FBI called for taking pic's of Amtrak

[dknelson]

Yikes! Well maybe one "advantage" of shooting Kodachrome slides is that it is now about 3 weeks before I get my slides back, so if the FBI asked to see them there would be a nice long wait. Maybe the G-men could help me get faster service?
Dave Nelson

[Junctionfan]

Not just that; I remembered that Walker guy who went to Afghanistan to fight for the Taliban and he wasn't middle-eastern decent.

[Anonymous]

Timothy McVie didn't look Middle Eastern. Some Middle Eastern folks don't look Middle Eastern. How would you define the look?

Of course anyone taling pics of a railway operation for subversive reasons is using a cell phone camera.

I agree with Antonio. At this point the law enforcement people are not going to lay back on anything. They don't care if it's a Dash-anything that you need a picture of. People are upset. The law has to do its job. There was a shooting in the London Subway this morning. During WWII you weren't going up to Horseshoe Curve to get pics either.

It would be different if one needed a picture of a certain train. But we merely want them. That's not enough to convince a frightened public to turn their backs on our activities as unpleasant as that may seem.

I personaly don't think terrorists take pictures of their targets, but who's to say? What would the press to to law enforcement that didn't check someone out and that person ended up taking out a bridge as Acela sped over it?
I can see the headline now...

"OFFICER IGNORED PHOTOGRAPHER THINKING HE WAS A TRAIN BUFF"
And that would be it. They'd come for our cameras, they'd come for my razors, timetables would become secret information to say nothing about the tragedy itself.

Mitch

[Anonymous]

I sit listening to NPR's report of the shooting of a "terrorist" in the London subway system this morning. May we live in interesting times ... scary. I guess my thoughts on the FBI calling wanting copies of your photos has nothing to do with "you", but rather your photos of the train that might help find or keep track of someone else. Keep up the good work and let us know how Cuba is in late summer!!
Will

[Junctionfan]

Poor FBI agent too; I'm sure the FBI are busy enough without being bothered with someone who could have easily just been reported to local police.

I know it isn't politically correct but logic and common sense rarely are but aren't they looking for people that look middle eastern that are being suspicious?

[Anonymous]

Did you make yourself look like an Muslum when taking your Photo?

[AntonioFP45]

FT Thunder,

I'm not criticizing you, but why is the person that called the FBI stupid?

Remember, London trains have been recently blown up. IT's likely that this is fresh on the mind of the person that called! Law enforcement is at the point now where it can no longer ignore calls like these. Especially since our "facts twisting" news media is ready to criticize the FBI and police in a heartbeat for not following up on potential threats.

Guys, most non-Railfans view us as a little strange. Many people are unaware of the existence of shutterbug railfans. We shouldn't be upset by this but be glad that some citizens are keeping an eye on our "very vulnerable" rail lines. Remember, that to this day the derailment of the Sunset Limited out in an American desert a decade or so back remains unsolved. People died.

Roger that.

[AntonioFP45]

Wow! For me this evokes mixed feelings.

I still like to take photos of trains and would feel a tad "bugged" if an FBI agent called me.

But in thinking rationally, I would gladly cooperate. This tells me that more Americans are alert, which is great!!

Trains are incredibly easy targets. One evening in 1979, I saw a kid go up to a Center Flow hopper car on a siding at the Purina Feed plant in Tampa. He climbed up on the ladder on the ladder and turned the brake wheel. I heard a clank and the car started to roll towards the switch leading to the mainline that Amtrak ran on! Before I yelled at him, the kid immedietly turned the brake wheel and stopped the car. He must have been about 12 years old. Just a kid! Imagine what a real wacko-nut- job today could do!!!!!!!

Some of the "civil libertarians" here would disagree with me, but IMHO many of them forget that terrorists don't care about civil rights, search and seizure, etc. Their only interest is to kill us......period! The London trajedy, God Bless those victims, has been a wake-up call.

Cooperate with authorities, show I.D. They're usually cool. If the guy happens to be a jerk, don't argue....explain that you're a railfan, and you will gladly report anything suspicious.

Peace out.

[FThunder11]

You (i)must(/i) be a Terrorist, all thoes clubs and whatnot. People Are stupid...(meaning the person that called the FBI)

[jeaton]

Rob

Sounds OK, but remember to send us a card when you get to Gitmo.

Or, maybe he is a railfan.

Jay

[robscaboose]

[?][?][?][|)] I got a phone call this evening from an FBI agent, as someone saw me taking pictures of an Amtrak Train. I told him that I belonged to several railroad museums, & that I am the president of the Coles County Historical Society & that am trying to restore the ICRR Depot in Mattoon Illinois, & that have a caboose in my yard. The agent was very nice, but still wants to see my picturess along with the negatives. I arranged to meet him at the RR museum where I'll be working this weekend. I will bring a copy of the most recent trains mag.

Rob

PS my wife says that I'm grounded