The problem is evident throughout RU-vid. Railfans trespassing. Railfans criticizing railroads over issues they know nothing about. Railfans like Millineum Force who not only trespass but simulate dangerous conditions through editing. Most railfans are great, but the few bad ones like MF give the rest of you a bad name.
I am a railroader telling you why railfans are often not liked by those of us who earn our living moving freight. Whether I am a Republican or Democrat or Communist or Socialist does not make one thing I said less true.
I'm an Engineer for CSX and I see buffs all the time, some are very mindful of where they are taking their pictures and other have no clue and will absolutely go between the rail for the ultimate picture, those are the ones I can not stand, the others I like seeing them and will blow the horn extra good for them and try to put on a good show for them.
I have always loved watching trains go by ever since I was a kid but I would never in my life jeopardize myself or a crew on a train. In fact a rail fan should be more cautious than the average person because we've all grown up loving trains so why are there people making dumb irresponsible problems. It is a shame people give rail fans a bad wrap because there are plenty of us out there who take the safety of trains seriously.
And this is the real definition of a foamer, railfans respect the rules of the railroad and maintain distance foamers just go wherever they please whether it being on railroad property or not.
"...Standing in the tracks, taking pictures," I have seen dozens of so-called professional photographers who tell their customers to do this, especially in the path of an oncoming train. One of my crews almost mowed down an entire bridal party in Texas like this. Yet I can count on one hand the incidents with "railfans" on property, perhaps between the gauge as they walk...
Nothing wrong with railfanning as long as you don't trespass.taking pics is fine but standing on the track is giving us true railfans a bad reputation!
Eh, I think the bigger reputation damage is when people lump everyone together, and makes generalizations - it isn't that difficult for them to understand the difference between some, and all.
I am sure many railfans understand the hardships of railroading, but to hate railfans is impossible, each person who likes trains has their own personality, I actually won't record trains anymore, since there are about three worthwhile railroads with all of the same locomotives. I just go to school, come home, watch Railroad DVDs, go to Demolay, come home, and go to bed.
not only that, we deal with a lot of vandalism and theft. we don't know why you are on the property and we have to report it for the safe movement of trains. the last thing we want is for someone to see something and not report it and they did something to put a train on the ground
They do that because they do not know why you are there and what you are doing until they pass you, They even report MOW crews sometimes to verify with dispatch that the crew is there legitly Another reason and this is kind smart but, chances are in this day and age of cheap Chinese $20 Baofeng HT radios a railfan has a 97% chance of listening in, so the train crews and dispatcher will "play it up" to scare you away from doing dumb.. Other reasons are of course to report to other trains on the line of the situation. If you are off to the side of the tracks taking pictures then the crews will not mine, in fact most will wave at you or do a little horn show. The crews I worked around enjoy railfans IF the railfans are not doing stupid things like standing too close or putting things on the rails.. Its all about safety, they do not want you to get run over, crushed, or injured, and on the other hand they do not want to be injured or have an accident due to retards putting phones and crap on the rails or vandalizing wayside equipment that can create a problem further down the line.
Haha! Thank you LJR Limited. I've always wanted to put my feelings into words, but you did that for me brilliantly. Of course I'm not an advocate FOR trespassing or creating a dangerous situation, so I understand why that activity has to be reported. But there's also something wrong with people (mostly other railfans) who become hateful when they see/hear about potential trespassing. And I'm really talking generally. Not about this specific situation in the audio recording.
A TRUE Railfan would NEVER trespass on private railroad property just to get that perfect shot! Most of us know better than to do something like that. It is idiots like that who give all Railfans a bad name among train crews!
decades back western pacific in stockton ca. did not have a problem with me (or anyone else i know about), driving in/on the yard property. just as long as you stayed away from the tracks. and buildings. aka: out in the open. take only photos. and not loiter to long. now under up, it is all behind security cams, razor wire. guess the armed guards are out having another donut break.
