Otto Vondrak wrote:I find that I save a lot of grief by wearing the permit around my neck whenever I am out taking pictures. The operators and inspectors see the yellow card and dont even bother you!
That’s a great idea!
By all means, get the permit – it answers any and all questions from employees and police officers.
As for good places to take photos, subway photos can be difficult on the Red and Orange lines due to the fact that six-car trains fill up the entire platform. I’ll include a few of my favorite stations on the list in case you have a camera fast enough to capture trains in motion.
Some of my favorite places include:
RED LINE (Rapid transit) – Central, Charles/MGH, Park Street, Savin Hill, Ashmont (before they start reconstruction this year), Wollaston.
RED LINE (High-Speed Line trolleys) – Any station is good, but Ashmont, Milton and Capen Street are my favorites. Be careful around Ashmont and Mattapan.
ORNAGE LINE – The least interesting of the rapid transit lines – good shots can be had at Malden Center, State southbound, and Ruggles (you can get the Hancock Building in the background when shooting southbound trains from the south end of the platform). Be careful at any stations south of Ruggles.
BLUE LINE – Bowdoin, Aquarium (great shots!), Wood Island, Suffolk Downs and Beachmont.
GREEN LINE –Science Park, North Station, Park Street and Hynes-ICA are my favorites in the Central Subway. On the street, I’d go to Warren Street and Packard’s Corner on the B line; Cleveland Circle, Coolidge Corner and St. Mary’s St. on the C line; Longwood, Brookline Hills and Newton Center on the D line, and Brigham Circle and the corner of Huntington and South Huntington Aves. on the E line.
BUS AND TRACKLESS TROLLEYS – Cambridge Commons adjacent to the north portal of the Harvard Square bus tunnel is an awesome place to get bus and trackless trolley photos – you’ll see just about every type of bus the MBTA operates there except the articulateds. Afternoons are best. Other north side locations – Haymarket, Bellingham Square in Chelsea, Malden Center, and the new train station in Central Square, Lynn. South side – Quincy Center, Ashmont, Dudley (be careful!). Forest Hills and Ruggles are both good in the afternoon.
Have fun!
Jim
