My birthday is coming up and I thought I'd do some railfanning in and around Baton Rouge, what's the typical precautions one should take when railfanning? I read in a sample of hot spots or something that having a membership card of a group would help? What group was that? I know to stay off ROW and out of yards would RRPD give you a visit even if you're not on RR property? Any experiences, advice to give?
Steve
If everything seems under control, you're not going fast enough!
The RR spots in BR are the UP/CN engine yard and the KCS yard and the HPL bridge...
Stay off private property, out of the right of way, and make sure you're in safe well lit public spaces.
Railroad Police, or any law enforcement officer may come up and ask questions. Know your rights, and know what you're allowed to legally do. Do not exceed your rights or what law allows.
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I might try the levee area because the tracks run along the backside of it... for the engine yard I can stand in the parking lots of local businesses...
NWP SWPwhat's the typical precautions one should take when railfanning?
Safety First! There is no need to sit close to the tracks fifty feet with a escape route is better.Always view the train at a three quarter view while watching for any signs of trouble ballast dust could be a car off the track and about to derail. A leaning load could mean a load has shifted and could break loose.
Go to the local railfan spots since the local and railroad police is use to seeing guys and gals with cameras in that spot so they're more apt not to bother you.
On the happy side many cities and railroads has join together and built railfan parks with restrooms for safe train watching.
The ugly side..Don't set yourself up as a potential robbery victim by being alone in a isolated area stay in those open railfan spots.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
This info is pretty old, but you might get something out of it:
http://www.frograil.com/railroad/la.php#BATONROUGEICENGINEYARD
I was also looking at BR on Google maps, satellite view. Looks like most of track is along the river, all heavy industries. That long viaduct along 190, Airline Dr., looks interesting.
Be carefull, take a friend.
Mike.
My You Tube
Be careful taking picture's near any warehouse's served by rail. Me and 3 friend's were taking picture's of a scrapyard from 2 block's away, and the employee's came over and "DEMANDED" I give them the film (they were NOT nice about it. )
They took down my licence information and sent us packing !
Turn's out they were under investigation for E.P.A. violation's and thought we were documenting their mistake's They developed my film, and when they saw I was only taking picture's of the rail car's they sent me my picture's back.
I have to wonder ..... If I "Was" working for the E.P.A. wouldnt they have gotten into major trouble for "interfering with me ?
Rust...... It's a good thing !
Are there other good railfanning within about 2 hrs of BR anybody knows of? I'm not sure of train frequency in the areas I've mentioned...
You might not be quite 2 hours from Shreveport/Bossier City but there used to be plenty of interesting things going through or happening there.
Little Timmy Be careful taking picture's near any warehouse's served by rail. Me and 3 friend's were taking picture's of a scrapyard from 2 block's away, and the employee's came over and "DEMANDED" I give them the film (they were NOT nice about it. ) They took down my licence information and sent us packing ! Turn's out they were under investigation for E.P.A. violation's and thought we were documenting their mistake's They developed my film, and when they saw I was only taking picture's of the rail car's they sent me my picture's back. I have to wonder ..... If I "Was" working for the E.P.A. wouldnt they have gotten into major trouble for "interfering with me ?
If you were on public right-of-way, NOBODY can take your camera or film. If you were on their property it's a different story. Don Phillips, a Trains magazine columnist has written several good columns on Railfan Rights. I've always thought it was a good idea to let the railroad know what you're doing - if on public R-o-W, you aren't asking for permission - just letting them know who you are and why you are their as a curtesy.
Ray
Colorado RayI've always thought it was a good idea to let the railroad know what you're doing - if on public R-o-W, you aren't asking for permission - just letting them know who you are and why you are their as a curtesy.
Ray,That's why I highly recommend going to a railfan hot spot or rail park both the city police and the railroad know why you are there and more apt not to bother you.
If I'm chasing a short line then I tell the crew who I am and what I am doing.
Several years ago a friend and I were out rail fanning and got into a little trouble for being on railroad property which we didn't realize at the time. What caused the trouble was that we were trying to get pictures of a BNSF engine that kept backing up behind a row of buildings every time we tried to photograph it. I guess the engineer didn't want his picture taken or thought we were a threat. Anyways the local police showed up and told us to leave or go to jail so we left and looked else where...
Maybe this will help you:
http://wwwsp.dotd.la.gov/Inside_LaDOTD/Divisions/Multimodal/Data_Collection/Mapping/Wall%20Map/RailwaySystems_color.pdf
When I was young and stupid, I walked across the Thomas Viaduct. https://tinyurl.com/ybhgof8c
Halfway across I realized there was no way I could get off the bridge if a train appeared. If trains appeared on both tracks I would have needed a change in underwear as most of the wrought iron bridge railing had been stolen. My guardian angel was with me that day.
