Railfan
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Contents of this
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ALERT:
In the wake of the Attack on America on September 11 and
the War on Terrorism, America's railroads are rightfully
increasing their level of security and awareness. Keep
the following in mind when you are railfanning:
- Trespassing
is never an accepted practice. The fact is that the
railroads are being more strict about those persons
on or near their property.
- If you have
a formal relationship with the railroaders in your local
area, you may want to contact them and ask them how
you could help and what their emergency numbers are.
- Be alert,
patient, polite, and understanding.
- UNITED WE
STAND.
See our reprint
of "May We All Act Responsibly."
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What
is Railfanning? Railfanning, also known in some countries
as trainspotting, is the hobby or pasttime that may consist
of any number of current day legal, safe, and fun activities
associated with trains; Some types of railfanning activities
include watching trains from your favorite location, riding
trains for fun, taking photographs, listening to your scanner,
or even going to railroadiana shows.
What
is relationship between the NRHS and railfanning? Railfanning
often fosters/increases a person's interest in rail history.
Railfan activities often include discussions and exchanges of
information about the lore and history of one or more railroads.
Many members of the NRHS enjoy various aspects of railfanning.
In fact, being a member of the
NRHS is a great way to meet fellow railfans and to find out
about/participate in organized, safe, and fun railfan activities.
Today's
railfans are collecting, photographing, and creating a history
of today's railroads for future generations. Today's railfans
are tomorrow's rail historians.
Railfan
Safety and Responsibility - Remember the following tips
when railfanning for maximum enjoyment and safety for yourself
and others around you
ALWAYS...
- Cross tracks
at approved crossings.
- Expect a train
on any track from any direction at any time.
- Stay a safe distance
back from the tracks.
- Stay clear of
switchpoints. Do not cross the tracks close to the end of
a car.
- Be aware of your
surroundings; make sure you do not inadvertently stepped into
someone else's photo or video line of sight. If there is formal
"photo line", make sure you stay behind it. See
the photo-runby/photo-line section for
more information.
- Be silent when
the train approaches as others around you may be recording
sound or video and sound together.
NEVER...
- Tresspass on railroad
or other private property.
- Walk along the
tracks, on bridges or through tunnels.
- Climb on equipment
- Try to beat a
train through a crossing.
- Remember, when
you are railfanning, there are some places, such as major
train stations, that because of security concerns the security
officers may ask you not to take pictures.
See here for more information from
Operation Lifesaver's Railfan Tips & Security Advisory.
What
is a photo-line or photo-runby?
Photo-line:
A photo line is an imaginary line (sometimes slightly curved)
behind which photograhers line up to get "just the right
photograph" of a train or related railway subject. Photographers
form a line standing next to each other so they all have a clear
shot of the subject at the appropriate distance back from it.
It's important to not stand in the "line of sight"
between the photo-line participants and the subject. It is equally
important to not stand in the background of their picture either.
This technique, whether
for a group of two standing trackside or 200 people at a special
event, allows the maximum number of people to get a good picture.
At some large events such as a large train excursion, a photo
line may be marked off using items such as rope, tape, or a
line of cones. The picture at the above right shows a photo-line
of photographers waiting for an excursion train to approach.
When you are photographing,
make sure you are aware of your surroundings so you don't inadvertently
step into some else's photo or video shot.
Photo-runby:
A photo-runby is a staged event that allows riders on a train
to get an "in-action" photo of the equipment they
are riding behind. It typically works similar to the following:
- Train stops in
a field or open area where people wanting to photograph or
videotape the train get-off.
- Photographers
and videographers form a photo-line.
- The train then
backs a up sufficient distance to allow it to build up speed;
this location is also often around a curve out of site.
- The train then
proceeds forward at or near full-speed passing the photo line;
the participants snap photos or take videos as it passes.
- Then train then
backs up and stops near the original stopping point.
- Photographers
and videographers reboard.
- Train proceeds
on toward destination.
During a photo-runby,
it is essential that participants form a photo-line. It is also
essential that every one remain quite while the train is approaching
and until it has gone-by. This allows people taking video to
get good sound AND audio.
Railfan
Resources & Tips
We provide here a
list of helpful resources for railfans not readily found together
on some of the other railfan sites. While the list will never
be as extensive as on other sites, we will strive to provide
high-quality, key information that will help you enjoy railfanning,
and rail history.
Over time this list
will grow and change. We encourage you to submit suggestions
for addition to this list by e-mail to our webmaster (see
our e-mail form).
- KALMBACH RAILROAD
REFERENCE SERIES Useful books for railfans from this publisher::
- Guide to
North American Railroad Hot Spots
- American
Shortline Railway Guide, 5th Edition
- The Compendium
of American Railroad Radio Frequencies, 15th Edition
- The Contemporary
Diesel Spotter's Guide, 2nd Edition
- Guide to
Tourist Railroads and Museums 2005
- List
of Hotels & Motels Trackside
- The
Photographer's Rights
- List of Railfan Parks
- Railtrip.com
- Railroad
Scanner Frequencies
- List of Live RAILCAMS
- Operation
Lifesaver's Railfan Tips & Security Advisory
- Trains
Magazine Railfan Resources Pages
- Amtrak
(look up passenger train schedules & stations)
- Historical Reporting
Marks Database
- Look up who owns the cars and engines that are passing by.
Good things to
have when you are out trackside watching trains:
- Camera, film,
and batteries.
- Tripod if appropriate
- Scanner andbook/list
of railroad frequencies
- Cell Phone
- State Map
Books (ADC for example) - available at Borders, Barnes
& Noble, and most large book stores with a map section.
- Water and
snack foods
- First-aid
kit, sun-tan lotion, etc.
- Lawn chair
- Schedule/TimeTable
(for Amtrak routes)
- Remember to
check and dress for the weather.
- A good book
to pass the time between trains.
- A buddy to
share the experience with. It's more fun with two or more
people.
- NRHS ID Card for discounts at museums.
- NRHS Membership applications to hand out.
Railfan
Fun
We provide here
a sampling of fun railfan material for your enjoyment. The
content will change over time. If you have pictures or information,
you would like to provide for this section as it grows,
please send them to
webmaster (see our e-mail form)
along with your name, photographer's/author's name, location
and date of pictures. Sorry, but we are not able to pay
for the use of material.
NOTE:
If you're pictures are large, you have a lot of them, or
you want to provide short video clips, please contact the
webmaster for further instructins BEFORE you send them.
More Questions?
Do you have questions
about railfanning? If so, if your question is specific to
a geographic region, you might wish to contact the NRHS
Chapter from the area you are inquiring about. Please
do not send your questions directly to our webmaster.
**
1522 Photo by Lew Schneider
** Photo line and ATSF sign photos by J. Lilly
