Railfans who break the law...

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by BNSF railfan.

If you are on a Gradecrossing or a County Road you can Photograph any Trains you want. If any RR cop tells you to stop taking Photo's when you are on eather one of the two that I just said,Then he is violating your rights. As long as you stay more than 50FT back from the Track you will be ok. A Gradecrossing and a back Countyroad will be your best friend. There is no law stating that Railfans can not take Photo's of Trains.Allan.

If you want to stand on a grade crossing when a train is coming then you go right ahead and do so. Just remember to leave some ID with your car to make it easy to identify who you were.

[Anonymous]

Is it okay to stand close to the railroad tracks at a railroad crossing as long as you located just outside the railroad barrier crossings? I usually stand close to the railroad barriers when I see a train go by, it's quite a rush when they go by at a high rate of speed.

QUOTE: Originally posted by dragonslayer87

In response to the thread which discussed the detaining of two railfans for photographing trains (http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=28130), what have you done, as a railfan, that could land you a short stay in jail, or an empty wallet? Do you frequently tresspass on railroad property, to get that close-up photo of your fav. locomotives? Have you done the timeless tradition of putting a penny on the rail? If you have, have you ever been caught? Maybe you have gotten trouble, like the railfans in the mentioned thread, without any reason. Lets hear the stories where railfanning became, dare I say, lawbreaking.

(For those who are shaking their heads at this thread, despite the hard work of Op. Lifesaver, I do tresspass on railway property, but that is pretty much as far as I go, and I haven't been caught--yet[:p].)

[CANADIANPACIFIC2816]

For safety reasons, you should keep a safe distance between yourself and any train that is moving past you at high speed. I would suggest a minimum of eight to ten feet.
Freight trains carry all kinds of commodities, and much of it is loose material, which can be picked up by a high gust of wind and thrown in your direction. Furthermore, derailments often happen without any warning, and that alone should give you enough incentive to keep a safe distance from the track.

When it comes to railfans who break the law, I don't advocate trespassing on railroad property to get pictures of locomotives, rolling stock or buildings. It's not worth going to jail for, and it's not worth the legal fees you will pay if a railroad decides it wants to prosecute you for trespassing on it's property, whether it be a yard or the main line.

Where I live, the BNSF maintains a yard within a couple blocks of my house, and I have been able to get some real good pictures from a highway overpass which spans the yard, and from other locations as well. A few of the BNSF switch crew members are familiar with me and if I am in the yard shooting pictures of a particular piece of equipment, they don't harass me as long as I am only taking a few pictures, I am keeping an eye open for anything that might suddenly start moving and am quick to leave the yard once I've got the shots I want.

There will always be a few dummies who will break the law by trespassing on railroad property for whatever reason, and it's too bad, because it paints the rest of us who know better in a bad light.

Ray Loftesness II
CANADIAN PACIFIC2816