Being a railfan is not easy these days, even with trains all around me. As a resident in central Connecticut, there is Amtrak’s Springfield Line directly to my east, Metro-North’s Waterbury Branch and Housatonic Railroad to my west, The Northeast Corridor to my south and CSX’s Boston Line to my North. All wonderful places to visit, not to mention tourist railroads such as the Essex Steam Train and the Naugatuck Railroad. Despite my close proximity to railroads, getting there is not easy. As gas prices climb above $3 a gallon, filling up my SUV is not easy. I drive to school everyday (the charter school I attend does not provide transportation) and there is barely enough gas in my tank left to spare for railfanning. Somehow though I always manage to make it out by saving money. So it made me think. Do other teenagers have the same problems as I do? Neither of my parents are into the hobby, so I don’t have the advantage of a parent who goes to see the trains themselves. Plus, gas prices are not the only problem. Getting there is only half the fun! Once I get to a particular location, with exception to the tourist railroads, I have to deal with police and railroad officials…some of whom are far less than friendly. Some people, even some people who work for a railroad themselves, cannot understand what being a railfan is all about. What are the options for young railfans nowadays? I have a few ideas. 1) TAKE THE TRAIN. When I visit CSX on the Boston Line, I will often leave my truck and take an Amtrak train up to Springfield. This saves gas and I get a train ride on top of it. Of course this has some cons as well. Once I am in Springfield, the only option is to sit there without being able to drive over to Palmer or CSX’s West Springfield Yard…but it is better than not going at all. 2) CARPOOL. Even though I don’t have many close friends who are railfans, I do have one
With the gas prices being what they are and what they’ll get to I’ve taken to railfanning on my pedal bike. I can strap my camera’s collapsed tripod to the pack over my rear tire and I can fit the camera, extra batteries, extra memory cards, a couple of snacks, plus a scanner in the small pack on the back over my rear tire. I also take a pair of water bottles in the cages on the bike and have a portable GPS mounted to the handle bar if I really want to get adventurous. The bonuses? Better for the environment and I get some exercise going to and from the various places. That is one option for you to consider. The other nice thing about biking while railfanning is that you’re quieter when going around town so you may be able to hear horns, bells, etc that you wouldn’t over the sounds of your car so you might know to stay in one spot or move on to another.
What about taking a bus to areas near where you want to railfan? I’ve also done that too.
I read the original posting, went on, came back a 2nd and a 3rd time before I decided to reply.
Several thoughts without belaboring the point.
1: SUV - and you can’t afford the gas…hmmm!
2: If you are a teenager, you will eventually grow up to be an adult (hopefully) and if you have done well in school and gone on to higher education, then you should be able to get a decent job that will give you just a smidge more $ than you have right now.
3: You are not different than any of us. We are all feeling the pinch, but a great many of the forum posters have had difficulty in their lives (lack of money, can’t afford a real vacation, can’t afford a good car, etc, etc) and some still do - going into their later years in the same situation.
4: When you become an adult with a responsible job, you can then maybe live some place closer to the tracks and start really railfanning at that time.
5: You are lucky you can take AMTRAK - a normal schedule here is 5 am going east and 1 am going west. And last week, they were running 2 pm going east! Plus, even with a discount, I still can’t afford to ride AMTRAK any distance - (not when you consider renting a car at your destination, etc.)
6: Don’t hassle the authorities. They were there first and won’t take kindly to having to babysit someone that thinks they should be able to do whatever, in the name of railfanning.
7: I would apply this to any young person. I couldn’t wait to drive! Now I don’t want to - it is all relative. Enjoy what you can of trains and save some options for a few years on down the road. Working toward a goal will make you a happier person overall.
Mook
PS - Dan has some great ideas. Maybe you can use some of those.
Step One: Try to get your father hooked. Unless, of course, you don’t want to alienate Mom.
The mother would likely thank you for getting him out of the house for a while and giving her some time by herself.
Maybe Mom would like it better than both of them!
Yeah, it’s gotta be tough today.When I started in 1964 we went as far as we could until caught. This was on the Reading in the Reading area. Snapped #4 camelback inside CF&I’s Birdsboro plant and the fireless Porter at Met-Ed’s Reading power station. But then a friend’s track supervisor Dad let us crawl all around the line of (mostly doomed) T-1’s by the coaling tower on his pass and under his supervision. All kinds of chalk on them to denote what was to go to Luria Bros. and what was to keep the Rambles running. Tough, kids.
Myself, I wish I had been my Dad’s little brother from the 20’s onward. He’s 91 now and great on the atmosphere of numerous train trips. I would have loved to pick up the details.
It’s a terrible world now, when a boy can’t cultivate a friendship with a railroad employee without all sorts things being suspected.
Sigh!!!
Rixflix aka Captain
Just had a second thought. Get organized. The railroads need people to run 'em and they need people now. Tell someone about your interests and what you want to do. Seems to me that someone, sound out the locals, ought to be able to give you a tour of the plant. a guest speaker at your high school, or a supervised photo shoot.
