In the new (February 2010) edition of Trains Magazine is a very good column written by Mr. Fred Frailey, titled “Seven Ways to Become a Better Railfan” (pgs 14-15).
Its a very good read…be sure you check it out!
That was a good column, and Fred helped free me from the burden of guilt I’ve borne when I’ve gone railfanning without my camera.
I felt pretty smug about that one as I’m rarely, if ever, seen with a camera. What struck me was his exhortation to find a shady spot to sit and watch, with a folding chair and a cooler. It makes me realize that my own railfanning is often devoid of the relaxation that this seems to require. I’ll have to try it sometime. However, what he doesn’t say is that such railfanning is a hobby that’s better when shared.
While I have not yet read Fred’s offering (having not received my February TRAINS yet, hopefully today)…the snips above of “no camera, folding chair, others to help enjoy the hobby” are EXACTLY what I (and others) do at Eola on the warmer days of the year (especially weekend days). I am eagerly looking forward to reading what Fred has to say.
Cripes! I’ve been known to take the following gear when out fanning:
-8x8 popup shelter,
-Gas Grill,
-Lawn Chairs,
-Coolers of beverage and bags of snacks
Guess I better change my ways! LOL! [swg]
hmm picnic shelter check
tables and chairs check
beverages and snacks check
B&O cpls check(sounds like Deshler to me!!!)
sometimes it is fun to sit back and watch the trains go by.
stay safe
Joe
Dang—I better rejig my backpack—
In the last 52 years, one of my best days buffing was watching the Victoria Falls switch crew put together the over night mixed train to Bulawayo. The only gear I had was my jet lag.
What style you and Joe have!–that puts railfanning into a totally different level–TAILGATING.
Now, where can we purchase the window flags for our cars with our favorite railroad logo, not to mention a cover for the popup shelter with the same rr logo?
Or we can really go extreme and paint our faces in the color scheme of the railroad or if we have enough buddies each can paint a letter on his chest to spell out BNSF, CSX, UP, NS, etc[:D].
Sounds like fun either of you let me know when you are headed down south.
Jay
Or if you come up this way!!
The only thing missing is the baseball cap with the drinking straws attached-----
These days about 99% of my “railfaning” consists of: listening to scanner chatter between crews/dispatchers and Trains forum. Not so many photos these days.
I checked my digital camera and the ratio of bird photos (feeding at my feeder) vs trains is about 25 to 1.
The internet has certainly changed how we approach our hobby.
ed
I actually had a conversation with an engineer once who asked me; hey buddy how would you like me to bring my camera to your job and photograph your work! He then invited my son and I up into his locomotive.I am very happy there are places in this country like Rochelle Illinois where you can go and watch trains and not be hassled by someone. I miss the interaction that happened between railroaders and railfans even into the 1970’s. It was a different world then. Today you can be parked in your car watching a train and find you have attracted a cop. Railfanning is a legal activity, I hope !
Fred Frailey made very good points in his column but I consider the most important one to be the suggestion of more discretion on our part, especially regarding what could be considered inside information.
I have thought about that and really you are photographing the equipment not the people. Most of the time you can hardly the engineer & conductor in the photos.
Usually, when I go rail fanning I find a nice balance between photography and admiring the railroad operations. I am not always taking pictures of the trains, but if there is a certain train that I am not aware is coming (like the NS business train or Circus Train) I would always think; WHY DID I NOT HAVE MY CAMERA!! Even just a nice scenic shot with good lighting I would like my camera handy.
I’m always open to looking for trains, but I’m not always in a position to take a picture, even though the camera is almost always in the truck. When I’m working our trains in Utica, I don’t have time to take pictures - there’s a job to do. I have taken the time to watch for suitable photo subjects, though, and have gotten a couple of good shots there.
As a uniformed crew member of a tourist operation, having my picture taken is a part of the job. I’m in dozens of Christmas and vacation albums by now.
Last time I was in Deshler I strove to get a picture of every daylight train. Maybe next time I’ll just sit back and enjoy the parade (although there may be a burger on the grill!).
My thing now is industrial archeological photography. I’m always going around doing photography in and around industrial sites that may either be slowing down production or has already been placed into some kind of receivership. I go and get permission to go to a site BEFORE I do any photography. Same goes for any photography around places like refineries–which are very conscious of people even near their fences. Get permission first—then worry about the good spots–
You know, the more I think about it…a tailgate cookout sounds like a nice evening.
Would we call it railtailgate?
Locations?
Ed
I just received my new TRAINS and while I don’t have time now to read the entire magazine (will do so on a plane trip tomorrow) I did read Fred’s article and to his comments and suggestions I can only say a big…
AMEN FRED!
Well, this seems to work at Deshler. And I’m sure it wouldn’t be too much of a problem at Rochelle. But it was one of the things that did in the railfanning at Porter (at least that’s a possible explanation, judging from some of the people I saw with little or no regard for safe behavior of themselves or their children).
EDIT: And how could I forget Hill 582? Chad Thomas and I actually did that–got sandwiches down by the highway and drove up there with Pat and Chad’s dad–another family or two were already up there.
I mostly agree with Fred, but my camera goes where I go. And about not getting in the action the only thing I would say is that if you see something that is unsafe you really ought to tell somebody about it. Those little signs at the crossings give you a number to contact. [:)]