Sorry.
Seriously, I was walking on some railroad tracks in Virginia and was shocked to learn how hard it can be to hear a train when the air and wind conditions are right. I nearly got run over, and I wasn't wearing headphones.
One of the first warnings I got when I began railfanning was that "these @#$%!&s can sneak up on you if you aren't paying attention." How true! An acquaintance of mine was servicing cabooses at a small yard during a light winter snowfall, and a car that had been kicked from the far end rolled past him more quietly than the ambient noise level. Because he was walking outside the rails as he should have been - and was also a skinny lad - he got nothing but a scare out of the event. I had a similar experience a few years later while in the company of a railroad official and it helped to reinforce my respect for the rules.
Mr. niteowl77