Doesn’t sound like a railfan in this case, it sounds like a regular photographer trying to get pictures, as the dispatcher said no trains had seen him.
Railroaders don't like to be filmed for fear they'll get caught doing something that is against their companies rules, no different than police officers.
How do we know its a railfan? Maybe he's taking pictures of birds. There was a group of high-school girls getting their senior portraits taken here recently, by a professional, but unfortunately they decided to set up their light stands and props right next to the CN mainline. Four or five girls, a couple helpers, and the photographer... First train that came by called them in to the dispatcher, who grumbled some disparaging remarks about "railfans" and promised to call the sheriff. But they were not railfans.
You do not know that it is a railfan. And I have absolutely encountered wedding photographers and engagement photographers and others trespassing on railroad property. So no, it is not always a railfan. But there are enough railfans out there who do trespass and who do break the law or use their video to criticize the very industry they follow that it gives the rest a bad name.
As a railfan who is also a retired railroader (officer of SR and CSX) I believe it is the responsibility of responsible railfans to police their ranks. If you see one breaking the law/rules, call them out gently about it. I have seen my share of odd incidents too, and as a Operation LifeSaver presenter I often pointed these things out in my presentations.
Well said. Railfans should be respectful of the law and the railroads and their employees. Don't spend your time trashing the very industry you follow. Look at how idiots like Mil Force act and do as railroadman32257 suggests....police him gently about it.
Agreed 100%. Mil Force is a perfect example of what you speak. I finally had to stop watching his videos since so many of them feature him doing something unsafe or trespassing, or placing his camera on the ties between the rails, or other such stupid stuff like that. Even when he uses trick photography (like his Amtrak vs. CSX near-collision video), it makes my skin crawl.
What if he was taking a picture of the river or what ever that bridge is over and wasn't a railfan at all?? I just heard an hour ago where a woman got caught on a railroad bridge by a train coming around a corner in the Seattle vicinity. She tried to escape off the bridge but wasn't successful and was killed. While that's a preventable tragedy at some point we're all responsible for our own safety FIRST and foremost. So to blame this on anything to do with the railroad other than they own and operate the bridge is pointless imo. There's a reason they tell everyone to stay off these railroad bridges, especially busy ones like where this happened. I imagine this will keep happening as long as there's railroad bridges and interacting humans that don't...think. Anyway the crews like railfans for the most part (I'd say) though the Roadmasters probably don't and would probably fence everything if they could.
for safety's sake, i film from outside the distance that the gates are from the track. if i'm filming where there is no gates or signals, i film from about 35 foot from the nearest rail, plus i wear some safety gear(safety glasses, orange vest), and pick my filming points so as not to interfere with road or rail traffic. rule of thumb, if you're standing on railroad ballast rock, you're too close.
The Orange Vest is actually a bad call. The train crew could mistake you for a road foreman and could start having second thoughts about where they just were. "Did we just pass a banner?" "Did we fail to notice a Forum B?"
While we can't be sure this was indeed a member of the railfan community or not (sometimes random members of the public may stop for a quick photo), it's definitely best to make sure that you aren't going to give railfans as a whole a bad name.
Sadly this happened to me, a few weeks ago i was out filming a train, about 30 feet from the track, and i assume the engineer told the dispatcher, because not 5 minutes after the train left the cops showed up. And the officer was very nice, and all he said was "You guys aren't really supposed to be here, so if you guys could move to another crossing that would be great." And i understand that people aren't really supposed to be near the tracks, so i try to stay a little ways back, but i don't actually WALK on the tracks.
I grew up around the tracks & learned from experience. (as a kid I hung out on them to escape the bullies) Keep your distance, keep eyes & ears open. NO headphones, NO texting & never ever walk directly on on w/in 30ft of the tracks unless your at a legal crossing. I tripped & fell on the tracks when I was a young & dumb kid, ever since then I've had fear of getting hit & that's why I keep my distance, my headphones off & my phone put away.
