Everytime that I wait for a passing train and see and engineer, I always wave. It’s just one of the things that I like to do because I love trains.
I’m sure that some of you have done the same thing.
Has anyone ever waved and not get a response from and engineer?
I’m curious[?][?]
I wave at every train I see and most wave back or honk their horn.Since I railfan in the same area all the time(Polo ,IL) they pretty much know who I am and what I am doing there.No engineer or conductor looks at me like I’m an idoit. Some laugh,wave and honk the horn all at the same time if I have been there a few days in a row.I have watched trains down there all of my life …well at least since I was 3 and now that I am 15 I’m sure they have seen me down there more than a few times.
It is harder to see the men in the newer engines since the windows are tinted but now that its summer most of them have their windows open.
I always wave to passing trains and I have always gotten a response from the engineer.One time outside of Spokane there was an engine sitting on a siding at a red block signal and I was taking pictures of it .When the train it was waiting for passed the engineer threw a bag out the window as the engine pulled off the siding. The bag had a bottle of water, a trespasser report card, a engine maintenence form and a copy of the orders for that train! I was exstatic untill I got to the hotel that night and found out that my camera had broken and I didn’t have any pictures of the train. Luckily I had taken notes on the pictures I thought I had taken and I still had the orders for the train so I was happy.
At the risk of making you “Mean” JoeGreen, why would anybody look at you like you are an “idoit”. What is an “Idoit” and what do you do as an “Idoit”? Is it fun?
FOFLMAO…
BTW I do wave to railfans while running unless they are endangering themselves or others…
LC
Not anymore I don’t.
Allan.
Usually engineers don’t wave, because they can’t see me. They usually wave, but sometimes they just don’t wave even if they do see you. One time, while wearing a NS train shirt, a CSX engineer leaned out and said that I had a nice sweat shirt. I didn’t know what he said until I listened to it on my video I recorded that night. The only part that didn’t make sense was that it was a CSX engineer that complimented an NS shirt.
I wave at the train and the people on the train always wave back.
I generally wave. I wave a lot more when the chicks on the lake flash us during the summer…
LC
Its just that there was a picture of a CP train at railpictures the other day and the photographer said the engineer looked at him like an “IDIOT” so I thought that I’d say that hasn’t happend to me.
Hey! That’s CSXengineer’s job.
Jay
Hmmm, don’t want for him to get overworked from that job. Guess I could help him out from time to time to give him a rest…his hand I mean…I mean waving his hand…
Adrianspeeder
Jay -
On the NS side I hold seniority. I can bump CSXEngineer at will…lol…
Seriously, I doubt he’d want to work on the “Dark Side” anyhow. We may have “Flashers” but we have a definite downside as well…
LC
I wave at them and normally get a response - at least a favorable one.
About 10 years ago I was getting pics of a CSX train stopped on the South Side of Pittsburgh. Once the train started going, I waved to the engineer. He didn’t wave. Actually, he looked quite angry and had a few words for me. I’m not able to read lips but but I’m certain it wasn’t “Hello. Have a nice day.”
At least incidents like this are few and far between.
Alway wave and get a wave 99.9% of the time. Now that Dominic my 4 y.o is with me, I get a wave and a toot! Nice to have a kid with you railfanning! LOL
Usually in some cases, i’m the first to wave and then get one in return… as for them blowing the whistle too, I have got it twice first on the IC and on the CSX, strangely not on the UP…yet.[:o)] I remember back in March when we had the BNSF coal detours, I was catching my first one, he was just coming through the crossing, was approaching me, gave the engineer a big wave, but due to the SD70MAC’s tinted windows, I couldn’t see him wave back.[:(] He could have at least opened the window and waved![;)] Oh well, I do also get my share of being ‘ignored’, but it is usually at a crossing and the engineer has to concentrate on blowing the whistle (or even talking to the conductor), which I can understand.
Something tells me there are a lot of slow orders at “the lake” on a nice, hot summers day!
CC
I wave all the time because of the jobs i follow , i know them , and so ill get a short blast of the horn. I hate the new whistle ordinance though, 15 second blast , instead of just tooting a little bit. But its funny to see people cover there ears lol.
Alec
Ya know what since I’m shy, some of the time. I don’t wave unless someone waves at me. I guess it’s moslty because, I’m a little self consciense. Yes I’ve gotten crews that didn’t wave, I’ve gotten some crews that have blew the horn and waved at me. Thats interesting in itself.
I try to wave back but I think that sometimes we’re not seen because of the tinted windows and sometimes, we’re focused on the job and really don’t see folks waving at us.
As for opening the window, probably they had the windows latched and so by the time you fumble with the latch to open it or forget you have it latched and try to open it, you’re already by the person. Oh sure, they could just be enjoying their air conditioning.[2c]
some crews wave back some dont. but when you have 3 little train lovers on a front porch watching with you they tend to wave back.
stay safe
Joe