What Type of Railfan are you?

LAST EDITED ON Dec-12-04 AT 11:43 AM (EST)

Based on the topic of Railfan.net: http://forums.railfan.net/forums.cgi?board=concourse;action=display;num=1102055949The Train Watcher - The Train Watcher tends to simply find a spot to watch the trains, then kick back and enjoy the action. They are very relaxed and courteous, and most of all enjoy the majesty and power of trains. The Chaser - The Chaser finds a train and then follows it along the line. These railfans prefer not to wait for the action, but will simply make sure they are always near a train The Foamer - Foamers...Railfans at their worst. These are the guys that give railfans a bad name. Arrogant in the worst way, these railfans somehow think they are entitled to watch trains in any way they please. They often will do stupid and dangerous things just to get good photographs, have little respect for other railfans, and for the railroad for that matter. I hope none of us fit this category. The Specialist - These Railfans have a very specific railroad interest, and roam the country to document and observe that interest. Very common with fans who enjoy Alcos or steam. Sometimes these railfans have little or no interest in railroads or trains outside their specialty. These fans are courteous and very knowledgable in their field. Talk to them when you get the chance; you'll learn a lot! The Historian - These railfans enjoy documenting artifacts from the past, such as old ROW's, bridges, facilities, etc. This isn't really a specific category, but it's something many of us can fit into Casual Railfan - They don't travel to exotic railfan locations, and they don't take pictures. The tracks through their town are good enough for them, and they simply enjoy taking a moment to watch and appreciate a train. I've notices that Marion, Ohio has quite a few of these people The Nomad - Commonly found in large cities with several railroads, these fans don't like to wait for the trains, but will migrate around to several spots hoping to maximize the action that way. Tend to be a tad impatient and stand-offish from other railfans. The Rider - These railfans may not even realize what they are! They're simply those people who love to ride trains.

Michael
Virtual Morgan Run Shop, bringing the Ohio Central to MSTS

My Photos at RailPictures.net!

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RE: What Type of Railfan are you??, Jonatan, Dec-12-04, 11:58 AM, (1) RE: What Type of Railfan are you??, SVTS, Dec-12-04, 12:08 PM, (3) RE: What Type of Railfan are you??, bwbrgb, Dec-15-04, 04:29 PM, (36) RE: What Type of Railfan are you??, CGW409, Dec-12-04, 12:04 PM, (2) RE: What Type of Railfan are you??, NW 1218, Dec-12-04, 12:18 PM, (5) RE: What Type of Railfan are you??, jay611, Dec-12-04, 12:17 PM, (4) RE: What Type of Railfan are you??, delamaize, Dec-12-04, 02:08 PM, (6) RE: What Type of Railfan are you??, ns_sd70m, Dec-12-04, 03:19 PM, (7) RE: What Type of Railfan are you??, UP Wings, Dec-12-04, 03:48 PM, (8) RE: What Type of Railfan are you??, NewEnglandRailFan, Dec-12-04, 04:33 PM, (9) RE: What Type of Railfan are you??, runaway_b_unit, Dec-12-04, 05:15 PM, (10) RE: What Type of Railfan are you??, Erick_Cantu, Dec-12-04, 05:43 PM, (11) RE: What Type of Railfan are you??, Mattaf, Dec-12-04, 05:46 PM, (12) RE: What Type of Railfan are you??, GrandTrunkFan, Dec-12-04, 08:20 PM, (13) RE: What Type of Railfan are you??, CP3084, Dec-12-04, 09:22 PM, (14) RE: What Type of Railfan are you??, smp11512, Dec-12-04, 11:21 PM, (15) RE: What Type of Railfan are you??, BLW_1946, Dec-13-04, 00:08 AM, (16) RE: What Type of Railfan are you??, ASR_Q301, Dec-13-04, 02:14 AM, (17) RE: What Type of Railfan are you??, sstyrnol, Dec-13-04, 05:57 AM, (18) RE: What Type of Railfan are you??, Top Gon, Dec-13-04, 12:47 PM, (19) RE: What Type of Railfan are you??, mrWM734, Dec-13-04, 03:00 PM, (20) RE: What Type of Railfan are you??, yellowdog, Dec-13-04, 03:35 PM, (21) RE: What Type of Railfan are you??, NSkid, Dec-13-04, 04:59 PM, (22) RE: What Type of Railfan are you??, Nels_Anderson, Dec-13-04, 05:41 PM, (23) RE: What Type of Railfan are you??, Russian, Dec-13-04, 10:33 PM, (24) RE: What Type of Railfan are you??, McCloud_River_John, Dec-14-04, 02:31 AM, (25) RE: What Type of Railfan are you??, cnw8717, Dec-14-04, 03:18 AM, (26) RE: What Type of Railfan are you??, NorthShore_364, Dec-14-04, 08:13 AM, (27) RE: What Type of Railfan are you??, sawblade5, Dec-14-04, 10:20 AM, (28) RE: What Type of Railfan are you??, Crossbuck Bill, Dec-14-04, 04:32 PM, (29) RE: What Type of Railfan are you??, BN_9402, Dec-14-04, 06:18 PM, (30) RE: What Type of Railfan are you??, Mark_Blum, Dec-15-04, 00:16 AM, (31) RE: What Type of Railfan are you??, Darkviper, Dec-15-04, 02:49 AM, (32) RE: What Type of Railfan are you??, Interborough, Dec-15-04, 12:32 PM, (33) RE: What Type of Railfan are you??, Thunderbolt3985, Dec-19-04, 01:09 PM, (37) RE: What Type of Railfan are you??, Grimace780, Dec-15-04, 01:47 PM, (34) RE: What Type of Railfan are you??, ATSF104, Dec-15-04, 02:13 PM, (35) RE: What Type of Railfan are you??, LRC_lover_9th, Dec-20-04, 10:14 AM, (38) RE: What Type of Railfan are you??, James, Dec-20-04, 12:46 PM, (39)

