As anyone who read my earlier post on this will know, I'm NOT a spotter of any kind, however I'm trying to understand EXACTLY why a well behaved spotter should not be allowed to take photos or whatever of trains and stations - without the following obvious exceptions:
1 - Use of a camera flash is an understandable issue (esp. on underground platforms), so if that's used, then they should be reminded, cautioned or removed depending on their attitude and number of times it happens.
2 - If they are impeding the operation of the station in any way - i.e. blocking exits, ticket barriers, etc... then likewise, a reminder, followed by a warning, followed by removal.
3 - Endangering themselves would be another issue - there are loads of videos on YouTube with spotters standing on the track side of the yellow lines at places like Northallerton and Stevenage where the line speed is 125mph, presumably to get the drivers to make some noise with the horn.
4 - If they have acted in any other unlawful way - i.e. shoplifting, abuse or anti-social behaviour.
However, read all the above again - they apply to ANYONE using a station, whether you are a designated spotter or not. Only posessing or using a camera at a station is hardly decent cause for security to get involved. What can taking a picture of a platform possibly be harmful for? You can see most stations online these days, on google earth or multimap, so it's not like it's top secret. Pick a station - any station - count the number of passengers at rush hour - count the number of passengers that have a mobile phone (and nearly all of those have cameras built in) - how can you possibly police that and at the same time differentiate between a "passenger" (or customer as they insist on calling them these days) and a "trainspotter"?
It's all bollocks - they're all just scared that somehow it's their fault that someone is in a station doing something other than waiting for a train and that there is some kind of stigma attached to using a camera in a public place that's not a tourist attraction. I'm all for proper - effective security, but that involves common sense - something that the idiots you hear about in these stories lack in the vast majority of cases, but as always, I'm sure there are exceptions, but to be ejected from a railway property, you need to be doing something worse than taking a bloody photograph surely.
