Warning to "ALL" Railfans.

[Anonymous]

I earge that all Railfans to contact your local Police or your Sheriff the next time you deside to go out on a Railfan journey. Why? Because Yesterday (05-05-05) my friend was out Railfanning and some guy was watching every thing that he was doing. why? Because he was hanging around the the Railroad crossing waiting for a UP detour down at Oreapolis to go East on the BNSF. Ok so, Then the guy came back to him to what and why he was standing around the RR X.
My friend told him kindly that he was a Railfan. But the Moron in the other car went and called the cops on him anyway on his cell phone. What a jerk.
Now that the Government is gona get ever so hard on all of us we all had better start taking better steps to protect our rights now or we all be seeing the feds of all type's at our fron door now that the Public is RATTING&SNITCHING on us more than ever. From now on. Every time you go Railfanning,I earge you all to call the proper Law inforcement. Let then know where you are gona Railfan at. Tell the Dispatcher the time you start to the time you will depart on that same day. Because the public is watching now more than ever and the chances that you being call in to the cops is greatly high more than ever now. Because they have nothing better to do than call the cops on Railfans.
So,If you do go Railfanning,make darn sure that you make that call of you will be haveing a very bad day when the FEDS show up at your back window!!!!!!!!!!!
And I am Serious too!
Sorry for this Boring Stupid Topic but I just had to warn all of you Railfans.
BNSFrailfan.

[gabe]

I don't get it?

So what if he called the cops? So what if they come out and ask you who you are?

I think the last thing law enforcement wants to deal with is a bunch of us calling them 24/7 saying “I want to go look at trains.”

I think the civilian did the right thing by calling the cops. You didn't say how your friend was hurt or even inconvenienced as a result of this action, and it is far from apparent to me. If I see someone that doesn’t look quite right near a busy rail line, I hope I do the same thing as the guy did to your friend.

Gabe

[edblysard]

Got rousted by a UP cop a few nights ago at the the west end of Eureka yard...he drove up, wanted to know what I was doing, I explained I was taking photos of trains...and waiting for Amtrak so I could get a night shot.
He asked if I had ID, which I supplied, my TDL and my railroad switchmans ID...

He ran the TDL through CICS, I came back clean...he handed me both IDs back, said have a nice day...I stopped him, offered him a soae from my cooler in the back of the car...we sat around talking "shop" for a while,,,I got a few more photos, Amtrak never showed, (big surprise there)...I got one of his business card, you never know when you will need a cop!
I also made it a point to thank the guy for checking me out and doing his job!

I was on public property, and he was well aware of that, he was just checking me out, he hadnt seen my car there before.

If your friend was on public property, and not doing anything other than watching trains and taking photos, he should have no problem withthe cops.

In fact, due to the fact that most railroads are in the not so great part of town, the presence of cops, be it the city guys or the railroad cops, should be a comfort to your buddy.

Next time hes there, and the cops show up, he should intorduce himself, and work at making the cops his friends, not his enemies, after all, their job is to protect you, even if it sometimes means protecting you from yourself.

If he plays his cards right, he might end up with his own security force....

I have known the regular cop at Eureka for years, he see my car, he cruises by and checks to make sure I am ok...he even knows my 11 year old daughters name, she watches and takes photos with me.
Most of the time, he dosnt stop, but gives us a flash of his searchlight and a blip on his overheads...

So tell your buddy to work this to his advantage...

Ed

[Anonymous]

Goodness.... That happened to me once and the local sherrif came out but he saw me with my BNSF shirt and hat looking like a geek in the middle of a city[:p][:p][:p][:p][:p][:p][:p][:p][:p][:p][:p][:p][:p][:p][:p][:p][:p][:p][:I][:I]

[CopCarSS]

I agree with teh others. As long as you keep on Public Property, and not Railroad or other private property, it shouldn't be a problem. While I miss the old days like everyone else, I've only been checked up on once, and it was fairly painless. The cop was a nice fellow, and pretty easy going. I know there are some out there who aren't, but I think the vast majority are.

