Forum Inactivity

[GOLDEN-ARM]

Well, I am here in Clovis, and the BNSF here means nothing to talk about but orange and green GE's. All day, every day. Hardly the stuff that gets one excited. Now, if I could only figure out how to snag a quartet of those Santa-Fe GP-60M's................

[U-Haul]

The rude behaviour by some people is probably deterring others that would otherwise visit and post in these forums. The forums that are having trouble getting enough topics started. Something to think about!!

[Komachi]

I don't think that people being discourtious is the major factor for this forum. I think it's just the handful of BNSF fans vs. the dime-a-dozen East Coast railroad buffs.

Although, like R2-D2, I've been known to be wrong from time-to-time.

[TB Diamond]

There is a scarcity of fans out here in the west. Ran for BN(SF) for over twenty years in NE, CO, SD and WY. Noticed in all those years about a dozen folks taking photos and some of them were fellow BN employes that I knew. The only exception was one of the UP 8444 excursions Denver-Sterling back in the early 1980s.

[LCJ]

I think it's just the handful of BNSF fans vs. the dime-a-dozen East Coast railroad buffs.

I guess it comes down to quantity vs. quality. (Translation: we may be fewer in number out here in the west, but a little bit of us goes a long way.) When we say something, we mean it. There just might be a lot of empty space between responses in general concerning western railroading. Maybe we're people of action and not words...heck I don't know.

I attempted to moderate a Texas forum a few years ago when I was living near Austin, but found there just wasn't a lot of interest in the form of posts from Texas fans.

Also, everything is just farther apart out here...thinner, sparser, or however you want to express it. Some of us like it that way.

[BlockLine_4111]

I think it's just the handful of BNSF fans vs. the dime-a-dozen East Coast railroad buffs.

I guess it comes down to quantity vs. quality. (Translation: we may be fewer in number out here in the west, but a little bit of us goes a long way.) When we say something, we mean it. There just might be a lot of empty space between responses in general concerning western railroading. Maybe we're people of action and not words...heck I don't know..

Here is what I have noticed out here. Railfans here have diversified interests (e.g. cars, trucks, hunting, boats, ranching, chasing women) not just railfanning period. The proportion of foamer railfan types to general railfans (for lack of better words) is much less here than in the Northeast. The foamers are the types with too much time on their hands.

Also, everything is just farther apart out here...thinner, sparser, or however you want to express it. Some of us like it that way.

Some do, some don't different strokes for different folks I guess.

[GN 599]

Yeah I have a hard enough time putting railroading (my job) into my schedule, let alone railfanning he he.

[MNRR_RTC]

I don't think that people being discourtious is the major factor for this forum. I think it's just the handful of BNSF fans vs. the dime-a-dozen East Coast railroad buffs.

Although, like R2-D2, I've been known to be wrong from time-to-time.

Not all of us East-coasters are that bad, but I have met a few railfans who swore that they could work our jobs better than the guys who have been doing it 35 years+.I don't know about the BNSF, but we get railfan clubs during the weekend, these guys show up with cameras and they always seem to think that I care about how many bolts a P32 engine has. My only concern is that the trains get from point A to point B ontime and with out any problems.

[Komachi]

MNRR_RTC,

Wasn't a knock against east-coasters, just pointing out the disparity out here on the forums that seems to be east-coast (primarily NY) centric (although, there's a reason or two for that...).


Any job has it's share of people who think they know more than the people who actually do the job. I've worked in radio for twelve years and I'm sure there are a few guys out there that have never spun a record* who could "teach me a thing or two" about the job. Nice to have critics, isn't it?


*A figure of speech. I realize that there are very few radio stations out there that still use vinyl, 4-tracks or reel-to-reel machines (the one I work for being one of them).

[MNRR_RTC]

Hey Komachi.

I didn't take what you wrote to heart. I know that here in NY, there ALOT of railfans here. I don't know if you are aware of this, but in the NYC area, you have the Long Island Railroad, Metro-North, NJ Transit, Amtrak, CSX, NS and the CP. You also have the Providence and Worcester, New York Cross Harbor RR and New York & Atlantic RR shortlines. If you come to Queens, Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn and Northern NJ, you seeone of these railroads at one point or another. As you can see, New York City metro area is as railroad dense as some parts of the country.

[Komachi]

Quite well aware of that (hey, I've been a railfan for as long as I can remember, roughly 27 of my 30 years...). NYC has quite the mix of Class 1, shortline, industrial, "bridge" and commuter lines, as well as that wonderful, complex web of subterainian track known as tne NYC subway system.

Although, one of the more interesting bits is currently rotting away, namely the former NYC "high line." But such is progress.


Just out of curriosity (and to try to steer the conversation back to BNSF/forum related goodness...), how many "power swap" or "runthrough" BNSF units make it over there? Or, are they more or less kept close to the Midwest?

[MNRR_RTC]

In South Kearny, NJ, I have seen BNSF engines in warbonnet livery parked in the CSX yard. I also have seen UP engines. South Kearny is a container facility, so it is my guess that the power for the BNSF and UP is for a transcontinental trip with stacks.