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I'm a casual railfan or (steam) specialist./JonatanSteam rules!

Train gifs from Dans Railroad Gif RoundhouseNever trust computers. If you do, they will betray you.I'm the steam freak, ph34r me!!

My E-mail jonatan.gronoset@telia.com

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LAST EDITED ON Dec-12-04 AT 12:09 PM (EST)

It depends. If I am at Tehachapi, then I might be a Chaser, because there are so many chances to catch the same train along the slow moving line. But if I am there for a few days, as is the case has been, it might be a combination between a Chaser and a Watcher. On the NS line west of Altoona, you pretty much have to sit and enjoy them as they go by. Not very easy or safe to try and chase them there.
Chris Bogley
Syracuse New York
http://photobucket.com/albums/v520/CBP/

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I'm a casual , partly historical , enthusiastic train watcher and an avid MSTS participant . I live in a small town , a stone throw from the Ontario Corridor route in Canada and we have both passenger and freight traffic.
It's CN but you will see lashups of CN , NS , CSX , UP , Conrail , and others all in one day . Usually have about 20 - 30 trains per day with some freights up to almost 200 cars . Spiderman is a frequent site as a morning passenger and the Genesis also.Rod Berger

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Watcher/historianGary S

43 year old future curmudgen(Hey you kids get offa my lawn!!)

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Watcher.

John Means
MASW Founder and President
The MASW site is www.freewebs.com/klwtrainsim
www.blueridgerails.com

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All of the above, not including Foamer of corse....Jason Underwood
Virginia railfan
http://www.freewebs.com/vnctm

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as for me I am a Casual Railfan and a Historian.
Delamaize
"Long Live High Speed Rail In The USA"
"Down With Coprate Greed, Down With Union Pacific!"

Head Locomotive Builder Extraordinaire

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Casual railfan.

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Nomad/Watcher (Mainly)I only have one railroad in the area but I do go around and visit the different sidding and different spots in the yard to find the best action, when I do I sit and watch it. I also mix in a little bit of Chasing when the action is slim and some Specialist in the form of the Colorado Narrow Gauge.
-Brian-

*Proud Supporter of the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic*

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Watcher/Casual/Rider, on freight trains of course
-Dave

You can e-mail me at davej8010@aol.com -or- hrrc_7324@yahoo.com -or- feel free to aim me.

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I'm somewhat a watcher and a rider, however I don't do too much railfanning. I'm more of a casual railfan and historian. I'm not a foamer, but one time I did slightly delay the Amtrak Hiawatha before I got on just to get a photo of a cabbage.

C h r i s

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The kind that isn't living at home with mum at 59 years old. "The F59PHI and Genesis are the lamest excuses for locomotives Amtrak has ever operated - accept it and move on. Hug an F40 before it's too late!""To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that we are to stand by the president right or wrong, is not only unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American public."
- Theodore Roosevelt"Ahhh, a mother/daughter bonding over gay porn at lunch - the visions of my youth."
-That girl I like too much for my own good

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All of the above except the "Foamer".

