Some of you remember a few issues ago one of the editors at MR printed some comment that they weren’t happy about all the flaming and arguing on these forums.
So…What happens today? The Trains E-Newsletter highlights and points out the “Why don’t engineers wave?” thread over there. It’s up to 15 pages and if you read it, you know there was a lot of engineers calling railfans names and visa versa. Some generally unpleasant comments made by, and about both groups.[V]
So, if they don’t like this type of activity at Kalmbach, why are they pointing it out in their newsletter?[%-)](Didn’t they READ the thread first???)
It’s an age-old publishing trick. Think Time Magazine’s “Man of the Year” and how it’s always someone they know will generate much action.
In other words, it’s a quick, cheap, easy way to get attention, action, etc. Logic, even their personal thoughts on subject xyz don’t enter the equation.
Oh, I suppose they are putting it in there because this is a reality in the railroading world. I have a video entitled Rio Grande West shot in 1987. There is a scene shot on the joint line and it shows a Santa Fe F45 in yellow and blue slowly creeping by a signal shack. The video photographer has the camera on a tripod and is shooting the train as it slowly creeps by. You can see a railroader hang out the engine side door looking at the photographer and you can her him say over the noise: “Don’t you have anything better to do?”
My immediate reaction was - what the heck was wrong with this guy. He must really “love his job” - not! He is in such a grouchy mood that he is insulting the guy video taping the train as it goes by. The whole issue of people calling each other names just highlights a lot of people with bad attitudes who need to get a life. There isn’t any reason why people have to be jerk! No excuses in my book. They could just as easily “choose” to be cheery and wave and makes someone elses day happier.
simple really . editor A makes the comment about being unhappy about flaming on the forums . editor B writes the newsletter section highlighting various threads on the forum . do they talk to each other about what they’re planning on including in their articles ? nope . is there an editor-in-chief who reads both publications before they get out into the public ? it seems not !
i seem to recall a quote from somewhere about the left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing …
I realized this about 2 years ago it happened 2 times in one day! I finally get to go downtown to watch trains and i saw a BNSF coal train waiting for a signal to clear, i walk until i get right by the loco’s and the engineer says why are you looking at trains and i told him that i wanted to work for the railroad when i get out of school and he says why?? I said what do you mean why?? I have always wanted to work for the rr and he tells me to go away you foamer! I was speechless wh
Sad state of affairs, my motto, “Its just as easy to say something nice to someone as it is to say something bad”.
Since the first steam train ran all those years ago people have loved to watch/photograph trains, when the fun goes out of watching these and other man made machines we may as well stop living, I wont comment on the Santa Fe engineer, wouldnt want to bring myself down to his level.
On a more pleasing note my now 19 year old Grandaghter can still remember when she was four, I would carry her over to the railway line so she could wave to the train drivers, 9 times out of 10 they would give her a toot, she thought it was fantastic.
You all must live in parts of the country that breeds that kind of attitude. I live in Missouri, and I’ve had nothing but good responses from the railroads in my area; Union Pacific and Missouri-Northern Arkansas. The engineers/brakemen that I’ve waved at have ALWAYS returned the wave. We’re all human, and maybe you’ve caught them on bad days. Just because you run into a few grumps on that day, don’t assume they’re all unhappy grinches.
SD60M-I was shooting pool in a bar one afternoon. I noticed a CSX track worker drinking beer at the bar. I enquired about a railroad job and got about the same response. He’s in there drinking beer while his BIG CSX maintenance truck was idling out in the parking lot.[V]
So I’ve been away for awhile, but I got the jist of this thread talking about engineers and conductors waving to railfans.
Well I have a funny little story that I was shocked to see and excited to have happen to me. Down at college my apartment is right along the CP Rail main line. My room is next to the tracks with my window facing the tracks, funny this should happen huh?
Anyways, I was sitting at my desk and I hear the crossing gates go down so I grab my camera and wait to take a picture. I took the picture and put my camera down to look at the pic. To my surprise when I was putting the camera back up to take another picture the conductor was waving at me! Mind you I was inside my aparement behind the screen. Crazy how this happened. I was so excited when this happened.
That’s my cool story about the niceness of the men & women on the rails. I’ve never had a problem while out taking pictures. Most have waved or nodded or something like that.
Someone who has a rabid addiction tot the hobby, ie foaming at the mouth. They’re easily indentified with multiple cameras around their necks, a blazer full of fallen flags patches, a baseball cap with some caption about I rather be railroading, and are often heard yelling “photline, PHOTOLINE!”. They are most commonly found at rail museums, town railways days, and anywhere where near extinct staem or alco’s are possible to show up. They are harmless, yet still approach with caution. Get to close and they can ensnare you in the webbed trap of “would youlike to see some of my photo’s?” and pops open the trunk to find it full of photo’s.
Guys, did you ever think that the threads highlighted in the Trains e-mail might happen to be the ones with the most posts? Makes sense to me. And let’s not start a repeat of that thread here. My train crews would wave at everyone if they weren’t made out of plastic and too stiff to wave. [:)]
I was in Washington DC today by Union Station. I ate breakfast at the old REA building that now has a “Railroad Deli” inside. I was sitting right next to the ends of the platforms from Union Station watching the trains come and go. Not many were close enough to acknowledge my presence and I had my camera in both hands so I didn’t wave…But the station switchers came by on closer tracks and we exchanged waves.
I’ve talked with several railroad employees. The CSX guys in Brunswick were great. Very nice and pleasant and encouraged me to file an application with them when I turned 18. The NS guys at the Hagerstown Vardo yard weren’t as friendly, informing me that I didn’t want to work for the railroad. I’ve also talked with Loram employees, who were all very friendly, and encouraged me to come work for them 'cause they needed who would do good work.
I guess it comes down to your luck at times. I’ve never really been insulted by a railroader, but have met those with sour attitudes…
Well, I don’t know why it was in there but, I haven’t had a bad experence on CN. Once at Stevens Point, I was a little too far on CN property, a CN switch man came up and asked me to step back. He was nice, said it as diffrent workin’ for CN. Nice guy. About a Month Later we where at Point again. A WC SW1500 stoped right infront of where I was sitting, the engineer got out to switch the track, he waved. Nice guy too.