what's the appeal or allure behind being a railfan?

[drdispatch]

I suppose its similar to little kids like big trucks. When I was a little kid in my parents car the best thing that could have happened besides mcdonalds was getting stuck at a railroad crossing

We used to have a crossing (since torn up) on a one-way street downtown. If we were headed home from the west side of town during the summer and got caught by a train, a little prodding from my brother and I would convince our dad to put the car in park and walk over to the ice cream shop that was strategically located there, returning with cones or shakes to enjoy while we waited.
I think that's when I first developed my affection for trains......

 

[drdispatch]

I "chased" Union Pacific 4014 "Big Boy" from St. Anne IL to Villa Grove IL earlier this month. Lots of examples of railfans doing stupid things. At the top of the list were the fans standing on the Norfolk Southern bridge over the UP at Sidney. Aside from blatant trespassing, they were completely oblivious to the fact that NS runs stack trains through there at 60 mph.

The trip to the West Suburbs of Chicago which I mentioned in an earlier post was planned, vacation requested, and hotel reservations booked......one week before Big Boy's schedule was released. 🤦‍♂️ We were in Rochelle. Five days too late.😡

 

[Falcon9h]

What's the allure? If I knew why I love trains it wouldn't be a hobby any more. I just love them without being a wacker-foamer. I photographed since the Instamatic days but haven't since NS. Too sterile with no more locomotive variety. You can shoot only so many GE wide cabs.
Aspberger's (definitely diagnosed) might have something to do with it. Biggest aspie hallmarks are radio and trains, got 'em both in spades.

 

[SmileySixguns]

My interest could be attributed indirectly to my Dad's Uncle that worked for the Pennsylvania Railroad. He used to take his kids and my Dad and Uncles to work with him to check everything out. That kept my Dad interested, and when I arrived he started taking me too. It eventually lead to me working for 4 different railroads, and most of that time being a locomotive engineer. Because it was also a hobby, and my Dad's MANY ties to various tourist railroads (even to the point of owning his own locomotive for a while), I've been able to run a number of historical engines over the years. My older grandson had his first cab ride with me when he was just 6 weeks old.

 

[Coffeemug]

I can't say what exactly sparked my interest in Railfanning, but it felt more like a sickness. My Uncle Ralph did work as CONRAIL POLICE K-9 OFFICER, and I did a lot of my swag collectable stuff from him. Every spare minute, I was down at Holmesburg Junction watch the action on the Northeast Corridor. Once in a while, I would get sit upstairs inside of the Holmes Interlocking Tower watching the lights on the board. The Block Operator or Dispatcher would set each switch and each signal to route each train to right destination.
My favorite freight local

 

[kc5uta]

well that settles it...mySDRplay should arrive in a few days, so I will definitely start researching the appropriate frequencies ..Thanks for the input

 

[kny2xb]

I suppose its similar to little kids like big trucks. When I was a little kid in my parents car the best thing that could have happened besides McDonald's was getting stuck at a railroad crossing

Substitute Carroll's for McDonald's, I'm from Western New York State

My Dad & I would count the number of cars, & I'd watch for the caboose at the end

To try to answer the thread topic question, for me it's nostalgia for earlier times, I can't verbalize it, it's something that I feel

The fact that I enjoy radio in different forms is icing on the cake, I enjoy seeing trains, & listening to the rail people is an additional pleasure

 

[spongella]

Watching railfan videos on YouTube is very entertaining, almost like being there. A big thanks to all the railfanners for sharing.

 

[RRR]

Mine is simple....

💰💰🤑