reflections on being a railfan

[overall]

A railfan is a person who appriciates the railroad for it's own sake. This sort of appreciation is similar to that of a sportsfan for his favorite team or an art lover for a painting. For the railfan, the railroad simply has to exist and operate in order to warrant attention. It goes without saying that other people expect it to deliver goods and make a profit.

Railfanning is the act of being a railfan. It is made up of three activities, observation, exploration and study.

Observation takes place anytime the railfan actually sees and hears the railroad operating. For example, a trip to the Rochelle, Illinois railfan's platform to watch trains is observation. My best railfan experiences have been my trips to the Folkston, Georgia and Austell, Georgia railfan platforms. This is because of the large number of trains observed and the people I have met and talked to at each of these places. The train observation experience is enhanced when shared with other like minded people.

Exploration happens when the railfan follows a rail line to see where it goes and what facilities are there to support it. I have gone out in my car and simply
followed all the industrial tracks around Nashville, Tennessee to see where they went and what customers were served off them. Having a Delorme or USGS map will aid in exploration as it helps to find roads near the rail line. I have also followed mainlines through little towns between major points. I like to see if there are any old depots or other buildings left and to see if the route is signalled or not.

Study is the reading of railroad related books and magazines. Whenever you read TRAINS magazine, that's study. Study is a way to vicariously experience railroading. We are going with the author on his trip, if he were a train crew member ,or we are being instructed ,if the author is an academic of some sort.

To tie all this together, we might first study the history of a given line, then we might explore that line, after that, we might pick a good spot and observe trains on that line.

I like to write down my observations as to what I saw and when. If I meet someone I will write about that too. And, of course, I like to photograph what I see, although I am not good enough at it to be published.

The foregoing is, to me, what we are about, as railfans.

George