Some friends and I where talking about our favorite place in time that we enjoyed railfanning the best. For myself I enjoyed the 1980’s the best. Most of my railfanning was of the Southern Pacific. I enjoyed hearing the DTC (direct traffic control) blocks issued to the train crews, the trains and motive power of the day.
What are you favorites in the nostalgia scene of railfanning?
…Well, from my perspective…I’d say one of the time periods would have to be the Pennsylvania RR main east / west through Johnstown, Pa…Just being at the station area it would seem there were trains all the time…A 4-track main for them to run on could produce a lot of trains…And they did especially during war time…Passenger trains almost all the time along with the strings of freight…Just a continous hustle bustle…
Being 46,I’d Say The 60s&70s.In The 60s,You Still Had FUnits Pulling Trains,Plus The Old Was Replacing The New.In The 70s,You Could Still See Alcos As Well As EMD&GE.I Remember RS11s On The Espee Mainline Through Flatonia,Texas As Late As 1978.Plus,You Had The Formation Of Conrail,So It Wasn’t Too Uncommon To See CR Repaint Units All Over The Place.The 80s Saw The Dissapearance of The Caboose and The 90s Saw The Dissapearance of Conrail;Espee and Santa Fe.
I agree with you Gary, I miss hearing the blocks being granted to the trains. And I really miss the SP but I like the modern times. Traffic levels are up on most every route I fan, especially Cajon and the Sunset. [8D]
There are things to miss in all eras and all places I’ve been. I remember steam. Lines I’ve ridden over in locomotives or cabooses are now capable of being ridden over on bicycles. Passenger service is gone from some of my favorite locales. But, as Chad says, traffic levels are better now on most main lines still in existence. I’m going to fondly remember the past, but make my next future railroading/railfanning experience my favorite, if at all possible.
At my age, my favorite era would be roughly 1969-1982, from when I first started taking train pictures with a hand-me-down Argus C-3 to the time I returned home from about two and a half weeks vacation in the East, taking lots of pictures.
That being said, I always look forward to my next opportunity for railfanning, never knowing what I just might discover.
I’d say the 60s and 70s. In this era I have seen UP Big Blow turbines,pre Amtrak passenger trains,ALCos,Baldwins,FM Train Masters on SP commute trains,Fs on freights,DD35s,both types of U50s,GG1s,caboses,and many other great stuff that is long gone.I have seen many railroads that were abandoned or merged out of existance.I have seen and ridden passenger trains in Mexico which is almost impossible now since only two passenger lines still exist.
Upstate NY Buffalo to Bingamton EL and LV in the 70’s then after conrail took to shooting old RR structures for about 2 more years before I hung up teh camera for lack of interest. RR’s were not too healthy then but they were at least interesting in those days
I would say the late sixties for me. I made friends with the local station master and the crew of the local freight that came in daily, right after I got out of school. They had a caboose, a fireman, a conductor, an engineer, and a brakeman. There was a switch tower that the station master was usually in, not far from the depot itself. It had Armstrong levers in it.
It’s sad that our society and the railroads really frown on having a kid hang around watching the railroad guys work nowadays. I know that safety is the primary issue. I do remember the NH employees I visited with telling me to stay put whereever I was, and they did keep an eye on me. As time went by I learned to earn their trust by doing exactly what they told me to do and when they told me to do it.
Part and parcel of my love for trains nowadays is based on that- while I had no idea what I was missing in terms of equipment sailing by, I think what I miss the most now is the interaction with the people running the railroad.
Erik
Amen Erik. Dealing with the employees was a big factor, IMO, that got a lot of us into railfanning even more than we might otherwise have done. [^][tup][bow]
I’m fifty but for me the best time is right now.