I became a railfan when I could say choo choo. That was one of my first words.
When I was alittle kid - watching steam trains go along the bottom of our house garden - in the 1950’s in the UK
Watching the PATCO Speedline run through every 2 minutes in each direction and watching the NJ Transit Atlantic City Railroad go by every hour right next to it. I still live near by and love whatching the trains run. [:)]
(PATCO is running some trains with as little and 1minute headways now!!!)[:D]
Between the ages of 0-5.
I grew up with American Flyer trains, my dad’s from the early 1950’s…when I was 13 I got my first HO stuff. Good times ever since.
July 31, 1985
I have been all my life, but I didn’t start to get into it more until about a year ago.
i was born likeing trains…cant place an age on when i started…but do know when i started to hate them…it wasnt to long after i hired on the rail road…lol
csx engineer
I think I was a railfan in the womb! For my entire life, as long as I can remember, I’ve loved trains.
I bacame a railfan at age 10, I grew up seeing SEPTA’s R7 run in back of my house everyday or should I say every 1/2 hour. Next thing ya know I was on the R7 or at the Stenton Station 1 block away fr. my old house 24/7. Today I know WAY TOO MANY engineers and conductors that work for SEPTA on all of it’s regional rail lines. AND ever since I was 10 (I’m 18 now) I wanted to be an engineer for guess wut ?/ . . . not SEPTA. . . .but, CSX.
you want to work for csx…you need help man…lol
csx engineer
I loved watching trains as a child on MoPac’s Sedalia sub through my home town. I didn’t know much about them, not did I have any railfans, rail employees, or modelers in my family to teach me. I didn’t get into railfanning and model railroading as a hobby until my mid 20’s because I didn’t know there was such a hobby. When I discovered it i dived in head first and never looked back. I gave up almost every other hobby I ever had for model railroading and railfanning to support modeling. Thats been 10 years ago and I still love it.
Ron
I rode UP’s “City of Los Angeles” with my folks. I was less than 2 years old. I’m 48 now. I still have memories of the trip. Nothing of consequence happened between then and now.
Lets see. I’ve been a railroader ever since I was about 5 or 6 when my dad pulled out his old Lionel trains for me. Once a railroader always a railroader as I say. It’s stuck with me ever since and now I am an engineer for Amtrak. Good times. To this day I still have my very first locomotive. A NYC 2-4-0 Marx locomotive that was my grandfathers and given to my dad and now to me. I still have the original track for it too. The engine has never had anything done to it and its still working today. Thats how I got started and if I ever have a kid of my own, I’m going to carry the tradition and keep railroading in the family.
TrainHead4116
It was my seventh birthday, when my Parents got me a model train set. Then I started getting interested in the prototype, and here I am 6 years later.
Noah
[#ditto]
I’ve always loved trains since I got my Lionel 4-6-2 pacific train set, but I really got hooked into the rail industry when I became a volunteer at Steamtown National Historic Site, ( I’m very happy I did). Steam locomotives are my favorite type of motive power.
Dang! Mark and dougal stole my answer!
Oh, well, ditto for the third time. It really is in the blood, you know…
–JD
When I was born,the doctor slapped me,and I said"choo-choo".I’ve been a railfan ever since[:)]!
I became a foamer in 1974 at age 24 when standing on the commuter platorm at the Tuckahoe, NY station waiting for the (now) Metro North m.u. train that would take me to Grand Central and my new job. While waiting for my train another from way up north with older cars and two FL9 units went by at about 60 per and I was hooked.
I have always been fond of trains. Grew up in C&NW territory, in Wisconsin. Hopefully before I leave this Earth, I will get to ride in a loco. Than my life will have been complete!!!