Railfan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- "Train spotting" redirects here. For other uses, see Trainspotting.
A railfan or rail buff (American English), railway enthusiast (Australian/British English), or (often with a more specialized meaning, described below) trainspotter (British English), is a person who is strongly interested, in an amateur capacity, in railroads. Railfans can be found worldwide.
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[edit] Other names
Excessively enthusiastic railfans are sometimes referred to pejoratively as "foamers", especially by American railworkers, in reference to the joking notion that they foam at the mouth in their excitement over train operations. "FRN" (for "fucking rail nut")[1] is a similarly-used term in the American rail industry. The UK equivalent is "crank", which has been taken into enthusiast usage.
In the UK, railfans are sometimes called trainspotters, grizzers or gricers (the latter especially by railway staff in the Midlands). In Australia, they are sometimes called "gunzels".
The study of railways, or a general interest in them as a hobby, is sometimes known as ferroequinology (literally, "study of iron horses"). The term is rarely used by non-railfans.
[edit] Activities
The hobby extends to all aspects of railroad systems. Various people have one or more particular concentrations of interest, such as:
- Railroad locomotives and rolling stock
- Still-used or disused railroad lines, bridges, tunnels, stations, and other infrastructure
- Subways and other local rail transit systems
- Railroad photography
Model railroads including model trains are common hobbies for railfans when not out watching trains.
[edit] Railway photography
Train photography is a common activity of railfans. Most railfans do their photographing from public property, unless they have permission to use a specific private property owner's land. Occasionally, they run into problems with law enforcement, especially after 9/11, because they are sometimes viewed as suspicious. In fact, in 2004 the New York City Subway attempted to institute a photo ban. This was met with fierce opposition, and was ultimately scrapped. Railroad companies also sometimes dislike railfans, considering them a nuisance. Railfans respond that their presence makes the railroads safer, since they typically know what is normal behavior and can spot someone who is up to no good, or something that appears to be out of place or unusual. Some railroad photographers have become well known in their own right for their works. Many railfans are very familiar with the works of H. Reid, Pseufighter, Otto Perry and O.Winston Link.
Connex Melbourne now require any railfan wishing to take photographs to apply for and obtain a permit. Permits last for 90 days, except in the case of some select stations in which a permit only lasts for 7 days. This system has been met with resentment from the railfan community, and many refuse to apply for permits. In November, 2005 one railfan was issued with an infringement notice simply for holding a camera on a platform.
[edit] Trainspotting
Railfans who call themselves "trainspotters" make an effort to spot every piece of rolling stock known to exist for a particular railroad company. To this end, they collect and exchange detailed information about the movements of locomotives and other equipment on the railway network, and become very knowledgeable about its operations.
The equipment of a trainspotter consists, generally, of a data book listing all the locomotives or other equipment in question, in which locomotives seen are ticked off; a notebook and pens, to note down sightings to transfer into the book at leisure; and an infinite supply of patience. Some trainspotters will use a tape recorder instead of the notebook. Modern times have seen the addition of the cellphone and/or pager as an aid to communication with others in the hobby, while various internet mailing lists and web sites allow for exchange of information. There are also websites which allow spotters to record and cross reference their sightings with other spotters. One example is Locoscene.
Radio scanners are common equipment for listening in on railroad frequencies in order to know when trains are about to arrive.
[edit] Trainspotting variations
A development from trainspotting is the haulage enthusiast or "basher". These individuals attempt to ride behind or in the cab of as many locomotives as they can, marking them off in a book just like a regular trainspotter. Enthusiasts who attempt to cover as much of the railway network as they can, are usually referred to as "gricers" or "track bashers". Those who spend most of their time on one station only, are "stoats" or "veg". "Cranks" are particularly attracted to one type of train and make sure they see all of its workings. "Neds" concentrate on special rail activity and tend to ignore the regular happenings on the lines; they look for "gen" (which is information about railway workings) before going out spotting.
