In an effort to increase security after 9/11, the MTA has banned photography on the LIRR, Metro-North and th NYC Subway system. So what does this mean for railfans?
Watch trains and take photos from adjacent public property?
NJ Transit has a similar ban (I believe, judging by forum comments). I took a couple of photos at the Atlantic City terminal and no one hassled me.
Why is the ban activated now? It’s a possibility that Amtrak might follow, but the photo ban will be difficult to enforce.
Take care,
Russell
Gee, a photo ban is a total waste of time, when tons of photos are already posted on the web, and have been for years. I even have track plans for the entire system.
What does it mean for railfans? More annoying hassles over stupid meaningless stuff, and a waste of time and money trying to enforce it.
Amtrak photo ban? There’s another joke. Like trying to hide an elephant. What vital information are they worried about. Christ, they publi***he timetable. DUH!!!
But they never run to it… Perhaps it’s done on purpose to thwart the terrorists
Or perhaps MTA stands for McCarthy Terrorist Accusers
You can thank the Class 1’s for that.
Welcome to the world of NJTransit!
This is for MP 57313
As I understand it NJ Transit requires a permit to photograph their trains from their property. According to what I have heard, and what I read in Railpace the permit is for one location, and a set time. You have to agree to let NJ Transit see your photos before you show them at a railfan club meeting or publi***hem.
MBTA has required permits for photographing of their vehicles and infrastructure from their structure or from their vehicles for several years. I don’t know if a photography permit is required for photography from public (non-MBTA) property.
There were reports of NJ Transit cops hassling railfans for photographing their trains from public (non NJ Transit) property especially on their new River Line light rail line which rins between Camden and Trenton. But so far, there have been few, if any arrests, film seizures, or camera seizures.
What seems to be happening is the local police seeing railfans photographing the NJ Transit River Line Light Rail Trains were hassling railfans at first, but now they ask what you are doing, ask for ID, and run an ID check on you. This is what happened recently when a railfan friend and I went to photograph the NJ Transit River Line Light Rail. We were in Burlington, NJ when a cop came up to my friend, asked him what he was doing , and he asked about me. (I wasn’t there at the time. I had gone back to get another battery for my camcorder.) He was aked for ID and his ID was checked, and that was the end of it.
As to the MTA forbidding photographs of their trains or the subway I think this is overreaction considering most of what is photographed is usually readily available in mag
According to homeland Security rules, “ALL” (Railfans) have the RIGHT to PHOTOGRAPH “ANY” type of train as long as you are on “PUBLIC” property.
Is this in writing someplace?? Innocent question, not trying to start a fight[:p]. I always figured that if you were on public property there was not much that could be done. Would be nice if it were in writing someplace that railfans could print it out and carry it with them to handle run-ins.
Thanks. Evidently I should contact NJT after-the-fact to get their ok before scanning a photo to send to a local (Calif.) newsletter editor.
Goto www.trainweb.com
click-railfan.
go find-more resources.
then click-Railfan tips&Security Advisory.
P.S. I guess I wrong about some things.
We were attacked by airplanes, not commuter rail. Has anyone run into a photo ban at an airport? Yes, a bomb on a train could have terrible results. How does taking pictures make that more possible? Pictures and plans of the equipment are available online and in the trade and fan press. The routes are well documented on topos that can aaccessed at a kiosk in our local Gander Mountain. Schedules are published online. Our open society may indeed become less so to combat terrorism. Railfan photo bans are senseless because they in no way make anyone safer.
Someone stops me from tkaing apicture on public property- they won’t wake up tommorow- hate to be violent, but thats the way it is
Please don’t do that. You will give the rest of us rail fans a bad name.
Besides, if Canada is anything like the US you will be looking at 5 to 10 at the Gray Bar Hotel. If your actions include assaulting a police officer or resisting arrest the numbers will greatly increase.
Taking pictures would allow a terrorist to measure distances and sizes of doors and spaces, record placement of cameras, security methods, wiring, exit areas, ventilation grills and ducting, etc, etc etc. The devil is in the details.
Dave H.
RESIST THEM! RESIST THEM! RESIST THEM!
And what if it does? What good is this info to a terrorist?
They aren’t going to sneak in and steal something, they are going to blow it up!
Besides, terrorists are maniacal, not stupid. They aren’t going to waste their resources on trains and railroads. Not a big enough payback.
Note their previous targets. The WTC, the Pentagon and (possibly) the Capitol Building or the Whitehouse. The collapse of the WTC towers was an unexpected bonus.
In none of those attacks did they need any of the “sensitive information” that they can supposedly get by pretending to be a tourist and taking a lot of pictures.
Most of the actions in “The War On Terrorism” are useless activities to mostly make the public think that something is being done. In the final analysis the only way to fight terrorism is to eliminate the terrorists. You can’t do it by trying to defend against their actions. Just as you can’t fight guerillas using conventional warfare tactics. We should have learned that.
In that case…I can see that the TERRORIST’s have WON then!