Do not walk across any railroad bridges, no matter how tempting the view on the other side.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
Interestingly enough, I have walked across a RR bridge while a train was crossing! Of course I had permission and was accompanied by the bridge superintendent, and not to mention the old highway that shared the bridge... this was in Vicksburg, MS.
Talking about walking on railroad bridges..Here in Bucyrus the fastest way from the near Northside to downtown is by NS Sandusky line main line track and bridge over the Sandusky River and one could say in warm weather its a expressway for teens and young couples without transportation.
What scares me the most is seeing young couples with small three or four year old kids and one in a stroller crossing the bridge.. There is a narrow walkway on the bridge but,still..
Wow Larry, I was just checking that out on Google satalite. So the people are actually walking on the NS ROW for the trip. The only path you can see is right along the tracks. Scary! especially with kids.
Stay of private property as mentioned already. Even if you are public property don't be surprised if you might have a cop come up to you just to ask what your doing (in my two experiences with cops it was more of a "what are you doing out here?" type of question that was answered as soon as I bluntly said I was there to photograph trains).
Yes some guys, especially people who work in big industries will try and claim that you photographing their plant violates some law. As long as you are on public property and there are no explicit do not photograph signs or something; you can call b.s. on that and just ignore them. The reality is there is usually a fence between their industry and where you can get a chance to photograph it; so they can bark at you all they want from behind their fence... but they know their claim ends if they tried to come out and meet you in the public property. There are a few railroad workers who will try and pull that too... but again as long as you aren't on railroad property they can't do much about it (most railroaders seem to be used to foamers trackside and some are pretty active in the railfan Facebook groups these days... so don't be surprised if some railroaders seem happy to have their train photographed and you get a Facebook message about your "nice photo of their train" from them later in the day!)
If you travel alone, let a friend or family member have an idea of where you are heading, especially if it is far out of a city or in backwoods. If your in the backwoods or in an inter-urban area with crime issues it might be a good idea to invite a buddy to travel along. Having a friend is good especially since in a dire situation they can provide help and assistance.
Colorado RayIf you were on public right-of-way, NOBODY can take your camera or film.
We were in the parking lot of a cabinet manufacturer. Not on the scrapyard property.
They did NOT have the right to take anything from me, but pushed me around and intimidated me untill I gave in. I suppose I could have filed a complaint with the police. At the time I figured it was better to lose the film, than an arm or leg.
I would've said "do you get paid to bother people, or do you do it just for kicks?" And then walked off... if they dared to make a fight of it the EPA lawsuit would be their smallest problem!
There were only the three of us ( and I was the only one with the ability to throw a punch ) and they outnumbered us. Had they actually tried to take a swing at me , I would have fought back ...... I "Might " have gotten 1 or 2 of them.... but not all. So I gave up the film ..... and waited to see if I saw them somewhere else .....Someplace dark ..... With no witnesse's !
Always stay on public property.
Railfan parks and museums are best, second best is a public park near the tracks.
Other areas to do it would be a road crossing, with ample room to leave the car off the road.
If you time it right, you could always do the "jump from the car, take the picture, leave" trick.
And, if you are on public property, no one can force you to hand over pictures, delete pictures, or give them your camera. No one. If they try, call the police.
If it is the police who are saying to do it, you must be placed under arrest before they can confiscate pictures or camera/camera card. If they then delete the photos, they have destroyed the evidence they needed for your arrest, and have now opened the door for a lawsuit.
All in the USA have these protections. It's in the constitution.
And, as far as the EPA question, any interference against an investigation is highly illegal... and is reason to get arrested and thrown into jail.... but that does not apply to most of us here.
Only once have I been questioned by the police, and that only happened because they were looking for someone whose description was close to my clothing that day. (I didn't fit the description exactly, but was really, really, really close...)
I have had police stop while I am railfanning other times, but they were only observing me, or the trains I was photographing as well. Once they seen I was not anything to worry about, or the train was gone, they left.
If they park their car next to mine, I will approach with a wave and a smile and introduce myself. This will let them know you are no concearn, and might even keep you from being harassed by others.
As far as rail employees go, all of them have been nothing but friendly, in my experience. A few even stayed around just to chat.
Ricky W.
HO scale Proto-freelancer.
My Railroad rules:
1: It's my railroad, my rules.
2: It's for having fun and enjoyment.
3: Any objections, consult above rules.
A different encounter
Years ago some friends of mine were railfanning a major railroad in California. The CEO was on an inspection trip and spotted them. They had dinner with him in his private car.
I tried to sell my two cents worth, but no one would give me a plug nickel for it.
I don't have a leg to stand on.