STOP - RAILFANS NOT ALLOWED!

[Anonymous]

I'D LIKE TO ADDRESS THE COUNTLESS 'FANS' WHO LITERALLY TRESPASS IN THE NAME OF BEING A'RAILFAN'. I'VE SEEN TOO MANY CHARACTERS TAKE LIBERTIES WITH A CAMERA, CAM, TAPE RECORDER, ETC IN THE NAME OF BEING 'RAINFAN'. ON TOP OF THAT,WE NOW FACE THE WARRANTED SECURITY BLANKET IMPOSED BY 9/11. PERHAPS THIS WAS JUST WAITING TO HAPPEN - WE NEED A CHECKS AND BALANCES ON THE PEOPLE WHO 'SCREW IT UP' FOR THE REST OF US TRYING TO ENJOY A WORTHWHILE HOBBY. I'D DON'T BLAME THE RAILROADS FOR BEING OVERLY CAUTIOUS, SO IF YOU'RE OUT THERE DOING WHAT MAY BE CONSIDERED 'SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITIES' STOP AND THINK BEFORE YOU GET CAUGHT UP IN THE EUPHORIA OF THAT MOMENT WHEN YOU CROSS OVER FROM BEING AN 'OBSERVER' TO BEING A 'TRESPASSER'. TRAINS WILL BE AROUND AND WE ALL WANT TO ENJOY THEM!

[Anonymous]

i've said it before"TAKE PICTURES LEAVE FOOTPRINTS". There are plenty of public places wherever you are to take pictures and watch trains.If people don't get this very simple premis let them think about it on a weekend pass in an orange jumpsuit and/or dish out some cash.
Joe
Defiance ohio

[cabforward]

dear mr. ALLCAPS,

you may have noticed that letters in this forum are submitted in small letters.. 2 reasons: small letters are easier to read and more easily processed thru the mind.. in "netiquette", large letters automatically add emphasis to a message: yellig, excitement, warnings, even anger.. capital letters should only be used to make a strong point in a discussion, and only sparingly..

sending a letter in all caps, in many net-users' minds, suggests a very emotional state.. im sure users of this forum would appreciate your consideration sending posts with usual capitalization, and KNOCK OFF THE EXCESSIVE USE OF CAPITAL LETTERS, OK? WE HEAR YOU, BUT UNLESS YOU'RE RUNNING FROM A BURNING BUILDING, THERE'S NO NEED TO SHOUT!!

[Anonymous]

I TOO LIKE TAKE PICTURES OF TRAINS, I WISH I HAD DONE IT WHEN I WAS A KID BACK IN THE 50'S AND 60'S WHEN STEAM WAS GOING OUT.
I THINK ONE WAY WE CAN HELP IS LET THE RAILROAD YOU WANT TO TAKE PICTURES OF AND LET THEM KNOW ABOUT WEAR YOU WILL BE AT WHAT KIND OF CAR OR TRUCK YOU HAVE AND ABOUT YOU WILL BE THERE AND HOW LONG. ALSO YOU MAY ASK THEM IF IT WELL BE O.K.

[Anonymous]

Right on Cabfoward! ;-)

[Anonymous]

Hey Dude, your caps lock's on!

[friscobob56]

OKYep, there are a few screwballs and witless wonders who have screwed things up for the rest of us, and now, thanks to Osama bin Hidin' and his manic Muslims, we're all under scrutiny- even us solid citizens. Now more than ever, we have to be careful when and where we shoot trains.
Taking pictures of trains in a legal setting (Off RR property) has not been, nor is illegal. I would recommend carrying a copy of this:
http://www.krages.com/ThePhotographersRight.pdf
with you when you go railfanning.
One note of caution-should you run across an overzealous cop, RR policeman, rent-a-cop, etc., don't cop an attitude- best thing to do is back off, and if you can get a badge number & report this individual to his/her superiors.

[Anonymous]

When ever I go railfanning at a railyard, I always get permission from the yard office first, it only takes a minute to keep yourself from being detained by the railroad police or taking an overnight trip to the local county "hotel" (jail). If you are on RR property w/o permission I think that you deserve to be detained by the railroad police.

[louisnash]

On NS website there is a section to click on that has their photographing policy. Go to their journalist page and then scroll down and read the section "Visiting NS property". 2nd paragraph. You can take the photos just not on their property.

[Anonymous]

I think that the RR should have zero tolerance for people on RR property w/o permission. If you don't have permission, you shouldn't be on the property. If you can't obey the signs, you can spend some time in Central Lockup.

railbull

[Anonymous]

We just had a guy arrested when he showed up for the third time in one night on railroad property. The first time he tried to get a ride with the crew. Other times he was out with a flashlight. The arrest was 10:15PM.