[edit] Other activities
Some railfans are interested in other aspects of railroads not directly dealing with the trains. They may be interested in studying the history of the railroad companies, their infrastructure and operations, including never-built plans. Abandoned railroad grades can often be found long after the railroad stops using them. Trams (and occasionally even monorails) may also be of interest.
Various magazines, clubs and museums are designed mainly for railfans, concentrating on the history of trains and railroads. Some clubs organize fantrips, either by car or by train; the New York Transit Museum owns some old equipment with which fantrips are occasionally run on the New York City Subway.
Many railfans also collect "railroadiana" or "railwayana". Railroadiana refers to artifacts from railroads and railroad operations and could include nearly anything to do with a particular railroad, including (but not limited to): public or employee timetables, locomotive number boards, dining car china, passenger train tickets, tools and pieces of equipment such as lanterns, or sometimes items as big as train horns, or track speeders. Although few can afford the price or the space for storage, some railfans even go so far as to collect full size rolling stock or locomotives.
Since the China Railway and its ticket-selling system is complex, some railfans in China are interested in collecting unusual tickets. For example, China Railway itself does not sell round-trip tickets officially, but someone could buy a multiple-trip ticket with the starting and ending station the same for a round trip. This problem was fixed in the latest ticket-selling software. Another example, there are two railway stations called Dongfanghong (The East Is Red) and Taiyangsheng (The Sun Rises) in Heilongjiang province, the two stations are 600 or some kilometers apart and no direct trains connect them. Someone bought multiple-trip tickets from one to another so the ticket read Dongfanghong -> Taiyangsheng, this is a famous lyrics in Chinese song The East Is Red.
See also: List of railroad-related periodicals.
[edit] Reasons
Sometimes the appeal of trains is nostalgic, recalling an earlier era when the railroads played a central role in commerce and transportation, and the train depot was the center of every town. Sometimes the appeal can come from a fondness for the power of large machinery. Sometimes there is an appeal of the scenery of the railroad running through large, uninviting terrain, or the gritty ambiance of the urban train yard. In this case, urban exploration poses a similar appeal.
Some people were born and raised very close either to streetcar tracks or to railways. Everyday activities were associated with railroad, which seemed to be a part of life. This may lead to an interest in railcars, how they move, numbering, and other rail systems in the world and how they compare with their native ones. And if these people move to another place to live, their interest in railroads might have a nostalgic flavor of older life.
Another appeal of the railroads is the business side of railroading. Railroads were long central to economic growth and commerce, and still are to some degree. The history of great railroads and railroaders such as James J. Hill is a fascination for some, whether they view them in a positive way as capitalist heroes or in a negative way as robber barons. This can be compared to the same way that some people find inspiration in more recent business successes such as Donald Trump or Bill Gates.
Many railfans once worked for a railroad themselves, or had parents or other relatives who did, leading to a lifelong continued interest in trains. Others developed a strong interest in trains through a hobby such as model railroading.
Most people love to travel. Even though today other forms of transit such as cars, airplanes, and boats are in abundance, train travel may seem more traditional and relaxing if compared with car travel.
Many people who would not otherwise think of themselves as railfans just like trains. Most cannot explain why. Songs and stories have glorified railroading ever since the invention of the locomotive, especially in the United States, while children's toys and books about trains continue to be popular. The Railroad Tycoon series of simulation computer games is another example of railroads' enduring popularity.
[edit] Safety
Railfans can also keep the railroad areas safer by reporting crimes and suspicious activity. In the United Kingdom the British Transport Police have used trainspotters' vast knowledge and widespread presence to their advantage, and have actively encouraged them to report any suspicious persons or activities. In America, however, concerns over terrorism have led to situations where railfans are followed or confronted by local law enforcement or transit police.
Many experienced railfans have enhanced knowledge of railroad operations and hazards that can help the railroad, such as reporting malfunctioning crossing gates and other equipment. The history of the railroad industry is full of accidents that could have been easily prevented had someone reported what they had seen; for example a fire in the last cars of a long freight train may be obvious to a trackside observer but not to those in the locomotive.