Just remember to have fun, and not get too hot and bothered and it'll be AGAGB, All Good And Gravy Baby!

Chris
Denver, CO

[DPD1]

Unfortunately, there's a lot of people in the world that are closet cops, and they are going to try and act like cops every chance they get... Even if it makes no sense to most people. Every year, the local church near me has a carnival with fireworks at the end of the day. This has gone on for years and years... Yet every year, numerous knuckle heads call the cops and say there's a gun fight going on. Some people are just clueless.

But sorry to say… Unless you live in Mayberry, a call to the cops would either get you laughed at, or just more paranoia.

Dave
-DPD Productions - Introducing the NEW TrainTenna LP Directional RR Radio Monitoring Antenna-
http://eje.railfan.net/dpdp/

[Anonymous]

Hell next if someone wants to play call the cop so will I.

[wabash1]

To me it sounds like your mad cause the police was called. not that it did anything it is that your right to be left alone was violated. and that calling the police to tell them to leave you alone that you are going to be somewhere is more of a invite to bother you. well boo hoo get over it . the thing is if your standing around a crossing and i never seen you before im calling in with a complete discription of you. As a engineer and being they found a bomb capable of derailing and destroying track. ( regardless of what the rookies said here. i have the inside scoope i work that line) yes i will be calling in. what ever you do if the railroad cops come out they will get your name if your freindly to them they will tell us crews and you will be forgiven as a threat. In short be cool talk to the guys once your noticed as a nice guy / gal ( sorry mook) nobody will care until you do something stupid.

[fuzzybroken]

Ya know what, I won't be worrying about it. While railfanning, I am not doing anything illegal, so I have nothing to worry about. I always try to wave to the train personnel, and give a nod to the police when I see them. I want people to know what I am doing, that it is perfectly normal, and who I am.

Of course there's always going to be some $%^&*# who doesn't think I should be doing what I am doing, but they can be dealt with fairly effectively just by being courteous and giving a brief explanation. And I have found that police usually side with the most rational, cool-headed person in any situation, so it's always good to be that person.

And then there's Plan B: know your rights, and have a good lawyer. I know I do!!! I also carry around with me a printout of a PDF file from a law firm that someone posted in response to the "Metra incident". If I figure out where that PDF is, I'll post a link to it.

Happy railfanning, and stay safe!
-Mark
http://www.geocities.com/fuzzybroken

[Anonymous]

Out west I occasionally would pull over and the engineer would hold the train momentarily as I aimed my inadequate camera at them.

Always had a toot on the horn and a wave.

There is a post office not too far from the tracks where I live, I shoot from there. And visit sanctioned events with other local railfans from time to time.

[fuzzybroken]

Ok, here it is:
http://www.krages.com/phoright.htm

-Mark
http://www.geocitiescom/fuzzybroken

[andrewjonathon]

Most people think railfanning is a little 'different' already. If people started calling the Police to notify them ahead of time about their railfanning activities I think that would seal the deal - they would know the person was off their rocker.

[andrewjonathon]

Just a point of interest regarding through shipments to Europe. I have read of some discussions of building a container port in Churchill. From what I have read, global warming is increasingly making it more feasible to turn Churchill into a year round port. I understand that shipping distances from Churchill to Europe are quite competitive with the ports on the East coast.

[Dayliner]

I'm within my rights to take photos of trains from public property, and Wabash1 is within his rights to call the cops on me. Calling the cops is one of the ways in which we look out for each other; it's part of our exercise of social responsibility. I should be able to satisfy any police officer that my intentions in taking pictires of trains are innocent and harmless. If I can't, I'll move on and find somewhere else to takes pictures of trains. End of story and 'nuff said.

[wabash1]

dayliner you are so wrong.. to take pictures is your right but it dont make it rightto take pictures of crews on the trains. if you feel that it is your right to snap photo of crews then it ok for me to come to yor house and photo you and your wife by the pool or hot tub. how about the bed room. In other words dont come looking to take my picture unless i am ready to have it done. the problem with all you railfans is that you think you have the rightt to do what ever you want. when you want as long as it is on public property. if i decided to take pics of you at your house from the street then by the same token it was on public property . why such a problem with it because you take pictures of crew members breaking rules. simple enough.

