05-28-2010, 05:24 PM
For the new layout, I've been looking for some prototype rail/street crossings where the road goes under a rail bridge. I found a few near me by using Google-Earth. Things were slow at work today, so I took a long lunch and went off in search of them.
One of the bridges islocated in a mixed area of small businesses and neighborhoods, so I parked in a lot which served several retail businesses (fish market, laundramat, etc) and walked down the sidewalk to get a view and take some photos. I took several photos and was walking down the sidewalk towards the bridge when a police car stops beside me. A very young officer gets out of the car and asks what I am doing. Mind you, I am on a public sidewalk. I tell him that I am a model railroader and that I am considering building a model of this bridge for my layout, so I am taking some photos of it. I don't think he understood what I meant. Next, he asks me for ID so I give him my driver's license. Then he asks me where I work so I tell him that. He asks if I have proof of where I work. Well, I have a company credit card with the company name on it, so I offer him that.
He tells me to just stand there while he gets back in his car to run the ID. He gets back out of the car and asks me again what I am doing. I tell him again, he still looks confused, then it finally dawns on him and he says "You mean toy trains?" I say "Yes, I have a layout for toy trains and I am thinking about building a model of this bridge for my layout."
At that point, another police car pulls up and an older officer gets out. He walks up to us and starts chastising the young officer for stopping right in the road - telling him that he chose a really bad place to stop and question someone. The road coming to the underpass is a curve, so he had stopped in a sort of blind spot. The older officer said "if someone was speeding around the curve, they would have smashed into the back of you." Then he says "what you should have done is put him in your car and driven to a safer place to question him." At that point, they bid me good day, got back in their cars, and drove off.
Man, can you imagine if the policeman had put me in his car for taking photos? How embarassing! And it seems rather strange that I could be hauled off in a police car for taking photos of a railroad bridge yet the Houston Police aren't even allowed to ask anyone for proof of citizenship.
Still, I guess I understand that we all need to be cautious in this era of terrorism, so I don't hold it against the officer for questioning me. I am a strong supporter of the police and fully understand they have a very tough job and that they are here to protect us all. It was just sort of surreal, ya know.
Again, I wasn't trespassing (I was on a public sidewalk), there weren't any chemical tanks or refineries or other promising terrorist targets in the area. Here's a couple photos to show where I was.
![[Image: image.php?album_id=136&image_id=2518]](http://www.the-gauge.net/forum/gallery/image.php?album_id=136&image_id=2518)
![[Image: image.php?album_id=136&image_id=2519]](http://www.the-gauge.net/forum/gallery/image.php?album_id=136&image_id=2519)
One of the bridges islocated in a mixed area of small businesses and neighborhoods, so I parked in a lot which served several retail businesses (fish market, laundramat, etc) and walked down the sidewalk to get a view and take some photos. I took several photos and was walking down the sidewalk towards the bridge when a police car stops beside me. A very young officer gets out of the car and asks what I am doing. Mind you, I am on a public sidewalk. I tell him that I am a model railroader and that I am considering building a model of this bridge for my layout, so I am taking some photos of it. I don't think he understood what I meant. Next, he asks me for ID so I give him my driver's license. Then he asks me where I work so I tell him that. He asks if I have proof of where I work. Well, I have a company credit card with the company name on it, so I offer him that.
He tells me to just stand there while he gets back in his car to run the ID. He gets back out of the car and asks me again what I am doing. I tell him again, he still looks confused, then it finally dawns on him and he says "You mean toy trains?" I say "Yes, I have a layout for toy trains and I am thinking about building a model of this bridge for my layout."
At that point, another police car pulls up and an older officer gets out. He walks up to us and starts chastising the young officer for stopping right in the road - telling him that he chose a really bad place to stop and question someone. The road coming to the underpass is a curve, so he had stopped in a sort of blind spot. The older officer said "if someone was speeding around the curve, they would have smashed into the back of you." Then he says "what you should have done is put him in your car and driven to a safer place to question him." At that point, they bid me good day, got back in their cars, and drove off.
Man, can you imagine if the policeman had put me in his car for taking photos? How embarassing! And it seems rather strange that I could be hauled off in a police car for taking photos of a railroad bridge yet the Houston Police aren't even allowed to ask anyone for proof of citizenship.
Still, I guess I understand that we all need to be cautious in this era of terrorism, so I don't hold it against the officer for questioning me. I am a strong supporter of the police and fully understand they have a very tough job and that they are here to protect us all. It was just sort of surreal, ya know.
Again, I wasn't trespassing (I was on a public sidewalk), there weren't any chemical tanks or refineries or other promising terrorist targets in the area. Here's a couple photos to show where I was.
Three Foot Rule In Effect At All Times