I wanted to post information about an unfortunate incident that took place on the Catskill Mountain RR, where I am a volunteer.

Recently a railfan ventured near the crane parked at MP 16.3 on the Catskill Mountain RR in Ashokan, New York, and took some pictures of the crane and some RR equipment nearby. The crane is only 150 feet from a major highway, State Route 28.

While he was taking pictures, he was approached by a New York City Department of Environmental Protection policeman. He was given a summons for trespassing as the NYC DEP police have jurisdiction in this area. This is because the railroad only has an easement from MP 10 to 22 - the land is owned by New York City as part of the Ashokan Reservoir.

The poor guy had to appear in court a month later, and then had a "trial" a month after that. Despite the fact that the area wasn't marked "no trespassing" he still had to pay a $20 fine (after having to hire a lawyer to defend himself).

I wanted to post this as a warning to anyone who wants to take pictures on our line from Milepost 10 to Milepost 22. No one on the Catskill Mountain RR had ever heard of anyone being given a summons such as this before - previously photographers were given polite warnings.

Ernie Hunt