Anyone ever done any railfanning from light aircraft? I fly for a living, and did a run this evening from Syracuse to Rochester to Niagara Falls. Was able to railfain the former NYC trackage the entire time, saw a LOT of traffic. Later on, we did Allegheny County near Pittsburgh to Dulles, via Altoona, and did some sightseeing of Horseshoe Curve.
Just curious if anyone else has done anything similar. I was actually thinking about starting a small FAR Part 135 (only pilot types will understand that) operation that does exclusively airborne rail tours in Pennsylvania. Just curious how much demand there would be for such a thing.
At any rate, it was a gorgeous day for flying and railfanning, and it reminded me why I got into aviation in the first place!
good idea, but I aint got enough money! and that’s before I spend on trains[:(][:(][:(][:(][:(]
Could you ID which loco type and railroad you were following. And how was it with the difference in speed between plane and train? How low down were you?[:-^][:-^][:-^]
Sounds like a lot of fun, but then I love flying in small planes. Don’t really have the time or funds to get a license, so I’ll leave the flying to others for now. I take it from your name you’re in the military? I love those A10’s.
The first half of the trip cruising between Syracuse and Buffalo/Niagara we were at 4,000’ MSL, which is about 3,500’ to 3,700’ above ground level in that area. Saw the yard east of Syracuse on approach to the airport. Western part of the yard is intermodal, eastern part is a regular yard. I could identify quite a few CSX SD70 series on the lead of several of the trains as we proceeded west, we probably saw a dozen or so trains running on the dual mainline tracks. The new CSX paintjob with the white roof makes it easy to pick out exactly where the cab is and which direction the trailing units are facing on multiple-unit lashups.
We were overhead Horseshoe curve around 8:30 PM EDT, and it had started to get dark. Still could make out everything okay, but identifying which type of engines were leading the trains was difficult, especially since the Norfolk Southern units are black to begin with! Saw three trains in the vicinity of the curve, one west of it proceeding westbound, another immediately west of it SLOWLY proceeding eastbound, and what appeared to be a RoadRailer unit train going around the curve westbound. I was between 500’ and 1,500’ above ground level when we were orbiting the curve, depending on whether we were on the west side above the ridge or over the east side near the reservoir. The speed difference between the plane and the train is not a problem when you perform pylon turns, or orbit, around where the train is.
I’m going to see what kind of response I get from the various boards and forums I post this on. There might be a sight-seeing tour opportunity here!
Very interesting, It would be especially interesting over the yard to get the over view, it would be somewhat like standing a couple of meters above your trains and looking down. It would put things into perspective. Maybe CSX will start painting their unit Nu. on top of their trains for aerial ID.[:P][:P][:P][:P]
Well, the beauty of this idea would be I would do the flying, and a group of three to five (depending on the aircraft used) folks would get to railfan (and train chase, if they wanted) their favorite section of the prototype. You don’t need the license to ride along (and I might let whoever is in the right seat try their hand at some flying - while at altitude, of course!)
Imagine videotaping the real thing and getting the most impressive layout design elements and topography of the protoype you model from the point of view most of us have of our layouts to begin with - from the air!
Yes, I am military, and I fly A-10s in the Guard…which is why I enjoy going low and getting a good look at the scenery! Trains make great practice targets. I did all my observation today from the airplane I fly for my civilian job, however.
I just moved into a new home with a large unfinished basement. I was a die-hard HO scale guy, and have a lot of HO equipment boxed up from the move. After today, I might have to seriously consider N scale, because I loved seeing those long trains snake through the mountains! I don’t know if my N scale modeling could match my HO efforts, though.
How big would a N scale Horseshoe curve be if it was built exactly to scale? [:p]
No idea, i like N better. A ‘life size horse shoe’ would be magnificent. I was at a plane crash with the fire brigade bout 3 months ago, single occupant in a small areobatic plane. Attempted a emergency landing on a river flat out side of Melbourne Aus., and it cartwheeled. sadly it was a fatality[:(][:(][:(] Snapped the wings right off. I’ve flown a glider, but that was a while ago, would love to do some more[:-,][:-,]
I got some good shots of local railyards many years ago while a passenger in Coast Guard helicopters - they sure look massive when you can see the entire yard! Never did see/follow any trains as there aren’t many around here anyway.