[Dayliner]

No, Wabash1, you're wrong. It's perfectly OK for me to take pictures of you or anyone else where there is no reasonable expectation of privacy, and that includes walking down the street or doing your job. I have a reasonable expectation of privacy in my own home. I do not have a reasonable expectation of privacy when I am at work, and I cannot object when people chose to take pictures of me at work.

However, you are perfectly entitled, if you think that my taking pictures of trains or anything else, will inhibit the discharge of your duty as an employee (that is, if it poses a safety risk, etc), to call the cops on me. I don't object. That's my problem, I'll deal with it, and I don't want to get in the way of you doing your job.

[spbed]

I had a BNSF cop ask me for ID at the diamond in Colton. When he saw he 1st thought I worked for the UPRR as I was wearing a UPRR T-shirt & BB hat.

[gabe]

QUOTE: Originally posted by wabash1

dayliner you are so wrong.. to take pictures is your right but it dont make it rightto take pictures of crews on the trains. if you feel that it is your right to snap photo of crews then it ok for me to come to yor house and photo you and your wife by the pool or hot tub. how about the bed room. In other words dont come looking to take my picture unless i am ready to have it done. the problem with all you railfans is that you think you have the rightt to do what ever you want. when you want as long as it is on public property. if i decided to take pics of you at your house from the street then by the same token it was on public property . why such a problem with it because you take pictures of crew members breaking rules. simple enough.

Actually Wabash 1, it is you who are wrong.

If a person can look into your house or backyard from public property, you have—relatively—no legal expectation of privacy. There are certain voyeurism statutes that make it illegal to peer into someone's house for sexual gratification. And, there are nuisance laws, but you would be surprised to learn the lack of coverage for such activity.

Don't believe me? Claim to hurt your back at work and file a workers comp claim then carefully watch public property around your house for someone with a camera. Insurance companies do this all of the time.

I try to be respectful to people who are actually in the business, but I don't know where you get off saying that rail fans think we can do anything we want. The previous posts were hardly invasive, and I failed to read any indication that anyone advocated doing anything illegal.

Gabe

[METRO]

I really don't see why it's too much of an issue.

I'm a college student and I've learned one of the cardinal methods of proving that you are a legit railfan: have a camera. I'd guess I'm not the railfan architype so when I'm relaxing on a bench in the public park next to the CP line where I do most of my watching, I make sure to have my Pentax K1000 with me.

I've gotten quite a few looks of surprise from the CP cops when they come over and ask why a 21 year old guy with a skateboard and a punk-rock band shirt on is watching the tracks and I tell them I'm a railfan and model railroader. They usually see the camera and that helps em believe it. Usually the next question isn't for my ID but is more along the lines of "So... ... how did someone your age get into liking trains?"
LOL

~METRO

[Chris30]

So, you want to call the police for something...

QUOTE: from BNSF Railfan
[My] friend was out Railfanning and some guy was watching every thing that he was doing."

Can you say STALKER!

There's just such a fine line on everything post 9/11..

[eolafan]

I have never been personally hassled by police but have had a few come over to where I was parked and "checked me out" and I even had one local officer park next to me and I found out he was a railfan and a volunteer on some steam fan trips and we spoke for over an hour. I also became aquainted with the now retired BNSF captain of police in our area and he would frequently stop by Eola yard to give us posters, calendars or just plain chat for hours on end. Bottom line if you (or I) are not doing anything wrong, you or I should not be worried but rather thankful that somebody is watching out for us. If more were this vigillant in the past perhaps we would not have experienced 9-11 (food for thought).

[PigFarmer1]

Big deal. Your friend shows his ID, they run it through NCIC, he presumably comes out clean, and he goes his merry way. End of story. This kind of stuff has been going on for years. It's not worth crying about.

