Drones over moving trains

rjenkins · **Posted:** Tue Jul 30, 2024 5:46 pm

Alexander D. Mitchell IV wrote:

I'm waiting for the first one to get shot from the air by a railroader. Except railroaders (normally) don't carry firearms on the job, either......... well, supposedly........ and UP 4014 (among others) doesn't carry coal to throw at them, either..........

I was a little surprised that nobody was picking up ballast rocks and hurling them at this one for ruining their shot when it buzzed the photo line.

Frisco1522 · **Posted:** Tue Jul 30, 2024 6:12 pm

Remember back when video producers would fly over in noisy helicopters? Played hell with recordings and video audio.

I was running 1522 westbound up Dixon Hill in MO and was on a high fill when a TV news chopper came up right in my face and scared hell out of me. Came up from low in the "valley". Must have been an ex Army pilot from Nam.

PaulWWoodring · **Posted:** Tue Jul 30, 2024 7:35 pm

I remember being really honked off when TrainOrders bought the rights to overfly the excursions for the 2009 Trainfest in Owosso with a helicopter, and got in my video shots of the NKP 765 trips. I haven't really done any serious photography since the drone craze started. And to think that 30 years ago I considered buying an old bucket truck to get a better angle on shots.

co614 · **Posted:** Tue Jul 30, 2024 7:47 pm

We had 2 helicopters follow us for over 45 minutes on the first Hoboken-Port Jervis trip pulled by C&O 614. Those 2 helos sure ruined a lot of peoples plans.

Ross Rowland

Alexander D. Mitchell IV · **Posted:** Tue Jul 30, 2024 8:57 pm

PaulWWoodring wrote:

Early in the railroad video era, during the first year of Chessie's 614 Safety Express trips, a certain late video producer who made his "Mark" in the business went down the access road into 17 Mile Grade to pace 614 up the grade, behind a video producer who had permission to do that and went out of his way to be gone from view of the photographers waiting at the grade crossing at Swanton, MD. This person, on the other hand, stayed right in front of the locomotive all the way past the crowd at the crossing and managed to get into view in other places all the way to Tera Alta. Oh, and he had a bright red or orange van to boot. Well, he parked and went to get something to eat in Tera Alta and came out to find several flat tires on his van. So, the more things change the more they stay the same.

I'm reminded of a later legend (true or not, I've never been able to confirm) of a similar scenario where a van pacing a similar special run on a dirt road next to the tracks, but at a higher rate of speed, similarly enraging other fans and the steam locomotive crew, was eventually graced with either a scoop full of coal or a well-thrown wrench through the windshield..........

bigjim4life · **Posted:** Wed Jul 31, 2024 1:41 am

rjenkins wrote:

Alexander D. Mitchell IV wrote:

I'm waiting for the first one to get shot from the air by a railroader. Except railroaders (normally) don't carry firearms on the job, either......... well, supposedly........ and UP 4014 (among others) doesn't carry coal to throw at them, either..........

I was a little surprised that nobody was picking up ballast rocks and hurling them at this one for ruining their shot when it buzzed the photo line.

On the flip side, I've seen responsible drone operators that sent their drones up and behind the photo lines - high enough and far back enough that they're relatively quiet to my ears and my audio.

484Mike · **Joined:** Wed Mar 27, 2013 3:55 am **Posts:** 173

co614 wrote:

The scariest part of all is what's going to happen when these drones become so cheap that tens of thousands of them are bought by every day folks who could care less about rules & regulations??

Seems inevitable ?? Ross Rowland

Ross,

you can get a drone for less than 50 bucks; we can be glad close to no one is interested in trains...

Cheers,
Mike

PrrOpCrew · **Posted:** Wed Jul 31, 2024 12:18 pm

If you think that is bad, try watching this without screaming at the drone operator:
https://youtu.be/nQDcDZ6rmGE?si=5V-8Nxz4Naoe1kIA

If you read the comments, when the FAA found out about this video the drone operator was fined $27,000.

This dances on the line between stupidity and insanity.

