Can I walk up to vickers diamond or is this trespassing

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Tier4GEVO
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Can I walk up to vickers diamond or is this trespassing

Unread post by Tier4GEVO »

It seems to have very wide ballast/gravel
If I parked legal but walked closer to the diamond will I be called In by a crew

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Re: Can I walk up to vickers diamond or is this trespassing

Unread post by CSX_CO »

Most definitely trespassing. Used to be NS would patrol the diamond. Your mileage may vary.

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Re: Can I walk up to vickers diamond or is this trespassing

Unread post by PerRock »

Tier4GEVO wrote:It seems to have very wide ballast/gravel
If I parked legal but walked closer to the diamond will I be called In by a crew
Ballast edge is rarely the property line. In most cases the property line is a few feet from the ballast edge, I would presume that if your standing on the edge of the ballast you are trespassing. There are some places where the ballast is the boundary.

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Doktor No
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Re: Can I walk up to vickers diamond or is this trespassing

Unread post by Doktor No »

GO for it and see what happens. Let the rest of us know if you need bail money.
If you are in doubt STAY OUT....problem solved by there being NO PROBLEM.
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Re: Can I walk up to vickers diamond or is this trespassing

Unread post by esprrfan »

you mean the area where they keep track and materials for the diamond in SW side, yes if seen you will normally be asked to leave

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Re: Can I walk up to vickers diamond or is this trespassing

Unread post by MSchwiebert »

The right of way/easement usually extends far beyond the tracks edge. I haven't paid that close attention at Vickers (it's not on my short list of places I like to go) but many places have a fence line to denote where the right of way ends. Of course "someone" owns the adjacent property as well - do you have their permission?

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Tier4GEVO
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Vickers Junction - Where to see it all

Unread post by Tier4GEVO »

Vickers post project seems hard to get good shots. If anyone has been there, please chime in as to the best spot to view the trains relatively close.

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Re: Vickers Junction - Where to see it all

Unread post by TrainWatcher »

Uhh, no... It's darn easy. Park on either the stub end of Wales or Drouillard next to the auto detailer (and stay on the road). Easy as pie. Lots of open shots. No trespassing.

Not sure where you kids get these ideas...

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Re: Vickers Junction - Where to see it all

Unread post by Dan Cluley »

Just curious, when they closed those crossings, did they remove all the streetlights?

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Tier4GEVO
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Re: Vickers Junction - Where to see it all

Unread post by Tier4GEVO »

TrainWatcher wrote:Uhh, no... It's darn easy. Park on either the stub end of Wales or Drouillard next to the auto detailer (and stay on the road). Easy as pie. Lots of open shots. No trespassing.

Not sure where you kids get these ideas...
No need for a smartalec answer for someone who's a photographer and videographer and is not to keen on the Toledo area.

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Re: Can I walk up to vickers diamond or is this trespassing

Unread post by jimnorthwood »

I'd avoid the diamond and indeed any railroad right of way, anywhere. Having said that Vickers offers much better watching opportunities than it did before the overpass was completed. Before, the only place to park was on the shoulder of Wales near the car detailing business. They didn't want anyone parking in their lot. Now the stub ends of "old" Wales on the east and west, and the stub end of Drouillard on the south, all dead end into the tracks. This means plenty of places to park, and no traffic at all, the exception being cars going into and out of said car detailing business, which amounts to relatively little. I am no photographer, and even as such I've never thought of Vickers as being particularly photogenic. Still, the watching opportunities there are much improved now, with no trespassing necessary.

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Re: Can I walk up to vickers diamond or is this trespassing

Unread post by Tier4GEVO »

jimnorthwood wrote:I'd avoid the diamond and indeed any railroad right of way, anywhere. Having said that Vickers offers much better watching opportunities than it did before the overpass was completed. Before, the only place to park was on the shoulder of Wales near the car detailing business. They didn't want anyone parking in their lot. Now the stub ends of "old" Wales on the east and west, and the stub end of Drouillard on the south, all dead end into the tracks. This means plenty of places to park, and no traffic at all, the exception being cars going into and out of said car detailing business, which amounts to relatively little. I am no photographer, and even as such I've never thought of Vickers as being particularly photogenic. Still, the watching opportunities there are much improved now, with no trespassing necessary.
Parking off Drouillard, it looks like an extremely wide open gravel path along with wide ballast all the way up to the diamond. How bad do you think it would be to walk on the edge, because CSX is a little too far for my liking.

