With our modern cell phone technology it would seem to me that if a terrorist needed a picture of a train he could whip out his cell phone and snap a pic and put it away before anyone was aware he had done it. Once again the ONLY people this will affect is rail fans and inocent travelers. As a conspiracy theroist to me this is nothing more than a UP attempt to control images of there logo and squash those making unofficial calendars and such.
I was hoping someone would bring up the camera phone issue. UP has much more to fear from a person who might be txt'ing a message to his wife or could just as well be sending a photo to his friend from the local Islamic society who just happens to be down the line, under a bridge, with a backpack, in a populated area. Oh gee, let's nail the guy with the camera vest, photo ID, and engineer's cap because he looks suspicious. All UP is doing is ticking off honest, legitimate people who enjoy watching trains. Way to go, Uncle Pete. Way to go. :angry:
This is another example where a bit of perspective is required on the part of the professional paranoids who think up such ideas. They can learn from history and what is happening in other countries. Think about WW2 where Allied countries arguably faced a much greater threat than they do today. Even with the security measures of the time there was no blanket ban on photographing trains. In Britain, which faced a much bigger direct threat than the USA, Railway Magazine continued to be published in a reduced format but was very careful about publishing certain pictures or information. As to banning identification equipment and loco numbers, Ian Allen published his first book of loco numbers during the war. He was a junior employee in the Southern Railway and his boss tried to stop it, but O.V.S. Bullied, Chief Mechanical Engineer of SR, personally intervened to give approval. I find it astonishing that he was able to do this given the security restrictions of the time (more draconian than they are now) and the frivolous use of resources in wartime. Even with one actual and several attempted terrorist bombings in London, there is no ban on photography at British stations. Rather than knee jerk reactions and blanket bans, the official nationwide policy in the UK contains something called common sense: http://www.networkrail.co.uk/aspx/777.aspx Cheers David
Train Spotting Nevermind that the kids in the UK during WWII were writing down locomotive numbers in books and collecting them in lieu of more costly pursuits. "Hey, we got a 7 year-old Nazi spy writing down train numbers!"
The real terrorism threat to any railroad would come inside a container, not a backpack at a station. An explosive devise or dirty bomb would have more of an impact in a large city yard like LA or Chicago. I really do not understand the UP process here. They are ashamed of people who admire their system and equipment. I will photograph them, but only at the Rochelle RR park.
I disagree .. Spanish Trains - Blown up by a backpack English subway - Blown up by a backpack Its a lot easier to get a bomb into a backpack than a dirty bomb into LA
Just yesterday I was bringing a Train crew back to the Denver Depot and there was a Camera Tripod up next to the train the crew was on. The subject came up about how management wants ALL tresspassers reported railfan or not! The "RAILFAN" that was taking pics of the train has been turned in by the conductor before......but it doesn't do any good. He's an UP employee. A hostler out of Denver and would rather take pictures of trains than "WORK" with them.mg:
UP stand on railfans is very scary. As a "foreigner" I love to go to the powder river every second year, and there are a few UP trains there that get into my pictures, whats next ban me from the USA? Just because I am a Canadian that prefers US railroads? I spent my 4 years in university going to Shelby on Sundays to do my homework (and they sold beer on Sundays) watching the green machine roll by. My first train trip was to Expo 74 in Spokane where I saw my first Big Sky blue loco, I have been hooked ever since. Now a UP train crew is going to call the cops and some young rookie cop is going to think terrorist and deport me. Can I send an Email to you guys for bail money? I will be in Rosenburg Texas in Feb, hopefully taking pictures and not in their jail.
Earlier this month, I was in Connecticut and New York to do some railfaning. While at the New Haven Ct train station, I was approached by the railroad police and told that I could not take picture of the trains or the station. He did however allow me to get off a few shots as he told me. Since his puppy could have had me for lunch in less than a few minutes, I was in no position to argue. There were 6-8 cops with dogs in New Haven and at several other stations as I worked my way towards New York City. All maintained with public tax dollars. He was extremely friendly and courteous towards my wife and I and we talked and watched trains for several minutes. He explained how sensitive everyone had become since the fall of the World Trade Center towers. I moved on to shopping center parking lots and roads track side and was able to get some good pictures. The odd part was that local police departments would pass by and just return a friendly wave. The UP could benefit from something most parents tell their children at a very young: share your toys and play well with others. After 44 years, that philosophy has worked well for me so far.
Ok .. now that everyone has had their say .. read this http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-060828photoban,0,850755.story?coll=chi-news-hed
