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Railfan

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"Train spotting" redirects here. For other uses, see Trainspotting.
Railfans practicing their hobby at Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin.

A railfan or rail buff (American English), railway enthusiast (Australian/British English), or (often with a more specialized meaning, described below) trainspotter (British English), is a person who is typically strongly interested, in an amateur capacity, in railroads.[1] Railfans can be found worldwide. Railfans can also be retired career railroaders who still share a love for watching trains as well.

Other names

Excessively enthusiastic railfans are sometimes referred to pejoratively as "foamers",[2] especially by American railworkers, in reference to the joking notion that they foam at the mouth in their excitement over train operations. "FRN" (for "fucking rail nut")[3] is a similarly-used term in the American rail industry. The UK equivalent is "crank", which has been taken into enthusiast usage.

In the UK, railfans are sometimes called trainspotters, grizzers or gricers, according to their speciality (see below). In Australia, they are sometimes called "gunzels".[4][5]

The study of railways, or a general interest in them as a hobby, is sometimes known as ferroequinology (literally, "study of iron horses"). The term is rarely used by non-railfans. The Railway Magazine attempted to popularise the term railwayac without success in the early 20th century.[6]

Activities

The hobby extends to all aspects of railroad systems. Various people have one or more particular concentrations of interest, such as:

File:Railroad Pictures 022.jpg
Norfolk Southern GP59 4610. Located on GD01 in Dalton, Georgia, wearing the colors of the former Southern Railway.

Railway photography

Train photography is a common activity of railfans. Most railfans do their photographing from public property, unless they have permission to use a specific private property owner's land. Occasionally, they run into problems with law enforcement, especially due to post 9/11 paranoia, because they are sometimes viewed as suspicious. In fact, in 2004 the New York City Subway attempted to institute a photo ban. This was met with fierce opposition, and was ultimately scrapped. Railroad companies also sometimes dislike railfans, considering them a nuisance.

Railfans respond that their presence makes the railroads safer, since they typically know what is normal behavior and can spot someone who is up to no good, or something that appears to be out of place or unusual. Some railroad photographers have become well known in their own right for their works. Many railfans are very familiar with the works of H. Reid, Otto Perry and O.Winston Link; in the UK with Derek Cross (1929-84), Maurice W. Earley (1900-82), Rev. Alfred H. Malan (1852-1928), Brian W. Morrison, Ivo Peters (d.1989), H. Gordon Tidey and Rev. Eric Treacy; or, in New Zealand, with W.W. (Bill) Stewart (1898-1976).

Connex Melbourne now require any railfan wishing to take photographs to apply for and obtain a permit. Permits last for 90 days, except in the case of some select stations in which a permit only lasts for 7 days. This system has been met with resentment from the railfan community, and many refuse to apply for permits. In November, 2005 one railfan was issued with an infringement notice simply for holding a camera on a platform.[citation needed] Spanish RENFE railroad company also requires to apply for a permit, but even with it railroad security staff still forbids and even require the photographers to delete all the pictures taken with digital cameras. However, in the United States, this requirement is illegal. Even on private property, photographers cannot be forced to delete digital photos or destroy their film. It is their property and cannot be taken or destroyed without a court order.

a WAG-5 in Araku Valley near Vizag, India - a paradise for trainspotters.

Trainspotting

It is a common misconception that all Railfans are 'trainspotters'. Those who are "trainspotters" make an effort to 'spot' all of a certain type of rolling stock. This might be a particular class of locomotive, a particular type of carriage or all the rolling stock of a particular company. To this end, they collect and exchange detailed information about the movements of locomotives and other equipment on the railway network, and become very knowledgeable about its operations.

The equipment of a trainspotter consists, generally, of a data book listing all the locomotives or other equipment in question, in which locomotives seen are ticked off; a notebook and pens, to note down sightings to transfer into the book at leisure; and an infinite supply of patience. In the UK, this aspect of the hobby was given a large boost by the publication of the Ian Allan "ABC" series of booklets from the 1940s onwards.

Today, some trainspotters will use a tape recorder instead of the notebook. Modern times have seen the addition of the cellphone and/or pager as an aid to communication with others in the hobby, while various internet mailing lists and web sites allow for exchange of information. There are also websites which allow spotters to record and cross reference their sightings with other spotters. Railfans can maintain private computerized databases of spotting records as well. Radio scanners are common equipment for listening in on railroad frequencies in the US in order to know when trains are about to arrive.

