And the longer they yell and flip me off the longer they wait.
A clarification is in order.
MOST TRAIN CREW EMPLOYEES are just common people with feelings that just try to do their job.
HOWEVER, I believe UNION PACIFIC top management has inspired paranoia among train crews, so that it seems that everyone even looks at a train might be a terrorist to be slain dead. With that kind of bad influence on the nation, I’m inclined to believe America would be better off if Union Pacific was broken up into three or four smaller railroads.
I really have not seen a major problem with other railroads, only Union Pacific. So, I trust this clarification will end any alarmed mystery among railroaders about my hostility at the forum. My hostility is only toward those that in essence are destroying America’s sense of right and wrong and freedom values.
no, all the major railroads believe the same thing. I do believe it is more in the name of liability than terrorism though.
[#ditto]
Down in the southeast, we often called railfans GERFs (Glassy Eyed Rail Fans). This was usually applied to the ones who had lost all contact with reality-NS will bring back steam excursions, etc. Frankly I got quite annoyed with the freeloaders who would chase the trains, yet not put a penny forward to support the operations. Also, we got quite a few complaints about railfans from passengers.
i think around here they just call us railfans. and i dont see why anyone would flip a crew off for being late. for me, i always assume they had some sort of difficulty along the way and hence were late. more than often i find out i was right. i still wave or do a 2-finger salute when they go by.
But most importantly, i make sure i’m not in their way at all. i’ve gotten many cheerful "hello"s from conductors walking the trains to get to the front.
the terrorism scare is very minimal here. a lot of the crews are older CNW-heads and know the area well enough to see that nothing here is of any value to a terrorist (seriously. what’s the worst that will happen if a terrorist bombs the line here? UP has to reroute 4 trains down the geneva sub. There’d be no point.)
I didn’t get to read the whole topic of posts yet, but add “paparazzi” to the list if it isn’t already.
That i might consider a little offensive. That term should be reserved for those scumbags that harass cellebrties, and were responsible for the death of a princess[soapbox][2c]
All of the crewmen I talk to kind of use it jokingly. I would be annoyed myself if such a serious comparison were made.
I wouldn’t say everyone at UP is paranoid about railfans being associated with terrorism. I railfan around here and it’s mostly UP. There is a BNSF line but it’s hard to get any good vantage points on it without deliberately trespassing. Last year I saw the MOPAC engine going north to Magnolia, TX. I turned around and followed it noting that it was slowing down. It stopped at a red light right in Magnolia next to a small trackside BBQ restaurant that I like to eat at. The engineer got out and got in line for food. I walked around taking pictures of the engine. He walked up to me and asked me if I’d like to see inside the engine. I climbed up and he showed me how everything worked. Really nice guy.
There is a spot on the north side of Lloyd yard in Spring, TX just before town that many people stop and watch trains go by. They also stop inside the wye since a road goes through it. There have been several times that trains or yard switchers would stop at the lights at these points and then just get out and chat with railfans. Even the MOW guys have been pretty friendly.
Earlier this year I was down in Galveston doing some research on the old roundhouses there. One slab is directly next to the UP yard there and not accessible by car. You have to walk a little ways to get to it and on UP property. They have a fairly quiet yard there. I just drove up to the yard office and told them that I wanted to walk the old slab site and take pictures. They didn’t care. They just said be careful and to not climb on any train cars. The key is to be courteous and stay out of their way. If you ask for permission to do something, the worst they can do is to say no. Just respect it.
I’m not sure how large the percentage of RR employees there are that poke fun at railfans but from what I’ve seen they’ve generally been pretty nice to them as long as those railfans weren’t being idiots.
I’ve always referred to railfans as buffs,buffys.But I guess that sorta what I am.
Just because I work on the railroad,doesn’t mean I don’t like taking pictures and enjoy the rich history or railroading.I sometimes get frustrated with the railroad,and hate being on call 24/7,but it is the railroad.An industry in it’s own spectrum.
I find more of the fellows I work with enjoying this also along with model railroading.And I think alot of that has to do with “the next generation in the family” getting jobs on the railroad.I’m 4th generation on my Dad’s side and 3rd on my Mother’s and I think that surely added to the enthusiasm I show in railfanning. [8D]
I guess we’re just friendlier here in Charlotte.
Most of the top level NASCAR teams are here. They all have areas in their shops where fans can stand and watch the guys work on the cars. Some are behind glass, some are elevated overlooks. A couple let you right into the work area as long as you stay behind a line painted on the floor. There often is a car out where you can even touch it. At several of the shops you can watch the pit crews practicing at a short pit wall in the parking lot. Only Michael Waltrip’s shop charges admission, the rest are free. Cameras are OK, and if you are lucky enough to be there when one of the drivers is, he will talk to you and sign autographs. They all have free handouts for the fans.
Our airport, the tenth busiest in the US, has an unlocked, unattended overlook parking area where you can watch the planes come and go.
Our light rail facility had an open house and gave tours of the maintenance facility and dispatch center to attendees.
No one seems to be offended that “those people are watching me work and/or taking my picture”.
That’s why my flabber was completely gasted when the police detained a tourist because he was taking pictures of the skyline from a city street.