coborn35 wrote:Someonee pissed off the rent a cops........
Most Special Agents have to have prior police experience before the railroad will even hire them. My experience with Special Agents has generally been favorable, even when I've been in the wrong. I was stopped for trespassing once at Barr Yard, and the Special Agent was good enough to give me some guidelines as to where the property lines were when I asked about it. I shoot pictures from the street at Blue Island Crossing, and I've often exchanged pleasantries with the Special Agents making their rounds when I see them.
EJE818 wrote:I don't think they have the right to take anything from you unless you are on their property.
i am not a big picture taker i enjoy looking at others work so i dont have the problems stated here. My thought is maybe in each area where a railfans wants to take pics he or she should contact local authorities first to inquire about taking pics. And if they are told no problem as long as they are on public property try getting some type of e mail or something in writing to show the railroad cops!
Just read through this entire thread, and feel like the main point has been mostly missed (a couple folks saw it).
You were trespassing. Doesn't matter that you were doing it safely, you were trespassing.
As to the cop's view that you can't take pictures from public areas, he was flat out wrong, but it doesn't matter, because at the time he caught you, you were trespassing.
I've been stopped by police a few times. Nine times out of ten, all goes well if you just cooperate and they realize you're not a threat. I've shot the northeast corridor very recently, by the way, in NJ, near NYC, without being questioned. Main thing is this... DON'T TRESPASS. As long as you don't, the law is on your side. If a cop wants to take you in for photographing from a public area, ask him to call his field supervisor to confirm he has the right to. Fact that you asked him to talk to his field supervisor about what the law is, will make him back down if he actually knows the law, and educate him if he doesn't.
And i am a responsible railfan too, i know the boundaries. Where it says "Private Property" do not enter, i do just that. And when i take videos of CPR trains, i am on the other side of a ditch near a public road, so there is nothin they can legally say. Winnipeg is a great place to Railfan, and you can get very close to the tracks without being on CPR or CNR property, Central Manitoba Railway crosses a nature park close to where i live, and i can be 10 feet away and they coulden't say nothin, unless you were an disrespectful hooligan or something. And always remember to, Stop, Look and Listen!!
Photos below are taken close to the CN High-Line in Winnipeg, shows how close i can get, without being on Railway property, pretty cool eh!(The smaller pics are from Video stills)
BNSFreak wrote:We asked if we could take pictures from the side walk, (IN A PUBLIC NEIGHBORHOOD). He said, absolutly not! If any of you ever get caught taking pictures (on Or near) BNSF property, We will be arrested on the spot and the film and tape will be desrtoyed.
You have rights, and they are as guilty as any other criminal when they unlawfully attempt to take those rights from you.
The west coast is so different people are not so paranoid, I have railfanned all over seattle I have never been questioned, and while i was in Coos Bay I was taking pictures from inside the middle of the yard and one guy from the switch crew just said "be careful" and didn't seem to care I was in the middle of there yard well inside thier property. I guess thats the difference from between shortlines and Class 1s. They probably knew i was a railfan anyway
BTW: I had no prior permission and im 18.
DRGWfan wrote: The west coast is so different people are not so paranoid, I have railfanned all over seattle I have never been questioned, and while i was in Coos Bay I was taking pictures from inside the middle of the yard and one guy from the switch crew just said "be careful" and didn't seem to care I was in the middle of there yard well inside thier property. I guess thats the difference from between shortlines and Class 1s. They probably knew i was a railfan anyway BTW: I had no prior permission and im 18.
Try doing that in LA.