The LNER Encyclopedia

Last week I was in Rome and thought I would check out the locomotive scene in the main railway station, lots of activity going on including Euorstar so I produced my camera to take a few locomotive pics for the collection, no sooner was the camera produced when the Carabinieri appeared mob handed complete with sub machine guns and demanded to know why I was taking photographs so I explained I was a railway enthusiast and no more, at that I was given an official warning that there is NO photography allowed in the station or the concourse or the areas in front of the station where the bus station is,my camera was checked and photos (2) that I had taken deleted and I was escorted from the station probably lucky to still have my camera with the warning that if I continued to take photographs in that area I would be arrested.
It looks like this is going to be the pattern at all major railway stations across Europe as I had a similar experience in Malaga quite recently.
I could not see any warning signs or symbols that photography was forbidden. I did point that out to no avail but thought better of pressing the point.

Aye son stick to the LNER and ye'll be aalreet although the polis might think yor a hooligan or a fare dodger at Central.

I had no problems in Florence and Turin last October (nor Munich either) but things must be changing.I'm off to Berlin by train in October. If I'm not back by November will somebody please stand bail!

Tony P

I had no problems earlier in the year in Austria and Munich last year but as the previous poster said, things may be changing, there were an extraordinary amount of police around Rome so maybe something was going on I hadnt heard about, Touchy lot these Romans as I also got a good finger wagging from them for putting my foot minus shoe & sock in the fountain at V.Emmanuel 11 memorial, maybe it was my knotted hanky titfer they didnt like ?. Off to Poland soon so will see what happens there.

Are you off to Woltzyn (I hope my spelling is correct).

I lived in Rome for a year in the early 1980s and and encountered the no photography rule then. There were 'no photography' (crossed out bellows cameras) at the entrance to the tram depots and I suspect it was technically an offence to take pictures of any tram or rail track, although signs tended to be restricted to junctions. I travelled a lot in Eastern Europe in the 1970s and saw no photography signs at many stations and junctions. Actually the UK is distinctive for its lack of such signs.

Krakow, I dont know how easy it is to move about in Poland not having been before, maybe I can get to Warsaw also.