My encounters with RR police have been few and far between. By far, my first encounter was the least pleasant. It was 1976 and I was walking through the West Oakland coach yard, camera in hand. A geeky looking 21-year old who practically had a neon sign saying "I DON'T WORK HERE, COME AND GET ME!!! A canine officer in a station wagon, rolled up beside me. "Schlep" began barking loudly. When the dog told him to shut up, "Schlep" began his inquiries. "Why are you here?" I fessed up my railfan intentions immediately. He took my driver's license, ran it through his radio and returned it to me. Permission to trespass/photograph can be obtained through 1 Market St. or the Western Divsion Superintendent. "What are the chances of getting this permit"? He looked at me and shook his head. Then he told me that SP was putting together a special train for the President of Mexico, so they were on higher alert than usual. All in all, they haven't been a problem. But as with any line of work, there are some people there who hate their jobs. I've met city/county cops who've hated their jobs. I'd much rather see them with the railroads.\

---Mike55