The Post Story about over-zealous security folk banning visitors from taking snaps at the Mailbox has its echo on rail. Rail Magazine (www.rail-magazine.com) is running a bit of a campaign about the harassment of snappers at stations and other rail sites. This usually comes from contractors working on the railway, as Network Rail says it welcomes spotters and gricers.

Apparently innocent rail-spotting folk have been frog-marched off stations by security guards and the like having been told, Dad's Army ARP style, "'Ere, you can't do that !.."
A snapper on a public road overlooking current West Coast mainline works was also told not to take pictures by contractors - who sent a van to intercept him!

Interestingly, the British Transport Police Chief Constable says there is no power to stop genuine members of the public taking pictures on rail premises and (unlike at the Mailbox) there is a long tradition of photography in and around stations. Clearly the cops (who are best placed to assess any threats) are relaxed about snappers, but have some rail staff sacrificed another of our liberties to George W's War On Terror?