SD70dude · **Posted:** Wed Jul 31, 2024 1:38 pm

Alexander D. Mitchell IV wrote:

PaulWWoodring wrote:

Early in the railroad video era, during the first year of Chessie's 614 Safety Express trips, a certain late video producer who made his "Mark" in the business went down the access road into 17 Mile Grade to pace 614 up the grade, behind a video producer who had permission to do that and went out of his way to be gone from view of the photographers waiting at the grade crossing at Swanton, MD. This person, on the other hand, stayed right in front of the locomotive all the way past the crowd at the crossing and managed to get into view in other places all the way to Tera Alta. Oh, and he had a bright red or orange van to boot. Well, he parked and went to get something to eat in Tera Alta and came out to find several flat tires on his van. So, the more things change the more they stay the same.

I'm reminded of a later legend (true or not, I've never been able to confirm) of a similar scenario where a van pacing a similar special run on a dirt road next to the tracks, but at a higher rate of speed, similarly enraging other fans and the steam locomotive crew, was eventually graced with either a scoop full of coal or a well-thrown wrench through the windshield..........

This one isn't railfan related, but we had a little incident where a yard conductor threw a fusee at a trespassing vehicle, not sure how much damage was done but he had similarly good aim. The trespasser made a complaint and the entire crew got interrogated the next day, but I believe a deal was arranged where both the complaint and any trespassing charges were dropped, so officially the whole thing never happened and no one got disciplined.

mmi16 · **Joined:** Thu Oct 24, 2019 11:05 pm **Posts:** 198

co614 wrote:

The scariest part of all is what's going to happen when these drones become so cheap that tens of thousands of them are bought by every day folks who could care less about rules & regulations??

Seems inevitable ?? Ross Rowland

They are that cheap already.

Ed Kapuscinski · **Posted:** Fri Aug 02, 2024 2:41 pm

Are Cope Cages going to be the newest Progress Rail or Wabtec factory option?

mldeets · **Joined:** Thu Aug 05, 2010 2:06 am **Posts:** 411

rjenkins wrote:

Alexander D. Mitchell IV wrote:

I'm waiting for the first one to get shot from the air by a railroader. Except railroaders (normally) don't carry firearms on the job, either......... well, supposedly........ and UP 4014 (among others) doesn't carry coal to throw at them, either..........

I was a little surprised that nobody was picking up ballast rocks and hurling them at this one for ruining their shot when it buzzed the photo line.

A fly in the ointment there is that the drones are now classified as aircraft now by the FAA and receive the protections of same. It is now a federal offense to shoot down or otherwise molest a drone.
...................mld

Trainlawyer · **Posted:** Fri Aug 02, 2024 8:57 pm

Ed Kapuscinski wrote:

Are Cope Cages going to be the newest Progress Rail or Wabtec factory option?

I seem to recall something like that on the New Haven in the '60s...
GME

KevinM · **Posted:** Wed Aug 07, 2024 9:12 pm

EJ Berry wrote:

And more:

§ 107.145 Operations over moving vehicles.

No person may operate a small unmanned aircraft over a human being located inside a moving vehicle unless the following conditions are met:

(a) The operation occurs in accordance with § 107.110 for Category 1 operations; § 107.115 for Category 2 operations; § 107.125 for Category 3 operations; or § 107.140 for Category 4 operations.

(b) For an operation under Category 1, Category 2, or Category 3, the small unmanned aircraft, throughout the operation—

(1) Must remain within or over a closed- or restricted-access site, and all human beings located inside a moving vehicle within the closed- or restricted-access site must be on notice that a small unmanned aircraft may fly over them; or

(2) Must not maintain sustained flight over moving vehicles.

(c) For a Category 4 operation, the small unmanned aircraft must—

(1) Have an airworthiness certificate issued under part 21 of this chapter.

(2) Be operated in accordance with the operating limitations specified in the approved Flight Manual or as otherwise specified by the Administrator. The operating limitations must not prohibit operations over human beings located inside moving vehicles.

Phil Mulligan

You can add to your list that it is quite obvious that the drone was being flown FPV (first person view) and that the pilot was out of visual contact with the air vehicle MOST of the time. The conduct of this pilot on this video clearly fits FAA's definition of careless and reckless operation as he was not only in violation of all manner of regulations, but also clearly putting the public at risk. I think this clown should not only be relieved of some of his bank account (if he has any), but he should also be given some time to think about his transgressions......behind bars.

/Kevin Madore