[edit] Trainspotting in popular culture
Trainwatching was featured in the 2003 movie The Station Agent.
Because trainspotting is seen by some as a seemingly dull notion, it has drawn an ulterior meaning as any sort of pointless event or gathering. In Monty Python's Flying Circus's episode of "You're No Fun Anymore" a camel spotter is interviewed. When asked how many camels he has seen he says, "Well … let's see … one. To be honest none." Later he claims that he has previously been "yeti spotting". In the end it turns out that he is just an ordinary train spotter. (Interestingly, Monty Python member Michael Palin is a self-confessed trainspotter.)
The activity of trainspotting was briefly mentioned in a passage set in a railway station's toilet, in Irvine Welsh's novel of the same name; however, it was left out of the film adaptation altogether. The novel Trainspotting, and its film adaptation are not directly related to the hobby, although it may be inferred from the opening scene from the movie, that the title is a comment on what the author sees as the supposed pointlessness of the hobby.
[edit] Railfan hotspots
Various places are popular for train-watching railfans due to the large numbers of trains that pass through or nice views or scenery.
[edit] Australia
- Central railway station, Sydney - lots of trains, but not a lot of variety. No freight trains.
- Hornsby railway station, Sydney - lots of trains, a lot of variety of trains, freight trains, complex and unpredictable train movements, signals to watch, complex track layout.
- Flinders Street Station, Melbourne - The hub of suburban trains, on the street of the same name, on the southern edge of the CBD, with a few regional passenger and freight trains.
- Southern Cross Station, Melbourne - The hub of Victoria's regional passenger service, but also with suburban trains and a few freight trains. Southern Cross was formerly known as Spencer Street station, being situated on that street on the western edge of Melbourne's CBD.
- West Footscray railway station, Melbourne, - Huge amount of freight traffic, as well as suburban and country passenger trains.
- Ingliston bank, Bacchus Marsh, Victoria - 1 in 48 gradient stretching from Bacchus Marsh almost to Ballan.
- Heathcote Junction, on the Albury-Wodonga railway line, Victoria is a popular location due to being at the crest of a long grade, and having a high cutting at the top, which provides an excellent photography vantage point.
- Midland Junction railway station old platform across from the Midland Railway Workshops allows clear view of all mainline activity.
[edit] Canada
- Bayview Junction in Burlington, Ontario
- CN rail lines in London, Ontario. 4 tracks with fast trains flying by is good for videos.
- Dorval in Montreal, Quebec A busy 4-track mainline (2 CN, 2 CP), plus two additional freight departure/arrival tracks.
[edit] Germany
- Barnten
- viaduct of Kreuztal
- viaduct of Altenbeken
- Hermannspiegel
- Munich, Heimeranplatz
[edit] United Kingdom
- Clapham Junction, in south-west London.
- Crewe, in Cheshire
- The Severn Valley Railway, between Bridgnorth & Kidderminster in the Midlands.
- Willesden Junction, in north-west London.
- York Station & the National Railway Museum, in York, North Yorkshire.
[edit] United States
- BNSF's Phoenix Subdivision, Williams, Arizona to Phoenix, Arizona
- BNSF's Seligman Subdivision, Needles, California to Winslow, Arizona
- Cajon Pass located between Victorville, California and San Bernardino, California
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Tehachapi Loop in Tehachapi, California
- Donner Pass located near Truckee, California where the first transcontinental railroad crossed the Sierra Nevada Mountains
- BNSF Harbor Subdivision from downtown Los Angeles to the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach
- Keddie Wye located along the Feather River Canyon, the Union Pacific (former Western Pacific) route across the Sierra Nevada Mountains
- Moffat Tunnel located near Winter Park, Colorado the second longest railroad tunnel in the United States and was Denver & Rio Grande Western's route across the Rocky Mountains.
