Instaed of railfanning or rail photography, it might be to your benfit to have us as a extar set of eyes. Most of us who take photographs or trains have been at this hobby for years and would be able reconize track that has been danage.
It is simply totally illogical.... Anyway if someone with bad intents want to take photos of buses,trains etc... he will do it with very sophisticated concealed cameras. It is just paranoia from some politicians.
As a transit photographer for 20 years, and a former editor of a transit magazine ("Transit News Canada", 1982-1990), I firmly believe a ban on photographing something that's in people's faces every day is an exercise in futility. NJ Transit in particular needs to get off their high horse before they're knocked off.
Few Canadian transit systems, so far, have gone so far overboard (yet), and I hope they don't. Toronto's TTC is said to be getting (more) skittish lately about photography - but I just came back from a weekend in Toronto photographing the TTC totally unchallenged. Montreal's STM recently arrested someone caught taking pictures in a Metro station; he was released after a 6-hour interrogation by members of 3 police services (STM, Montreal city, and RCMP). They even checked him out with CSIS as a national security threat. He was a university student on an assignment.
This legislation sounds like a plan to get rid of the good guys so that the bad guys can do their dirty work unobserved. If anything, railfans should be RECRUITED to be observers and given opportunity to report suspicious activity.
Please do not take this hoobby that many of us enjoy doing. We take photos of train becuase we have a passion for them and enjoy seeing them and respect all railroad employees. By doing this you are hurting those who take photos of trains for a hobby but to also those who take photos of trains for a living.If this act is approved then you are taking the freedom away from inocent people and turning america into a third world country where no one can do anything with out having fear to take a picture!
Please do not create a problem for us who do not cuase trouble!
We just want to enjoy our hobby. This is a country with public freedom the last I heard. Please preserve that.
Please don't take away our rights. We can be the eyes and ears for the railroads and report anything not appropriate to the railroads. Don't take away our pastime.
Having the hobbies of ship and train watching, which are parallel to this issue, I feel that photographing transportation subjects poses no threat to the security of the public as they are seen on a daily basis and photos are already readily available.
As a professional railroader with 38 years, and a railroad historian I find the whole idea of banning railroad or transit photography as a total disrespect to the future of historical documentation on transportation and transit subjects.
Let's stop this folly right now! We as a rail- and transit- fan community are the transportation industry's best friend, and largest "security force". We are the eyes and ears you cannot afford to hire to watch your industry, yet we "work" for free, doing what we love..taking pictures.
Prohibiting honest photographers from taking beautiful railroad photos will only make us more daring in our attempts to capture the subject. Unfortunately, terrorist may take the same photo, but without honorable intentions. Sorry, I do not believe prohibiting all photographers is the answer to railroad safety.
I have been photographing transit vehicles for over 30 years. I am now employed in transit industry as a bus operator for the past two years. I think I can tell the difference between someone taking photos as their hobby and someone who isn't.
Banning transit and rail photographers will have no effect in stopping a terrorist attack, in fact just the opposite, becuase an extra set of eyes will be missing.
This is getting ridiculous! Banning photography will not alleviate the threat of terrorism or protect the innocent! We our barking up the wrong tree! This will only lead to tyranny! I have railfanned eversince I was a toddler and I am very upset to see my favorite hobby coming under attack! I will continue to take photos of trains until I decide it's enough! I am just hoping that this madness stops very soon!
I believe that we should always be able to railfan. It is a good hobby and a healthy one. As long as people stay off the railroad property we should be fine. By that I mean not walking aimlessly around in between the tracks. So I hope that the railroads decide to let us stay trackSIDE.
The rail fan is the best protection the railroad can have. The cost of this protection to the railroad is nothing, but the benifits are many. If a rail fan sees some one that is doing anything that is detrimental to the railroad, they will report it to the authorities.
I have enjoyed the hobby of rail photography since 1960. It led, for a time, to a career in rail transportation. Now I work for state government and I think the proposal to ban rail and transit photography is totally misguided. Railfans are an extension of the the eyes and ears of the rail employees and police. More than once, I have called rail police to report trespassers riding on trains -- dangerous situations to be sure, as well as gates being knocked down. What's next? Will taking pictures of our cars or a highway scene become illegal? This whole thing is ludricrous and those elected officials who support it should be tossed out of office as well as the misguided bureaucrats who are on this insane bandwagon.
While I see that there COULD be terrorists photographing railroads, a real railfan is easy to recognize. As a railfan photographer on Metro North, I am quite consipicuous, not very discreet. My intentions as a railfan are always crystal clear, as are most railfans. Besides the Feds are goin' around profiling everyone so if someone suspicious or on one of those blacklists is taking photos, that should be enough to raise alarm. I've heard many horror stories of railfans being railroaded by police even before 9/11, so this just seems to be a continuation of a railfan-hostile policy.
This hobby has been an important element of my families life for generations. Please do not make our avocation illegal. We can be a factor to identify suspicious people around transit rights of way, and can be a security resource as such.
