GCR Ending of Lineside Passes, ex-Bridge that Gap: Great Central Railway News

At recent Bluebell Gala there was someone who was that close he could easily stuck his arm out touched the train and another lying on the ground just feet from the track.
I did overhear a conversation at the GC the other year and the person was complaining that they had stopped lineside pass holders walking in the cess around the curve at Kinchley lane and couldn't understand why, if you can't understand why then you shouldn't be allowed a pass.

I wonder if there has been lots of comments from footplate staff of people getting too close to trains, the problem with the GC is the double track and sometimes people seem to forget trains move on both lines.

 

It is certainly still a criminal offence, and although not always receiving an immediate response, the Police are, in my experience, always happy to prosecute crimes that can be easily approached “offline”, where for example the offender can be identified and evidence exists of a crime taking place.

Nonetheless, I have been involved in incidents of trespass on the GCR where the County force have blue-lighted out to attend, and on one occasion the BTP (who I understand are not obliged to attend incidents on railways who do not help to pay their upkeep) also attended, having heard it on the radio and being free and in the area at the time (and interested).

In any event, the worst threat to a photographer, far worse than death or conviction, seems to be being denied an audience for their photographs. It will now be easy for magazines to return to their old policy of rejecting any photograph not clearly taken from a publicly accessible area, and for requests to be made on web and social media for owners/administrators to not encourage illegal activity by publishing such photographs.

 

It just occurred to me that a spin off from this must be a lost less whistling (or horns) from the locos as I assume crews still had to whistle approaching each individual or groups of photographers. Because the Autumn Gala programme is still on my desk I counted the movements past Woodthorpe on the Saturday (66). Assuming that there could be 2 or 3 whistles per movement in earshot of the new housing this may help to reduce the level of complaints in the future although I am not suggesting any link between the two.
I know my current neighbour complains about any noise that anybody locally makes (even if the same to that which her or her husband produce at times), so I am sure there are plenty of others who would do the same and give the railway grief. We all know that just because something was there first does not stop complaints e.g. Cumbrian Coast Line Class 37 noise or of course Heathrow.

 

The last paragraph is a difficult one. On another's forum I was accused of being irresponsible by trespassing on a high speed mainline with my back to oncoming trains to get a picture of 70013. It was actually taken with a long focus lens from an adjacent field and cropped quite a bit. I'm certainly not ready to meet my maker or depart this earth in such a messy way.

 

I can relate to that! It also happened to me in Nat Pres for a similar log shot that had been cropped! You are right about the mess though. I attended numerous such events during my 32 years with BTP...not a pretty sight.

 

Maybe it's the liability insurance renewal date and the premuim would have gone up massively if this action was not taken?

 

I guess the Santa and Christmas holiday trains will be getting a lot more attention from photographers exercising their own 'Last Hurrah.'

 

No it wont. How is a magazine going to establish if a photographer is lineside & there legally or not?

For example a shot could have been taken by a working member or possibly at a photo charter...... both there for genuine reasons, wrong side of the fence.

Also as already mentioned it is difficult to establish exactly which side of the fence someone is stood to take an image in certain situations.

 

A lot of 'suspect' published images often contain a rider in the caption such as 'taken from xxxxx foot crossing' or 'as part of a (named) charter.'

 

Has a magazine got time to check where every potential 'suspect' image is taken from?

A bit like the decree that any form of manipulation must be stated with an image submission. If it is, its rarely if ever declared in a mag when published & yet very clearly happens...........

 

The better ones won't publish a suspect image without such a rider.

 

It always used to work, and should so again, perhaps even more easily in these days of email and e-publications . It is not hard for the railway’s staff to scan the media and identify any images that are taken by unauthorised photographers / clearly from a non-public place (and if you know the infrastructure extremely well, it is almost always possible to tell) / not during a charter, and contact the magazine. In the past this has led to photographers being blacklisted by print magazines.

In these days of electronic media, images so identified can also be removed by the host if it is brought to their attention.

 

I wouldn't want to be the person walking in the 4-foot, if the photo community finds out who they were.

Or the person who took the photo, sadly - there are those who like to shoot the messenger.

Noel

 

I'm 28 and I've had some tired legs and feet after a day walking the lineside - maybe the combination of uneven surfaces plus standing being on your feet a lot. With the embankments, plus plenty of signalling equipment to trip over I've thought to myself it's a bit of an accident waiting to happen for anyone less mobile.

 

Not really you just have to be careful, I've survived over 50 years of doing it

 

Yes that is always the danger, someone concentrating in one direction on an approaching train while another is coming up behind. Also with the double track there is not a huge amount of room in places at the line side. The guidelines state to walk in the cess, in places the cess is under a load of brambles! I always make sure I get a comfortable distance from the line when a train approaches, sometimes that requires taking a few steps up or down an embankment. The single track section should be much better for space with the disused trackbed, but of course that is far less appealing than the unique double track.

 

Sometimes it is obvious that the photo or video is taken from an illegal position as I was at Scout Green once when a young well known photographers son climbed over the gate and plonked himself about three feet or so away from the rails next to the sign saying danger overhead wires but when others told him to not be stupid he just ignored them . I took a still of him with my video camera but a few weeks later his picture of 70013 was on the front cover of Steam Railway mag so I sent them them the still saying I thought you did not condone trespass and oddly no reply . It was pretty obvious it was not a legal photo but the magazine still used his picture ! Not having a go just saying that sometimes magazines do print dodgy photos .

 

....trespass froth alert!

 

Not really John just pointing out that magazines do print dodgy photos and you even mentioned that the good ones don't ( with or without a rider ).

 

You can still be careful but still get caught out