Jaw Tooth just released a video of a crew member lying. He was standing on the sidewalk about 40 feet from the crossing and the crew member said he was trespassing. Just because something is said on the radio doesn't make it true. Watch the video, it's quite an eye opener.
Take the length of the average rail car: That is the MINIMUM distance you should be from the tracks. Anything closer and you are most likely illegally standing on railway property.
I work for Hallcon here in Washington State almost every crew I work with know I'm a railfan and they have no problems the crew that I'm friends with know my three vehicles plus working for hallcon is the ultimate railfaning you can go places that any regular railfan would get kicked out in a second be safe my fellow railfans.
Around my area the RR's have their right of way posted almost everywhere with, "No Trespassing" signs. Seems to me that if they squash some idiot there, there isn't any problem. Thought things were always way.
In my day in the 5th ward coming and going to Englewood Yard, I've seen all kinds of folks get on or between the rails to play chicken. Furthermore the BNSF Lampasas sub runs by and through the farm. I've seen folks, especially photographers and girls, stand between the tracks for a 'photo ops'. Don't get me started on the idiots who race to the crossing to beat the train, or the idiots who get on the crossing during rush hour traffic and can't get off. Yeah, we couldn't stop on a dime in those situations.
What a stupid post. Crews these days are so ignorant that even if the photographer was standing well off the right of way they would still report them as being in the middle of the tracks. The crews are, for the most part, their own worst enemy. No wonder management hates them.
Oh come on guys, accept reality. Many railfans/enthusiasts are a pain in the arse for train drivers, deliberately standing on tracks to take photos or video. Some are just downright rude and think their "hobby" does not require adherence to safety or trespass rules. Then you get the idiots who like to record engine sounds, and they even turn handbrakes on inside carriages so as to hear the loco powering in an effort to keep moving the train with a handbrake partially on. This type of behaviour actually caused fatalities in Australia a few years ago where a steam loco fouled the track due to sand being put down for more adhesion due to a "railfan" turning handbrake on. The sand fouled the track circuits for the signalling and caused a red light to go to green and a commuter train ran into the back of the steam train, killing driver and some passengers on commuter train. Not very smart people some of these "enthusiasts" or rail fans.
one person in this video ruins it for all of us? Also this is a foamer if he's that anxious to get a picture like that, NOT A RAILFAN, TWO COMPLETLY DIFFERENT THINGS
Eh, never got the allure of "railfanning", only ship spotting is duller, now plane spotting, that is interesting. Noting like the power of a 744 or A388 blasting off the runways at JFK, LAX, MIA or LHR, that said, we plane spotters face similar issues with security and over bearing enforcement.
I'd say that's one appeal of it tbh, the equally sheer power of the locomotives, the kind of awe inspiring sight of the units pulling dozens, sometimes literally hundreds of cars at a time across long distances and up and down grades.
standing there taking pics shouldn't be an issue. THE ISSUE THE TRAIN PEOPLE NEED TO FOCUS ON ARE THE TRAIN DODGERS THAT EITHER PLAY CHICKEN OR RECORDING THEMSELVES LAYING ON THE TRACKS GETTING RAN OVER. POLICE NEED TO START CRACKING DOWN ON PEOPLE LIKE THAT. NOT THE PEOPLE THAT STAND ALONG THE TRACKS TAKING PICS AND VIDEOS. ALL IT WILL TAKE TO HAVE A DISASTER IS A FAT PERSON LAYING ON THE TRACKS THAT CAN CAUSE A TRAIN TO DERAIL. YOU WATCH THESE VIDEOS OF CAMERAS BEING RUN OVER,YOU CAN SEE YOU WOULD HAVE TO BE SKELETON THIN TO SURVIVE. NOT ENOUGH ROOM UNDER THE TRAIN TO SURVIVE. SO QUIT LAYING ON THE TRACKS . THERE ARE OTHER THINGS IN LIFE TO GET AN ADRENALINE RUSH. GETTING RUN OVER ISN'T ONE OF THEM. ALL THAT WILL DO IS KILL YOU.
