This quote is from the Graffiti: Art or Vandalism Topic that I posted on Tuesday.
Well, It finally happened[V], today I went to my favorite spot for taking photos, where I had visited only this past Tuesday, and there HE was – Railroad cop!
It was no big deal, he just asked me nicely to leave, and I did. I suppose he wrote down my license plate number. Personally, I feel that it is a HUGE waste of their time to sit there and chase the “friendlys” away. This terrorist crap is just a bunch of paranoia, and frankly railfans may be part of the solution, not the problem.
I understand that for safety reasons they don’t like people hanging around the tracks, but I think its bad PR to chase polite well behaved railfans just because the best place to find trains happens to be on railroad property.
I have no idea how long this “crackdown” will last, or if this is a mutual effort of the BNSF, CP, and UP who all share this really cool stretch of track, but I hope that they give it up soon, because this is the best spot in town!!!
Here’s one from Tuesday, and one from today. Of course the weather today was rather blustery.
Unfortunately BB4005, we’ll never know if it’s increasing paranoia within the minds of security personnel given the prospect of (possible) terrrorism…or one patrolman quietly revelling in his power to have you leave the premises. I suspect the railroads would utter the words “increased vigilance” in defense of the security guard, whether it sounded truthful or not. We’re all paying handsomely for the unfortunate tragedy of 9/ll. Still, the photos you took were great! Thanks for sharing them.[:D]
You may also be a victim of “Real Life Videos”. If you are in the right spot at the right time you maybe an unwitting witness to an accident or other occurrence which is irrefutable in court and it’s not you that’s busted but rather them.
On the other hand where do the authorities draw the line? With the recent surge of fruitcakes a.k.a. Oklahoma 9-11 the authorities are erring on the side of caution. At least they didn’t hand cuff you and read you your rights. This unfortunately this is our reality and will only come to an end when… Something I don’t have an answer to.
If you were on public property, i.e., a right-of-way for a road or similiar, or on private property with permission of the owner, he had absolutely NO legal right to make you move. None. Zip.
Personally, I’d like to see someone stand up to the railroad rent-a-cops and, if necessary, fight this in court, preferably for thousands of dollars in damages for their violation of your rights.
Hey we all know how much damage a camera can do to hundreds of tons of steel. [(-D][(-D] Seriously though I think it could have been an individual on a power trip.
Something that I find interesting is that the railroad cops will chase train lovers away in broad daylight in a highly visible area.
If someone was going to do something to cause trouble they would only have to go to a section of track out in the boonies, smack away with a sledgehammer or something to knock the track slightly off kilter and be done in less than a minute.
I would think they would encourage train buffs because who else would want to preserve the trains and raillines more?? [2c]
That’s a bummer. When I lived in the Minneapolis area, Pig’s Eye was one of my favorite places too. A good place to see a lot of the roads that operate in Minnesota.
I remember being able to have my dad drive around near the CP shop and along the UP yard and park for a while near the tracks without any problems at all.
If thay are real RR police, then they are not rent a cops, they have actual powers as law enforcement officers. If you were on RR property they have the right to ask you to leave or apprehend you if you were doing something illegal. Best to find a place on public property to railfan from. On public property if they hassle you, you have a case.
I must admit, that I was on railroad property, and that it was clearly marked. As a matter of fact the railroads have added EXTRA signage recently.
When I pulled up I saw the unmarked car with the antenna, and suspected that I would be asked to leave, and sure enough, within two minutes I was. He may have just been on his lunch break, but no matter, there weren’t any trains at that moment anyway.
The lower photo was taken about a mile west, from an overpass on a city street. A different perspective to be sure, but not my favorite spot.
I wonder what he would have said if I had had my scanner with me too?
You seem to know the spot well! This is actually a spot published in Kalmbach’s Guide To Train Watching Hot Spots, and a place that I have frequented for years. It is also going to be featured on the layout that I am currently building. You could say that I was doing research, but I already have what I need for my modeling purposes.[:D]
OK, even before 9-11 you could get arrested for trespassing. You can thank the idiots that run there cars around lowered crossing gates and sue. Conrail used to let people railfan on there property as long as you stayed of the tracks but EVIL NS HATES and is HATED by ex-CR Railfans and employees.
I do not railfan, as in actively go out and chase trains, I kind of do it on a target of opportunity basis, but from what I gather the RR police generally have enough experince with railfans that there is usually no problem, as long as no problem is created. For the RRs it’s not just a security, as in terrorist thing…although that is often used as a catch all…but crime/vandalism security issues as well as a safety/liability issue. Lawsuits from idiots or their survivors doind stupid stuff around trains is costly. Additionlly, RRs like any industry really don’t like folks watching and filming what they do…they are not in the PR business they’re in the transportation business and having a crew caught on tape doing something wrong airing on Ch10 news at 11 is always bad. Security just becomes the blanket cover for it all.
I think if it were a SD45 the radiator would be flared from the dynamics all the way to the rear of the long hood. It looks vertical to me, but then again it could be my screen.
By the way, back in 1999 when the NMRA national convention was in town, this piece of railroad property was always full of railfans, and looked like a parking lot, and the railroads never batted an eye.
I think my experience today was just bad timing, because on other occasions I have encountered other railroad employees at this location who didn’t seem to mind at all.
