# Of railroad tracks and damsels in distress...

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/of-railroad-tracks-and-damsels-in-distress/90918>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 1, 2001, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/of-railroad-tracks-and-damsels-in-distress/90918 "2001-11-01T15:29:23Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Spritle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Spritle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spritle)\
**Post date:** [November 1, 2001, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/of-railroad-tracks-and-damsels-in-distress/90918/1 "2001-11-01T15:29:23Z")

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It’s almost cliffhanger cliche - some villian ties some poor damsel to the railroad tracks. Of course, at the last possible moment she is saved by “our hero”.

Does this have any basis on fact or is it merely a cliffhanger device in older movies when possibilities might have been limited? Are there any cases of people arrested for murder (or attempt) by locomotion? Tried? Convicted? Any cases where a body was found mutilated and chained to a railroad track?

Morbidly curious,  
Spritle

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**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\
**Post date:** [November 1, 2001, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/of-railroad-tracks-and-damsels-in-distress/90918/2 "2001-11-01T16:12:43Z")

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This was discussed just about a year ago. Unfortunately there was no definitive answer. [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=44305](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=44305)

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**Author:** ![Spritle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Spritle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spritle)\
**Post date:** [November 1, 2001, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/of-railroad-tracks-and-damsels-in-distress/90918/3 "2001-11-01T16:17:22Z")

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Thanks, **bib**. My search didn’t bring this up. 'Course, I searched for railroad tracks, not train tracks. Perhaps that’s it…

Maybe with new swimmers in the intellectual pool we can come up with some new information?

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**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\
**Post date:** [November 1, 2001, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/of-railroad-tracks-and-damsels-in-distress/90918/4 "2001-11-01T21:07:49Z")

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…Peanut sittin’ on a railroad track  
'is heart was all aflutter  
'Long came a choo-choo train  
Now 'e’s peanut butter!

Sorry, someone had to say it.