I was in 7th grade when the nun said, " we are going down to the visual aids room to see a film about nickel plating". Now I come from a familiy of hardware manufacturers and the whole city of Reading knew from nickel plating. Turns out the film was a public relations effort to promote the Nickel Plate’s fast freight service from Buffalo to all points Midwest. You should have seen the berks and Hudsons fly.
Approach under caution, prepared to stop, but someone on the railroad can help.
Rix
P42 108 - I feel ya pup. Interesting analogy you made, trains and fishing. In a way, they are similar. It’s the thrill of the sport sometimes, bringing in a “trophy”. Now, stick to that mindset. Find out where the “hot fishin’ hole” is. Seek out and introduce yourself to other railfans; even some not-so-young ones. Group of teens will attract authority’s attention; throw some one with a little silver in the hair and things lighten up a bit, get it? Plus, there is safety in numbers.
As for the price of gas…everyone is in the same boat. Railfanning isn’t an expensive hobby…doesn’t require a license…at least not yet…[:O]
[:)]
Welcome to the hobby. There’s teen railfan thread down in the Trains.com General Discussion forum. Might help.
[:)] [:)]
You have to understand where the railroad officals and police are coming from. Most of the crazy calls that they get from the railroad are about some crazy teens or kids that are hoping the trains. The police more than likely have had to stop trains since they have killed a teen or kid. Trains are very dangerous. As long as you stay 50 feet from the rail then you should be ok. Sometimes if the police see you around a lot they will stop bothering you and might become friends or something. As far as the gas goes, all I can say is that there are many ways for getting around. Biking has already been said, but if you get a bike you could still take Amtrak to where you want to go and then continue on with your bike from there.
Make sure you have a camera hanging from your neck… something easily seen to BE a camera, just don’t have it mounted on a gun stock! Pace along the property line, well back on the public side of things. Stop often to stand on tip-toe to sight with the camera at things “just out of easy sight”, but DO NOT encroach upon or cross that property line. Take photos of the equipment, not the people (unless they smile and pose).
If an employee or someone of obvious authority approaches you, keep your hands visible and out to your sides, with your palms toward them. SMILE. Do NOT walk toward them unless they request (either asking or telling) that you do so, but STOP right at the property line. (This is why you need to stay well away from the property line… you can accommodate the order to ‘come here’ at least partially.) If they ‘order’ you come farther, say, “I can’t enter railroad property.”
SMILE. Say, “Hi” (or “Hello” or whatever “decent” venacular you use to greet a friend… don’t be phony). If your camera is in your right hand, calmly transfer it to your left hand in front of you. SMILE. Extend your right hand, fingers loosely touching, thumb almost straight up, as if to shake hands, but with the palm turned slightly up (rather than verticle or down).
What they do at this point determines your next move.
If they ask you what you are doing, SMILE bigger and say what you are doing… “Taking pictures of trains!” That IS what you are doing, isn’t it? I used to record the horn sounds with a microphone attached to my laptop computer… that really bewildered 'em!!! :-)))
If they tell you to get lost, relax your shoulders, withdraw your hand and take a step backwards (just don’t trip and fall down or step into the path of a car!) and give your best "that hurt my
On another ‘safety’ note:
A while back I had a run-in with a wanna-be cop who was concerned that I was taking pictures of the industry where a train was switching covered hoppers. Once I explained what I was doing and volunteered to show pics (as above) he relaxed and told me of a place that I didnt’ know was public property where I could get even better pics. Lesson learned is this: if you’re focus on equipment is on the engines/cars try not to get the industry/whatever is being serviced in the shots. Around this area there are some governmental installations that have rules on what pictures can be taken. [2c]
Yes, they’re eagered, but they will gain more experience as time passes… Got to start somewhere right???[8]
Good thread. I happen to be looking at old pictures I took back in the 70’s and I encountered some of the same issues, primarily economic. Back then the gas prices jumped from 29 cents to about 60 cents a gallon. thus i was “stuck” with the daily locals in my hometown. How I wish those were still running.
It seems like everytime I would come home from college for winter or spring break I would take one “trip” of about 50 miles to a hotspot. For me it was Effingham, Centralia, or Mt. Vernon, Il. My aunt lived in a railroad town of Mattoon, Il and visits to her were special for many reasons, including the trains.
Today, I have the resources to hop in the gas guzzling SUV and drive…but I really dont want to. It just doesnt make sense at $3.50 gallon. Even cross town. I ride the bike and get a bit of exercize. This morning i have taken two “breaks” from work and watched a couple of trains.
One piece of advise. Railroads change over time. Explore your local railroad (safely and on public property). What angles are best for morning and afternoon photography? For different direction trains? What architecture, either railroad or otherwise is interesting or historic? Incorporate it into your photos. What panoramic views are available? How do those view change over the course of four seasons? I have one spot that is great for early morning eastbound trains…complete with a fence and a grove of trees. That will look completely different in all four seasons. Guess what? With our urban sprawl, even here in Indiana, my guess is the trees will be gone in 10 years.
