New Photo Pass Policy

Hello,

As a Swiss tramway-enthusiast living in Germany, I plan to travel to Boston next week (on Thursday) for four, five days to photograph the last Boeing-LRV’s and the PCC’s at the red line. Of course, I planned to visit the MBTA-Office for getting a photo-permit just upon my arrival.

So I’m not really amused to read the last posts…

My I just ask for your advices? Will I expect to have serious problems when taking pictures? Or should I try to arrange something in advance (my departure from Europe will be on June 10th…) – or, worst case, should I cancel my flight?

Thank you very much for you answers…
and greetings from Munich,

Patrick Rudin

Well, you can go try taking the pictures of the trains if you want, just go to a T employee and explain that you're a tourist and that you want to get a shot of the trains. Hopefully they'll say "That's fine"

I would do the same thing too.

Hope you have fun in our area here.

The policy to get the passes is new, I don't know if the enforcement has change yet. In the past five years of photographing the T, I was asked to show a pass once. And that was only after I stupidly took a flash picture in the direction of a token booth. I just played dumb and was allowed to go on my way, no hassle.

Most recently in April I was taking 30+ pictures of a train interior to stitch together for a panoramic image, when an operator walked onto the train. He didn't even reply to my Hello. Same with a green line inspector at North Station.

Granted there might have been a memo in the past month, but I wouldn't worry to much about it. Enjoy Boston.

Hello,

thank you very much for your answers, so I will be sitting on the plane tomorrow at that time ... and I still hope to not have any troubles.

Just a short off-topic question (should I start a new thread..?): On which branch do I have the biggest chance to see the most Boeing-LRV's?

Greetings from Munich

Patrick

Just a short off-topic question (should I start a new thread..?): On which branch do I have the biggest chance to see the most Boeing-LRV's?

Probably the C line, from Cleveland Circle to Government Center. The other line to check out is the D line from Riverside. Thats where most of the Boeings are. If you are looking for a Breda type 8, you need to go to the B line.

Arrgh. There goes my planned trip this friday. Maybe I'll try using the "Gosh, I'm from out of town, sir, and I had no idea, sir..." and maybe they will feel sorry for me and give me a permit.

-otto-

Arrgh. There goes my planned trip this friday. Maybe I'll try using the "Gosh, I'm from out of town, sir, and I had no idea, sir..." and maybe they will feel sorry for me and give me a permit.

Don't worry Otto, I'm sure thay they may not do the new enforcement all the time yet, but go for it, come to town if you want. I'll even apply for my permit too so that I can renew it and continue videofilming in time for the Green Line EL.

The folks at the Marketing office in Park Plaza have always been very friendly and helpful - hopefully, if you tell them that you will be photographing on certain lines, they will be able to give you the permit without much fuss.

Even if you can't get a permit, there are plenty of public crossings to photograph trains on the B, C and E lines, the Mattapan-Ashmont (Central Ave and Capen St) and the commuter rail lines.

Keep in mind that the MBTA and the authorities are only going to get more freaked out the closer we get to July and the DNC. Hopefully, everyone will chill once that fiasco is past.

Jim D.

My friend called regarding passes for tomorrow. Passes are no longer the jurisdiction of Marketing, it is now handled by MBTA Police.

-otto-

Otto Vondrak wrote:My friend called regarding passes for tomorrow. Passes are no longer the jurisdiction of Marketing, it is now handled by MBTA Police.

-otto-

Oh great.

For me it's too late to change the desicion, I have already reached Massachusetts

I hope they will believe that I'm just a small tourist... (but have nowhere on the whole world got any problems with taking pictures of tramways...)

Greetings (at the moment not from Munich)

Patrick

Patrick-

I hope you have a good visit while you are here in America... hopefully you wont be hassled too much. I visited on friday- fortunately, most of the things I wanted to shoot were from the public streets, so I had little problems. Let us know how your trip went.

-otto-

Let us know how your trip went.

Hello!

So, the trip is over, the weather was nice and I`m more or less satisfied, but not everything went as well as expected.

First I have to thank you for the tips received from this board.

My fist pics I made on the C-Branch, as well at Cleveland Circle, where of course many employees saw me. No problems at all. Than some photos near St.Mary's Street, a very nice shot with the tunnel exit and the church. About half of the trains were Boeings. In the early afternoon a few pics at the elevated line, no problem.

Than I went to the red line and tried to make some photos at Mattapan (of course from public area), but a female safety employee came quickly to me and asked for a photo-permit. As I could not present this sheet, she asked me to go away, and told, that I could have troubles with the police. So I took the next train to the first station (Capen St.) and took a picture from the next outbound train. The (again female) driver stopped the PCC next to me (!) and yelled out of the window: "This is not allowed". So quite frustrated I went away.

Next day again to Cleveland Circle, was happy to see a new Breda running there. Again some photos on the line, until the driver of a Kinki stopped next to me and said: "Sorry, that's not allowed". As the next train was a Boeing, I took that last picture and went downtown.
In the late afternoon back to the red line, some very nice PCC-shots at Central Av. and Valley Road. No problems.

Unfortunately, for me as a European train- and tram-photographer, three such situations in two days are a lot. I always became the feeling: "Should I take out my camera or not?"...- "does the driver stop next to me or not?"... -"does he call the police or not?..." Perhaps there exists an internal paper for the drivers, that taking pictures of trains is not allowed anymore ???

Conclusion of my trip: I had a lot of fun, I also enjoyed Boston, and I'm happy to have now quite good pictures of the Boeings (and the PCC's) in my collection, BUT, I have to say, it was not that easy as in other Cities. I really hope that it's not getting more difficult, also for other US-Cities.

Best Greetings

Patrick

Patrick,

Glad to hear that you managed to still get some good shots in. Its a shame that this crack down on security, and thus railfanning, is coming at a time when there's so much going on, particularly on the Green Line.

Our fellow railroad.net-ers from New Jersey and New York have been very vocal about how tough it is getting down there. I have to admit, I'm getting the feeling that this is a trend that is probably going to get worse, and probably spread.

At least they can't bar us from riding the trains ("I'm sorry sir, you're enjoying this trolley ride too much, you're going to have to come with us"), even if they make it tough to photograph them.

Patrick,

As a native Bostonian, I'm disappointed that you were hassled so much by MBTA employees. The MBTA can restrict photography at stations, but if you were standing at the public road crossings, then the train operators at Capen Street and along the C branch had no business telling you that photography is not allowed. It is absolutely legal to take photographs of MBTA vehicles from public property.

Unfortunately, railfans being hassled by MBTA employees is nothing new. A large number of MBTA employees distrust railfans and do not want us taking their pictures. I have been taking photographs on the MBTA system for over 25 years, and I've had numerous such encounters with employees. The photo pass used to shut them up in the past, but the current anti-terror hysteria clearly has given a new backbone to some overzealous employees. I'm planning to go back to Boston this summer, but I honestly don't have any desire to put up with that sort of mistreatment. I'll probably spend more time photographing the new buses and trackless trolleys outside of the downtown area. At least you can get plenty of good pictures from public sidewalks, and have a better argument about photographing from public property if someone calls the cops on you.

Jim D.