Everyone here knows that no train operating in public space is truly "private". If he follows past practice, the Chama Steam charterer will disavow any use of the word "freeloader"; he knows that any use of this emotion-laden term immediately causes other brain functions to shut down. Not only did you use that term in the heading of the post that started this thread, you used the term "moocher" in the actual words, and you exposed much raw emotion while talking more about Roger's attitudes than about his actions.
And in your case, use of this pejorative term was totally unnecessary. Everything you have said in this rebuttal would have been just as true if Roger had purchased half of the available tickets for the charter. Nobody has responded to the question I raised several days ago wondering how people would have responded if the offending object had been a helicopter from CNN, or even been simply a drone flown by a local news organization. CATS has fans (remember, that word comes from the word fanatic) all over the world; most of the time that helps the railroad. In many senses, Roger has served as the bureau chief for a news service that links some of those fans with Chama. We may finally have an uneasy truce between video and still photographers; Roger is part of the bleeding-edge of daring people trying out this new technology, and dumping all over him because his actions at the time did not meet with your approval were guaranteed to get the kind of reaction you got.
Several years ago, my family rode the tourist train between Saratoga Springs and North Creek NY. This is kind of like riding between Durango and Silverton, so my wife got tickets on the first train into North Creek and the last train back so she and our daughter could visit the shoppes while I hung around the station. At some point, we knew that the next train in would be pulled by the IPH E-unit and the SNC BL-2, both classic diesel locomotives in very attractive paint. As I stood waiting, a man with a heavy New York City accent showed up and immediately lectured me on proper photography etiquette. Just as the train arrived, he stepped in front of me; I have a very nimble photographer style, so I was still able to get the pictures I wanted. I have no idea how that guy got there; maybe he rode an earlier train, as did I, maybe he drove in for the day, maybe he was a summer resident. I could have blamed his thoughtless actions on where he comes from or assumed that (unlike me) he hadn't earned the right to be there by riding the train. I simply assumed the best, that he was caught up in the moment, and went on. Like is too short to generate such emotion over something like this.
