Mr. Foster
thank you for responding in defense of the "railfan" community. I am sure that you see things this way. However, the Sheriff's department has cited several individuals on the property. Sure there were bored locals, but there were several railfans camera in hand. It is really amazing how many photographs have surfaced on the net of the D-500 taken in the last few months. The photographers had to climb over a locked gate (locks have been cut also to gain access) and walk, on private property 1/8 mile to get to the D-500 for pictures. The D-500 and Plymouth both sit on the west side of the property away from public access. What right do these people have to trespass on private property even just to take pictures? Now the result of all the trespassing is thousands of dollars of damage which has been done to the locomotives, buildings, switchstands etc. It will be tremendously expensive to replace what has been stolen and vandalized. I wonder if the guy that broke the windshields on the D-500 so he could climb on the hood to steal the horn ever thought how expensive FRA locomotive glazing is, much less how expensive that airhorn will be to replace. I doubt it, but when the Sheriff department catches this party they will be prosecuted as a felon for the amount of damage they caused. It doesn’t matter who they are, bored locals or good intentioned “railfans” seeking pictures, no right has been granted to them for entry on the property under any condition. That is simply how private property works in the U.S. There is no grant of access simply because it is a “ghost” or “historic” railroad. It is not a “railfan” community property that anyone has access to.
