KAYAKING AND RAILROAD WATCHING

How many of you are kayakers out there?
Let me let you in on a great way to watch trains.
Take up kayaking or canoeing or boating.
Went on a kayak trip from Peekskill NY, under old NYC mainline onto Hudson River north to Popolopen Creek just past Bear Mountain Bridge on west side and saw a constant parade of trains all trip long.
Many freight trains on the old West Shore Line and many passenger on the old NYC line.
I know this is NY state but the West Shore begins in NJ and I have these observations and questions.
Is it legal to photograph trains from the water or am I going to have the NSA, FBI and Homeland Security zooming in on me? From a boat you can photograph many parts of a close to the water RR without having to trespass any property. Any photogrpahers out there do this?
I could not believe how busy the West Shore line is with freight. Is this a Wednesday thing or everyday?
Saw many parts of the old NYC mainline that had work done on the riverbank to keep from falling into the river and one spot where there was a barge smack against the riverbank with heavy machinery. I suppose there is constant work being done like this on the West Shore line also being so close to the river?
Many little tunnels, bridges and trestles, along both grades to maintain the water level route.
On the West Shore where do most of the the trains end up in NJ going south and where do they go north?
Where is West Shore double tracked and single tracked? At least from Bear Mountain Bridge south.
Saw no freights on NYC line during whole trip. Any freight or big industry along this stretch south?
Will post this also in NY region forum.

I like kayaking. I've wanted my own for years, just never had the time. great idea pairing kayaking with railfanning. I'd reallly like to railfan the Hackensack and Passaic Rivers via kayak. there's a lot of great train bridges on these rivers that would be best accessed via the water. Being that I likely won't have a kayak for some time maybe you could hit these rivers up for me.

I have kayaked the Passaic and Hackensack River many times. I have never taken advantage that much of the rail pictures end of it yet, but have been very close to the bridges from the water. LIke right underneath them. Have met many kayakers on the water, but none of them have been RR picture people also. Of course this does not apply to every picture sight. Try to get close to Statue of Liberty or Indian Point Nuclear Plant and you will have Coast Guard aiming 50 caliber guns at you and for good reason.

ALCOGG1 wrote:How many of you are kayakers out there?
Let me let you in on a great way to watch trains.
Take up kayaking or canoeing or boating.
Went on a kayak trip from Peekskill NY, under old NYC mainline onto Hudson River north to Popolopen Creek just past Bear Mountain Bridge on west side and saw a constant parade of trains all trip long.
Many freight trains on the old West Shore Line and many passenger on the old NYC line.
I know this is NY state but the West Shore begins in NJ and I have these observations and questions.
Is it legal to photograph trains from the water or am I going to have the NSA, FBI and Homeland Security zooming in on me? From a boat you can photograph many parts of a close to the water RR without having to trespass any property. Any photogrpahers out there do this?
I could not believe how busy the West Shore line is with freight. Is this a Wednesday thing or everyday?
Saw many parts of the old NYC mainline that had work done on the riverbank to keep from falling into the river and one spot where there was a barge smack against the riverbank with heavy machinery. I suppose there is constant work being done like this on the West Shore line also being so close to the river?
Many little tunnels, bridges and trestles, along both grades to maintain the water level route.
On the West Shore where do most of the the trains end up in NJ going south and where do they go north?
Where is West Shore double tracked and single tracked? At least from Bear Mountain Bridge south.
Saw no freights on NYC line during whole trip. Any freight or big industry along this stretch south?
Will post this also in NY region forum.

