I work nights at my job, three days a week, so my sleep schedule is a little off, and tonight I was wide awake around midnight, so I decided to check out the local train watching action. To make a long story short, this is the second, maybe third time this week I’ve gone to the same area and had great luck chasing trains. Basically I just find a train, and pace it from one town to the next, until I run out of roads that parallel the tracks. There’s roughly 25 miles that I can pace the train out on country roads near where I live.
So I catch the first one at the Social Circle, GA depot, headed east toward Augusta, GA. A loaded coal train, two engines on the lead end. When I get as far as I can go east, I find another train headed the other way with coal empties. So I turn around, and pace it back toward Social Circle. I get almost all the way back to town, at about 2:45am, and a local police car passes me going the other way. I think to myself “now what’s he doing this far outside the city limits”… sure enough, by the next stop sign, he’d turned around and was following me. I make my turn, cross a bridge that goes over the tracks, and start heading toward downtown Social Circle, and he blue lights me.
I was driving in a Jeep Wrangler with the top down, so I got the works. As soon as he opens his car door I hear “Show me your hands!” So I oblige and put my hands up. He gets over with the flashlight, I pull out my wallet and give him my drivers license and insurance, and then another cop pulls up behind him (backup I guess). So he asks me “What are you doing following the train tonight?” So I told him, “That’s just my thing, I like to pace the trains, from here to Lithonia (another nearby town) and just watch them and stuff. My wife usually comes with me, but she’s gotta work in the morning, so she’s home asleep, and I work nights, so I was wide awake and decided to see if I could find any trains.” So he says "Well you know, you made the train crew nervous, following t
Well, at least you handled the situation properly, as did the officers involved. Unfortunately, times have changed–especially after the attacks in Madrid and London–and I imagine the days of innocent railfanning are fast drawing to a close.
The new reality will be particularly hard on those who like to photograph trains, I imagine, but I’m not sure there’s any easy solution to the problem. I suppose that most photographers are finding that they are best off taking the time to get written permission to photograph from the railroads involved, even if they’re making their photographs from public property. Better to be safe than sorry.
in england it got to the point where one of the magazines got on the case and managed to get the deputy head of network rail (the company that owns the stations and the track ) to make a statement. i keep a copy of that statement in my pocket at all times and have hioghlighted the section about allowing us to take photographs and that we are extra eyes and ears that help security.
the only place i have ever had a problem was london st pancras and iu had some jumped up security guiard on my case. i ended up going to kings cross (after all its only next door!)
jshrade, sorry to hear you got hassled. But in the “new normal”, I can’t say I’m too surprised that this happened to somebody, and I can certainly understand how the train crew might have become alarmed.
Although it sounds like everyone acted appropriately in the situation…the crew was alert and reported something that seemed strange to them, the cops checked it out as they should, and you were cooperative with them, which in turn resulted in them treating you courteously. Bottom line is, everything turned out OK (except maybe for your adrenaline level for a few hours afterward![:0])
But yours is a cautionary tale that we should all pay attention to, in that we need to be aware that what we do as railfans can be misinterpreted nowadays.
It is a sad world we find ourselves in now, but some of those who complain about it the most are those who would raise a real fuss about where was security if a terrorist bomb blew up a train in their hometown. Glad I am an old guy. Don’t think I would want to live into the new world coming up here.
bah . ride a harley with short pipes while wearing a black leather jacket . see how often you get pulled over for nothing at all . and i don’t even mean in the middle of the night while following trains around .
good for you for staying cool about it though [:)]
“May you live in interesting times”, an old chinese curse. Our’s are certainly interesting, and we should praise the train crew for their diligence. The local police certainly sound like they treated you, overall, with respect. If the crews in London had seen the same and followed up with the authorities, perhaps there could have been a better start to the G-Eight conference. All of us need to be aware that our enthusiasum for our hobby could be misinterpreted. Let’s hope we don’t have to have this drown our hobby!
When in Georgia I do my rail fanning in Folkston. The city actually built a covered platform where we can sit and watch the trains go by. The location is known as the Folkston Funnel. They also put in a speaker system with a radio tuned to the dispatch frequency. I can’t really see the point in chasing trains up and down the highways.
Bob says:I can’t really see the point in chasing trains up and down the highways.