Bob Boudreau
Canadian Coast Guard Retiree
(I was in the back of our Bell LongRanger, and there was a spare helmet left there by a visiting pilot, so I tried it on! Took my own photo by holding the camera at arm’s length. We normally used headsets and not helmets! This was a LOONG time ago - my beard is much shorter and all gray!)
i have thought of doing this in the UK to see a steam trip, you can hire a 4 seater for about £80, this only gives you about 30 - 40 mins flying time though
A full scale Horseshoe Curve in N is actually doable in a decent basement. But unless you have a BIG basement, it will probably overwhelm the layout area. I think it’s only about 8-10 feet wide in N scale - but then you have the turnbacks the other way at each end, too…
First, thanks for your military service. The A10 is a cool airplane.
Arial railfanning sounds fun. I wonder how much demand there’d be though.
As for the 135 ticket, I doubt it’d be a profitable venture. I’ve been in aviation for 20 years (part 91 now) and have worked in 135 and 121 operations. 135 is a HEAVILY regulated segment of the business. More of a pain than it would be worth, IMHO.
Been there, done that, and still do it. Started chasing trains back in the late 50’s with a J-3F Cub. Problem–to slow, trains wound up chasing me. Advanced to a Cessna 150. Ideal plane for this. Now fly ultra lights, same senario as Piper Cub unless train is stopped on a siding or the wind is blowing in the right direction!!! [(-D][(-D][(-D]
I would have railfanned in the plane I was flying but I was trying to concertrate on learning how to fly first! I took lessons up to 36 hours in a C172 but had to quit when my back started to give me trouble. I’m 6’9" and it’s getting harder to squeeze into that cockpit for more than an hour. I do remeber seeing all the rail lines comeing through town at the time though and thinking an arial view of the track would make a helpful modeling tool, considering we look down on our models as though in an aircraft.
Yes! I rail fan from the air a lot! My full time job is as a flight nurse/paramedic on an air medical helicopter in the Ozark Mountains of north Arkansas. Frequently I get to spot old rail beds, abandoned bridges, rail yards, trains, and more from the air.
Here’s a picture from work. I’m in the red and blue flight suit bending down facing the camera. I’m wearing glasses and purple gloves. This was a four wheel ATV which struck a tree at a high rate of speed. No helmet…and it did more than hurt!
Hi Chris; It’s been awhile fella. So how’s it going? I used to chase a few trains when I was flying for the Army. I did some train chaseing in Vietnam too. One day I got to watch a work train north of Quin Nion being worked by a 4-6-2. Mostly I just saw lots of unused track and layed up or blown up equipment.
Back here in Texas I looked over the railroads in our AO while flying students. I also slipped down a little too far south and chased the Texas Central if I new they were running.
Fixed wings are OK but as you know I think there is no other way to fly except helicopters. Of course the view is great and you can just back up if you missed something. The bad part is the cost.
It’s good hearing from you again. I was talking to Teffy today and your name was mentioned. By the way you’ ed better get a magnifyer if you’er going into nearly invisable scale.
Drop me a line if you have the time.
This would give you a good overview but not much detailed railfaning. If you’re going to stay in compliance with the FAR’s (aviation rules) you’re not going to get very close to anything as compared to being on the ground. Even more important, you need someone watching for traffic while you’re spending your time looking for trains.
I guess I’m saying, good for an expensive overview but not very great for really seeing close up.
The idea sounds great, but unfortunately, I’m one of those guys that has severe Acrophobia–I get dizzy on a stepladder, LOL! Only way I can get on a plane these days is if a good doctor gives me a shot that will put me out until we land. Not a fun condition, let me tell you.
Tom [xx(]
OUCH!!![B)][B)] My wife and I both work with the local Fire Co.( me) and Squad (her) and I cant count how many times we have been on those type of calls. We have alot of trails through the woods here. Maybe that ridder should take up a new hobby like MRR [:p][:D]