1) not sure if legal or illegal to take pictures on water
2) everyday is busy on CSX
3) not sure about constant work
4) southbounds typically go to North Bergen Yard in North Bergen,NJ to get a crew change to take it farther south. Northbounds go to Selkirk,NY just south of Albany for crews to take it west.
5) single tracked with a ton of passing sidings.
6) idk

ALCOGG1 wrote:How many of you are kayakers out there?
Let me let you in on a great way to watch trains.
Take up kayaking or canoeing or boating.
Went on a kayak trip from Peekskill NY, under old NYC mainline onto Hudson River north to Popolopen Creek just past Bear Mountain Bridge on west side and saw a constant parade of trains all trip long.
Many freight trains on the old West Shore Line and many passenger on the old NYC line.
I know this is NY state but the West Shore begins in NJ and I have these observations and questions.
Is it legal to photograph trains from the water or am I going to have the NSA, FBI and Homeland Security zooming in on me? From a boat you can photograph many parts of a close to the water RR without having to trespass any property. .

Photography from a boat can result in otherwise unobtainable really nice photos. The NJ meadowlands rail bridges over the Passaic and Hackensack Rivers are prime examples.

So long as the photography is for a lawful purpose, i.e., not in furtherance of a crime or violation of a civil law (e.g., videotaping a copyrighted movie) there is generally no prohibition at taking photographs from any area at which the photographer is legally present such as a public street or highway and similar, and from private property where it is not a trespass. The exceptions to the general rule include (1) photography from an area where the controlling entity forbids it, such as inside a factory or in an office building, and (2) from any location photos of military installations which have been designated by the President. (For example, I have an aerial photo of an Amtrak bridge downstream of the Groton, CT submarine base and was careful to keep the base in the background beyond the rail bridge out of the photo .)

Navigable waterways, and this includes essentially any stream on which a kayak can be used, or arguably streams that can can be walked in waders (as in fishing with rod and reel), are identical to public street or highways. Historically their use for commerce preceded the construction of land roads. So there are no general restrictions on photographing from navigable waterways. So rail photography is OK from the boat.

With respect to civilian nuclear generating stations such as Indian Point, there is no general prohibition of photography from public areas or adjacent private property with permission of the private property owner. However, for many generating stations, be they nuclear, coal or other fuel, that require use of cooling water the Coast Guard has established safety zones around the cooling water intakes and discharge structures. These are typically about 100 yards in extent (but one needs to look up the specific location in the Coast Guard regs to be sure) and may cover the entire shoreline of the station to the 100 yard limit because of the potential risk of significant harm to boaters or swimmers from the cooling water flow into and out of the station. That said, it is permissible for plant security or law enforcement to inquire as to the purpose of the photography or other activity from any lawful area. It is highly advisable to be polite and cooperative with respect to any such questioning should it occur. Don't be confrontational.

The law with respect to photography from aircraft is similar, the pilot needs to ensure that the minimum safe distances are maintained vertically (1000 feet in populated areas, generally 500 feet otherwise) and horizontally (2000 feet from an obstacle). So one can fly at 1,000 feet above the highest nearby obstacle and photograph railroads, etc. (There is a specific restriction for nuclear stations that prohibits circling or loitering; it's OK to fly past or over and photograph so long as the above clearances are maintained; just don't turn and come back on the same flight for a second pass.)

Big Blue, check this out for Passaic River kayak photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/jag9889/se ... 045/page4/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I think there's a similar one on the Hackensack, try Googling it.

Oh yes. I kayak and SUP a LOT... Anywhere a train goes near water is fair game for a photo op. And I have never had ANY issues taking photos from the water at any location. Someone mentioned the Statue of Liberty - I kayak with http://manhattankayak.com/kayak/kayak-tours#" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; -- we do an actual Statue of Liberty trip, we come up fairly close on the island, same for Ellis Island. As long as you don't try to land on the island, they leave you totally alone. We take great photos.
Anyway, I've never had an issue shooting trains from the water. I would imagine as long as you're not coming up under an abutment or pilings near a railroad bridge, then you're fine.... The Hudson is great as is the Jersey Shore.

I've kayaked many waters in North and South Jersey...not with the intent of taking train pics, but I've spotted a few nice freights and NJT trains passing overhead as I paddle under a trestle.