Bob,The only trains I have chase was the 2101,613, 611,1218,765 and the 1225. As far as the common diesel naw,like you I can’t see doing that.Now a short line or perhaps a train going up a little use branch line another story…[:D]
Wow. I’m glad everything turned out ok for you. I agree with most of the folks here, although it’s a bummer that things have gotten to this - I can understand the train crew’s concern. I guess its kinda like the women safety talks that have been going on for quite some time - be suspicious if someone seems to be following you. I am also glad that the police in your instance handled the situation with what seems like total professionalism. They have a tough job to do and the one’s in your instance seem to have handled it correctly. Can you imagine what would have happened if the police didn’t respond and you were a terrorist and the train was attacked? Monday morning quarterbacks and finger pointing would be all over the place.
Here’s an idea. Perhaps you could write a short letter to the police department involved outlining the event along with a short note concerning the professionalism of the cops involved. This could have several affects. First - the authorities would then know you and know why you are doing what you do. Second - the cops working that shift would know that their professionalism in a tough job is appreciated - I’m sure they receive letters about everything that doesn’t go right, but very few saying “well done.” You never know - they might become your best leads on the best place to chase or photograph trains.
Your experience is a lot different than what some railfans have run into in the New York metropolitan area.
At least the police were understanding. Some cops might have tried to forbid you to continue, because some police are crooked in this world. Our family has met with a few of them, but that’s another story…
I paced trains for years and still do occasionally. Years back train crews here in Florida seemed actually used to railfans pacing their trains. I often received friendly waves.
I realize now that with terrorist activity plus train crews are justifiably more cautious. Plus, many of the train crews from the 60s, 70s, and 80s are retired or retiring. Many of these guys were very used to railfans. Many that I met were often laid back and relaxed (except for ex-Penn Central guys).
The younger train crews of today (age 50 and under) are, understandably, much more keenly aware of their surrouonding environment. Now they’re not just worried about derailments, or grade crossing actions. They have to deal with the possibility of ignorant, twisted extremists trying to use their trains to cause massive damage.
I’ve been questioned twice by county sheriff’s deputies while out trainwatching in remote desert areas because train crews called 911 when they saw me with my video camera, and once because the Border Patrol saw me parked in the desert about 1/2 mile off a main road. I now have to pick my areas very carefully to avoid suspicion, and park close to the main road crossings so Border Patrol and others can see my license plate.
I actually like the idea of writing the local police department and thanking them for handling the situation with such professionalism. I think I’ll do that tonight and mail it first thing in the morning.
I totally agree that everything was handled very well, albeit a bit scary when he steps out of the car and yells 'Put your hands up so I can see them!", but in retrospect, I honestly hadn’t even thought about the bombings in London being on the subways and transit system. Plus, I was following a coal train, which, out this way is the lifeblood of one of the electric powerplants a bit farther east of where I watch the trains, that alone could seem a bit suspicious. I totally understand why everyone did what they had to do in the chain of events, and I’m actually thankful that the train crew was so leary and cautious in these new times.
With regards to the post about Folkston, GA; I’ve heard of the trainwatching platform there, and also one in Manchester, GA (I think that’s the other place) but unfortunately for me, both of those are at least 2 1/2 hours drive south of where I live east of Atlanta, GA.
The traffic here through the Atlanta-Augusta line has increased dramatically in the last year, even though it’s still only around 10 to 15 trains a day at most. There’s three meeting points in less than a 40 mile area, and you’re bound to see at least one meeting with every train. The crew out of Lithonia that works the local switching has seen me quite a bit over the years, and I’ve stopped and talked to them a couple of times, with no problems. The crew that called 911 last night was probably the same crew I paced on Tuesday night, because I think the loco’s were the same consist, and it was the same unit train of coal empties. I don’t know if the crews usually get similar runs in the same week, but it wouldn’t surprise me. They probably just hadn’t seen me out there before. I think from now on, I’ll just stick to parking in very public areas (church parkingl
A couple years ago while me and my family were on vacation, we were in Arizona and just leaving Wendy’s when a train was passing by. So my mom pulled out the camera to get a couple shots for me. Then, while she was taking the pictures the trains driver honked the horn at about 20 feet away from us, and Mom almost dropped it! We were all laughing for a couple minutes after that.[:D]