Railfan Trip Reports > Interesting Encounter at Riverside Downtown

(9/19/2006) - After a great day railfanning Cajon Pass we headed for Riverside Downtown. I have only driven by previously, and I wanted to check it out and get some shots.

Roy “Mikadoman” had aggravated his back, so he hung out in the car. Mikey “The Lionel Kid” and I headed for the train station, as I noticed an unusual “Angelina & Neches River Roadroad” boxcar, and I knew it could roll away at any moment…

I stood on the extremely wide platform and got a shot of the boxcar. A moment later an older gal is walking towards me at a rapid pace yelling out, “You can’t take pictures of trains here!! You can’t take pictures of trains here!!”

‘Ok relax,’ I’m thinking…

Her job is to sit in a chair next to the entrance and guide passengers to various trains that pass through Riverside.

So I pleasantly ask her, “Why can’t I take photos of trains here?”

She replied, “It’s a 9-11 terrorist thing…”

Ok, kind of the answer I expected.

I said, “Ma’am, I’ve taken photos of trains at depots in at least 20 countries, and I’ve never had a problem. I’m not a terrorist. I don’t even know how to make a bomb. I’m retired, working at home, ex-U.S. Navy, and all I wanted was a photo of that old boxcar”.

She stated, “Well, that’s what I’ve been told.”

So I showed her my BNSF Railway Citizens for Rail Security pass that I got from the BNSF website. She actually looked at it, showing my name, address, dob, email address and BNSF registration number.

I wasn’t going to let it go at that. Ignorance is bliss. So I said, “I can’t really accept your answer. I would like to see somebody in Security please…”

She makes a phone call to Security, says Security will be right over, and she goes back to her chair at the entrance, as there were some people waiting on her.

15 minutes go by as I stand there like a cigar store Indian. 20 minutes. Finally two Security fellows show up. They were very cool. I explained the situation, showed them the BNSF pass, and that all I wanted were some photos of freight trains passing through Riverside.

They confirmed that it was not a 9-11 Terrorist thing…that it had everything to do with insurance and being near the tracks on the lower platform. Ah, ok, a “real” reason. Something that was logical and made sense. They told me I could walk up on the pedestrian bridge and take all the photos/video that I wanted. Very cool. Shook hands and Mikey and I headed for the bridge…

I’m getting a few shots and I notice the two Security fellows talking to the older gal for at least 10-12 minutes. That must have been an interesting conversation.

About 30 minutes later I was done shooting, and on my way out I stopped by and asked the Gal if the Security fellows had given her the low-down on taking photos. She said “Yes”, and apologized for not knowing the real reason. I said, “No problem, we got it cleared up”. So we had a pleasant conversation about her job and such, I told her to have a good day and I went on my way.

So I’m glad I pursued the matter…might save another railfan a hassle, and it ended well.

Photo #1 – A neat shot of the upper portion of the pedestrian bridge.

Photos #2 & #3 – A couple of shots of the unusual “Angelina & Neches River Railroad”. (I’ve never heard of it). Plus I had a better angle from the pedestrian bridge anyway!

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Photo #4 – Another unusual find, “Detroit & Macinac” – never heard of that one either…

Photo #5 – I had a great vantage point as these double-stackers pass through Riverside. I’m looking west…

Photo #6 – Here are some shots I took farther down the tracks, back on 8/24/2006. A double stacker heading into Riverside.

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Photo #7 – I love shooting through fences. We were driving along, saw the train coming, and boogied into the nearest parking lot. Here’s BNSF 5397 (C44-9W).

Photo #8 – Far from home, NS 9498 (C40-9W).

Photo #9 – Trains a-plenty. Here comes UP 4398 (SD70M).

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Photo #10 – Followed by UP 3232 (SD40-2R).

Photo #11 – The UP 4728 (SD70M).

Photo #12 – And the UP 4319 (SD70M).

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Photo #13 – Rollin’ thru Riverside!

Thus ends “Interesting Encounter at Riverside Downtown”
Thanks for looking!
Reb Stout
Anaheim, California

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Some nice shots, Reb. Glad the encounter with "terrorism lady" ended well.

The D&M was an old regional railroad. Started in 1895 or there abouts. It was around for about 100 years before it was sold by its owners and became the Lake State Railway. It was known for its Alco roster, including RS-2s and 3s, as well as C425s. IIRC, it had about 200 or so miles of track.

Z

Hi Z...

Good hearing from you. The "Terrorism Lady" looked so guilty when I approached her as I was leaving I almost busted out laughing, but I managed to control myself. I left her feeling good about it, and more knowledgeable as well...

Thanks for the info on the D&M...I had no clue, but I knew it was definitely unusual, so I grabbed one shot right before the train rolled eastbound...
Reb

Check out these sites for info on the A&NR-

http://www.anrrr.com/main.html

http://www.cets.sfasu.edu/ANR/main.htm

http://www.trainweb.org/southwestshorts/anr.html

Like the way you handled the security lady. Apparently this "no pictures from the platform" policy is something unique to those stations owned by Riverside County Transportation Commission. Wonder what they would do after seeing Fullerton on a Friday night? Further, I'm curious if they would try giving you the bum's rush if you purchased a ticket and tried some photography.

My impression of Riverside's downtown station is that the great railfan shot is actually the morning angle of westbounds from the stairway and landing on the east side of the pedestrian overpass. Just a little bit of elevation gets rid of that nasty between-the-tracks fence and on rare, clear days, allows you to pull the mountains in with a bit of mild telephoto.

Dunno if there's any kind of shot at LaSierra or either of the Corona stations but it's worth checking out.

Hi 1702 and Alco251…

1702…thanks for the info on the A&NR…excellent reference websites…especially since I knew nothing of the history of this particular railroad.

Alco251…
I thought the exact same thing comparing Riverside’s Downtown station to Fullerton…I’ve seen people stand on the edge of the platform at Fullerton, 2’ from the tracks, as a freight rolls thru at 50 mph. Some people listen, some don’t…

Never been to the LaSierra or Corona stations…I’ll look into that…appreciate the info…
Reb

Sure glad we got smart people like her to protect us from those nasty terrorists Whew!

I caught this A&NR boxcar at the Lemonville Rd. Bridge just east of Hamilton, Ontario - 04/29/2004.

They certainly do get around.

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Good report about the station. I've only been there twice and I only live a few miles away. I was there yesterday but I had a ticket and was taking Metrolink, no one bothered me as I took photos on the platform. I agree the stairs on the east side are great for westbounds. I would love to get a night shot from the southwest platform with the downtown Riverside light in the background. http://www.trainorders.com/discussion/read.php?1,1271327

Dave Toussaint
Riverside, CA
SoCalRailFan.com

Hey, Reb; No picture of "Terrorism Lady"?

BLS

poffcapt Wrote:
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> Hey, Reb; No picture of "Terrorism Lady"?
>
> BLS
If she looks like most of em Rebs going to need a wide angle lens

Hi Guys...

Actually, she looked pretty good for a gal in her 60's or thereabout...but I was about ready to hang her from the yardarm, not kiss her on the cheek. Ha!
Reb