FBI called for taking pic's of Amtrak

[Anonymous]

Also if we let them keep blowing them selves up, there wont be any left to blow themselves up[:I]

[Anonymous]

Sorry about the math, but the whole freaking goverment is acting like they killed off 2/3 of the US population. By now, almost as many soldiers overseas have been killed. It's wasting our tax money going over there and blowing small things up when we can wipe the animals off the face of earth[:(!][:(!][:(!][:(!]

[gabe]

QUOTE: Originally posted by jarubel

QUOTE: Originally posted by trainman2244

Ok guys, 9/11 and starting a war is a crock of *** if ive ever seen it. roughly 2000 people died, and according to the goverment there is a death every 13 seconds, so,
in that case 4 people die each minute, and 3120 people die each hour, and in that case, 74880 people die each day. 9/11 doesnt sound so horrible now, does it? (BTW: i was roughly rounding)

Just for the sake of nitpicking, if 4 people die each minute, wouldn't that mean 240 people every hour and not 3120?

240 or 3120, what is the difference? After all, it is only innocent human life we are talking about.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Paul3

artmark & dthurman,
Just because there were security concerns in WWII does not mean that we should follow the exact same path all over again.

Remember that during WWII thousands of innocent US civilians were immorally incarcerated in the middle of nowhere just because they were Asian and on the west coast. Using your logic, should we not lock up all Middle-Eastern US civilians? After all, if it worked for WWII...right?

You know what scares me more than any terrorist is my fellow citizens who see nothing wrong with trampling over hard-won rights to keep us all "safe". Bah!

Paul A. Cutler III
*****************
Weather Or No Go New Haven
*****************

I'm looking at the post you refer to and I can't find where I said this was a correct path. I also cannot find a post under my authorship where I favor locking up innocent civilians. Can you point out where I may have said that or elude to such activities? What I am pointing out is how the outside world, unaware of fans and railroading at large, look at the photography of trains, nothing more.

I further agree with CSS's assesments that bit by bit our rights are eroding. I'm not convinced that they'll return once things quiet down.

Mitch

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by trainman2244

Ok guys, 9/11 and starting a war is a crock of *** if ive ever seen it. roughly 2000 people died, and according to the goverment there is a death every 13 seconds, so,
in that case 4 people die each minute, and 3120 people die each hour, and in that case, 74880 people die each day. 9/11 doesnt sound so horrible now, does it? (BTW: i was roughly rounding)

Just for the sake of nitpicking, if 4 people die each minute, wouldn't that mean 240 people every hour and not 3120?

[gabe]

QUOTE: Originally posted by trainman2244

Ok guys, 9/11 and starting a war is a crock of *** if ive ever seen it. roughly 2000 people died, and according to the goverment there is a death every 13 seconds, so,
in that case 4 people die each minute, and 3120 people die each hour, and in that case, 74880 people die each day. 9/11 doesnt sound so horrible now, does it? (BTW: i was roughly rounding)

So, I suppose if that next person happens to be you no biggy, right?

It has nothing to do with statistical averages of death; I don't care if the terrorists killed one person who happened to be on their death bed. If someone is attempting to kill innocent life, I have no problem with my government handing me a rifle and pointing me in the right direction--whether our government pointed us in the right direction is another matter that I wont bore you guys on with an opinion that is no more valid than anyone else's.

Nonetheless, I really don't understand how you could in a half drunken stupor after being hit in the head make the argument that 2000 deaths are not a big deal.

Gabe

P.S. As for your death every 13 seconds, how many of those deaths are from natural causes? If you don't mind dying from unnatural causes, well Darwin can explain the errors of your ways much better than I.

[BNSF4ever]

Like Gabe and Chuck I find this story suspicious too. If this "agent" was really FBI, and somehow found out your name and address, they would have come to your house not called you up. Perhaps if this agent was legitimate, he did not take the report seriously enough but wanted to cross his Ts and dot his Is before closing out the report by just calling. However, I would suggest that if you do meet, examine his/her credentials and make sure you meet at a Federal building or other official operating location. If the agent suggests meeting elsewhere, insist on meeting at the local FBI office. You can also get his/her name and call your local field office to see if such an agent exists.

There is no one more security conscious than I but we need a bit of common sense too. There is no way in an era of camera phones that the authorities can prohibit picture taking at train stations. As I've posted before, the professionals at surveillance are not as obvious as a railfan (though to be fair, posing as one would make a good cover). And as I've posted before the terrorists have already scoped our transit/rail systems. I doubt there is anything else for them to learn.

I think for the time being, we just have to compromise a bit. When I was down in Los Angeles at Union Station, the staff were shooing people off the platform once you detrained and holding passengers in the waiting area until the departing trains were nearly ready to go. So it made it hard to go out there and take photos. You just have to put up with that. I took what photos I could and didn't wander too far down the platform. If I saw the conductor or Amtrak staff give me a look, I backed off. Discretion is the better part of valor sometimes.

I do think Trains magazine had it right on. If you are a regular train fan in an area, introduce yourself to the local railroad/Amtrak/municipal police. If I were a cop, that wouldn't automatically not make me suspicious of you but over time if they get to know you they might not be so inclined to harrass you.

[squeeze]

I've been taking pics of the CSX in Connellsville for a long time with no incidents so far. I'd like to see their faces when my 2 1\2 years old grandson asks what the problem is. I find it hard to believe that the FBI was calling about that. They have too many other dealings they should be with. Train watching I hope doesn't die with this terrorism thing. Maybe some train watcher will spot some terrorist trying to do something and will turn out to be a hero.