Last week we think it was the same guy followed this same crew around for half the night and we had the cops talk to him. That was at 3:00 AM and he had his kid with him. Obviously did not get the message.

Stay off railroad property. The companies are telling employees to look for suspicious activity. Most crews know what is typical railfan activity and what is not, but know that crews are paying attention and the tollerance level for trespassing is very low.

Take your pictures from off the right of way. Get permission to enter yards and know that permission may not be granted. The carrier has no need to assume liablity for nonemployees on the property. Would you??

Mac

[cabforward]

do r.r. workers feel the same way about r.r. watchers as vice-versa? are r.r. workers, those who watchers cite as being user-friendly, going on record as offering support to watchers (specifying locations to watch; vouching for watchers when a back-up is needed to r.r. police, mgmt; differentiating between watchers and true threats to r.r. mgmt and police; stating that watchers are increaing safety of r.r. property in observing/reporting suspicous activity)..

are r.r. workers acknowledging the value of r.r. watchers and being there for them when needed?
i have not read examples of this, except where one man thanks another personally..
what i mean is going on the record with the media; presenting the case for r.r.watchers to authority and making speaking on their behalf..?

[edblysard]

As soon as the "media" asks.
If you mean I should go chase down a reporter, no, I like my job a lot. But, if asked, sure, you guys do make a diffrence. Several stories in Trains about a fan alerting a crew about problems document that side of fans. You dont see too much bother about the football fans who dress up in really weird costumes, face paint and horned helmets, and then pester the heck out of everyone at games, but let one railfan be in the wrong place, and he/she is hasseled. Not fair, but what in life really is.
Stay Frosty,
Ed

[Anonymous]

I just finished reading your complaints to the guy using all caps and wonder where you come off chastising him when you use all lower case letters without proper punctuation or capitalization. Your messages are much more difficult to read then his.

Maybe there is a good reason for his all caps format such as: he can't type worth a darn, he has a broken finger, or his keyboard is broken. My point is let's not be so critical of each other and just get along. Certainly let's not have the pot calling the kettle black, which this appears to be the case. Bill

[cabforward]

mr. bakerson:

i come off this way: "caps" are harder to read, small letters are easier to read, its a given.. many forums have a standing policy not to use all caps.. i never saw a forum that asked writers not to post in small letters only; if the reader has problems using a keyboard, how did he get this far, did he use esp?

as for being critical, you must be new to the neighborhood.. here's a headline: before you start preaching to the congregation, find out what they believe in, got it? sit back awhile and read enough posts to understand what's being said, what relevant issues are being advanced to the readership..

one more thing about the pot and the kettle, start posting here and it wont be long before someone will say the same thing about you.. most contributors have written something here which contradicts something hey wrote earlier, and someone calls them on that.. this is a human trait, its called fallibility.. everybody makes mistakes, and many mistakes involve someone speaking against what they themselves said earlier..

so dont make out like you found a post that contradicts what the poster said earlier, big deal.. you've never contradicted yourself? i deny that my post about small-letters only contradicts letters that appear in "caps only" format.. this is an issue about ease of reading and absorbing information.. "all caps" hinder the process..

one more thing: you're the first to ccmplain about my post being written only in small letters; a letter right after my first post compliments my statement about "no caps, please".. howmany compliments will your view receive, not many i bet..

[CSSHEGEWISCH]

I've had fortunately few contacts with special agents since most of my activity has been at grade crossings, overpasses, station platforms, etc. I did trespass once and was spotted by a special agent, who was good enough to point out the property lines when I asked nicely. A little co-operation and polite behavior goes a long way. Remember, yards and engine terminals are dangerous places and the special agents are looking out for their employers and for our own safety.

[Anonymous]

I spent a wonderfull day Sunday with my girlfriend and fellow railfan.The only time anyone ever stopped was to ask if we were having trouble,since we were parked on the side of the road after a filming a passing frieght just west of Kiowa Kansas. I hate trespassing ,it makes me feel very uneasy and this was long before 911,besides all of the train crews waved as they went by.

[Anonymous]

I am all in favor of Mr. cabforward's point of view. I could go one step further and ask that all contributors please hit the spell check on their email before sending their responses. The number of typos, misspellings and annoying errors in this forum are mind boggling.
(Yes, I am a freelance-meaning paid-writer).

As far as the high degree of emotionalism in this subject, I think many who have responded to the original email could step back and make a note of this:
I have worked in retail for over eight years. I have encountered countless irate, angry, and emotionally volatile customers. The only way to deal with them is by being very polite, very understanding, listening to them, let them let off their steam, and when they are calmed down, then I ask how can I help them. 95% of the time this works. The only time it does not is if someone ONLY wants to argue.

