A two-year sample of railway fatalities from the south of England revealed a large proportion of probable sucides & a small proportion of pure accidents. Rail suicides were younger, males were less often married, & both genders were more often widowed. Suicide victims included more cases of major psychosis & neurosis but fewer & less severe alcoholics. Characteristic patterns are described with examples. Hypotheses to explain the choice of method suggest it is not related to volume of traffic, residence in a rail-dense area, areas with a high suicide rate, or the proximity of a psychiatric hospital. (9 refs.)