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Re: Can I walk up to vickers diamond or is this trespassing

Unread post by esprrfan »

Parking off Drouillard, it looks like an extremely wide open gravel path along with wide ballast all the way up to the diamond. How bad do you think it would be to walk on the edge, because CSX is a little too far for my liking.[/quote]
That gravel path is for maintenance of way trucks , its not a foot path. As for as to how bad, how bad would you feel if caught and charged with trespassing. Whats the worse that could happen RR PD gets tired of it and clamps down all over

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Re: Can I walk up to vickers diamond or is this trespassing

Unread post by ssnk79 »

Don't know why you still want to go back there when there been several post saying not to go back there unless you want to deal with the RR cops, if csx is that big of the deal to get, drive over the overpass and park on the stub road on the west side of the tracks. and if you really need to be next to diamonds, go to Fostoria or Marion.
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Re: Vickers Junction - Where to see it all

Unread post by TrainWatcher »

Tier4GEVO wrote:
TrainWatcher wrote:Uhh, no... It's darn easy. Park on either the stub end of Wales or Drouillard next to the auto detailer (and stay on the road). Easy as pie. Lots of open shots. No trespassing.

Not sure where you kids get these ideas...
No need for a smartalec answer for someone who's a photographer and videographer and is not to keen on the Toledo area.
My answer was posted because I laugh at every time this gets asked. As I see the Mods merged this and your Jan 11 post, why would you ask the same question twice? Also, this is probably the 10th thread on fanning at Vickers since I joined here 10 years ago. The answers really haven't changed even with the crossing removals. It's common sense. Stay off railroad property and on the road. Don't wonder back to the diamond area, you will be ticketed (and the CSX Walbridge Cop will make a point of it). Another thing, judging by your posts your in the local Detroit area often, or also in Toledo quite a bit. And your 29 years old? Bud, take a walk on the wild side. If your not keen Toledo, Fostoria has this thing called a Railfan Park. You can stand there all day without trouble. Or even better, go to Deshler and hang out at the park there. Or go to the railfan park at Bellevue. Lots of choices in that area within a reasonable drive. And they're all legal.

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Re: Can I walk up to vickers diamond or is this trespassing

Unread post by dmitzel »

jimnorthwood wrote:I'd avoid the diamond and indeed any railroad right of way, anywhere. Having said that Vickers offers much better watching opportunities than it did before the overpass was completed. Before, the only place to park was on the shoulder of Wales near the car detailing business. They didn't want anyone parking in their lot. Now the stub ends of "old" Wales on the east and west, and the stub end of Drouillard on the south, all dead end into the tracks. This means plenty of places to park, and no traffic at all, the exception being cars going into and out of said car detailing business, which amounts to relatively little. I am no photographer, and even as such I've never thought of Vickers as being particularly photogenic. Still, the watching opportunities there are much improved now, with no trespassing necessary.
Jim, thanks for the overview on road updates since the overpass went in. I haven't been back here since before the grade separation, so hearing the old roadways still go up to the ballast makes me want to make a trip back soon.
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Tier4GEVO
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Vickers Junction - best location to park and take photos?

Unread post by Tier4GEVO »

I am planning a trip to Vickers Junction, and I want to know if parking at the dead end road can get shots of both CSX and NS? Or should I move somewhere else to get both railroads in reasonable lens range?

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Re: Vickers Junction - best location to park and take photo

Unread post by ~Z~ »

Tier4GEVO wrote:I am planning a trip to Vickers Junction, and I want to know if parking at the dead end road can get shots of both CSX and NS? Or should I move somewhere else to get both railroads in reasonable lens range?
Merged this new thread you posted today into your existing one about vickers. Looks like people have answered where to park enough, please don't keep asking how to railfan that junction. Head there, see where you enjoy filming from and try to enjoy it.
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Re: Can I walk up to vickers diamond or is this trespassing

Unread post by SousaKerry »

Almost all railroads use 30ft from the center-line of the outside track as a rule on right of way.

We had a trespasser incident Friday forcing us to stop the train as they would not get off the line in time, on the SMRS. The offenders told the Train Master to f-off and the police were called. By the time the cops got there the trespassers(2 small kids and their grandparents) they were long gone. Fine for trespassing is $250 each person in our neck of the woods. The Train Master is sick of locals using our tracks as their personal trails and says all trespassers are now to be reported, police called, and offenders prosecuted no questions asked.
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Re: Can I walk up to vickers diamond or is this trespassing

Unread post by MSchwiebert »

The width depends on the railroad as well. Just for grins, I checked the former B&O main to Chicago around Deshler, Hamler & Holgate, and where it's just the two main tracks, the ROW is 100 feet wide - and goes up from there if there are more tracks (sidings etc.) The B&O in that area liked to mark the property line with an old piece of rail driven vertically near grade crossings. Also look for fence lines, The former DT&I "new line" (the Malinta Cut-off) for example has concrete fence posts (Henry Ford really liked to use concrete) and fencing at their property line. Of course staying off of railroad property - only to tresspass in some farmers field isn't right either.

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