Re:Re: (erielack) New restrictions on photographing trains

["Philip Martin" <martinpl3_@_earthlink.net>]

Looking at the info on Frank Reilly's Jersey Central book, on the Railpace
website, makes me nostalgic.  I took pictures of Jersey Central steam and
diesels that looked just like the top two pictures. 
The blurb says that "employees were an important part of the Jersey
Central."  One of them, a conductor, Bob Bird, told me that the CNJ had had
a contest, offering prizes for anyone making suggestions for improving
safety, that the company adopted.  He suggested a red disk on caboose
cupolas, to supplement the markers.  The company didn't adopt his
suggestion during the contest ; but after it was over, put them on, with no
prize for Bob.

Philip Martin
martinpl3_@_earthlink.net



> [Original Message]
> From: Philip Martin <martinpl3_@_earthlink.net>
> To: Philip Martin <martinpl3_@_earthlink.net>; Janet & Randy Brown
<jananran_@_mymailstation.com>; <erielack@lists.railfan.net>
> Date: 6/6/2004 4:32:37 PM
> Subject: Re:Re: (erielack) New restrictions on photographing trains
>
> To add to this post; the Jersey Central never ejected railfans.  I was
> welcome in the round house, and Comunipaw yard.  I loved getting close to
> those Reading F units, and seeing the B&O leave town, raising a cloud of
> dust behind it.  I'd take the Jersey Central ferry over from New York, and
> if you went out the entrance to the rail terminal, you didn't have to pay
> for your ferry ride, (am I cheap.)  If you went out the entrance to the
> street, you payed a nickel or a quarter or something.  Camel backs, and
> feed water heater Pacifics on the Jersey Central those days, (the early
> fifties,) as well as all sorts of diesels. 
>
> Philip Martin
> martinpl3_@_earthlink.net
>
>
>
> > [Original Message]
> > From: Philip Martin <martinpl3_@_earthlink.net>
> > To: Janet & Randy Brown <jananran_@_mymailstation.com>;
> <erielack_@_lists.railfan.net>
> > Date: 6/6/2004 3:59:22 PM
> > Subject: Re:Re: (erielack) New restrictions on photographing trains
> >
> > Actually, I did get kicked out of a yard for security reasons once.  It
> was
> > around 1952 or '53, during the Korean War, and I walked into Greenville
> > yard, in Jersey City, with my camera. The railroad cop nabbed me, and
> > questioned me for about an hour, to see if was taking pictures for the
> > Communists.  My impression was that he didn't have anything to do, and
> > wanted to justify his paycheck.  Then he gave me to the Jersey City
> police,
> > and Detective Dulucio questioned me for another hour, to see if I was
> > robbing box cars.  I had no idea that kids robbed trains; I was in a
nice
> > Catholic boarding school in Ramsey, where nobody robbed anything.  But
> > apparently kids who had been in trouble did get sent to Don Bosco; so
that
> > fact didn't do me any good. 
> > About eighteen or so years later, I found out about kids robbing trains,
> in
> > a big way.  After the Penn Central merger, the B&B department put in a
> > bridge between the P&H Branch and the National Docks, so trains could go
> > from the Meadows to the West Shore.  Before they CTC'd the connection on
> > the National Docks, they they had a telephone booth size tower, called
> > Nave, (for Newark Avenue, the same spot shown in the current "Trains"
> > magazine, under Dickinson high school.)  It had a view of the Erie's old
> > elevation out of the Jersey City to the tunnels.  The operator, (me,
among
> > other people,) threw the hand switch, and waved a flag at the trains.  
> > Every day kids would jump on a train, open a car door, and unload some
> > freight.  They'd turn an angle cock, and the train would slowly come to
a
> > stop; and then the crew and I would walk the train, looking for angle
> > cocks.  
> > Some of the kids in that nice Dickinson high school liked to stone our
> > little tower too.  I wasn't always wide awake on third trick at Nave. 
We
> > had Jersey Central trains, coming upgrade, out of Weehawken, heading
for C
> > Paw, or where ever they went to; and if I wasn't out there with a flag
or
> > lantern, they were in trouble.
> > Philip Martin
> > martinpl3_@_earthlink.net
> >
> >
> >
> > > [Original Message]
> > > From: Janet & Randy Brown <jananran_@_mymailstation.com>
> > > To: <erielack_@_lists.railfan.net>
> > > Date: 6/5/2004 7:52:01 AM
> > > Subject: Re:Re: (erielack) New restrictions on photographing trains
> > >
> > > Two notes, Doug:
> > >
> > > During WWII, illumination along the East Coast was significantly
reduced
> > by "brownouts" and half-painted over vehicle headlights -- cars, trucks
> and
> > trains.
> > >
> > > Getting kicked out of railroad yards has nothing to do with terrorism
or
> > paranoia.  They were simply ejecting a trespasser.
> > >
> > > Hassling someone standing on public property taking pictures of a
> > publicly owned corporation which is part of the public life comes close
to
> > a First Ammendment violation.
> > >
> > > Randy Brown
> > > --------------------------------------------------------------
> > > I don't think that the government doing what it can to protect us from
> > saboteurs is paranoid.  As I mentioned to you, Gary; when I saw a guy
> > photographing the Hack (PRR) bridge, where I worked, years ago, it
struck
> > me as peculiar.  Of course the police don't always use sense; but as
long
> > as they don't stick you in jail, were not hurting too much. During World
> > War II, in the US life went on as though there wasn't really a war on. 
> The
> > authorities didn't douse the coastal lights, and U Boats were able to
pick
> > off freighters silhouetted against the coastal skyline. As an old
railfan,
> > I've been kicked out of my share of rail yards, with my camera.  That's
> the
> > bumps you get, now and then.
> > > Philip Martin
> > > martinpl3_@_earthlink.net
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
>
>

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