One teenager has taken his fascination for trains to a dangerous new level

WDBJ7 reports a Nebraska train derailment caused by a teen.Photo byWDBJ 7 Screenshot

Virginians love trains

In Virginia, trains have always fascinated children and teens. My brothers and their friends enjoyed playing with their model train sets. My grandmother would take a group of children to the railroad tracks, where we placed pennies for the trains to run over and flatten. We picked them up and kept them for good luck.

We also enjoyed pumping our hands so the whistle would blow. My oldest son loved watching the Norfolk & Western trains in downtown Roanoke and having the man in the caboose toot the horn.

Train fascination gone wrong

These fun memories returned when WDBJ7 revealed that a 17-year-old in Lincoln, Nebraska, intentionally caused a train to derail. The teen filmed the crash and posted a copy to social media.

NBC reports that the conductor could not stop in time, and although railcars remained upright, one crashed into an empty coal car, causing $350,000 in damage.

Hopefully, this will not become a TikTok trend, and no Virginia teens will attempt such a dangerous stunt. The 17-year-old was charged in Lancaster County Juvenile Court, but prosecutors motioned to transfer the case to adult court.