Those who spend most of their time on one station only, are "stoats" or "veg". "Cranks" are particularly attracted to one type of train and make sure they see all of its workings. "Neds" concentrate on special rail activity and tend to ignore the regular happenings on the lines; they look for "gen" (which is information about railway workings) before going out spotting.

Train spotters at Norwich station, England

'Virtual' Trainspotting

A relatively new phenomenon, made possible by the ease of searching for images on the Internet.

'Virtual' spotting can involve any area of railways, but as an example, an enthusiast may wish to search for photos of a particular locomotive in a given area or a specific period. Upon finding an image online, they have then 'spotted' the loco in question, and may regard it as a 'cop'.[citation needed]

'Basher'

A development from trainspotting is the haulage enthusiast or "basher".[7] These individuals attempt to ride behind or in the cab of as many locomotives as they can, marking them off in a book just like a regular trainspotter.

Enthusiasts who attempt to travel over as much of the railway network as they can (including the use of special excursions to cover portions not regularly open for passengers), are usually referred to as "gricers" or "track bashers".

Collecting railroadiana

Many railfans also collect "railroadiana" or "railwayana". Railroadiana refers to artifacts from railroads and railroad operations and could include nearly anything to do with a particular railroad, including (but not limited to): public or employee timetables, locomotive number boards, dining car china, passenger train tickets, tools and pieces of equipment such as lanterns, or sometimes items as big as train horns, or track speeders. Although few can afford the price or the space for storage, some railfans even go so far as to collect full size rolling stock or locomotives.

Collecting unusual tickets is another pursuit for some railfans. For example, China Railway itself does not sell round-trip tickets officially, but someone could buy a multiple-trip ticket with the starting and ending station the same for a round trip. This problem was fixed in the latest ticket-selling software. Another example, there are two railway stations called Dongfanghong (The East Is Red) and Taiyangsheng (The Sun Rises) in Heilongjiang province, the two stations are 600 or some kilometers apart and no direct trains connect them. Someone bought multiple-trip tickets from one to another so the ticket read Dongfanghong -> Taiyangsheng, this is a famous lyric in a Chinese song The East Is Red.

Fantrips

Many railway preservation groups run special trips for railfans using restored trains, often to locations that do not see regular passenger services. These trips are both social events, as well as an opportunity for railfans to photograph unusual trains. Chasing a fantrip by road for the purposes of photography is often referred to as "Motorcading" in Australia.[8][9]

Other activities

Some railfans are interested in other aspects of railroads not directly dealing with the trains. They may be interested in studying the history of the railroad companies, their infrastructure and operations, including never-built plans. Abandoned railroad grades can often be found long after the railroad stops using them. Trams (and occasionally even monorails) may also be of interest.

Various magazines, clubs and museums are designed mainly for railfans, concentrating on the history of trains and railroads. Some clubs organize fantrips, either by car or by train; the New York Transit Museum owns some old equipment with which fantrips are occasionally run on the New York City Subway.

See also: List of railroad-related periodicals.

Origins of interest

The motivation for someone developing an interest in railways ('becoming a railfan') can come from many sources.

Many railfans have a particular fixation with steam locomotives, which are generally accepted to bring fascination to most of the public, as seen by the amount that turn out at stations to see steam-hauled railtours. Sometimes the appeal of trains is nostalgic, recalling an earlier era when the railroads played a central role in commerce and transportation, and the train depot was the center of every town. Sometimes the appeal can come from a fondness for the power of large machinery. Sometimes there is an appeal of the scenery of the railroad running through large, uninviting terrain, or the gritty ambiance of the urban train yard. In this case, urban exploration poses a similar appeal. Some people were born and raised very close either to streetcar tracks or to railways. Everyday activities were associated with railroad, which seemed to be a part of life. This may lead to an interest in railcars, how they move, numbering, and other rail systems in the world and how they compare with their native ones. And if these people move to another place to live, their interest in railroads might have a nostalgic flavor of older life.

Another appeal of the railroads is the business side of railroading. Railroads were long central to economic growth and commerce, and still are to some degree. The history of great railroads and railroaders such as James J. Hill is a fascination for some, whether they view them in a positive way as capitalist heroes or in a negative way as robber barons.

An interest in model railroading can often lead to an interest in 'the real thing', whether as a means of building more accurate models or operating more accurate trains, for example.

Many railfans once worked for a railroad themselves, or had parents or other relatives who did, leading to a lifelong continued interest in trains. Others developed a strong interest in trains through a hobby such as model railroading.

Most people love to travel. Even though today other forms of transit such as cars, airplanes, and boats are in abundance, train travel may seem more traditional and relaxing if compared with car travel.

