I never understood the interest in railroad crew discussion for basic railfanning. I understand for the more realistic Model Railroaders they like to mimic prototype operations. But watching trains is watching trains in my view, the crew discussions I am not too interested in. Even when I ride Amtrak trains…no interest in listening to the crew discussions. I brought a scanner once on an Amtrak train and most of the discussion was uninteresting to me. So I was always curious outside of Model Railroading, what is the interest here?:
I bought a scanner to take on Amtrak trains so I would know: A.) Where we are; and more importantly, B.) Why are stopped here in the middle of nowhere and how long will this take?
These days my phone fulfills the location function; as for the other–I’ve learned I can ask if I really want to know.
I don’t take my scanner on train trips these days because of this.
I think some fans live their lives vicariously through the railroaders. It makes them think that they are part of it. Sad, but true. Just like people who have police scanners and buy old police cars and try to pretend that they are cops.
A long time ago when I still rode on railfan trips.
Bluewater Michigan NHRS I think it was an excursion out of Detroit to somewhere or the other. Some guy was dressed up in a conductors uniform. At first I thought he was part of the excursion train crew but later found out he was just a rider kind of role acting. That is interesting you said that though. I just thought it was just that one person but might be a bigger phenomena. It doesn’t bother me at all…curious though.
One of the Dispatchers I worked with always came to work in bib-overalls and cap of the steam age L&N engineer. He still dresses in this manner attending the retired Dispatcher breakfasts that are held monthly in the Jacksonville area.
If I’m watching a YouTube video of a crew working, I’d rather hear the crew instead of the guy/girl filming describing the moves in his/her best “Pentrex voice”(and getting half of the info wrong).
I rode an Amtrak train some years ago that was diverted to a parallel route. A man came on the train and sat in the row in front of me where 2 seats were facing each other and spread some paperwork in the opposing seat. He was from the host railroad, and soon the ATK conductor sat opposite him. They talked about some operational concerns which was fascinating to me, but also some employee complaints which seems ubiquitous in any workplace. It just makes railfanning real.
