I used to get it before everything's focus shifted to the NS Heritages and BNSF and UP rival showdowns in the Southwest. All of those 3 are something that I could really care less about. Most of these people writing are probably young and probably haven't even seen some other areas that are fantastic locations other than Horseshoe Curve, Cajon Pass, Mojave/Tehapachi Loop.
Trains magazine has really turned into the magazine for Foamers vice Railroad Enthusiast like ourselves. It used to be about that where we could see what was going on throughout all the railroads, but now it's just another thing for no-good doing foamers. It's gotten to be so bad that railfan and foamer are synonymous, but they aren't. Foamers have no life and need to get one, while railfans are people who appreciate and understand the trains and what's going on. They also understand safety, and that trains are big and could kill you at anytime. Foamers are careless 100% of the time. Railfans enjoy the trains as they roll-past regardless of what it is. Whether it's a GE ES44AC, Dash 9, AC4400CW, or EMD SD40-2, SD60, or SD70 series, we enjoy it. We also know that crews have an important job, so if they don't give us a wave, or some kind of hornshow, it's because they were busy at work doing what they do. Foamers get ridiculously angry if a crew does not acknowledge their existence and give them the show they demand. Railfans get surprised when crews put on a show, and are always happy when a crew can at their own discretion do so. Foamers demand everything. Foamers 95% of the time are after Steam movements and Heritage units... They spend their whole lives sheltered trying to make their lifetime achievement of seeing every unit listed on Heritage units.com. They are so bad, that they abuse every resource that helps the railfan get out and see trains at different spots, so that now public tracing is no longer existent and we as railfans really have to use our own brains to pick out spots and hot-times. Foamers pretend to know something about trains, but all they know is that NS 8114 is the Norfolk and Southern Heritage ES44AC or that UP 1983 is the Western Pacific SD70ACe. Foamers actually think they take good pictures and videos, but I would say 80% of the videos and pictures I have seen from foamers suck. Railfans take fantastic pictures and videos because they know. Foamers know not, nor will they ever know the secrets. Foamers spend a lot of their time playing train-sims, and then claiming that makes them an engineer candidate at a class 1 RR. Railfans know that being an Engineer or Conductor is not that simple. Crews like railfans, but hate foamers. Foamers write about those locations because they are the foamer captials of the world. Railfans always have a story to share, foamers have none because they never to a moment to step aside and think about what they are seeing and then think about something else they saw. Foamers are 100% of the time impaitent in a hobby class where patience makes or breaks you. Railfans are patient and know how to make all the elements work together to get exactly what they want. They understand that sometimes though getting it takes half a year to get it though and in X time slot they might have 1 day or a whole week to do it. Foamers can't do this, the only thing they know that a heritage unit is coming, and that they have to see it. Remember, Railfans are not foamers!!!! No matter what one says, the two are never alike! The
