In his message of 8/14/97, Jim Gilley wrote: "I find it interesting that RN's editorial remarks clearly state that they do NOT condone this sort of behavior. They have a fine line to walk here, as they cannot officially condone things like trespassing. On the other hand, many of the photos they publish are clearly taken by trespassers, and there is no doubt about this in anyone's mind."
Comment: This is the first time I have chimed in since I have subscribed to SPORRS earlier this month. I appreciate Jim Gilleys comments and support them as well. I was one of the individuals that responded in the last issue of RN. I am sure that RN edited all my comments for size (or maybe someone did not agree), but I thought that I would pass along the entire text. ------------------------------ To: RailNews In my twenty-plus years of railfanning, I have had only two similar experiences and the only conclusion that I could draw is that it was because of the inappropriate behavior of a few bad apples. Ironically, one was in the Tehachapi Mountains two years ago and the other on the Delaware & Hudsons Penn Division (now abandoned) in 1985 during the Belden Hill (NY) tunnel reconstruction detours. Those of us that enjoy capturing the sense of contemporary rail images on film are always trying to find new ways to achieve perfection. Others are out trying to chase a train to the ends of the earth at every location possible. Some become so consumed in their passion that they feel that they are above common sense and lack respect for those around them, particularly the railroad! These are the bad apples! These are the folks that you see dashing in front of an on-coming train to reach a better vantage point, pacing a train along a signal maintainer road, or perch themselves precariously on a signal, need I go on?? I have never been a member of a train crew, but I admire the important job that they perform and the challenges that they face. Long hours away from home, the danger of the job, and the fear of being unable to avoid the potential of an accident that would injure or kill an individual. I am sure that you will receive many flaming responses from these folks expressing the same. In both of my afore mentioned situations, I witnessed one or more similar antics, displayed by others, prior to the flame-out that I received. Tehachapi is a Mecca for railfans and for good reason. I enjoy going there as often as possible, but I have noticed in two recent trips that there seems to be an almost carnival atmosphere, particularly around The Loop. So were the days in 85 around Starrucca Viaduct. A careful ear to your scanner revealed the truth of the matter, when you have crews or other personnel contacting the dispatcher or railroad agents on specific situations. I do not profess to be an angel, but I always respect where I am. It only takes those few that just dont care that ruin it for the rest. I am sorry to see these things happening. As far as I am concerned, it isnt a question of "Cant We All Just Get Along?", but "Why Cant We All Be More Responsible?" Best regards, Rich Wallace Flower Mound, TX P.S. Please tell Steve that despite all the grief, it wasnt too smart to respond in a profane manner back to the crew just eat crow and move on. ------------------------------- "I also recall an editorial in Trains a few years back about trespassing. This was a total BS editorial, as it basically read 'you better not trespass -- I did, but that's ok because I don't now' which pretty much translates to 'hey, I'm a hypocrite, but that's ok because I got my pictures, and you be damned'." Comment: I also replied to Trains, though not published, and suggested that more than 80% of the images published in that issue alone were (probably) taken from a location that required the photographer to trespass. Speaking out of both sides of ones mouth??? ---------------------------------- "Now, before you accuse me of being 'holier than thou', yes, I DO trespass. I find it very hard to take pictures without trespassing. Yet, I do TRY to obtain permission when I can, and I always leave without creating a scene when asked to. Furthermoe, I take great care not to cause damage to private property. No, this does NOT justify my behavior. See, I don't try to rationalize my acts. I KNOW they are wrong, and I accept that, and I understand that in theory, I could be fined or jailed as a result of what I do. It's sort of like speeding -- it's illegal and dangerous, but we all do it anyway." Comment: I agree 100% - This is great advise. Back when I lived in New Jersey, a group of us used to visit Sand Patch on a regular basis and camp on the east side of the horseshoe at Mance, PA in a clearing near a stand of small pines. The actual camp site location varied, but we were usually along a farm owned by John Brant. Brant, while suspicious at first, always granted permission to poke around the property and almost found it amusing that we would drive five or six hours to photograph trains. We were always friendly and respected his property (i.e., did not break out the bow saw). The area was always left clean, we never drove around like absolute idiots (well, almost always) and the relationship between railfans and Brant was fine. I was sorry to hear from one of my journeyman, Scott Snell, that Brant is now reached a point where he had to be put in a nursing home. -------------------------------------- "Thankfully, I've never had an ugly encounter like this. Call me a pussy, but if this happened to me, I would probably just tuck my tail and leave without offering resistance. Seems like the right thing to do, even if it isn't very satisfying." Comment: That is the best advise, whether you get ripped a new one or not. If you are on the property and dont have permission, take your lumps and dont provoke further problems. ------------------------------- I step down off my soap box, next? Rich Wallace Flower Mound, TX --> SPORRS: Serious Photographers of Railroad Related Subjects --> SPORRS: Serious Photographers of Railroad Related Subjects X-Mozilla-Status: 0011 Content-Length: 2391
