Railfanning: What to do's and not to do's?

The train companies property can be many yards wide. It is more than just the track. STAY OFF.

Years ago it was not a problem. That is no longer the case. If you look suspicious Train Crew Train Police Local Police Citizens will report you. Agencies of Homeland security will chat with you.

Keep your distance you can get your pictures from many places well away from the track edge.

You do not NEED to be up close. Some of the best pictures/videos have some scenery in the background.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8qryuiom6g

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61kGc6tNwzI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qDvNEjMTOmo

CSX Police Department

Protect CSX Personnel, critical infrastructure, customer property and the general public against threat of terrorism or other criminal acts in order to preserve the safety and efficiency of rail transportation serving America.

CSX invites Railfans Go here for details.

http://www.csx.com/index.cfm/about-csx/contact-us/...

MBTA Transit Police Department

240 Southampton Street

Boston, MA 02118

"The rules"

http://www.mbta.com/uploadedfiles/About_the_T/Poli...

The other rules.

http://www.mbta.com/transitpolice/default.asp?id=1...

Sometimes Crap happens.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CV2rdGX4JYc

Sorry, but I know of no sites that have rules for rail fans posted. I can tell you that actually being on railroad property is not allowed. In these days of heightened rail security we are supposed to report anyone we see trespassing on the property. If crews see you running around in a yard and crossing tracks they will report you to the railroad police. What they will do is either escort you off the property or arrest you depending on what they caught you doing and your age. If they escort you off and catch you on railroad property again you'll probably be arrested. We see railfans all the time taking pictures. Most of them just stop along the highway and come no closer than the fence along the right of way. We don't report them. And there are places where roads are very close to the tracks. If cars are on those roads, it depends on what the people are doing. If something looks suspicious we report it. It's a judgement call on the crews part. In yards though you're probably going to get a visit from the law if your actually on railroad property. Most train crews don't mind railfans as long as they don't interfere with us getting our job done. Just use common sense and stay out of yards and don't get too close to main line tracks and you should be fine.

Andy is right. A little common sense goes a long way.

As a practical matter, consider the following:

Uneven footing, in no short supply around the tracks, can sprain or break an ankle easily. So, were boots that provide high ankle support.

Those boots will also help keep you from laying your ankle open to the bone. That is because on the inside of the rails, constant wear creates "flash," which is very thin steel and sharp as a razor, protruding from the ball of the rail.

Never step on a rail. There is grease and crater and all kinds of other slippery stuff around and you can slip, fall and knock yourself out or split your head open.

Keep your distance from passing trains. There are lots of open loads secured with metal banding, such as a carload of lumber. These bands break from time to time and after dragging along the rock ballast for a few miles they are sharpened just as a sword. It will cut a person into two pieces very easily.

Animals often take advantage of the easing going on the tracks, cleared of brush and the like. Where I worked in far northern California, darkness brings out bear, cougars, bobcats and others that are now above you on the food chain. In addition, evening and later into the night the rattle snakes will come out and lay near the rail, soaking up the heat from the rail and the ballast.

If with more than two people, walk in single file. That opens sightlines for everyone.

Any train can derail at any time in any place. Distance will increase your odds of survival.

And lastly, albeit a rare occurrence, turbo chargers explode, prime movers explode, from several causes. Distance may help keep a large piston out of your face.

Often time you'll see a pretty bluish/green light glittering in the sun. Usually, these are empty tubes that look like a tube of caulk, but they have highly caustic remains in them and are a part of on track equipment maintenance. Get it on your skin and you are starting to have a really bad day.

So, go fanning if you wish. Just do it responsibly and, more important, safely.

The reason is that they don't want terrorists using amateur films of railroads to plan how to attack a railroad. If they ask why you are doing something, simply pulling out a rulebook and showing that the rules allow it does not answer the question. Even after you show that the rules allow it, they can continue questioning you, and they don't have to explain why. For example, even if the rules don't say that you can't bring an extra printer cartridge with you, if they just heard that someone would be carrying a bomb disguised as a printer cartridge, they may want to check yours to make sure it is real.