Finally, just this last Saturday, we had a very nice spring day-weather wise- in the Minneapolis /St Paul area and I just decided to take off looking for trains. I found several perfectly acceptable places that were public property where I could safely watch and photograph trains without trespassing. I was hassled----not at all.


Finally

[edblysard]

Lisa,
I too, am all in favor of improving the spelling,
eliminating the typos, and lynching everyone who makes such annoying errors.
But sadly, not all of us are a paid, free-lance writer.
Which places the vast majority of us in the class of sub-human illiterate neo neanderthal knuckle dragging slopped forehead non retail, over emotional worker average person category.
Funny, after 18 years in retail sales and management, then six years in service of the Attorney General of the State of Texas, in the Child Support Enforcement Division, to be chastised by you over something as silly as someone typing in caps, or misspelling a word or two.
I assume you prepose than only those as well versed, worldly and educated as you be allowed to use this forum, or that the rest of us poor slobs learn to write to your standards?
Such a consending and arrogant statement as your's is truly insulting.
Did it ever occur to you that maybe, just maybe, some of these people use this forum to "blow off steam", instead of taking it out on paid free-lance writers such as your self?
Yes, the gentleman known as cabforward expressed his distaste for someone writing a post in all caps, but the person doing the posting in caps politely ingnored him and went about doing just as he pleased. Both are perfectly within their rights. One types in lower case, the other in caps.
Neither one spells as good as you.
BIG DEAL. big deal.
So heres a thought.
If what you read in this forum is not up to your upper crust, well heeled and superior writing skills, dont read it.
Because it seems that it isnt so much the content of the postings that bother you, but their context and style. For someone who is both a retail worker and a free lance writter, I would suggest a little higher class reading material than a forum by, and for us blue collar railroaders and railfans, most of which dont know the difference between a verb, noun, gerund or a hanging participal, and really dont care to.
I would say "Stay Frosty"
but that would be redundent.
Ed
Paid conductor/engine foreman/switchman foreman.

[louisnash]

Hey Ed,
Your reply to Lisa was rather amusing. You are a joy to sit here and read your expertise. Now I have replied to you a couple times now and just couldn't pass this opportunity up. What in the world is a "gerund". Being from KY and the sterotype we have anyway, I haven't a clue on it's meaning. Please feel free to fill me in.
Anyway, My family and I were off to the flea market this past Sunday(3-17), and instead of taking the interstate we went 2 lane blacktop. Reason being, class one RR goes right beside 2 lane for about 25 miles and great to see the trains. On the way I noticed 2 railfans out(on public property mind you). The funny thing is they were within 1000 ft. of our local state police post. I know that 9-11 has changed a lot of things, and I would not have paid much attention before but one train in particular that day had a string of boxcars that said "I Love(Heart)New York". This wasn't grafitti but had been applied by a RR co. I have seen them in model form but not the real thing. Anyway we are from a small community. One of those that everybody knows everybody. Kind of like Mayberry. As long as your not on the company property everything is fine. Both with the local authorities and the RR.
Sorry about not starting new paragraphs, but I got to git dem youngins into bed before the rooster gets up. Little sarcasm for Lisa.
Keep the funny stuff going Ed.
Ya'll have a great day!U Here!
Brian

[cabforward]

lisa, dont take what you read in this forum too strongly.. mr ed has stereotyped the users forums attract and stipulated that he is probably one of them..
thanks for your comments.. as for your standards of grammar, punctuation, etc., i support your aspirations, but i wouldn't return to the forum wondering if it looks any different for your efforts..
the technology of internet access, world-wide communications and global chit-chat has turned written formal composition and rhetoric into a lost art.. they are now what teachers wi***hey could see on student reports.. professional writers and editors work to keep the rest of who dont know the difference between an adverb and an adjective on a course to avoid total gibberish and disorganized thought..
keep on carrying the standard--there are many of us who remember the real reason for the semicolon is to clarify expression and not just a way to make a smiley face in a chat room.. ;)

[edblysard]

