Railfanning Gets Public Attention

I have a feeling this is attention that we do not want.   I don’t know what possessed that teenage railfan to come forward and admit to the press that he may have been sending text messages to his engineer friend who was killed in the recent Metro-link crash.  He probably figured he may have been found out sooner or later.  So I guess you can’t blame the kid.  Did this have anything to do with the accident.  It is possible the engineer was replying back at station stops.  I am sure the investigators will find out.

What does this mean to the average railfan?  Maybe we will not be viewed as terrorists, but I am sure we will be considered more of a nuisance.  Some local ordinances may appear, and be challenged.   Crews may turn in railfans more instead of a turning a blind eye.  Only time will tell.

Some commuter agencies out in the western part of the country said that is now illegal to photograph the operation of a train.  What constitutes operation vs. just standing there?  I am thinking that you better not use a video camera there.  The official said it is OK to take a picture of a train just standing there, but if you take specific pictures of the locomotive, the wheels, the locomotive moving back and forth, you would be breaking the law.  So I guess if you want to get detail shots for the model you are doing, you may be in trouble.

Personally, it has become harder to railfan since 9/11.  Before 9/11 nobody thought differently if you hung out near the tracks, in one spot, for a long period of time taking pictures.  Now you will get a look or two.  Some people might even report you.  So I have found that I do not like to stay in one place too long.  It’s as if you feel compelled to get your shots and move on to another location.  This is not necessarily a bad thing because it forces you to plan your strategy, consider the train movements and the sun angle when you get to your location.

As for being friendly with the crews.  Well I look at it like this.  Railroad crews are out there doing there job.  I don’t bother them on their job, they don’t bother me while I do mine.  Some people I know will approach a crew while they are sitting at a signal.  I won’t.  In all my years railfanning I have never met a crew that has needed a ride to the head-end.  I don’t know if I would offer them a ride or not.   I am not being a jerk about this, but maybe the crew needs to walk the train.   If a crew is in the siding for a long time and there is a food joint nearby, I might offer some assistance.  Then again, you might meet an unfriendly crew.

It is not like even in the 90’s where my buddy once helped a Conrail crew by driving the conductor back to the head end, and taking another crew member over to sub shop to get food.  I am afraid times have changed and it is not for the better, if you are a railfan.

Memphis

I just added another gallery. These are trains I shot in Memphis in the spring of 2007, while I was there on a business trip. There are only about 6 or 7 trains there but, I caught them on a midweek evening from about 6:15 pm to just about 8 pm. Enjoy.

A.J.