Sea View Investigation Reports
The Sea View Group
The Sea View Forum

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Casual Railfan

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At least yer not the guy who keeps parking infront of me at CP's Quebec St Yard, screwing up my photos. He's in his late 50's, is rude disrepectful, and takes mum and his mutt everywhere with him!I cant say much, I take my wife, but she takes good notes, and enjoy's it! Jon

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I will take one of each for a thousand there Alex..You forgot the part about us foamers where we stand in below freezing temperatures in the rain/snow to get the shot we want.... even if it is just another baretable
Shane

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Chaser/Nomad/Historian/Train WatcherTim Baldwin
Buffalo NYMilepost 5 on the Buffalo Belt Line
CSX - NS - CP - CN

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The Train Watcher, The specialist in GE, BNSF and Santa Fe, I have been known to be the chaser when there are 6 locos on a train!! >Mike Forster<
Perth, Western AustraliaMike.Forster.2005@gmail.com
http://www.trainweb.org/aussiepix

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I am Watcher/Rider! Cheers!Sebastian

Visit my "sebastian's trains pages" at http://www.freewebs.com/sstyrnol ...

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I am a Casual/Watcher type RailfanChad Evans

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I'm a spicialist, historian, rider, and chaser. Is there also an option for people who are riders, but drive the engine?

mrWM734
Visit Loconut's Caboose (FORUM) and have some coffee!
http://www.wizardofodd.com/forums/

http://vmcs.proboards21.com/index.cgi
HELP OUT THE B&O Roundhouse Restoration Fund at www.borail.org

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I'm The Watcher when I've got something else to do in the meantime (like read a book these days, or play hacky-sack in the old days).
I'm The Chaser when I'm feeling adventurous and want to see more than just trains.
I'm The Foamer when I know the railroad like the back of my hand and the railroaders know me (this only applies to one rail line). Of course, then it's not really "Foaming" because it's not all that dangerous due to tons of "inside information" and is done with respect for and knowledge of friends who are actually driving the equipment. However, to the outside observer, it might appear as Foaming so I'll accept the mantle.
With the advent of AC power and widecabs, I've come to be sort of The Speciliast in regards to paying a lot more attention to the aging SD40-2 fleets. However, since most railroads run the high-powered widecab stuff with the solid paint scheme consists, I'm mostly just a Casual Railfan.

Clayton

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I'm all except Foamer.


Christopher.B
"NS forever"

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Of the listed categories, probably watcher and a bit of historian.Also one missing category: listener, as I spend a more time listening to railroad activity on my scanner than I actually do watching.

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LAST EDITED ON Dec-13-04 AT 10:33 PM (EST)

>The Nomad - Commonly found in large cities with
>several railroads, these fans don't like to wait for the
>trains, but will migrate around to several spots hoping to
>maximize the action that way. Tend to be a tad impatient and
>stand-offish from other railfans. That's me mostly. When on my bike I race along CN's mainline in order to catch the action from different spots, not to mention a CP branchline and a BNSF local.

http://www.ussr.to/Russia/trainsim/
Visit my webpage - Updated weekly
- Roman

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we call them all "foamers"

"Cascade Green Forever"

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Im the The Train Watcher/The Chaser/The Foamer. Sometimes Ill just kick back and watch. Other times its keep going till you find one. Also Ive to be a foamer cause I often ignore trespassing signs to get the better pic. No1 can tell me they adhere to trespassing signs all the time.

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It really depends where I am. Most of the time I'm a watcher (even though I bring my camera 99.9% of the time). On the CP line in upstate New York, I've chased trains many times (but I only got lucky and actually caught one once). I also chased trains a bit back in the 90's (I remember chasing a Conrail train for 30 miles along the Washington Secondary in New Jersey, that was awesome), other than that, the only time I remember chasing a train was an unsucessful chase of an autorack with a UP C44ACCTE. When I'm in Altoona, I'm probably a Nomad/Watcher, I usually want to visit every location in the Altoona area.BTW great avatar cnw8717! We just need an SP one...

Founding Member of the No Patch SP and SSW Locomotives Club

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I am mainly a Train Watcher, however I am a little bit of a foamer if I see a really neat locomotive that I don't want to miss a photo of, and I'm seem to be very casual because I like to use the same spot over and over again. I am also a Rider, I really enjoy riding trains and roller coasters, you can see me spending hours on a amusement park train ride or roller coasters.