Making trains going by videos even on top of the bridge for entertainment purposes, not criticizing disputes. I never had a problem with this since I live in Ontario Canada.
Well I agree with the crew for calling the police since there were standing in the middle of the tracks and trespassing as well. And what railfans don't understand is the land that tracks lay on is private property even if it's in the middle of nowhere. And railroads really don't mind if you take pictures or video of their trains as long as you're at a safe distance from the tracks when you're right next to the tracks that is a huge problem since you put yourself in danger of being hit by a train which is a worst case scenario for the train crew than they have to put their train into emergency than report it into dispatch which than local law enforcement, OSHA, and the NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) gets involved and investigates the incident which costs the railroad money.
Not only does it cost time and money for the railroad if you get killed by the train that hit you it also has mental reproductions on the engineer and his crew. My friend who was an engineer had a lot of problems for a long time because his train killed a man trying to beat the train at a crossing
Not every railfan is like this, railfanners like this give us the bad name. Also it’s foamers who do this type of crap, railfanners are respectful and are just there to have fun.
Some Rail fans think they know everything about rules and movements, and signals, when they really don't have a clue. I had a fan argue with me years ago at a crossing at 3 am in the mountains of Pennsylvania about a signal aspect as I was flagging our train through a crossing. I was conductor and before that was a signal man for years. Most of them are good people, some bring the crews hot coffee and donuts at triple reds...some are idiot know it alls.
I never stand on the rails when I train is coming. I'll admit that I did take a picture on a sidewalk crossing of some signals, but I looked both ways and there was nothing so I took a few quick pictures. Other than that though, I always stay twenty feet or more. Stay safe!
*CAN'T CURE STUPID...THE 1st AMENDMENT PROTECTS CAMERAMEN TAKING PICTURES* Although I thought they said standing on a railroad bridge...that is *TRESSPASSING*
Well standing bridge doing this is just plain stupid. When go train watching, I don't either at a crossing or an Amtrak/ Metrolink platform. NEVER on a bridge. That's just plain stupid!
People think they're overreacting by calling the cops but that's what they're supposed to do in these situations... No. 1, you're breaking the law by trespassing on railroad property, first and foremost. No. 2, if the train crew or dispatcher or whatever calls the cops on you, he's/she's doing it for your own good- personally I'd rather have a chat with a cop than run the risk of getting run over. No. 3, I think it also has to do with preventing people (or the person's family) who had been hit by a train from suing the company over it.
That's illegal and scary for the crew . fatalities are scarring for them ... But the next day they hve to go back out and hope they don't chop another persons
Kinda reminds of a similar incident over here. Train crews have a private network to communicate to traffic control except a few loose lipped drivers slipped some contact numbers and railfans started ringing up crews wanting to know what train their driving, loco types and reaching certain areas. It caused considerable headaches and resulted in some train drivers being fired and alot of railfans were charged and fined if they were caught using the system.
Apparently I'm not a rail fan because I've stood on the tracks to take pictures before? Pull yer heads out of yer asses! It's not a big deal. People get worked up over the dumbest things.
I personally hate anyone on or near my tracks, we are not damn mind readers in knowing why you are the fuck out there and the last thing we like doing is dumping out train
Not a scanner. It's a Ritron Clean Cab Railroad Radio Xcvr. It is used for Xmit and Receive by locomotive Crews. It could be configured for Receive Only - that's for what actual Scanners are made.
what kind of egregious animal would ever dare stand on tracks, especially ones that have cameras. nothing to see there, who do they think they are? facsimile wont work if you dont pay your phone bill people. how the turn tables.....
No crew's hates railfans, I never got yelled at being on the tracks. They don't hate kid railfans like me. Also I disliked the video. Comment on here if you want.
