RAILforum: The Transit Fan's Plea

This is topic The Transit Fan's Plea - Railfan Petition in forum Amtrak at RAILforum.

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Posted by ByTrain (Member # 3260) on :

Mr. Tristan Cunningham, rail/transit fan has created the petition on the "photography of trains" ban. Please read it and consider signing it, here is the direct link to his petition :
Railfan petition on the photo ban

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This was originally posted by "locofan" in 2 other forums of RAILforum. I just wanted to let everyone know about this. "Amtrak" forum is heavily used on RAILforum.com. So I request Moderators not to delete this post. Thank you.

ByTrain

[This message has been edited by ByTrain (edited 05-23-2004).]

Posted by JONATHON (Member # 2899) on :

I signed, and in the comments area, I put: RailFans enjoy watching Trains, as well as photograghing them.

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JONATHON D. ORTIZ

Posted by Mr. Toy (Member # 311) on :

Is there actually an outright ban on photographing trains? Or are there merely some restrictions at some locations? Need more info before taking sides.

[This message has been edited by Mr. Toy (edited 05-23-2004).]

Posted by TBlack (Member # 181) on :

Mr. Toy,

When I was in Chicago, about to board the Empire Builder, I stopped briefly on the platform to take a picture of the train. An attendant told me that was a no-no, so I put the camera away. Later, in Havre, I took the camera out again and in full view of the border patrol took all the pictures I wanted of the train. The restriction must have to do with metropolitan areas or places susceptible to possible attack?

Posted by Mr. Toy (Member # 311) on :

That seems kind of dumb. A terrorist doesn't need photos of a train to blow one up. It is even more bizarre that you can photograph trains at some stations and not others.

I used to photograph airplanes at my local airport, but long before 9/11 airport police started approaching me with suspicion. It stopped being fun.

Posted by trainman1 (Member # 1392) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Mr. Toy:
Is there actually an outright ban on photographing trains? Or are there merely some restrictions at some locations? Need more info before taking sides.

From reports on another forum/mailing list: NJ Transit is apparently attempting to enforce a ban on photographing any of its property (trains, stations, whatever) without getting a permit in advance...and the permits are fairly restrictive and hard to obtain. Other transit/commuter train operators are considering similar bans, notably New York's MTA, and there have been scattered reports of police officers on some systems ordering people not to take photos, despite there not being a ban in place (yet).

[This message has been edited by trainman1 (edited 05-25-2004).]

Posted by Geoff Mayo (Member # 153) on :

If you're on railroad property then they can probably quite rightly demand that you stick to their rule - which may include no photos.

However, once off that property it becomes a different matter. A legal grey area in which they would probably find some archaic or seemingly irrelevant law to prosecute you under - or whatever the US equivalent to the UK's "preventation against terrorism act" is.

Slightly off topic, but since Mr Toy has mentioned it, Heathrow and Gatwick airports have both had their spectator viewing areas closed - the former "for security reasons" and the latter "for building work" (but we know the real reason). Anybody lingering on the public roads around the airports will be moved on by police. Yet the sheer numbers of places left to do evil business is phenominal.

Okay, I'm done whinging.

Geoff M.

Posted by TBlack (Member # 181) on :

Mr. Toy,

I don't think it was the fact that I wanted to take pictures of the train that bothered anyone, but rather that I might be taking pictures of the Union Station layout in planning some nefarious scheme.

Posted by JONATHON (Member # 2899) on :

Maybe he said no to photos because doing so in a crowded area could alarm passengers, especialy ones who are uptight about terrorism, but in less crowded areas it wouldnt likely cause anyone to get woryd about terrorist

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JONATHON D. ORTIZ

Posted by Mr. Toy (Member # 311) on :

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Amtrak is actively encouraging train photography. http://www.amtrak.com/calendarcontest.html

So the news is not all bad.

Posted by MDRR (Member # 2992) on :

In regards to the NEC it was in the news this week that the FBI is investigating the fac t of an individual doing some serious videotaping of the Amtrak right of way in New Jersey.

Posted by EmpireBuilder (Member # 2036) on :

I can't believe the FBI would waste its time with such things. As long as something is in complete public view, anyone could get a decent idea of what weaknesses there are, whether they videotape it or not.

Posted by George Harris (Member # 2077) on :

It's called looking like you are doing something even when you know that you really are not. If want to be doing something useful, they should be checking tracks and bridges. On the other hand, would these people have any clue of the difference between normal signal hardware and bomb triggers?

If they think they truly are doing something useful by hasseling photographers, we are really in trouble. The only place I know where you really have to be seriously concerned about photographers and videotapers is at religious meetings in China and Hong Know, and these are the police you are worried about! They are taking the pictures for analysis, so they can find Mainland citizens participating in such a highly subversive activity as worshipping the way they want to.

This whole thing of smacks of police state and scares me to death.