taking photos

[NW Mailing List]

AMTRAK was banning all photography at one point of their trains…………..,even if you were not on AMTRAK property.   The situation in Norton, VA is a bit odd.  I'm a very avid railroad photographer and over the course of the last 40+ years of shooting trains, railroad equipment, and structures I've never had a problem with railway personnel or railroad police as long as I wasn't on railroad property …. and have only had problems a very few times when I was on railroad property (in yards or service areas I nearly always went directly to the railroad office at the facility and asked for permission with a success rate better than 50% of the time…….at one point I even carried generic and N&W blank release forms).  You need to be wise about how you behave, knowing limits of what you can do and can't do and assure that you're never guilty of unsafe conduct or getting on equipment.   Again, if your friend was conducting himself in a safe manner and wasn't or hadn't been on NS property I can't see any way he wouldn't be allowed to take pictures.  I know since 9-11 things are a bit more complex……….but Norton, VA?  Are you sure there wasn't more to the situation?

Best regards,
Ed Painter  -   Narrows, VA currently living in Russellville, AR

From: nw-mailing-list-bounces at nwhs.org [mailto:nw-mailing-list-bounces at nwhs.org] On Behalf Of NW Mailing List
Sent: Thursday, May 27, 2010 8:11 AM
To: nw-mailing-list at nwhs.org
Subject: taking photos

Skip Salmon in his post to the group wrote this:

Passed around also was the latest "Trains" magazine which has an article "Amtrak plans photo program" which outlines the new policy of Amtrak for rail fans to photograph trains from their platforms. Now you must "notify Amtrak officials BEFORE taking pictures".

I’m not an avid photographer, so I don’t keep abreast of these things.  What’s behind the policy?

Just 2 days ago a friend of mine related his photography experience around the Norton, VA, area.  Recently he was taking pictures of the yard area from PUBLIC right-of-way.  The yardmaster saw him, and intentionally went out of his way to tell the photographer that photos were NOT allowed!

Comments?

Kim Hensley
Huntsville

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