Many people who would not otherwise think of themselves as railfans just like trains. Most cannot explain why. Songs and stories have glorified railroading ever since the invention of the locomotive, especially in the United States, while children's toys and books about trains continue to be popular. The Railroad Tycoon series of simulation computer games is another example of railroads' enduring popularity.

Safety

Railfans can also keep the railroad areas safer by reporting crimes and suspicious activity. In the United Kingdom the British Transport Police have used trainspotters' vast knowledge and widespread presence to their advantage, and have actively encouraged them to report any suspicious persons or activities. In America, however, concerns over terrorism have led to situations where railfans are followed or confronted by local law enforcement or transit police.

Many experienced railfans have enhanced knowledge of railroad operations and hazards that can help the railroad, such as reporting malfunctioning crossing gates and other equipment. The history of the railroad industry is full of accidents that could have been easily prevented had someone reported what they had seen; for example a fire in the last cars of a long freight train may be obvious to a trackside observer but not to those in the locomotive.

Trainwatching was featured in the 2003 movie The Station Agent.

In the United Kingdom in particular, trainspotting is seen by many of the individuals who are not themselves involved with the hobby as being virtually synonymous with "dull" and "geeky", and the term has gained an ulterior meaning as any sort of activity that appears, to the outsider, to be pointless. In the Monty Python's Flying Circus episode "You're No Fun Anymore" a camel spotter is interviewed. When asked how many camels he has seen he says, "Well, nearly, nearly...nearly one. Call it none." Later he claims that he has previously been "yeti spotting". In the end it turns out that he is just an ordinary train spotter. (Interestingly, Monty Python member Michael Palin is a self-confessed trainspotter.)

It is a common misconception that all railfans are trainspotters- often railfans who aren't trainspotters regard trainspotting with as much ridicule as the general public, sharing in a common belief that 'spotting' and recording rolling stock is indeed boring, dull and geeky.

The activity of trainspotting was briefly mentioned in a passage set in a railway station, in Irvine Welsh's novel of the same name; however, it was left out of the film adaptation altogether. The novel Trainspotting and its film adaptation are not directly related to the hobby, although it may be inferred from the movie's opening scene that the title is a comment on what the author sees as the supposed pointlessness of the hobby.

Railfan jargon

Railfans have a large amount of jargon that can be foreign to other people. Because of the regional differences in railfan slang, three separate articles to describe them are warranted:

More can be found at www.railspot.co.uk

See also

References

  • Kisor, Henry (1994). Zephyr: Tracking a Dream Across America. Holbrook, Massachusetts: Adams Publishing. ISBN 1-55850-477-X. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  1. ^ Kisor, p. 5.
  2. ^ This Was Pacific Electric (Media notes). Glendale, California: Sky City Productions. 2003. {{cite AV media notes}}: |format= requires |url= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameters: |1= and |director= (help)
  3. ^ Kisor, p. 6.
  4. ^ Campbell, Don (2004-01-02). "Gunzels". Trams Down Under. Tramway Museum Society of Victoria. Retrieved 2007-10-05. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  5. ^ Moynihan, Stephen (October 1, 2007). "Rail fans celebrate own win as new line launched". The Age. Retrieved 2007-10-05. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  6. ^ Walton, John K. (September 2005). "Power, speed and glamour: The naming of express steam locomotives in inter-war Britain". The Journal of Transport History. Retrieved 2007-10-05. {{cite journal}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  7. ^ Carter, Gary. "Everything You Need To Know About "Bashing"". (A Beginner's Guide). Dreadful.org.uk. Retrieved 2007-03-27.
  8. ^ Australian Railway Slang
  9. ^ Hotham Valley Railway

Further reading

  • Adams, Will (2006). Trainspotting Days. Kettering: Silver Link Publishing. ISBN 1857942671.
  • Harvey, Michael G. (2004). Forget the Anorak: what trainspotting was really like. Stroud: Sutton Publishing. ISBN 0750934026.
  • Harvie, Christopher (1992). "The English railway enthusiast". In Diller, Hans-Jürgen (ed.) (ed.). Englishness. Heidelberg: Carl Winter. pp. 107–22. ISBN 3533045366. {{cite book}}: |editor= has generic name (help)
  • Mathison, Phil (2006). Shed Bashing with the Beatles. Newport, Yorkshire: Dead Good Publications. ISBN 0954693736.
  • Packer, David (2003). Well Trained. Leigh: Triangle Publishing. ISBN 0952933381.
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