[Anonymous]

Ok guys, 9/11 and starting a war is a crock of *** if ive ever seen it. roughly 2000 people died, and according to the goverment there is a death every 13 seconds, so,
in that case 4 people die each minute, and 3120 people die each hour, and in that case, 74880 people die each day. 9/11 doesnt sound so horrible now, does it? (BTW: i was roughly rounding)

[Paul3]

artmark & dthurman,
Just because there were security concerns in WWII does not mean that we should follow the exact same path all over again.

Remember that during WWII thousands of innocent US civilians were immorally incarcerated in the middle of nowhere just because they were Asian and on the west coast. Using your logic, should we not lock up all Middle-Eastern US civilians? After all, if it worked for WWII...right?

You know what scares me more than any terrorist is my fellow citizens who see nothing wrong with trampling over hard-won rights to keep us all "safe". Bah!

Paul A. Cutler III
*****************
Weather Or No Go New Haven
*****************

[gabe]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Mookie

I'm with Gabe - what ever happened to a face-to-face with identification? I would be skeptical of anyone on a phone - with no identification.

2nd resident skeptic

Mookie

Cool, I somehow feel less alone in the world now. Maybe we can form a support group or something.

Gabe

[Anonymous]

Don't let them take you back to their lab for brain testing! They will erase your memory [:0]

[dharmon]

I am a firm believer in cooperating in a friendly manner...however, three things come to mind...

1. He may believe you, but need to check it out to check the block, hence the phone call and appointment and no apparent sense of urgency. They would have already run a background check on you to see if you had any suspicious ties....

2. You may have been reported there, deemed no threat, but they are looking for something else for a different purpose that you may not be aware of and caught on film.....if this is the case you may or may not ever know...

3. This a prank or joke. In any case, I would have someone else nearby. As mentioned above, they won't just flash a badge, they'll let you take a good look at it. The Federal guys I've dealt with in the past have been really professional.

With the number of investigations that go on, sometimes they get parceled out to different authorities.

Dan

[dharmon]

I am a firm believer in cooperating in a friendly manner...however, three things come to mind...

1. He may believe you, but need to check it out to check the block, hence the phone call and appointment and no apparent sense of urgency. They would have already run a background check on you to see if you had any suspicious ties....

2. You may have been reported there, deemed no threat, but they are looking for something else for a different purpose that you may not be aware of and caught on film.....if this is the case you may or may not ever know...

3. This a prank or joke. In any case, I would have someone else nearby. As mentioned above, they won't just flash a badge, they'll let you take a good look at it. The Federal guys I've dealt with in the past have been really professional.

Dan

[Anonymous]

I think I am with Gabe, chad, and Mookie on this one. If the FBI had some reason to be suspicious, I don't think it would be a friendly chat over the phone. Like others said, if you were readily identifible by others, why then weren't the local authorities notified?? How would the FBI agent be able to ID himself over the phone anyway??

[Junctionfan]

I wonder what folk would think if my model railroading club went over as a group to watch trains. I'm the youngest 26 and the oldest is 67. There are 10 of us right now.

I figure if terror attacks are going to happen in Canada and most government officials think so, I will likely have to be in my soon to be customs uniform or at least make sure I have my badge so we can railfan near the U.S boarder.

[ChuckCobleigh]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Mookie

I'm with Gabe - what ever happened to a face-to-face with identification? I would be skeptical of anyone on a phone - with no identification.

2nd resident skeptic

Mookie

Unless things have changed, the first thing any federal government investigator does in an interview is display a department identification with their picture on it and the agency's seal. And, I might add, they do not "flash" the ID, but allow you to examine it in enough detail to convince yourself that they are who they say they are. If the person you meet does not do that, make a note of anything he says, break off the interview and get on the horn with your nearest FBI office, as you are probably dealing with an imposter. That is something they will definitely be interested in.

[chad thomas]

QUOTE: Originally posted by CSSHEGEWISCH

Am I the only person spotting the oxymoron here but I can't see how giving up some of my freedoms is going to keep me free. With the direction that the current regime in the White House is going, I don't think that any freedoms that are taken away from us are going to be returned at all.

No, not at all, I totaly agree with you.

And what's up with the phone call? Like Mook said, how do you know they were FBI? And if they were how did they know your phone number? What were they going to do, arrest you over the phone? They are willing to go out of there way to look at you pictures but not to make face to face first contact. That makes sence....NOT.

[jeaton]

Speaking of taking pictures of Amtrak, I think that the annual "Pictures for the Amtrak Calendar" contest is over for the year, but isn't there a bit of irony there?

Jay

[Anonymous]

It's the way times are, and I don't see it getting better any time soon.
We need to continue to take our photo's, and mark down our engine no's., but do it responsibly, and be polite, patient and cooperative if and when we are approached by authorities.
We know we mean no harm, and proper conduct in such situations will bear this out.
And the extra vigilance that our eyes, cameras, scanners and cell phones provide may possibly act as a deterrent to any criminal activity from vandalism to terrorism. Or that hot box, broken rail or shifted load, etc.
Jimmy

[Mookie]

I'm with Gabe - what ever happened to a face-to-face with identification? I would be skeptical of anyone on a phone - with no identification.

2nd resident skeptic

Mookie

[CSSHEGEWISCH]

Am I the only person spotting the oxymoron here but I can't see how giving up some of my freedoms is going to keep me free. With the direction that the current regime in the White House is going, I don't think that any freedoms that are taken away from us are going to be returned at all.

I also agree that calling in the FBI was overkill although they probably acted a lot more professionally than some local police. On a personal note, I was once stopped by the Bedford Park Police after they saw me driving away from a location after I took some pictures of Clearing Yard. It was near the intermodal terminal so the stop was not unreasonable (theft problems) and they acted professionally and I had no problem clearing up the matter.

[spbed]

Were you packing when they saw you? [:o)][:p]

Originally posted by robscaboose
[

Living nearby to MP 186 of the UPRR  Austin TX Sub

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