Why is being a railfan considered weird?

Thank you for the unusual and interesting pictures Triker and 3rdRail. They remind me of some of the characters whom I have met at science fiction conventions. When I was younger, I wasted a lot of time attending science fiction conventions and I am glad that I grew out of it. I still like to read science fiction but I don't go to conventions any longer.
I compared Foamers to Trekkies based on my past experiences because they both seem to be equally obsessed. At least Foamers are interested in something real--unlike Trekkies.

Trying to explain to your wife or girlfreind why we need a 4' whip antenna on the roof of our car can be preety weird.

Yeah, especially when you tell them that you listen to railroad radio from Mars ! They just don't understand !

I was going to come "out of the closet" and introduce myself in the Pennsylvania railfan forum. After reading about you pranksters here, I'll stay under the radar for a few more years.

My my, I thought I had met 'em all! I'm just "shocked"! Deeply "shocked"! We never KNEW it was this bad!

j/k


Gadfly

If I got a four foot long whip antenna installed on the roof of my car so I could listen to the railroad radio from Mars, my wife would think that was normal behavior for me.

I always see cars on the highway with huge antennas on the roof and wonder if they could be railfans. I would like to pull up next to them and hold up a trains magazine too see what happens.

Hehe, a few weeks ago I passed someone on the highway pulling a speeder on a trailer with their Toyota truck. I beeped crazily at him and gave a vigorous thumbs up. I hope he understood what I meant!

Gadfly wrote:My my, I thought I had met 'em all! I'm just "shocked"! Deeply "shocked"! We never KNEW it was this bad!

j/k


Gadfly

Yes, Gadfly, would you believe that I am beyond professional help? (my wife will confirm this)

Finch wrote:Hehe, a few weeks ago I passed someone on the highway pulling a speeder on a trailer with their Toyota truck. I beeped crazily at him and gave a vigorous thumbs up. I hope he understood what I meant!

He probably thought it was road rage!

Finch wrote:Hehe, a few weeks ago I passed someone on the highway pulling a speeder on a trailer with their Toyota truck. I beeped crazily at him and gave a vigorous thumbs up. I hope he understood what I meant!

Did the "speeder" get a ticket?

j/k


GF

Gilbert B Norman wrote:Review of this topic has proven to be quite "sport". While be assured that there is nothing in my closet that could be called "railfan paraphernalia", including T-Shirts with have 4449 or 261 emblazoned thereon (I do have an "old school tie" from South Kent School that I wear whenever I go back for Reunion or when they have Alumni "get-togethers' - checkbook on hand "preferred" - out here). My Black automobile has Illinois "specialty" tags supporting [url=http://www.cyberdriveillinois.com/depar ... lence.html] "Prevent Violence'[/uirl] - their Blue-Green motif goes well with the Black.

Enter my home, and maybe a current TRAINS will be on the floor in the proximity of the easy chair.

Beyond that, no "telltales'.

However, is a railfan dressing to pursue a hobby any different than an avid sports fan dressing in paraphernalia of his team? seems no different to me.

C'mon now, Gilbert ! I happen to know for a fact that you can't wait to get your hands on one of my Panto-Caps for your next trip in Business Class on the Lake Shore ! Fess up !

It's the REAL NUTTY FEW that poison the term Railfan... I met one of these once in Union Station in Washington, DC some years ago. There used to be a model train shop in the shopping mall area of the station, and while on my lunch break I visited the store (I was working for AT&T at the time [back in the 1990's] and I was Project Manager for a telecom project that we were doing for Amtrak back then, and spent quite a bit of time around Union Station). While browsing in the book section of the store, looking at a book about diesels, a guy dressed up with a red bandana and an old steam engineer's hat on struck up a conversation and told me that a (then) brand new locomotive (a P-40) was sitting on one of the tracks, and that he could get permission for us to take some pictures (I had a small camera with me at the time) inside the cab of a brand new P40 since he was good friends with the stationmaster. I felt a little uneasy about it, but I followed him to the Stationmaster, who indeed knew him, and (to my surprise) DID give him permission to go inside the locomotive and get some pics. I followed him to the track, but I just stood outside the locomotive and took some shots of the outside, because something made me feel uncomfortable about him. Well, I am GLAD that I did not go into the cab with him (even though he HAD the permission of the stationmaster) because he turned on the master switch and was going to try to start up the engine, when an Amtrak police officer approached the locomotive, and detained him while they summoned the stationmaster. I told the officer I did not know him (I REALLY did not, since I just met him and didn't even know his name, plus I was wearing business attire and he looked like an idiot... and I guess they believed me), and was just taking photos of the station (this was LONG BEFORE 9/11) and left. I hope that the stationmaster did not lose his job over it since it IS against the rules... (I was an electrician at Sunnyside Yard while in college back in the 70's and remembered most of the rulebook - I guess that's why I had enough sense to stay off...). I'm sure that was the LAST time the stationmaster EVER gave permission for ANY railfan to bend the rules...

No worries about the multiple posts. In any event, I think your story will be well-received here. I love trains as much as the next guy (trust me), but I am personally uncomfortable with doing anything too conspicuous or, worse, illegal. This aversion to attracting unwanted attention serves me well. I don't wander into rail yards or try to con my way into locomotive cabs. I think I would be considered more "weird" if I acted more like the guy in your story. But my friends know that I draw certain boundaries with my hobby. I don't condone stupid stuff, basically. To most passersby, I'm just a guy standing by the tracks taking pictures. They might not even notice the scanner tucked on the side of my shoulder bag. While this is certainly "weird" in some sense, I stop short of wearing a classic engineer's hat or peppering innocent bystanders with railfan musings. I have been guilty of wearing a vintage NYNY&H t-shirt that I inherited from my late grandfather, who worked for that road. But I wear those as regular shirts too, not just "railfan gear." Hmmm, maybe that is slightly weird but I don't care.