I feel compelled to formally recognize and mention what I feel is a very special Father and an equally special son I see sometimes while railfanning the BNSF Eola Yard in Aurora. The son, who I would guess is in his mid teens, is blind and comes out to railfan with his Dad. The son sits in his chair and has a boom microphone set up with a recorder to record the sounds of the various moves that come by, since he cannot see them himself. This fellow will listen for a train (usually his first clue is the gates and bells coming down) and then he rises from his seat and gives the train crew a “blow your horn for me” pump handle move with his right arm, which usually gets him a reply on the horn from the crew.
This is rather special, I think, as this kid does not languish with his handicapp but rather (with his Dad) comes out trackside to enjoy his hobby in his own special way. And DAD, well, I must give a big old tip of the hat and a WELL DONE to Dad for helping his son enjoy his hobby (don’t know if Dad enjoys it or not…I think he does by his smiles and waves at the train crews).
This is undoubtedly what America should be made of, Sons and Dads like these two.
Seeing the train is only a small part of railfanning, IMO.
You get the smell of the diesel, creosote, and steel.
You get the vibration of the loco’s when they run by you.
You get the sounds, the hundreds of sounds…
Bell, Whistle, Engine, Flanges, Crossing bells, Thumpers, and in some cases you may even still get the clickety clack.
I can see how this fellow can have a good time and not see a thing.
Somebody let this young man around a coal fired steam locomotive and let him take in the sounds and smells. The sight is not the only thing I personally enjoy when I’m chasing steam. The smell of hot grease and coal burning, the sound of the airpumps, dyno, stoker, and of course the bell and whistle. I am happy to hear that his young man is able to enjoy the hobby and I’m even happier to hear that hes a teenager. As a train store manager the crowd I see isnt getting any younger and its refreshing to see in this age of video games and other distractions that young people have that the railfanning comunity is still able to draw them to track side. Just my 2 cents. Long live The Rock!!!
Thanks for posting that story. It is nice to be reminded that there are a lot of good things about the world and that trains are still bringing parents and their children together.
Sounds like a great photo opp for Trains, BNSF, etc.