European Railroad Discussion > Any issues for photographers in London area?

I'll be in London in about a week, and am wondering about any issues with rail photography in the area? In 1980 I took photos anywhere I wanted in London, but lately I have heard that they have restricted photography in places. Any TOers have any personal experience with this recently?

thanks

dwatry

Here are the guidelines for railway enthusiasts http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations_destinations/51952.aspx

IN reality most stations in London are so big and so busy that no one bothered me or my dad whist taking pictures. I would suppose if you were going to be somewhere for a prolonged time it may be wise to obtain the proper permission. I have taken pictures at Waterloo, Victoria, Euston, Paddington, Marylebone, Charing Cross, St Pancras International, Kings Cross, Fenchurch Street, and possibly more without obtaining the formal permission, either simply taking pictures or asking someone if it OK to take pictures. Outside of London there are a few stations where if you plan on taking pictures for extended periods or multiple times during a day it is good to make contact with the stationmaster. In Newcastle we were given a platfrom pass that we could use all day to take pictures without having to see anyone official each time. The only place that I have ran into a problem is Blackpool North. If for whatever reason you go to Blackpool make sure you ask for permission before you take ANY pictures there.

In general Great Britain is not as stupid about the whole terrorist thing. I mailed some stuff home on my last trip and walked a block or two from the Post Office in Birmingham only realize that I had left my large roller case in there unattended. No one was upset or concerned even though the Post Office was full of people and very busy. I was glad that this had happened in the UK because we all know how crazy things would have been if I'd done the same thing in the USA.

Jim

Some stations such as London Victoria have installed ticket barriers. So you will need a ticket or rail pass to access the platforms.

Talking to one of the staff at my local station recently he said they had been given training to help them spot, and deal with, potential suicides. It is an unfortunate fact that throwing yourself in front of a moving train happens too often; you'll find small notices with the phone number of Samaritans at the end of some platforms. A few days later he spotted someone at the end of a platform and asked me if I'd noticed if he had a camera (he did - problem solved).

Generally speaking staff are friendly so long as you don't give them cause for concern. If you happen to meet one on the station just explain who you are and what you want to do. At some stations they may even point you at some fellow enthusiasts.

On my annual trips to Britain I've noticed that at stations owned and/or managed by Virgin Trains there are large signs saying: "Virgin welcomes rail enthusiasts" or similar wording. (I have a photo of it but don't have time to look for it right now.) There is, understandably, a request that enthusiasts don't trespass or commit other unsafe acts such as setting up a tripod on a busy platform or use a flash. I take both still photos and video - with cameras, not a smart phone - but not a lot of either. As I always travel with a Britrail Pass I am foremost a passenger and can go through ticket gates. But some stations, especially those without ticket gates, are particularly friendly to photographers. My favourite one is York.

Thanks everyone - this is helpful!

tq-07fan Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Here are the guidelines for railway enthusiasts
> http://www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations_destination
> s/51952.aspx
>
> IN reality most stations in London are so big and
> so busy that no one bothered me or my dad whist
> taking pictures. I would suppose if you were going
> to be somewhere for a prolonged time it may be
> wise to obtain the proper permission. I have taken
> pictures at Waterloo, Victoria, Euston,
> Paddington, Marylebone, Charing Cross, St Pancras
> International, Kings Cross, Fenchurch Street, and
> possibly more without obtaining the formal
> permission, either simply taking pictures or
> asking someone if it OK to take pictures. Outside
> of London there are a few stations where if you
> plan on taking pictures for extended periods or
> multiple times during a day it is good to make
> contact with the stationmaster. In Newcastle we
> were given a platfrom pass that we could use all
> day to take pictures without having to see anyone
> official each time. The only place that I have ran
> into a problem is Blackpool North. If for whatever
> reason you go to Blackpool make sure you ask for
> permission before you take ANY pictures there.
>
> In general Great Britain is not as stupid about
> the whole terrorist thing. I mailed some stuff
> home on my last trip and walked a block or two
> from the Post Office in Birmingham only realize
> that I had left my large roller case in there
> unattended. No one was upset or concerned even
> though the Post Office was full of people and very
> busy. I was glad that this had happened in the UK
> because we all know how crazy things would have
> been if I'd done the same thing in the USA.
>
> Jim
Blackpool was never like that in the eighties

Just to add to what people have already said, you should not have a problem, although if you are at a station with barriers you will probably need to get a platform pass or have a ticket. Sometimes the Revenue Protection chaps can be a bit enthusiastic--not bothering you while you are on the platform, but if there are different people on duty when you are leaving they might hassle you a bit.
There has been a lot of training going on recently for suicide prevention, so presenting yourself to the platform staff might be a good idea, especially if you are at minor station on the mainline where there are lots of high speed services that don't call. If nothing else this'll make the staff a little more comfortable with your presence.

dwatry Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I'll be in London in about a week, and am
> wondering about any issues with rail photography
> in the area? In 1980 I took photos anywhere I
> wanted in London, but lately I have heard that
> they have restricted photography in places. Any
> TOers have any personal experience with this
> recently?

As has been said you will need a ticket or an Oyster Smart-card to access platforms through the barriers for all the major stations. Some of the smaller stations don't have barriers but do require you to swipe your Oyster (if you are using Oyster). Tickets inspections are more frequent on board mainline and London Overground trains these days too.

You shouldn't have any problems taking photos from station platforms provided you adhere to the Network Rail guidelines or from bridges and other vantage points across the London network. You may get someone asking you whether a steam trains expected, most 'normals' (non-railfans) think that only people interested in steam take pictures of trains.

The only issue with an Oyster card is that using it to key in then not going anywhere may confuse the card/system. It does expect you to make a trip, and in the absence of one sometimes defaults to the largest fare possible, something that is also done when you key in but fail to key out.

But don't let Oyster's foibles put you off - for ordinary things like actually traveling it's great.

You can still buy paper Day Travelcards, either Anytime or Off Peak, the former valid from 00:01 to 04:30 the following day, the latter valid from 09:30 to 04:30 the following day. If you go through a barrier and then decide not to travel, and the Travelcard doesn't activate the out gate, just show the card to whoever's on duty and they'll let you out. I have an annual paper Travelcard and do that all the time.