Railfan

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(Redirected from Train spotting)
"Train spotting" redirects here. For other uses, see Trainspotting.

Image:Railfans at prairie du chien.jpg A railfan or rail buff (American English), railway enthusiast (Australian 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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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")<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> is a similarly used term in the American rail industry. Regrettably, the term "foamer" has at times been used to refer to all railfans, or even to all but the most inexperienced rail travelers, with the obvious implication that only by remaining almost completely ignorant about rail transportation can one remain socially acceptable in today's world. (See, for example, famed journalist John Tierney's use of the word "foamer" in his June 16, 2002 New York Times Magazine article "Amtrak Must Die".) Similarly, "FRN" has been used to refer to anyone with any significant knowledge of the rail industry, even if in a professional capacity. (For example, the term has been used in recent years by some transportation consultants at Mercer Management Consulting to describe those fellow consultants who have been so gauche as to acquire a professional knowledge of rail transportation.) In the UK, railfans are sometimes called "grizzers" or "gricers" (the latter especially by railway staff in the Midlands). In Australia, they are sometimes called "gunzels", a term that in Melbourne is generally taken to refer particularly to tramway enthusiasts.

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Activities

The hobby extends to all aspects of railroad systems, though various people have one or more particular concentrations of interest, such as:

  • Railroad locomotives and cars
  • Still-used or disused railroad lines, bridges, tunnels, stations, and other infrastructure
  • Subways and other local rail transit systems
  • Railroad photography

Image:Railroad Pictures 022.jpg

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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 2005, 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, 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.

Image:Railfantag.jpg Radio scanners are common equipment for listening in on railroad frequencies in order to know when trains are about to arrive. Model railroads including model trains are common hobbies for railfans when not out watching trains. Toy trains are less accurate but also popular items.

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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; a thick anorak, to keep warm and dry in unpredictable weather; and an infinite supply of patience. More advanced trainspotters sometimes use a tape recorder instead of the notebook. Modern times have seen the addition of the cellphone and/or pager as an essential tool of communication with others in the hobby, while various Internet mailing lists and web sites allow for the exchange of information as well. There are also websites which allow spotters to record and cross reference their sightings with other spotters. One example is LocoScene and another is RailSpot.

Image:Rail-trainspotters-amoswolfe.jpg A development from trainspotting is the haulage enthusiast or basher. These individuals are not content merely watching trains; instead, the aim is to ride on them. Some 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. Still others are only interested in certain types and classes of locomotive. Others attempt to cover as much of the railway network as they can, these people are usually referred to as gricers or track bashers.

The term "train spotter" is often used as a derogatory term towards someone perceived to have an enthusiasm for acquiring or hoarding detailed or humdrum information. It was translated in French as the neologism Ferrovipathe which literally means "person suffering from the railway disorder".

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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.

See also: List of railroad-related periodicals.

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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.

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.

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.

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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 railroad 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.

Unfortunately, some overeager railfans can hinder railroad operations by their unsafe activities, and even by thefts from railroad property. Railfans who are not conscious of proper safety procedures or who trespass upon railroad property can become problems for the very industry that they appreciate so much.

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Railfan hotspots

Various places are popular for train-watching railfans due to the large numbers of trains that pass through or nice views.

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Australia

New South Wales
Victoria
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Canada

British Columbia

Image:Power exits Lower Spiral.jpg

Ontario
Quebec
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United Kingdom

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United States

California
Colorado
Georgia
Illinois
Indiana
Louisiana
Michigan
Missouri
Montana
Ohio
Pennsylvania
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Washington
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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

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See also

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References

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External links

Sorted alphabetically

ja:鉄道ファン nl:Treinspotter pl:Miłośnicy kolei zh:鐵道迷

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