The DeCulturalization of Railfans, and Railroad Events.

[Jacobchgo19]

Hello All.

This post is meant to be a little bit of a rant.

I am all fired and ready to go to Chicago Union Station to have some railfan fun at National Train Day. The turn off of this event? Chuggington, The 'Worlds Favorite Band' "The ChooChoos" and the little kid freindly $h!t. 2 years ago: Cab Tours. Freight Displays, and Hands On Rail Expierence. I was allowed into a P42, A MP36 and other equipment. Last year : No. Its all about the little kiddies . Same as this year.

Can you agree to this part of things?


Also, The DeCultureization of Railfans.
We are sterotyped as "Foamers" or "Mentally Altered People". Not "Amazing Photogrphers" or "Smart People". We are : "Terrorists, Dorks, Idiots, Children Who Never went Through Puberty (my fav!) and Bad People"

Can you also agree to this? Tell me your story's and experiences.

 

[rjhowie]

Not my country or culture but it does seem a little restricted considering what has been? Even allowing for creating an interest for toddlers the vast majority of rail fans are adults.

 

[flyboy559]

I know how you feel. The event in Fresno, CA used to have modular layouts and a cab simulator and one of the nearby live steam railroads brought a locomotive on a trailer. This year there is nothing.

 

[H222]

They're trying to make money out of it, it's not necessarily deculturalisation, it's more capitalism than anything else.

I've never been called any of that... Most of my friends know of my love of trains/trainz, and they're still my friends

 

[bl4882]

Hi Jacob,

Wish I could offer something more than good wishes but I sense the ugly head of an insurance carrier here. They just don't want to have little parts of a tiny kid in close proximity with a 250 ton locomotive, even if the loco is strapped down to the Earth and won't be moving. Much as we might despise these companies it is very hard to argue with them. If a kid does suffer something like a hang nail, it could result in an eight figure recovery in court.

Bernie

Just wanted to add, last June I went to the California RR museum with my grandson, a pretty strong 6 year old, and missed a picture of him attempting to heft SP 4294, a 4882 monster, by the right front cylinder. Fortunately, he did not derail the locomotive, but I'm willing to bet that soon that will be a misdemeanor, at least.:hehe:

BL

 

[Jacobchgo19]

Bernine. You do have a point there.
But there are certain things i have seen railroads do, And this leaves many soiled diapers.
One year, I was at an event, and you actually had to file wavers and papers and such. You also had to know certain things about the locomotive before being allowed into it. This is what they should do. Have only certain aged children allowed on the equipment. (Yes, Foamers included) This would prevent the dangers of equipment. Jumping off a UP engine in Franklin Park IL, (At their railroad dayz event) i scratched my arm from my wrist to my elbow and it was bleeding badly. The medics on site treated it, and suddenly a UP employee was asking me if my dad (im a minor) would sue. I said "For Every penny you got! Damn unsafe equipment!".. The employee just about pissed his pants. I replied "Im kidding. This is part of the experience! Who else can say they got their arm cut open on the Katy?". I still have the scar, its faded though. Stuff like that could cause issues, Especially seeing some of the people at NTD (Gotta cash my check! I need my check!). The idea should still be "Ok. You sign this, and at your own risk you do this this and this. You agree to not suing us if your little rug-rat cuts himself. Oh and he can only be 8 and above".

 

[Blutorse4792]

It does seem like trains were a more popular hobby 50-60 years ago. I'd wager the death of interurbans/streetcars in the 1940s/1950s and passenger rail in the late 1960s might have something to do with it.

Plus, car and plane enthusiasts don't seem to be judged in the same light as rail enthusiasts, though I will admit it seems like there are more visible "weirdos"/"foamers"/"geeks" in our hobby than the others.

 

[cascaderailroad]

When 5, or more rail enthusiasts, each equiped with a RR Scanner radio on full volume, are all standing in a group (presumably for best radio wave reception) and they all hear a garbled radio transmission: "AwhhRaghtBringErBak8763" and they all start excitedly drooling all over themselves, and all have a anti-foam antacid tablets on hand for just such events, and a wet wipey face rag stuffed in their back pocket ... then the hobby starts looking a little wierd to non-railfans ... especially when their handwritten railfanning log book goes back 3 years, and one can recall exactly, that on Oct 21st 2010 at 3:37 in the PM (15:37) that the PGAL had three CR patched units #3878, #3967 and #4526 on the head end, and 137 railcars (and they wrote them all down also).

Hmmmmmmmmm ?

When trains go by ... they go Whooo Whooo, and Ding Ding Ding !

When the dispatcher calls you (being a railfan) in the middle of the night, to find out where his trains are ... You might just know more than the average railroad employee.

 

[nathanmallard]

Wow, I thought health & safety culture was a British thing, I never realised how lucky we are! At last years 'Railfest' event at York, more than 70 locos and MUs were in attendance, and in about 70% of them the cabs were open to all, even the steam locomotives. Everyone was allowed in too, even 5 year old Thomas fans who could get a bit over enthusiastic! :hehe: There was very little H&S brigade presence, the only warning sign I saw was a piece of laminiated paper in the cab of a brand-new 395 High Speed Train that read: "Pantograph not in use, do not try to raise". There was a 'Chuggington' bit, but it was hidden away in a shed. I throughly enjoyed my day there. BTW, was there any professional rail enthusiast/railfan presence at all at the Chicago event? If they wasn't, they shouldn't of marketed it at rail enthusiasts, then! Sounds like crass commercialisation to me.

 

[amtrak2041864]

Well at grand central terminal, they said online that the events closes at 4 but when I got there the line closed at 2pm. I got there at 2:03. I was highly upset and they said come back tomorrow. WTF, there were alot of angrey train lovers. A miss communication or something because the parade of the trains closed. I will go back tomorrow but on monday metro-north will hear from me