Railfans Unite!

[IllogicTC]

Been one all my life. Used to live maybe 15 minutes from where UP, BNSF, AND CN all make runs. In 2010 apparently the CN Holiday Train went through the town I lived by, I'm heavily disappointed that I missed it.

Now, I live in a town where I get to see CSX roll by once/twice a day, but as they don't run any "Heritage" units that I'm aware of, I'm missing out on stuff like Union Pacific has running the 3985 Challenger through the Midwest and whatnot .

Any other railfans? Maybe someone who does railroading for a living?

 

[Denali n DOO]

Guess I'm a rail fan. My old sales job I use to start at 9 am but I always woke up early at 430. So 7 days a week I use to go get a coffee and a cigar and go for a back road country drive that passed over a set of tracks at 5 locations. I would stop at crossings that I could see the signal lights down the tracks and determine which direction the train was coming from and then drive beside the train before stopping at at least one crossing to watch/hear/feel the train go past.

My new job I start at 5 am so I no longer do those morning drives. I wake up at 330 and at work for 4, sit in my Envoy have a smoke n coffee n check gmtnation on phone before work. I was surprised to see that a couple trains park behind my work overnight. A crew of 2 would get a taxi to a hotel and then taxi back to the train in the morning. Sometimes a train mechanic shows up in a pick up truck to do maintenance on the train.

One morning, still dark out, I parked the Envoy and walked up to the train with my coffee n smoke and walked all the way around it checking it out up close since no one was there. All of a sudden the train cranked over and started up, scared the crap out me as I wasn't expecting that. The cab was still pad locked and no one was in it so I guess they start remotely or on a timer or something so they are ready to go when the crew arrives.

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When riding my Ski Doo up north we are sometimes on trails that are abandoned rail lines, high speed runs with subtle sweeping curves and iron bridges big n small, the scenery is awesome going through the forests, along rivers, though rock cuts and over rivers. It's pretty cool to get a perspective of the scenery that an engineer would have seen back in the day when driving a train along the tracks...

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I also watch a lot you tube videos about trains and like seeing the various snow removal equipment in operation and the stations/maintanance shops that have the rotating piece of track so they can park the engines in different garages.

[video=youtube;U1JS0itoTJk]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1JS0itoTJk[/video]
[video=youtube;6acPX_00M9Q]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6acPX_00M9Q[/video]

Model railroading is also neat to look at. Some people have amazing realistic layouts. This one is crazy.

[video=youtube;ACkmg3Y64_s]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACkmg3Y64_s[/video]
[video=youtube;qxr_PTDkNXM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxr_PTDkNXM[/video]

I'm pretty sure Big Ed is into trains for a living...

 

[djthumper]

Those were some interesting videos. It is amazing what they are doing with the miniatures these days.

 

[IllogicTC]

There's a video somewhere of someone's 3/4" scale Big Boy replica, set up to run on steam. Has the actual engine and tender, and a single flatcar linked behind it that the guy sits on to operate the controls and ride along, lol.

Not sure that I've seen any engines set on timers for startup, some companies these days are even going to systems where if the engine idles for so long, it initiates shutdown and requires a restart, to "save the environment (money)." Some engines require the operator to go on the outboard catwalk and open a panel to initiate startup, others can be done completely in-cab. Perhaps they had a remote-start, lol.

Usually they'll take the reverser lever with them as a way to "lock out" the train if it's to be left idle or if they can't padlock the cab, essentially acts like popping off the shift lever in your car.

Surprised they got the drop on you, if it was sitting there overnight generally it needs primed for a bit first before the actual startup, and priming is a little noisy, but that must have been heavily interesting to be able to get up close like that. In my town, I've seen them stop on the edge and drop someone off who lives nearby, or sometimes pick people up or do a crew change, but never shut it down for the night. Then again, this track has no siding to park it on where it's not on the main line.

 

[Porkins]

love trains too, live about .7 away from the NS train line. Dont know if you guys watch railfans on youtube but my friend and tuber pwalpar films around where I live.

 

[Mark20]

Love trains too but I don't really actively railfan. Usually only when the opportunity presents itself.

GE (I think) has a new engine model that includes auto startup and shutdown in addition to multiple power plants in the locomotive. When running light, it will shut off the ones not needed and thus use less fuel. It will also shutdown and restart as needed to keep things warm and probably pump up the brake system when not moving. Also conserves fuel and in the process cuts back on emissions.

 

[Razorback]

In our town the southshore train goes in the center of one of out main roads for about a mile, i live about a block away from the south shore tracks and the amtraks tracks.

 

[RedVirus]

If you like the old steam locomotives

 

[Hypnotoad]

I build these for a living. My job is an electrician. It's awesome, and I love what I do.

 

[Porkins]

Awesome. You probably built this one seen a while back.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxNWtCcd0rk&feature=youtube_gdata_player

 

[Hypnotoad]

That's RG401. I wasn't there when it was built, but I've built several just like it.

I do know that it was the first of it's series and had many problems. You could say it was the guinea pig.