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Railfans
 

"Train spotting" redirects here. For other uses, see Trainspotting.

A railfan or rail buff (American English), railway enthusiast (Australian/British English), or (often with a more specialized meaning, described below) trainspotter (British English), is a person who is strongly interested, in an amateur capacity, in railroads. Railfans can be found worldwide.

Other names

Excessively enthusiastic railfans are sometimes referred to pejoratively as "foamers", especially by American railworkers, in reference to the joking notion that they foam at the mouth in their excitement over train operations. "FRN" (for "fucking rail nut") is a similarly-used term in the American rail industry. In the UK, railfans are sometimes called "grizzers" or "gricers" (the latter especially by railway staff in the Midlands). In Australia, they are sometimes called "gunzel."

Activities

The hobby extends to all aspects of railroad systems. Various people have one or more particular concentrations of interest, such as:

  • Railroad locomotives and cars
  • Still-used or disused railroad lines, bridges, tunnels, stations, and other infrastructure
  • Subways and other local rail transit systems
  • Railroad photography

Railway photography

Train photography is a common activity of railfans. Most railfans do their photographing from public property, unless they have permission to use a specific private property owner's land. Occasionally, they run into problems with law enforcement, especially after 9/11, because they are sometimes viewed as suspicious. In fact, in 2005 the New York City Subway attempted to institute a photo ban. This was met with fierce opposition, and was ultimately scrapped. Railroad companies also sometimes dislike railfans, considering them a nuisance. Railfans respond that their presence makes the railroads safer, since they typically know what is normal behavior and can spot someone who is up to no good, or something that appears to be out of place or unusual. Some railroad photographers have become well known in their own right for their works. Many railfans are very familiar with the works of H. Reid, Otto Perry and O.Winston Link.

Connex Melbourne now require any railfan wishing to take photographs to apply for and obtain a permit. Permits last for 90 days, except in the case of some select stations in which a permit only lasts for 7 days. This system has been met with resentment from the railfan community, and many refuse to apply for permits. In November, 2005 one railfan was issued with an infringement notice simply for holding a camera on a platform.

Radio scanners are common equipment for listening in on railroad frequencies in order to know when trains are about to arrive. Model railroads including model trains are common hobbies for railfans when not out watching trains. Toy trains are less accurate but also popular items.

Trainspotting

Railfans who call themselves "trainspotters" make an effort to spot every piece of rolling stock known to exist for a particular railroad company. To this end, they collect and exchange detailed information about the movements of locomotives and other equipment on the railway network, and become very knowledgeable about its operations.

The equipment of a trainspotter consists, generally, of a data book listing all the locomotives or other equipment in question, in which locomotives seen are ticked off; a notebook and pens, to note down sightings to transfer into the book at leisure; and an infinite supply of patience. Some trainspotters will use a tape recorder instead of the notebook. Modern times have seen the addition of the cellphone and/or pager as an aid to communication with others in the hobby, while various internet mailing lists and web sites allow for exchange of information. There are also websites which allow spotters to record and cross reference their sightings with other spotters. One example is LocoScene and another is RailSpot.

Trainspotting variations
A development from trainspotting is the haulage enthusiast or "basher". These individuals attempt to ride behind or in the cab of as many locomotives as they can, marking them off in a book just like a regular trainspotter. Enthusiasts who attempt to cover as much of the railway network as they can, are usually referred to as "gricers" or "track bashers". Those who spend most of their time on one station only, are "stoats" or "veg". "Cranks" are particularly attracted to one type of train and make sure they see all of its workings. "Neds" concentrate on special rail activity and tend to ignore the regular happenings on the lines; they look for "gen" (which is information about railway workings) before going out spotting.

Other activities

Some railfans are interested in other aspects of railroads not directly dealing with the trains. They may be interested in studying the history of the railroad companies, their infrastructure and operations, including never-built plans. Abandoned railroad grades can often be found long after the railroad stops using them. Trams (and occasionally even monorails) may also be of interest.

Various magazines, clubs and museums are designed mainly for railfans, concentrating on the history of trains and railroads. Some clubs organize fantrips, either by car or by train; the New York Transit Museum owns some old equipment with which fantrips are occasionally run on the New York City Subway.

