actually super friendly. We were both laughing at how the train attendant (a middle aged lady) was babying us. It ended up being a fun train ride, and another younger guy came to sit with us along the way. He told me about working in the theatre, and his life, where he was going. I kept forgetting I was talking to people not from my city, and had a good laugh when they didn't know what I was talking about when mentioning areas and streets where I live.
When I got to my city, there was a 2 hour layover for him, so he helped me carry my suitcase through the station until I saw my folks. He totally didn't have to do that.
On the trip, our train let on passengers of another train that crashed. That was pretty unnerving.
3points
#6
South Korea, about 20-22 years ago. Late evening on a subway, I'm heading home after some event. Some guy in a suit (I had not paid any attention to before) stands up and walks towards the subway door as the train neared the station.
Then he IMMEDIATELY does a huge, all-fluid technicolour yawn on the doors and the floor, voluminous amounts of vile smelling brown vomit that sent everyone (thankfully only a dozen, me included) out of the car and into the cars either end of it. At the station, the guy in a suit gets out and tries to pretend nothing happened. My empathies to the subway employees.
Then he IMMEDIATELY does a huge, all-fluid technicolour yawn on the doors and the floor, voluminous amounts of vile smelling brown vomit that sent everyone (thankfully only a dozen, me included) out of the car and into the cars either end of it. At the station, the guy in a suit gets out and tries to pretend nothing happened. My empathies to the subway employees.
2points
#7
I was on a crowded commuter train out of Chicago and saw a bunch of rowdy idiots doing pull-ups on the overhead baggage shelving. One guy decided he was going to jump up there and lie down for a bit. They were so out of control that the conductor stopped the train to wait for police to catch up and yank the guys out. One guy put up a fight and got introduced to the K9.
2points
#8
Once upon a time, you could smoke in some designated compartments on train. Train from Warsaw north to Gdansk (Poland). Spooky crowd. People in the corridor. Night.
In an eight-seat compartment in which you just MUST NOT smoke cigarettes sit eight, slightly drunk young people and smoke cigarettes. One of them sees an older man standing behind the glass in the corridor and, taking pity on him, invites him to sit between them in the middle. The man enters and sits down. The compartment is gray with smoke. After a short time, the older man coughs significantly. Then again and again. Finally he gathers his courage and asks: “Gentlemen, is it allowed to smoke here?”. One of the young men turns toward him, waves his hand down and says: “Don't worry, you can smoke!”
In an eight-seat compartment in which you just MUST NOT smoke cigarettes sit eight, slightly drunk young people and smoke cigarettes. One of them sees an older man standing behind the glass in the corridor and, taking pity on him, invites him to sit between them in the middle. The man enters and sits down. The compartment is gray with smoke. After a short time, the older man coughs significantly. Then again and again. Finally he gathers his courage and asks: “Gentlemen, is it allowed to smoke here?”. One of the young men turns toward him, waves his hand down and says: “Don't worry, you can smoke!”
2points
#9
When I was on my way to Italy, I was sitting alone in a four-person compartment. Across from me sat a group of boys who looked at me from time to time and were obviously talking about me. At some point, one of them came up to me and showed me his cell phone screen on which it said via Google Translate that I looked like a princess. I said thank you, but I was far too tired from the long train journey (10 hours!) for further interactions. He sat down with me anyway, tried to talk to me, gave me his hat (completely random), he also wanted to gift me his perfume (I denied on that one). He also asked me if he could take a selfie with me. I, not good at saying “no”, said yes (like I'm a f**** assecory?!). We then also exchanged Instagrams - I had hoped that would be the end of it. But when he had to get out, he kissed my hand and insisted on giving me two kisses on the cheek. Unfortunately, he then also tried to kiss me on the mouth.
I later saw that he had posted our selfie together several times on his Instagram channel. You could also see in the stories that he apparently secretly took a photo of me while I was on the train. He had that as the background image for his phone. I stopped replying to his messages on Instagram.
....
yeah, weird... i dunno
I later saw that he had posted our selfie together several times on his Instagram channel. You could also see in the stories that he apparently secretly took a photo of me while I was on the train. He had that as the background image for his phone. I stopped replying to his messages on Instagram.
....
yeah, weird... i dunno
1point