The art of the 'heads up'

Sometimes the train-watching hobby is a solitary pursuit, while other times it's a group activity. Oddly, it can be both at the same time.

Sitting in the car trackside you see a special move go by your location. What do you do? Tell your friends down the line, of course! But there's a science to doing it properly.

1. What did you see? This seems so simple, yet many messages that are intended to aid people down the line don't always make this clear. "NS 1070" – while cryptic to those out of the hobby – is a valid report, although "Norfolk Southern Wabash-painted heritage unit No. 1070" is more complete – and more useful to beginners. Especially with "heritage" or other specially painted locomotives, is it leading? That piece of knowledge can make all the difference to someone interested in photography. While I'm not always inclined to go out of my way for special moves, I'm even less apt to do it if special locomotives are trailing in the consist.

2. Where are you? City and state are mandatory, especially for a national forum, but more detail can also be helpful. Is it past a diamond or through a siding that could hold up its progress? A street name or milepost can convey this information. You may not know if the train has the light across the diamond from where you stand, so being specific in where you saw it can help others down the line account for lost time.

3. Where is it going? The four directions are all we can really realistically ask for, but knowing how a train might navigate through a city will greatly help. Train symbols are especially helpful in this regard if the recipient has a working knowledge of the territory.

4. When did you see it? Yes, text messages and emails all have time stamps on them, but messages, like trains, can be delayed en route. This is especially true on email lists, like Yahoo Groups, where messages can be delayed a few minutes, or even a few hours. Putting the time in the message makes it perfectly clear for your recipients.

For example, CN 8101 north by Duplainville, WI diamond 8:20 am leading train A447 is quite helpful. The target, specific location, time, and train symbol are all there – and will all help railfans down the line make better decisions.