Many railfans also collect "railroadiana" or "railwayana". Railroadiana refers to artifacts from railroads and railroad operations and could include nearly anything to do with a particular railroad, including (but not limited to): public or employee timetables, locomotive number boards, dining car china, passenger train tickets, tools and pieces of equipment such as lanterns, or sometimes items as big as train horns, or track speeders. Although few can afford the price or the space for storage, some railfans even go so far as to collect full size rolling stock.

See also: List of railroad-related periodicals.

Reasons

Sometimes the appeal of trains is nostalgic, recalling an earlier era when the railroads played a central role in commerce and transportation, and the train depot was the center of every town. Sometimes the appeal can come from a fondness for the power of large machinery. Sometimes there is an appeal of the scenery of the railroad running through large, uninviting terrain, or the gritty ambiance of the urban train yard. In this case, urban exploration poses a similar appeal.

Some people were born and raised very close either to streetcar tracks or to railways. Everyday activities were associated with railroad, which seemed to be a part of life. This may lead to an interest in railcars, how they move, numbering, and other rail systems in the world and how they compare with their native ones. And if these people move to another place to live, their interest in railroads might have a nostalgic flavor of older life.

Another appeal of the railroads is the business side of railroading. Railroads were long central to economic growth and commerce, and still are to some degree. The history of great railroads and railroaders such as James J. Hill is a fascination for some, whether they view them in a positive way as capitalist heroes or in a negative way as robber barons. This can be compared to the same way that some people find inspiration in more recent business successes such as Donald Trump or Bill Gates.

Many railfans once worked for a railroad themselves, or had parents or other relatives who did, leading to a lifelong continued interest in trains. Others developed a strong interest in trains through a hobby such as model railroading.

Most people love to travel. Even though today other forms of transit such as cars, airplanes, and boats are in abundance, train travel may seem more traditional and relaxing if compared with car travel.

Many people who would not otherwise think of themselves as railfans just like trains. Most cannot explain why. Songs and stories have glorified railroading ever since the invention of the locomotive, especially in the United States, while children's toys and books about trains continue to be popular. The Railroad Tycoon series of simulation computer games is another example of railroads' enduring popularity.

Safety

Railfans can also keep the railroad areas safer by reporting crimes and suspicious activity. In the United Kingdom the British Transport Police have used trainspotters' vast knowledge and widespread presence to their advantage, and have actively encouraged them to report any suspicious persons or activities. In America, however, concerns over terrorism have led to situations where railfans are followed or confronted by local law enforcement or railroad police.

Many experienced railfans have enhanced knowledge of railroad operations and hazards that can help the railroad, such as reporting malfunctioning crossing gates and other equipment. The history of the railroad industry is full of accidents that could have been easily prevented had someone reported what they had seen; for example a fire in the last cars of a long freight train may be obvious to a trackside observer but not to those in the locomotive.

Trainspotting in pop culture

The activity of trainspotting was briefly mentioned in Irvine Welsh's novel of the same name. Curiously, it was left out of the film adaptation all together.

Railfan hotspots

Various places are popular for train-watching railfans due to the large numbers of trains that pass through or nice views.

Australia

New South Wales

Victoria

Canada

British Columbia

Ontario

Quebec

United Kingdom

United States

California

Colorado

Georgia

Illinois Rochelle Railroad Park in Rochelle, Illinois at a busy junction of the BNSF and Union Pacific
  • The Loop in Chicago, Illinois
  • Brighton Park Junction in Chicago,Illinois Last non-interlocking level junction in Chicago, all passing trains stop
  • Dolton Junction in Dolton, Illinois *

    • Indiana

    Louisiana

    Maryland

    Michigan

    Missouri

    Montana

    Nevada

    Ohio

    Pennsylvania Horseshoe Curve in Altoona, Pennsylvania
  • Cresson Railfan Deck/Park in Cresson, Pennsylvania west of Horseshoe Curve
  • Gallitzin Tunnels in Gallitzin, Pennsylvania

    • Tennessee

    Texas

    Utah

    Washington

    Railfan jargon

    Railfans have a large amount of jargon that can be foreign to other people. Because of the differences between UK and US railfan slang, two separate articles to describe them are warranted:

    More can be found at www.railspot.co.uk

    See also

    References

    External links

    General

    United States

    United Kingdom

    Australia

    India

    Hobbies | Observation | Rail transport

    Pufferküsser | 鉄道ファン | Treinspotter | Miłośnicy kolei | 鐵道迷

     

    This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Railfan".

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