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..........

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 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.

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

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..........

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

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.

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

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