TRAINSPOTTERS say their hobby is in danger of being wiped out — by anti-terror cops.
Many have been quizzed because they were carrying cameras to snap engines.
Others were stopped because they were scribbling down train numbers.
British Transport Police figures show nearly 160,000 people were quizzed between October 2007 and September 2008 — and more than 62,000 were stopped using counter-terrorism powers.
Ted Vaughan, 65, of the Railway Correspondence and Travel Society, said: “We’ve been driven to the brink. People are obsessed with this belief we are terrorists.
“Some don’t want to go on platforms any more because they are worried about the consequences.”
John Martin, 44, who runs www.railenthusiasts.co.uk, added: “A trainspotter’s rucksack has corned beef sandwiches and custard creams — nothing more sinister.”
Lib Dem transport spokesman Norman Baker, who uncovered the figures, said: “This is an abuse of anti- terrorism powers.”
Police chiefs have issued new guidance to officers.
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