[wabash1]

gabe and dayliner and who ever was agreeing with them. its like this I have the right not to have my pic taken . and when most buffs ask ( and some do ) i have no problem with that its the ones like you guys who think its thier right to do what they want. these are the ones that give fans the bad names. these are the ones i report and most generally i wont see them again . so its up to you be kind or join the ones that we dont see anymore.

[fievel]

QUOTE: Originally posted by wabash1

gabe and dayliner and who ever was agreeing with them. its like this I have the right not to have my pic taken . and when most buffs ask ( and some do ) i have no problem with that its the ones like you guys who think its thier right to do what they want. these are the ones that give fans the bad names. these are the ones i report and most generally i wont see them again . so its up to you be kind or join the ones that we dont see anymore.

Wabash1- I don't think a whole lot of fans are "out to get you", so why are you so
worried that we might photograph you? A railroad official could just as easily
take your mug as part of an investigation into rules violations. And that is their
right! And you're not going to get rid of them so easily.

Please take that chip off your shoulder ,and stop wasting law enforcements valuable
time checking out every person who has merely "offended" you.

[wabash1]

fievel

Read what i said dont take it out of context. it said I have no problem ""get it "" no problem with the ones who ask ( ASK key word here ) it is the ones who think its thier right to photo anything they want and nobody has the right to stop them. If i dont want my picture taken then you should be considerate and not do it. regardless of what you want . if you dont want to listen fine. the police will show up. and its not a waste of thier time . or mine and your time at that point dont mean squat to me. in other words if you wont be cosiderate with me i wont hesitate send your butt to jail... I have tried to give you the basic of why some of us dont like you guys. I dont have a problem with railfans or buffs . I dont break rules and dont care who is watching but i absolutely hate having my picture taken and the only 3 forms that have my pic on them is my company id drivers lic and my gun owners card. this is the way i feel. no chip . I am not changing

[chad thomas]

Mabee I'm missing something but how can you have someone arrested for taking your picture?

I can respect your desire not to have your picture taken but you are not going to stop it from happening short of hiding from cameras. So deal with it. There are a lot of things I don't like, for instance loud car stereos, but there is nothing I can do about it so I deal with it. That's life.

[gabe]

I will leave it to others as to whether there is a "moral" right not to have your picture taken. Some people believe it steals your soul . . .

But, for the most part, there is no legal prohibition.

Gabe

[Randy Stahl]

QUOTE: Originally posted by wabash1

dayliner you are so wrong.. to take pictures is your right but it dont make it rightto take pictures of crews on the trains. if you feel that it is your right to snap photo of crews then it ok for me to come to yor house and photo you and your wife by the pool or hot tub. how about the bed room. In other words dont come looking to take my picture unless i am ready to have it done. the problem with all you railfans is that you think you have the rightt to do what ever you want. when you want as long as it is on public property. if i decided to take pics of you at your house from the street then by the same token it was on public property . why such a problem with it because you take pictures of crew members breaking rules. simple enough.

If you want a photo of me and my wife in the bedroom let me know so I can leave the lights on . Leaving a $5.00 bill in the hedge would be a nice gesture too !

[chad thomas]

$5.00, what a deal

[gabe]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Randy Stahl

QUOTE: Originally posted by wabash1

dayliner you are so wrong.. to take pictures is your right but it dont make it rightto take pictures of crews on the trains. if you feel that it is your right to snap photo of crews then it ok for me to come to yor house and photo you and your wife by the pool or hot tub. how about the bed room. In other words dont come looking to take my picture unless i am ready to have it done. the problem with all you railfans is that you think you have the rightt to do what ever you want. when you want as long as it is on public property. if i decided to take pics of you at your house from the street then by the same token it was on public property . why such a problem with it because you take pictures of crew members breaking rules. simple enough.

If you want a photo of me and my wife in the bedroom let me know so I can leave the lights on . Leaving a $5.00 bill in the hedge would be a nice gesture too !

Randy,

You better make sure $4.75 goes to your wire and $0.25 goes to you.

Gabe