- Howell Tower in Atlanta, Georgia
- Hair in Dalton, Georgia
- Folkston Railfan Platform in Folkston, Georgia
- Jesup Railfan Platform in Jesup, Georgia
- Manchester Railfan Platform in Manchester, Georgia
- Rochelle Railroad Park in Rochelle, Illinois at a busy junction of the BNSF and Union Pacific
- The Loop in Chicago, Illinois
- Brighton Park Junction in Chicago,Illinois Last non-interlocking level junction in Chicago, all passing trains stop
- Dolton Junction in Dolton, Illinois [1]
- Palmer, Massachusetts
- Hoosac Tunnel (east portal), Florida, Massachusetts
- Springfield, Massachusetts
- Delray Tower in Detroit, Michigan
- Durand Union Station in Durand, Michigan
- Trowbridge diamond/junction in East Lansing, Michigan
- Historic Kirkwood Amtrak Station in Kirkwood, Missouri
- The footbridge across the Montana RailLink yards in Missoula, Montana
- Arnold Loop, a near 360 degree curve on the east approach to Silver Zone Pass near Wells
- Humboldt River between Battle Mountain and Elko
- Black Rock Desert
- Ghost Train at Ely
- Crossroads Park in Deshler, Ohio
- Bellevue, Ohio and the Mad River and NKP Railroad Museum
- Fostoria Amtrak Station in Fostoria, Ohio
- Historic Marion Union Station in Marion, Ohio
- Historic Wauseon NYC Depot in Wauseon, Ohio
-
Horseshoe Curve in Altoona, Pennsylvania
- Cresson Railfan Deck/Park in Cresson, Pennsylvania west of Horseshoe Curve
- Gallitzin Tunnels in Gallitzin, Pennsylvania
- Tennessee River Bridge (Tenbridge) in Chattanooga, Tennessee
- 23rd Street in Chattanooga, Tennessee (where the TVRM, NS, CSX, and C&C converge)
- Tower 55 in Fort Worth, Texas
- Wall Avenue in Ogden, Utah
- Gilluly loops - a set of two 180 degree , one 270 degree and 3 90 degree curves on the western approach to Soldier Summit.
- Potash Spur Line- a seldom used line near Moab, Utah that skirts the edge of Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, and Dead Horse Point State Park. This line is prominently featured on Union Pacific Railroad's web site and was the primary location for their "Building America" marketing campaign.
- Ruby Canyon
- "The Funnel", from Latah Junction on the west side of Spokane, Washington east to Sandpoint, Idaho
- Amtrak Station/wye in Vancouver, Washington
- Potomac River Bridge in Harpers Ferry on the main B&O/Amtrak line west from Washington DC or Baltimore to Chicago. Inside Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, this historic (and soon to be restored) train station and bridge complex sits in the gorge where the Shenandoah River and Potomac River join and break through the Blue Ridge Mountains. The view is spectacular. Thomas Jefferson once said that to see this particular vista was worth a voyage across the Atlantic. The predecessor of this Potomac River bridge was crossed by John Brown and his raiders during the October 1859 insurrection that sparked the American Civil War. Plenty of rail traffic for buffs; plenty of scenery and history for family members who may not care much about trains.
[edit] Railfan jargon
Railfans have a large amount of jargon that can be foreign to other people. Because of the differences between UK and US railfan slang, two separate articles to describe them are warranted:
More can be found at www.railspot.co.uk
[edit] See also
- Rail terminology
- Rail transport modelling
- Aircraft spotting
- Bus spotting
- Gongoozler
- Metrophile
- Roadgeek
- Darius McCollum - who has been arrested for impersonating New York City Transit Authority employees and operating trains without authority
- Sensible Train Spotting, the world's first computer train spotting simulator
- List of railroad-related periodicals
[edit] References
- ^ Kisor, Henry (1994). Zephyr: Tracking a Dream Across America. Adams Publishing, Holbrook, Massachusetts, p 6. ISBN 1-55850-477-X.
[edit] External links
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