Just what information does taking a picture and videotape of a train give you?
If I was a terrorist, and I wanted to disrupt a railroad, I don’t think that having a video of the railroads latest power is going to help all that much.
The main thing I would need is a rough schedule of when trains come by a certain area – which would be out in the boonies somewhere. A couple of accomplices with cell phones, and a work truck with normal work equipment – like a portable generator and a chop saw or two, and we would be in business.
No need for scanners, laptops, cameras, etc.
And I don’t mean to demean railroad security folks. . . .but if I was a terrorist and convinced that 72 virgins were waiting for me in heaven for wrecking havoc on civilization, you would not be able to stop me – unless you wanted to have enough security guards to have every foot of your railroad visualized.
Railroads would be much wiser to cultivate friendship with railfans instead of trying to scare them off.
[#ditto]
Sure would be nice if law enforcement (and over-zealous employees) would be able to see things with such clarity.
And in addition to the methods you mentioned, how about the detailed photos you can get with free sites like maps.google.com and such, not to mention the level of detail you can get if you go to a satellite-photo sales company. I can see my barbeque grill on my patio with the free sites! Just imagine how much info a potential bad guy has access to in the privacy of his own cave.
We if anyone was watching the crapy news lately as the news media continues to press things down our thoats everyday. We as Americans have or are in the prosses of loosing our everyday rights and our freedom. Homeland security will become even more powerfull and we the people of this great nation are all stuck in the middle. The NSA is already spying on us. They already monitor our Phone calls,our e-mails,our Radio comunications. The NSA WATCHES everything that we do. We are being spyied on Big time. And as Homeland security becomes much more advanced Railfanning will become a thing of the past. That’s why I do not Railfan anymore. Those who say everyday that they have never been harassed or bothered by the cops is in for one hell of a change. Homeland security will destroy our everyday freedomes.
I would have blow up a train by now…
Man its been like 5 years since 9/11 You think if terrorists wanted to blow up a train they would have done so by now…Maybe Railroads are just not that Important[|)]
Well, we were in Houston today Christmas shopping. Out at Katy Mills Mall there were several black helicopters flying around. I KNOW one of them followed me halfway home. I think he knew I had a scanner at home and was going to bust me for it. Anyway, I stopped for a coke in Sealy and gave him the slip. Now we’re home, and I’m wondering what to do. I haven’t seen a helicopter in about an hour. Do you think I’ve given them the slip for good, or do you think they’re monitoring this e-mail right now, and know I’m home? Also, I bought my grandson a Thomas the Tank Engine riding toy. Maybe the people at the toy store called them when I told them that Grandpa liked to watch trains and thought it was cool he could buy the Grandson a Thomas toy. And I was going to the toy store I went by G and G hobby shop there in the Village Shopping area. I slowed down and looked. I hope there wasn’t one in an unmarked car noticing I did that too. I could be in real trouble. With all this talk about torture and illegal aliens (and UFO’s are another thing that worry me), I’m really scared I’ll have to quit railfanning. Also, I usually take my little dog Daisy with me to railfan. She was home all day today without us being there. Do you suppose that they could have put a “bug” in, like her collar or something, and actually KNOW when I’m near a track? I truly worry myself to death over these things, and I thijnk all of you should too.
Also, welcome to the forums Captain Chuck. Get used to the paranoia here. But I never thought about it till I read your post… I’ll have to PEE INSIDE all the time now. Oh well, it’s no big thing anyway.
How long do you have to cook those steaks up there in Wisconsin? Will they cook before they refreeze on the grill? Also, smoke from the backyard is a dead giveaway to the helicopters of your whereabouts. Better be careful.
tree68–paper plates. I’m too cheap and clumsy to bring fine china outdoors. The fork goes on the LEFT side?!? Even plastic?
I guess I’m just a cultural faux-pas.
mehrlich–I never thought about the smoke. Thanks, now I’m too paranoid to grill[;)]
Actually, the steaks grill fine in winter, if you can get the propane to flow, you just have to cook them a bit longer and get them indoors asap. It’s best to keep the tank indoors until ready to cook.
Don’t grill that much in winter; not because of technical reasons, more of a matter of lack of motivation to go out in the cold again. When I was a lad of twenty-something, I didn’t consider it cold until it got below about -20F…now +20F is plenty cold for me.
There was a fiction piece (I hope) some years ago in a certain well-known mens magazine. It involved a fellow who managed to hack into an armed spy satellite and used it to track down his wife, who was apparently having an affair. The satellite also had an infrared capability that (as the story went) could see through walls, with phenomenal resolution, and he caught the wife and her lover in corpus dilecti (is that the term?) in a remote cabin.
Kinda scary if it really exists. No need to have to go inside to use the facilities. They can see you anyhow…
One RPG vs certain Tankers in specific towns can kill thousands at night when everyone is asleep.
Im amazed nothing like that has happened yet. Just lucky USA I guess.
But if I wanted to make terror, I would make it dramatic and for the world to see live on TV; not sneaking about in the dark worrying about Sherrif I.B. ASLEEP.
I have a new cell phone with a camera. I can stand and hold the phone to my ear and snap pictures one after the other all the while looking like I am talking on the phone. With a little practice I was taking very good pictures while looking 90 degrees off my subject. The pictures look bad on the phone screen but I e-mailed them to myself and on a 19" screen are very clear and detailed. Moral: Start watching all of those guys looking the other way but talking on a cell phone aimed at the train.
It got down to the low 40’s today and that’s plenty cold for me. I know what you mean about the cold when you’re young. I can remember being out on a dock at Lake Wilson Kansas about 35 years ago cooking steaks way up in the night. It was REAAALLLY cold. For light we threw a hay bale out on the ice and caught it on fire. I miss doing things like that…
You know, Z and Tree (sounds like a comedy team.) I’m glad you guys and guys like you come on the forum and understand that this is all fun and LIKE to have fun here! I’m glad to be home, and it’s cold outside, but having some fun here with you guys this evening has made me want to go out and 'fan a little tonight. Sitting in the car shouldn’t be too cold, should it?
I have never been confronted by cops but i swear Ive been watched one day i was waiting near the local main line and a garbage train was on its way through behind me i saw a cop car parked across the street, now come on if I were a terrorist would i really blow up a tran full of garbage[%-)]