07-21-2009, 06:48 PM
It is not just in the US where things like this happen. Last summer I was out taking some pictures of Ontario Northland Railway trains at Swastika Junction ( where the north/south mainline branches of into Kirkland Lake and east to Rouyn Noranda Quebec ) and I was approached by a two police officers. One was a lady officer and the other a guy. They asked why I was there and what I was doing. I told them I had premission to be on ONR property to take pictures of the trains and showed them the paper I had saying so. The guy officer knows I take pictures along the ONR tracks a lot and was okay with me being there . The lady officer spent close to 20 minutes trying to suggest I was up to no good and maybe taking pictures and making notes to plan some sort of attack. 
She even threatened to take my scanner and camera away. :? I was lucky enough to have a ONR track worker come along and back me up about being allowed to be there. Even then the lady officer gave the track worker and me a lecture about how taking pictures and owning a scanner should be against the law as only people who are up to no good need to be doing such things.
Now I could understand them asking me questions about being on ONR property but when they approached me I was on public property drinking a bottle of water with my safety vest on. I also later found out from the guy officer they had seen me from a nearby road and he had told the lady officer it was not unusual for me to be there taking photos of the trains but she had decided before even approaching me she was not going to allow me continue.
Granted it was the first time in 20 years I have ever be questioned to why I was taking pictures and so far it has never happened again. I also make sure I get premission to go on ONR property when taking photos but the only time I actually do go near the tracks is to walk across them to a better spot. Other than that I stay well clear of the tracks. I bring my scanner with me at all times so I know exactly where each train is and how close they are to where I am. It also tells me when a train is close so I can get my camera ready.
Wayne Reid
She even threatened to take my scanner and camera away. :? I was lucky enough to have a ONR track worker come along and back me up about being allowed to be there. Even then the lady officer gave the track worker and me a lecture about how taking pictures and owning a scanner should be against the law as only people who are up to no good need to be doing such things. Now I could understand them asking me questions about being on ONR property but when they approached me I was on public property drinking a bottle of water with my safety vest on. I also later found out from the guy officer they had seen me from a nearby road and he had told the lady officer it was not unusual for me to be there taking photos of the trains but she had decided before even approaching me she was not going to allow me continue.
Granted it was the first time in 20 years I have ever be questioned to why I was taking pictures and so far it has never happened again. I also make sure I get premission to go on ONR property when taking photos but the only time I actually do go near the tracks is to walk across them to a better spot. Other than that I stay well clear of the tracks. I bring my scanner with me at all times so I know exactly where each train is and how close they are to where I am. It also tells me when a train is close so I can get my camera ready.
Wayne Reid