Without google or using a speed gun, is there anyway to determine the speed of a train?

[StateOfMind]

Without googling "average train speed in central Europe" and a speed gun how can I determine the average velocity of a passing train?
It "feels" like my train of choice is going between 100 and 120kmh.

The reason I ask is because I am unsure of my judgement in terms of passing train speed.
When get into jump / suicide mode everything seems to slow down. Apart from my heart, that speeds up lol.

Chosen method is collision.

 

[Life_and_Death]

may i ask why not those options? assuming you already tried googling and it didnt work, of course theres also the fact that much like a car it can go anywheres between 0 and its top speed. but i see no problem with getting a radar (aside from it being obvious) but if theres a spot in the woods you can hang out, find the time it goes by every day and get an average speed after a while, i dont see why that wouldnt work

 

[grungeCat]

Search for train signs and find out what they mean. There are signs regarding speed control for train drivers. I would help you but I don't know what are regulations of train traffic in your country.

 

[StateOfMind]

Search for train signs and find out what they mean. There are signs regarding speed control for train drivers. I would help you but I don't know what are regulations of train traffic in your country.

I have already figured out the train signals lol.

may i ask why not those options?

Because google tells me 200kmh (which should be enough) but it doesn't feel that fast.
Maybe I have done too much trainspotting and I'm used to it?

 

[Life_and_Death]

Because google tells me 200kmh (which should be enough) but it doesn't feel that fast.
Maybe I have done too much trainspotting and I'm used to it?

or that could be the top speed and where youre watching it, its not going its top speed. quick amazon says the radars are expensive so i can see why that would be a problem. i wonder if you can get an app on your phone to gauge speed, hell they do everything else.

 

[StateOfMind]

or that could be the top speed and where youre watching it, its not going its top speed. quick amazon says the radars are expensive so i can see why that would be a problem. i wonder if you can get an app on your phone to gauge speed, hell they do everything else.

That's a good point.
Remarkably I could afford to dish out 100 bucks for a speed gun.
Unfortunately my phone is like six years old.

May also just be over-thinking things.
Really don't feel like surviving a train collision.
Most of the time the specific train in question seems to be traveling fast enough.

It feels like I'm just going to have to go for it..

 

[Life_and_Death]

That's a good point.
Remarkably I could afford to dish out 100 bucks for a speed gun.
Unfortunately my phone is like six years old.

May also just be over-thinking things.
Really don't feel like surviving a train collision.
Most of the time the specific train in question seems to be traveling fast enough.

It feels like I'm just going to have to go for it..

yeah that doesnt seem like something youd want to survive. i hope youre.....careful??

 

[Sherri]

Depends on the train, Japan has some really fast ones.

 

[MindFrog]

I don't know if this will help but have you ever learned the name of the train too? Maybe you could find a train driver manual for it. Sometimes they include what speed the train has to be operated in normal conditions.

 

[JustLosingMyself]

From vantage point, select 2 reference points that you have a decent estimate of the distance between them.
Measure the time it takes the train to cover the distance between the two reference points.
Apply a bit of basic math and you have an idea of the speed.

 

[Endeavour]

From vantage point, select 2 reference points that you have a decent estimate of the distance between them.
Measure the time it takes the train to cover the distance between the two reference points.
Apply a bit of basic math and you have an idea of the speed.

This - you could accurately measure 2 points using google earth / maps and then time from point A to point B and calculate the speed. E.g. 1 mile distance, takes 1 minute, 60 miles per hour.