Has model railroading ever gotten you into trouble?


Old 97

Hogger
It's happened twice to me so far. Both times I was railfanning. Once was with an attractive woman in a secluded trackside area ( Until the POLICE lit up the car with a BRIGHT spotlight! ) and the other day when a railroad cop raced up to where I was standing. He was on the M.O.W. path and promptly gave himself a blown tire. :eek: Gave me a warning and told me to move on....... :rolleyes:
 
... Once was with an attractive woman in a secluded trackside area ...

While we're dreaming, I once hijacked a freight train and drove it to Tallahassee ;)

Honestly though I've never gotten into trouble with the law while rail fanning, but I've stayed out past my bedtime more than once and my wife had to call me home from running trains at the club :rolleyes:
 
This didn't happen to me but to one of my friends in Mobile. He was over in NOLA, visiting Frank Ellison, one of the great pioneers in the hobby. They were having an operating session on the Delta Lines, when a squad of police burst thru the door, hollering for everyone to freeze and put their hands up!:eek:

Seems one of Frank's neighbors had seen several "suspicious" characters entering Frank's cellar, (a rarity in NO for sure), and suspecting they were planning a bank robbery, kidnapping, or somrthing along those lines, called the Police! The Police answered the call with full gear on and weapons.

After several minutes of seeing nothing but trains running around on the layout, several of the officers stayed on scene for hours and eventually became a part of Frank's operating crew!:D:p
 
As in spending more then one should at a time buying goodies for my layout, only to realize the old lady just realized how much i (actually spent also) :eek:
Then yes it gets me into trouble from time to time

Its always a good idea to tell her you only spent half as much as the actual cost :)
 
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close calls

hell when i was younger and not all that smart i had a few close calls' one was labor day 1994 at westbrook maine outside of portland. i had the day off and figured it was a holiday a good time to go to the SD warren paper mill in westbrook i figured i could get some good pics from the road that runs around the back side, i was driving my wife's car and had her expensive camera and i needed to be back at 12noon to pick her up ( 45 min drive to get there on the maine turnpike) well i was there taking pictures from the public road and then i came to a truck entrance with the gate wide open and no one around so i wandered in. well i was getting some awesome picture from inside the property. i was near the large wood chip piles and i heard the sound of tires on gravel. OH crap 3 security suvs show up blocked me in so i shoved the camera under the seat. well the security guys stood around me asking abunch of questions wrote the plate number down, they asked what i was doing, i explained to them about being a model railroader, he wanted to confiscate the camera i told him i no things got a little scary then they said i needed to follow them down to the office so we all got in are vehicles and i booked it out of there back onto the street and got back on the turnpike heading south then bam LABOR day traffic backed up for miles. needless to say i had no phone and did not get home to around 6pm hmmm my wife was a tad upset. so that was only the beginning of me getting smarter.
mark
 
Never been in trouble with either Model Railroading or Railfanning.
 
Me? Trouble? :rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

As far as railfanning, all I'm saying is powerfull telephoto lenses on public property are an asset, but so are a dozen fresh donuts and a thermos full of coffee. :D

As far as the wife, no. She would rather I buy "toys" and stay home than buy booze at the bar.:)
 
Back about 199? I was running a business out of my house painting brass HO steam engines. I had several wealthy customers who had hundreds of brass engines so I didn't even advertise except by others seeing my work. These guys had a TON of PRR and N&W for me to paint. Mostly it was PRR. About 2 months before the NMRA convention in DC I was given about 35 pieces to paint before the convention. I used the 14" long Drywall mud pans to soak the components to get the nasty clear lacquer off of them. I had 12 pans with 1/4" wood covers so the lacquer thinner wouldn't evaporate too quickly. I realized I was down to my last 2 gallons so I went to the local Hechinger's and bought 10 more gallons. I had been working hard to get them done and hadn't shaved for 2-3 days and my paint clothes looked terrible. Anyway, I left the store and as I was just turning into my townhouse parking space 3 cop cars pulled up behind me and had me hold my hands up. I did! they asked me what I needed that much thinner for. I explained to them and then they wanted to 'see'. I opened the metal storage container with 12 pans of soaking brass, and then invited them in to see the rest of the process. By the time they left, one asked if I would paint some of his O scale Lionel engines, and another realized he'd seen me at the hobby shop where I worked part time.
 
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No problems with the money or right of way before Wendy passed away. Now that I'm on my own, I have a new house and no house payment with larger right of way and have expanded the budget quite a bit.
As far as railfanning, I stay off the railroad property and use good lenses on my HD video equipment, tripod mounted.
 
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I've learned from reading about the mistakes of others how to avoid getting into spouse trouble. Back in my youth, I got chased off of RR property a few times by security.
 
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It's happened twice to me so far. Both times I was railfanning. Once was with an attractive woman in a secluded trackside area ( Until the POLICE lit up the car with a BRIGHT spotlight! ) and the other day when a railroad cop raced up to where I was standing. He was on the M.O.W. path and promptly gave himself a blown tire. :eek: Gave me a warning and told me to move on....... :rolleyes:


Say Mike,
How was the view in, I mean from, that secluded area? I know you wouldn't be doing anything I wouldn't, sure glad you didn't get caught with your pants down so to speak! What a bummer to have to cut an enjoyable sight seeing day/night short!

I thought of a joke you'll like.
 
Say Mike,
How was the view in, I mean from, that secluded area? I know you wouldn't be doing anything I wouldn't, sure glad you didn't get caught with your pants down so to speak!

The view was perfect! That's why I chose that spot. Wide open viewing lanes of the tracks, off the beaten path a bit from vehicle through traffic.
No chance of being hassled for trespassing on RR property. It was dark, she was friendly. Trains running on a regular schedule with plenty of action. What could go wrong? That's when it happened. There was such a bright light I immediately thought of two things: A) Christ had indeed returned. B) I was about to find out that UFO's are REAL!
Turns out it was just the local police and I just happened to pick an area frequented by drug dealers! :eek: :rolleyes: After a brief interview, it was decided that I would be moving on..............
 
Yes. At least I can partially attribute my pending divorce to the fact that I spent so much time secluded in the train room...
 
Lol at old97

Jbaakko- yikes... this sounds like
My girlfriend/wife says alot that im always in the basement, bla bla bla. Frankly im sick of.hearing it lol... atleast my kids are in the basement with me, its not like i forgot to pick them up at school :eek:
 



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