Good luck and be safe.
Study hard.
ed
To clerify for everyone especially the person who said dont get any closer than a crossing arm will allow a car. If you are not at a crossing just say out in a field, the railroad owns the land from the center of the tracks out to 50 feet. So if you are as close to the tracks as the crossing arm will allow the cars to get, you are tresspassing. If a railroad employee ask you to wait in the office for the police to show up I would strongly advice you go to the office. Railroad employees are federal employees. If you are 50 feet from any track you are on public property, but if the police show up they can still confiscate your camera or film which ever they choice if the railroad wants it. Granted you should get it back in a day or so if the railroad does not find your photos to be a threat. You have to realize that 911 here in America did a number on every type of transportation industry. Infact there were 2 guys in Chicago that got arrested for taking pictures of a rare locomotive that had to be put back into service by METRA. Just be careful, if you can make sure you wear something that is highly visible so that the trains can see you and not scare the crap out of them when they come around.
I’d take issue with some of the last raised points. I carry around a copy of the ‘Photographer’s Rights’ with me. I don’t believe that cameras can be confiscated unless you’re arrested. RR crew, unless they’re RR PD, can’t arrest you. If they invite you to come and wait for the police and you know you are on public property I’d say “I’ll wait right here and I’m not trespassing” as nicely as I could.
I had two overzealous employees at a local industry try this crap with me. Come wait for the police to get here with us and it’ll be better, etc… When the officer did show up he told me that had I gone with them, even with the invite to the property, he definately could have arrested me for trespassing since they weren’t authorized to allow people on the property. I knew I was on a public sidewalk and I stood there and politely held my ground. I had a similar run in with a ‘wanna-be’ cop when I was in a public parking lot in my truck shooting another local.
you have your OWN SUV?
I didnt have my own car until after college, and I could afford to buy one.
somehow, I dont think you are that badly off! 
Scot
Well in case you never heard the adage here it is “if you can afford the Cadallic then for sure you can afford the gas”. That is a saying from way back in my hi school days.
[quote user=“P42 108”]
Being a railfan is not easy these days, even with trains all around me. As a resident in central Connecticut, there is Amtrak’s Springfield Line directly to my east, Metro-North’s Waterbury Branch and Housatonic Railroad to my west, The Northeast Corridor to my south and CSX’s Boston Line to my North. All wonderful places to visit, not to mention tourist railroads such as the Essex Steam Train and the Naugatuck Railroad. Despite my close proximity to railroads, getting there is not easy. As gas prices climb above $3 a gallon, filling up my SUV is not easy. I drive to school everyday (the charter school I attend does not provide transportation) and there is barely enough gas in my tank left to spare for railfanning. Somehow though I always manage to make it out by saving money. So it made me think. Do other teenagers have the same problems as I do? Neither of my parents are into the hobby, so I don’t have the advantage of a parent who goes to see the trains themselves. Plus, gas prices are not the only problem. Getting there is only half the fun! Once I get to a particular location, with exception to the tourist railroads, I have to deal with police and railroad officials…some of whom are far less than friendly. Some people, even some people who work for a railroad themselves, cannot understand what being a railfan is all about. What are the options for young railfans nowadays? I have a few ideas. 1) TAKE THE TRAIN. When I visit CSX on the Boston Line, I will often leave my truck and take an Amtrak train up to Springfield. This saves gas and I get a train ride on top of it. Of course this has some cons as well. Onc
railroadjj:
I appreciate what you say. But, my point about the grade crossing arms was that of safety, not trespass. If you are in a field, no matter where the railroad tracks are, you are on somebody’s property and are trespassing. Also, the 50-ft you mention could be too few in places where the RR has property that does not necessarily have tracks on it.
As for whether to obey an order for you to go with them, that is a sticky wicket. The RR employee is not a “Federal employee”, but IS governed by Federal statutes and has some authority that is Federally mandated, but, if you KNOW you are on public property, then their order for you to go to someplace that is not on public property is iffy at best.
My comment was based on “you” (nuttin personal here, just the general reader hereof) being an inexperienced youth, with an emphasis on being inexperienced and youth. There are always circumstances where you might want to go to an office anyway, but if the office is unoccupied by anyone but the person telling you to do so, then caution is advised. Women drivers are told that if a car pulls up behind them with flashing red lights and they are in an area where there are no other people, they then should pull over, but NOT stop; rather, proceed at a slow speed to the nearest PUBLIC place where there are other people present, and then stop. Granted, there are police officers that will go ballistic with this “stunt”, (I have seen videos of it!) but a few years ago there were several women that were attacked on lonely sections of road by a man posing as a policeman and this tack has been recommended and endorsed by National police organizations.
I am sure you are thinking of an office bustling with people and I am thinking of one with only one or two employees present at the time. It is a judgment call at the time and I did say to wait for the police as a sign of cooperation. Belligerenc