The immediate curtailment of ALL Mainline Steam Excursions?

An unpleasant thought?
But one that WILL become a reality the second that one of the mindless idiots who trespass on the line to get pictures and footage of mainline steam gets killed whilst trying to film a steam train.
Whilst their passing will be no great loss, the loss of mainline steam will be. If these fools had the merest clue they would at least be wearing high visibility clothing the very fact they do not proves beyond any doubt they do not have any understanding of the trackside environment!

I was on the Cathedrals Express Sunday 12[SUP]th[/SUP] Feb 2012 and I saw at least three people in trackside areas they had no right to be in, without even having the intelligence to wear high visibility vests! One fool was struggling about at the top of a very steep muddy embankment with a tripod and two cameras he was very unsteady and had he slipped just a little more whilst he was rushing to change shots would have fallen right onto the main line and we could well have ended up losing Steam on the mainline, Another had set himself and his tripod up on some track side hard standing again no high vis!

This is NOT scaremongering do not underestimate the seriousness of the situation, there is plenty of pressure to stop steam running on the network all they need is one good excuse! And these are exactly the kind of actions that WILL give them all the ammo they need. Why cant people simply obey the rules and stay the right side of the fence? your pictures and films are not so important its worth costing the rest of us who do abide by the rules OUR mainline steam fix.

I implore all of you who do enjoy Mainline steam responsibly, please please please inform the Police and Network Rail of ANYONE & EVERYONE you see breaking the rules on trackside access, because if you don’t you might just be passively watching the idiot who kills not only themselves and possibly an innocent person but YOUR HOBBY!

As for those who say “oh so what, stop making a fuss” in my opinion your an equally mindless part of the problem!

Network Rail 0845 711 4141
Speak to them directly about any emergency situation on the railway 24 hours a day that includes those trespassing on the line.

British Transport Police 0800 40 50 40
To report a crime or for general enquiries, please contact the British Transport Police. that includes those trespassing on the line

 

Chicken Licken syndrome strikes again.

 

Do we really have to do this all over again?

 

Fair point though. Just because someone is new, their views should not be dismissed without consideration.

I fear that some people are so selfish that they will do anything "just to get the shot", than no amount of education will get through to them.

 

I don't think it's the poster that people are taking issue with, more the content of the post which has:

A) been gone over many times already

B) Something none of us on here are stupid enough to do anyway

 

There is an element of 'preaching to the converted' whenever this comes up in the various magazines. It's how we relay this information to the general public that's the issue, as there's quite a grapevine out there that operates completely independently of internet forums and magazines: word of mouth. In many cases, the problem is of Network Rail's own making where fences are broken, or crossing gates are non-existent because they've rotted away. Not only that, people just don't want to be told what to do, as in many cases, they ignore anyone who takes them to task. In the face of that uphill struggle, I think it best to enjoy mainline steam while we can, because the way things are going, its not a case of if, but when. May be we should return to night-time operation on selected routes?

 

Not preaching just asking and expressing an opinion thought might as well do it here rather than a non railway forum! as for three posts so what? does that make my opinion worth less?

As for "It's up to Network Rail and BTP" you clearly not bothered about your hobby, smug complacency will only end in one place!

 

I appreciate this may well have been gone over many times, but if your parents did you only tell your kids to look both ways when crossing the road just the once?

I don't think you can simply dismiss it with "none of us on here are stupid enough to do anyway" these people had to know where and when trains are running and there are not that many places to get that info!

Frankly if people as so up tight they cannot stand someone new raising an issue that they may well have seen many times what does that tell you?

 

Complacency you gotta love it!

 

I think the name of the OP says it all

 

I think you're trolling

 

David1984 notes :

B) Something none of us on here are stupid enough to do anyway

I would disagree; I have seen knowledgeable persons get caught up in "the heat of the moment", forget all about personal safety on the lines, rush to get a photograph, trip up on the rail and be killed by a train he hadn't seen. Equally common (and more dangerous) are the chasers who are so desperate to get as many shots of a run that they screech up at the last minute, rush out of their to stand in the nearest location (whether inside or outside the rail boundary) take their shot, rush back to their car(s) and race to the next possible location.

Even after 40 years of railway photography I sometimes find it difficult to resist the "chase" but the experience of seeing the results in the form of poorly composed and indifferent images I now think ahead and select where to go - then allow myself time to get there. Sadly there is a younger, newer, less experienced generation that has yet to learn the errors that experience has taught we elder members of the hobby to avoid - and some of that generation are on this forum.

 

Troll.

 

It's half term Michael. He'll be back at school next week.

 

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