Railroad police work mainly in areas where there is high security risks or opportunity for crime: urban yards and interchanges for instance, and places where trains may lay and wait for long periods of time. Also in areas where there are lots of people and safety could be an issue. The dangers of being a railroad cop are great, maybe greater than an city or urban patorlman because they have to put up with the same type criminal activities and culprits plus doing it around moving trains often out of sight of train crews. NIght work can be dangerous, too. So there is probably a lot of pros and cons to the two.
RIDEWITHMEHENRY is the name for our almost monthly day of riding trains and transit in either the NYCity or Philadelphia areas including all commuter lines, Amtrak, subways, light rail and trolleys, bus and ferries when warranted. No fees, just let us know you want to join the ride and pay your fares. Ask to be on our email list or find us on FB as RIDEWITHMEHENRY (all caps) to get descriptions of each outing.
Most railfans do not realize that railyards and other railroad facilities have people who are NOT railroad employees who must access a yard in their line of work. They may be a vendor or contractor; many are delivery drivers who bring in office supplies to various parts of the yard.Most of them know exactly where they are going and use the access roads of the yard. Some railroad employees also do drive their cars or trucks on to the yard. One job of the railroad special agent is to make sure those in the yard belong in the yard. Some of the vendors who are new to the yard may not realize just how dangerous a place a yard is and almost get hit by a train.Quite a number of access roads just cross the tracks and drivers need to be aware that they might not see a working train. The special agent may call the driver's company to warn and maybe ban a careless driver from the yard.Nearly all vendors ete are using vans or trucks that require skill in the use of side mirrors so you are aware of a train.
BNSF special agents can be seen around Northtown and also can be seen from time to time on public roads along or near BNSF tracks.They drive clearly marked SUV's.
It amazes me how many people feel entitled to things and feel they should be allowed to do whatever they want. I have encountered a few railroad police here in Michigan and have never had a problem. They have always been courteous and friendly. They may seem to come off as arrogant or pushy to some people, and I have had that happen to me as well, but I was nice and answered their questions honestly. They quickly dropped the attitude with me and were very cool after that. Some officers may come off as rude/arrogant because of the experiences thay have had with railfans who are jerks. Remember, these guys and ladies have to deal with thieves, vandals, and rude people all the time -- even though they are only "RR police" their jobs are dangerous. Think about it -- when they stop to question someone, they don't know who the person is, if they have a weapon, what their intentions are etc... Each situation is potentially a dangerous one that the officer has to assess and react to. Keep that in mind the next time a RR cop approaches -- they don't know you, and they see you as a potential threat. Keep your hands in the open, don't make sudden moves, be honest, and most of all be nice. Being nice/respectful and honest will get you a lot further than if you go off about your "rights" or act like a jerk. If they ask you to leave, do it. They DO have the authority to arrest you.
Chuck
Modeling the Motor City
When I worked towards Chicago I was told the RR bulls wouldnt get out of their cars unless a Chicago cop was on scene. So guess who we called first?
I never saw an office for BNSF cops till I worked in Denver. they shared the building with us at 31st st yard. Nice guys one and all ( well to me anyway)
Yes we are on time but this is yesterdays train
A few years ago I rode my motorcycle about 2 1/2 hours to visit an accident scene in Crawford, TX. I spent about an hour wandering around everywhere taking photos and video, as well as just looking at the damaged equipment. I was pretty well done and walking back to my parked motorcycle when two RR police, who had been standing across the street for a long time, came over and asked me whether I was a member of the news media. I said, "No." They then explained that most of the areas where I had gone were private property and that they couldn't allow me to do it. I apologized, saying that I didn't see any signs, and agreed not to do it again. Then I left for home.
I found it interesting that they waited until it was obvious that I was finished before they told me I couldn't do what I had done. They did their duty, and I have my pictures.