Per the trespassing issue:
There are few instances were trespassing isn't as clear cut as it
seems. The instance that comes to mind relates to a pair of trips I
made to the Cajon Pass area in the Spring of 1996 and 1997. Since 1996
was my first real attempt at photographing and exploring the area I was
a bit disoriented by the lay of the land and the slew of dirt roads
crisscrossing the area around Mormon Rock. I attribute this to not
renting a car with a windshield ground to a 300-500mm focal length (few
pictures are published of the area shot with a normal 50mm lens), and
that a paved road doesn't run though Sullivans Curve.
So anyway I learned that some of these roads are National Forest
Road, some private, and some owned by ATSF/BNSF. Unfortunately none of
the roads are marked very well, yet if you choose the wrong road and
railroad security stumbles across you your likely to get a several
hundred dollar fine (they were holding up in court). In 1996 this
action followed on the heals of the fatal derailment in the same area.
Since then the US Forestry people are looking for permits to use their
roads (per an article in Trains or PRN).
Perhaps we have a Southern California SPORRS subscriber can
elaborate on the finer points of Cajon. On the good side Cajon
railfanning there always seems to be a chance to visit with foreign
railfans.
Since I'm on the subject of private land owners I'd like to like to
gripe about all the times I and other railfans have been hassled and
accused of trashing out track side parking areas when the real culprits
were local teenagers. The best case of this I problem is the fence
loving woman above Hoolihan Curve at the base of Edelstein Hill, ILL and
her "friend" near the at the road overpass 1.5 miles east of Edelstein.
I'm off my soap box. I've yet to see a railfan with a bottle of
Boonsfarm, TJ Swan or MD20/20 in their camera case nor do they use
condoms for lens filters.
Have a good one... and beware of seagulls,
Greg
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