From the crowds they attract, crappy photo angles, and pointless signs and buildings that get in the way of shooting make RR parks annoying at best.On top of all that, 30 cars and 100 people that come with it. No thanks.
Give me an empty parking lot or run down industrial park anyday.
Anyone else like to railfan alone or with a small group?
Since I am violently alergic to tobacco it really doesn’t matter where, if someone else shows up they will probably think it is okay to light up, so I go someplace else to daydream.
Railroad parks are at least an attempt to provide a clean place to watch trains. Unfortunately, a lot of the people that show up to use the location are not as clean as the place was before they got there.
Railroad parks seem to be more for watching and less for photography.
Someone once said to me that model railroaders were loners, liked the solitude of their room-their world. Meanwhile other railfans were more social, liked to get out and meet other railfans. But , hes, I enjoy railfaning by myself or a small group. But what is railfanning in this context? Do you mean just going out to take pictures and that is all there is to railfanning? By myself or with a small group I like to locate and survey old roadbeds and structures, chase down an old shortline or branch line operation, or catch what can be caught along a main line. Riding trains is great, too. Alone or with a small group…that’s what Ride With Me Henry is all about: mostly commuter lines, seeing how railroads work schedules and connections, old services and routes, and new concepts of meeting passener demands on new routes anc connections. Railroad Parks…convenient, safe, social, informative, so why not take advantage of them when and where you can. (But, yeah, from a real creative photographer’s angle, its not attracive as everybody else gets the same view, the same shot.) Tourist lines and museums: God Bless the preservationists! those who find the time and put in the effort to reflect the past and pass it on to new generations.
The question is: what are you in it for? To be alone with your thoughts and vision of railroads and railroading? To share and learn from and with others? To explore the past or the present? To live in the past or the present? Railfanning is what you make of it alone or with others.
Take pictures leave footprints.As far as people wanting to shoot alone I have done that as well.There have been a couple of times when people have been asked not to come back to Deshler.But those instances are few and far between.We have had alot of new people come by in the last year so we try to help out if they want it.
stay safe
joe
Which suits me just fine! I can associate with whom I choose once I’m there.
Or not.
I for one Personally like bridges over streets, like in this video I made