Chris Knight
UP fan since I was a kid!

I still believe Surfliner is a real MSTS route not Vaporware
Coming Soon Amtrak Superliner Coach #35005.

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Causual/Historian

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That definition of a foamer can be split into two parts. Railfans that do what the original definition says can be called the Idiot Foamers. There are GOOD foamers out there too, who help the railroad out by catching trespassers in the act, reporting emergencies that threaten or could threaten railroad property or employees, etc etc. I fit myself along with many others into the good foamer category.My personal definition for a foamer is:Foamer - the energetic railfan who can stand to laugh at himself along with others and can enjoy the railfan hobby without being a freaking dick about it.Austin

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I'm a virtual foamer. I ride in, under and around rolling stock, block highways, hop onto the steps of moving trains, and go nuts in "yard view". Sometimes lay on the ties to watch trains run over me, and frantically jump from engine views to View 5 in the caboose if available.That's in-game of course. In real life I'm very respectful of safety and don't foam. I do roam from place to place when on a railfan trip, because they're so damned few and far between.Mark
A Southern Railway Fan

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I guess I am a Chaser/Watcher/Specialist/Nomad. I like to find a bussy spot such as the Sciota Tower in downtown Columbus and then sometimes follow the train out of town for 30-40 miles to locations I have pre-scouted along the local lines. I am always armed with a scanner and camera. I stick to Central Ohio and have been scanning the airwaves and taking pictures since before I could drive. Funny you should mention Marion Ohio though, I was born there and make it back to Union Station once or twice a year. I always meet the frendlyest people there.
Just down the road from the CSX/NS Buckeye Yard.
Visit the WVK&O homepage http://www.angelfire.com/fang/dark_viper/page6.html

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Well, in New York, we have our own little term:
The Straphanger
This term applies only to the New York Subway. There are many many different kinds of straphangers, and a straphanger can be any one of those above categories, mostly specialists and something else. Some of them may not even be railfans; they may just be commuters who pay a little more attention to the subway than everyone else.
Straphangers generally also pay attention to other New York area commuter railroads and rapid transit systems. Most of them are also bus fans as well.
I'd say I'm a straphanger, and at least one other person on this forum is a straphanger as well.

John

"Ladies and gentlemen. For your safety, please do not hold car doors open while the train is in the station."
A Century of Progress 1904-2004

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That one other person is probably me. I also enjoy riding the Museum trains (one pictured below,) so I'm probably a Historian. The one below is R-9 1802 (1940, Pressed Steel Co.), recently restored and the newest member of the Arnines. Only four more cars to go to make it a full 10-car train!

Attachments

http://www.train-sim.com/dcforum/User_files/41c5c32420f41c40.jpg

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For me, I believe Watcher, Specialist, and Rider apply.I ued to work at a pulpmill. My office was at the edge of a rail yard behind the main building. The track to the Chem Shed ran right behind the wall behind me when I was at my desk. Watching the loco crew switch cars often distracted me from my regular work.Every now and again I would be on the phone and would say to the caller, "Hang on a moment," while I put in ear plugs. I would have felt the trailer shake and knew the sound of an air horn was not far behind. Responses from unsuspecting callers was often interesting. I am a Specialist in that I have taken a keen intrest in railroad signals and signalling. I know the signal aspects for CN and CP as good as or better than my brother-in-law who works as a Signal and Crossings maintainer for CN.Used to be an avid rider. When I lived in Cowgary, Alberta I rode the LRT (aka C-Train) nearly every day. The train is my preferred method of travel in that city.Cheers,
Gary Cameron
Grande Prairie "The last civilized stop before Alaska," AB
Canada

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The Train Watcher, The Chaser, The Specialist, The Historian, Casual Railfan, & The Rider, just depends what kind of mood I'm in.-MattATSF GP60M #104 works on the local in Flagstaff, AZ. www.atsfrr.com Please attend the up coming convention in Pasadena, California.

If you cant find me at Home I'm railfanning up and down the BNSF Ft. Worth Sub.

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I'm a train-watcher. I stay at my local commuter train station where I can see commuters, intercitys and freights, which is kinda casual railfan-like.-Andy the LRC lover
EMD all the way!!

MLT Lives!

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The Train Watcher/Foamer.
Check out my Website
http://www.freewebs.com/surfliner01/index.htm

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