Hi Brian,
Unless you are a professor of English, a gerund is pretty much a waste of time. But, in keeping with the new, higher standards of Forum Decorum, a gerund is a present participle use as a noun.
A example sentence using a gerund would be, "Doing nothing is doing ill".
The first doing is the subject, and the second doing, the predicate noun, or gerund.
Which dosnt make a bit of difference to the price of tea in China, or when Amtrak will finally get to the station.
And I too, am a paid writer. I helped draft some of the legistation in regards to absconding parents who have arrearages,(un-paid child support debt) and what, if any, actions the State Attorney Generals office may excerise if said parent flees the state of Texas. And I was on the state payroll when I wrote it, so...
It really chaps me when someone starts a conversation with their title , or qualifications, as if being a paid free lance writer, or a retail sales person, trainmaster or General Superintendent somehow elevates them to a position which, by title alone, allows them to judge, correct or chastise others.
Mr cabforward is entitled to his opinion, and up to a point, I agree with both him and Miss Lisa, postings written in all caps are a pain in the keister to read.
As to sterotyping anyone, I belive Miss Lisa finished her first paragraph with a reference to being a paid free lance writer. Being un-paid wouldn't make her a writer, it would make her un-employeed, so the reference to being paid is a attempt to distance herself from the ranks of wanna be's? Therefore sterotyping the rest of us as un-paid, and therefore not as qualified, writers.
I was under the impression this forum was intended to facillitate the exchange of information about trains, railroading, and railfaning in general, not a discourse on the English language, it proper use, or someones lack of typing skills.
If Miss Lisa has something to offer in the area of railfaning, or a question about trains and the people who work on and around them, then I would be happy to offer her any help and knowledge I may possess.
If, on the other hand, she wishes only to point out how badly most of the citizens mangle the english language, and expound upon her personal accomplishments, then I suggest www. blueblood.com.
As for you living in Mayberry, you lucky dog!
If LA is the left armpit of america, then Houston ranks as the right one. If I had half a chance to get out of here, and stay railroading, we would pack it up and be gone.
And I hope you took a photo of the boxcars, you did write down the reporting marks, didnt you?
Railroads, and car owners are missing a great oppertunity to advertise there. Once upon a time, they enjoyed a fleet of rolling billboards, but the "plain paint" cost factor seems to have driven that aspect of railroading away.
And I am glad to see your local police have turned on their common sense dispenser, and realize the diffrence between a fan and a terrorist.
Well durn, there goes that rooster, so gotta get the rugrats up and off to the little one room school house. Gotta make sure they wear shoes this time.
Stay Frosty Brian,
Ed

[Anonymous]

i respect all of your opinions, and as you can see, agree with them, as i am using all lowercase, but the spelling, come on man, this is not friggin english class. i am a junior in high school, and when i get a chance to post on a formm, i just type, as long as people know what you are intending to say, spelling dosen't really matter.

one last point, i thought this was a trains forum.

May The Force Be With Ya'll!!

[edblysard]

See the train, feel the train, BE the Train...
focus, focus focus.
Ed

[Mookie]

Since I use Mookie and you use Wookie (trust me they are pretty close to the same thing) - I hope you will let me bring up another side of this.

This is a trains forum, but without taking up too much time or space, it is always fun to find out who is out there and something about them. I know Ed is in Houston area and a little about what he does. I know Lisa is north of me and she has a train set-up. Now I know you are in high school and you must have an interest in trains.

Now I will tell you that Mookie is a cat with a coat like a Wookie - now you know a little something about me!

Wasn't that fun!

Jen

(i am going to catch flak for this aren't i!)

[BRAKIE]

Lisa,Chill..This is a forum for trains which means there are all types here from all walks of life and education..As for me I perfer to read about trains and NOT English 101...Now if old Mrs.xx was here she will tell you plainly that I am the only boy she ever met that could slaughter english and grammer.A fact she remained me of on a daily bases durning that school year.

[edblysard]

How about a kitten rescued from the bolster of a grain car, in a train that started out in Spokane, Washington. Three guesses as to what my kids named him, and the first two dont count.
Stay Frosty,
Ed

[Mookie]

Chessie? :)

[Anonymous]

Yes, Jenny, you are going to get flak - cannoned for the Mookie - Wookie relationship, but all in the name of good clean internet fun. here goes:

you say that a Mookie is a cat, well, i bet it dosen't rip your arms out of your socket when it loses. a cat can't pilot the Falcon to the edges of the galaxy and back by itself. a cat dosen't have a life - debt to its owner, i could go on and on, but you get the point.

as you can see, i am also a very avid Star Wars fan. (if i find out that you are a Trekkie, Arms from sockets, rip I will (don't dis Yoda either))

NONE of the above should be taken offencivly (yes, i probobally misspelled it) it is nothing personal.

also i live near Dallas Texas, (Yea-Haw) and if you (Jenny) live anywhere near there, we could meet sometime and go to Centennial Yard.

May The Force Be With Ya'll!

[edblysard]

Nice try, but when the kids found out the train was from spokane, the youngest decided right then and there to call him Spokane, and the name stuck. So now we have a Slinkie, Squeaky, Connie and Spokane in the cat dept, eight Boa constricters, one Leucient Texas Rat snake, various feeder rodents,(read rats and mice) and two dogs, Belle and Just, (cause its "just" a useless dog, too lazy to even play fetch) and a bunny named Patch. Purinia Ralston loves people like us, just wi***hey would make a snake chow.
Stay Frosty,
Ed