Virtual Railfans!

[iMONITOR]

I stumbled onto to this article that I think you railroad monitors might find interesting. They talk about "virtual rail fans" watching railroad and train activity on-line. The hobby bring tourist to railroad towns to see things first hand and in person. I found it interesting yet disappointing there is no mention of monitoring them with radios and scanners. Or course they can't use scanners if they're not there. I haven't checked but are there any websites that stream railroad radio traffic on-line? They don't know what they're missing. Maybe it will catch on when go to the towns and they encounter others with radios.

The surprisingly popular world of online trainspotting: ‘Some people keep it on 24 hours a day’
Betsy Reed
Editor, Guardian US

The surprisingly popular world of online trainspotting: ‘Some people keep it on 24 hours a day’

Aided by station-mounted cameras, fans are breathing new life into America’s forgotten railway towns – online and IRL

www.theguardian.com

 

[drdispatch]

There are numerous feeds on Broadcastify that carry rail radio traffic.
And I love the Virtual Railfan website! It's one of my favorites. Often when I'm in my home office on the computer, or doing something else, I'll put on the Horseshoe Curve web cam just for the background noise & to see the occasional train.

 

[N9JIG]

I have suggested to both Virtual Railfan and RailStream that they include scanner traffic on their streams but they have not gone there. I think it would be a great thing but I guess they do not see the value in that.

 

[drdispatch]

I have suggested to both Virtual Railfan and RailStream that they include scanner traffic on their streams but they have not gone there. I think it would be a great thing but I guess they do not see the value in that.

That's an excellent idea! The VR webcam at Horseshoe Curve does have a microphone, and there is a scanner on loudspeaker at the park, so you can hear traffic quite well, including the nearby defect detector. I wonder how receptive they would be if feed providers approached them offering a partnership with a "quid pro quo"; I advertise your website, you advertise mine sort of deal.

 

[kg6nlw]

@iMONITOR Of course there is an online radio stream service for some railroads! I was part of the initial team years ago when the MANDATORY requirement to stream was to have a top-end dedicated DSL modem! RailroadRadio.net is the website and it's been around since 56k modems were the rage! This even predates, I think, the broadcastify idea for PD/FD/EMS streams!

FWIW, "Virtual" Railfanning is just for lazy foamers who don't want to go out and touch the grass like they should!!

Regards,

-Frank C.

 

[drdispatch]

FWIW, "Virtual" Railfanning is just for lazy foamers who don't want to go out and touch the grass like they should!!

You're not wrong....

 

[oneadam12-va]

FWIW, "Virtual" Railfanning is just for lazy foamers who don't want to go out and touch the grass like they should!!

Actually there are a number of people that have physical limitations, my brother is one and is in the picture above, that limits their activities so getting out to touch the grass in Fostoria and Deshler Ohio, Horseshoe Curve, Arvada, Colorado, and other places that have rail cams is difficult. Plus there are a large number of "Virtual Railfans" that live in other countries, and especially during the pandemic couldn't travel abroad. So, for me I don't see it as being "lazy" but, as another way to enjoy the railfanning hobby.. How often are you going to go to Arvada, Colorado and watch the activity on the Big Ten Curves, or get to Skykomish, Washington in your life time?

 

[wa8pyr]

FWIW, "Virtual" Railfanning is just for lazy foamers who don't want to go out and touch the grass like they should!!

Speak for yourself. I get out and chase trains in the real world regularly, but watch VR to see locations I don't normally get to see,

 

[K3HY]

Actually there are a number of people that have physical limitations, my brother is one and is in the picture above, that limits their activities so getting out to touch the grass in Fostoria and Deshler Ohio, Horseshoe Curve, Arvada, Colorado, and other places that have rail cams is difficult. Plus there are a large number of "Virtual Railfans" that live in other countries, and especially during the pandemic couldn't travel abroad. So, for me I don't see it as being "lazy" but, as another way to enjoy the railfanning hobby.. How often are you going to go to Arvada, Colorado and watch the activity on the Big Ten Curves, or get to Skykomish, Washington in your life time?

For me, some of those train webcams are very relaxing. I find it easier to sleep to those train sounds, than total silence. LOL

 

[kg6nlw]

Actually there are a number of people that have physical limitations, my brother is one and is in the picture above, that limits their activities so getting out to touch the grass in Fostoria and Deshler Ohio, Horseshoe Curve, Arvada, Colorado, and other places that have rail cams is difficult. Plus there are a large number of "Virtual Railfans" that live in other countries, and especially during the pandemic couldn't travel abroad. So, for me I don't see it as being "lazy" but, as another way to enjoy the railfanning hobby.. How often are you going to go to Arvada, Colorado and watch the activity on the Big Ten Curves, or get to Skykomish, Washington in your life time?

Speak for yourself. I get out and chase trains in the real world regularly, but watch VR to see locations I don't normally get to see,

Please note I said FOAMERS, not railfans...There are tons of FOAMERS who think catching something via rail-cam is the "bee's knees" and will go nuts over it. The ones who live in mommy and daddy's basement. Those are the ones who need to go out and touch some grass!

Railfans that occasionally use the cameras to enjoy somewhere they might not be able to get to as often as they'd like, etc., are different.

Regards,

-Frank C.

 

[N9JIG]

Please note I said FOAMERS, not railfans...There are tons of FOAMERS who think catching something via rail-cam is the "bee's knees" and will go nuts over it. The ones who live in mommy and daddy's basement. Those are the ones who need to go out and touch some grass!

Railfans that occasionally use the cameras to enjoy somewhere they might not be able to get to as often as they'd like, etc., are different.

Regards,

-Frank C.

And how does that matter? Live and let live. If you enjoy sitting at home and watching a camera go for it. If you prefer to go out and catch them live then do it.

One of the main points of the article that you seemed to have missed was that many of the locations have generated many in-person visits from online viewers. I know I have visited several railcam locations due to viewing them online here. I even bought 2 additional 50-inch TV's just so I can watch cameras in my office while working from home or just chilling out.