If you're foaming at the mouth for any reason you need to see a doctor..
I think ACY and John White got it right here. A foamer is one who foams at the mouth at the sight of a train. Never heard anything about it being an acronym.
Firelock76Or just show a little more tolerance, at any rate.
I'm all about tolerance - as long as it's you being tolerant of me....
Larry Resident Microferroequinologist (at least at my house) Everyone goes home; Safety begins with you My Opinion. Standard Disclaimers Apply. No Expiration Date Come ride the rails with me! There's one thing about humility - the moment you think you've got it, you've lost it...
Firelock76 I think ACY's on to something. Sometimes I think we in this country take some things way too seriously, and should cherish our eccentrics the way the British do. Or just show a little more tolerance, at any rate.
I think ACY's on to something. Sometimes I think we in this country take some things way too seriously, and should cherish our eccentrics the way the British do.
Or just show a little more tolerance, at any rate.
I think the nickname is hilarious and wouldn't care a bit about who used it and when. If I ever took pictures from a ROW I would get official permission first so that they could potentially be sold back to the railroad if they were any good.
BOB WITHORNYears ago my wife started calling our types "T.D.'s" as in train derelicts, I had 'T' shirt done up proudly proclaiming the fact cause I is one.
Not railroad, but I've got one that says "EMS Artifact," which anyone who knows anything about EKG's can appreciate. Been in that business for a longggg time.
Railfans certainly include all sorts of people.. some are like me.. they're middle aged and give off an anti-social vibe. Others are more mainstream and attempt to downplay the fact that they're railfans.. and then there are those one would never guess are fans.. like the three older women to spend their Saturday evenings together at Bayview Junction waving at trains. Who's nutty? It's matter of perspective.. thank god we're not all the same.
Deggesty...does anyone like that show up at the Adirondack Scenic Railroad?
Sure. Even some of our volunteers regularly share railroad pictures, past and present, on FB and other forums. I've spotted folks in the unlikeliest of places, set up to shoot stills and videos.
Firelock76I've never gone the "patch 'n pin" route but I can agree with Miningman that items of railfan apparel can be great ice-breakers and conversation starters.
Hmmm. I'm wearing my 611 shirt now. Picked it up in Roanoke a couple years ago. I also wear bibs a bunch at work. But that is because they're comfortable and you need something to catch all the dirt and grease out here. Not many wear them anymore, though. I don't know if it's because of the Johnny Railroader thing or what not? Beats having a belt cut into you as you lace up hoses and throw switches all day.
PS -> I take everything seriously. (looks over at avatar...)
The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer, any other railroad, company, or person.
These comments about folks who are on the spectrum make me a bit uneasy. We are all unique and the most interesting among us tend to be a bit quirky. A hobby like ours attracts some attention and sometimes some ridicule. Obviously we don't all suffer from debilitating problems. Those who do have to live with those problems deserve our sympathy and support; not our ridicule. I hope my earlier citation of John White's humorous observation is taken in the good natured way he intended, and not as an insult.
Tom
I've never gone the "patch 'n pin" route but I can agree with Miningman that items of railfan apparel can be great ice-breakers and conversation starters.
Case in point, when I rode the C&O 614-New Jersey Transit excursions in the 90's not long after NS dropped the steam program I wore my very colorful "611, The Thoroughbred" sweatshirt on the trips. I can't tell you how many people I had conversations with, usually starting out with "You rode behind 611? Oh, wow. WHAT HAPPENED?" This was from other riders and train crew as well.
My standard answer was "Who knows? There's lots of stories flying around, pick the one you like and stick with it, no-one can say you're wrong. I WILL tell you NS dropping the steam program has broken as many Southern hearts as Appomattox did!"
Anyway, the "Thoroughbred" sweatshirt has been carefully stored away, I can't wear it anymore. Somehow or another it (ahem) shrunk over the past 20 years.
Thanks RME. There are multiple levels, and at some point it goes into the twilight zone. The vest I wear at the NMRA conventions have cloth patches from all from past conventions I have attended. Several convention goers have them. They are sort of akin to travel stickers found on luggage from days gone by. If I missed the convention, no patch. I may have the patch, and the convention "car", but not sewn on.
It opens up dialogue between folks you have never met, as in "I see you you were in Houston in '89, did you get evacuated by Hurricane Chenille? Then the conversation quickly goes to the Northern Pacific somehow.
Time, travel, expense which can be huge, even danger!..drive by shooting in Philly, shots in LA, yeesh. Denver was good...I will never forget Denver, could write a pretty good book on the Denver experience.
So, yes, in a sense we are all a bit obsessed putting ourselves through all that travel and expense but it is after all who we are.
geomodelrailroadermost of us railfans​ have autism
As I said on the other silly thread and as Tree stated, most railfans, even "foamers" are not on the spectrum.
C&NW, CA&E, MILW, CGW and IC fan
BTW before we get a further tirade, "fomites" is a medical term referring to objects containing an active source of infection (it's from fomes, the Latin word for 'tinder').
It is not, was certainly not in "the 1940s and early 1930s", and to my knowledge never has been an acronym or initialism for any kind of railfan. It does, on the other hand, have amusing connotations for certain kinds of fanac.
cx500I was under the impression that gricer was a phonetic misspelling of a certain English accent, describing a rail enthusiast heading out trackside to "grice [grace] the railway with his presence", spoken in a somewhat sarcastic way.
This is pretty good, but I thought the British sarcastic sense came from grouse-hunting, the idea of trying to 'make a good catch' of something unexpected, and coming home with a good 'bag' of sightings...
tree68If you want an idea of what most people envision when they hear the term foamer, check out this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqvwnxgxazY
If you want an idea of what most railfans (including the person who made the above parody) envision when they think of foamer, see the original:
(Best to watch this and then watch the parody above so you can pick up on all the little tropes...)
Note how he self-identifies as a foamer without shame - how healthy is that?? I'm not going to criticize enthusiasm.
MiningmanA bit nasty there RME! What do you make of poor little ole moi at the NMRA National Conventions wearing my vest with all the patches?
It was a bit snarky, wasn't it?
It's more the 'activity' that goes with, and can often be spotted from a distance by, the pins and 'historic railroader' attire conventions that makes the 'foamer' distinction. When I was in high school, we had a railroad club (under the auspices of Karl R. Zimmermann), in which we had a couple of underclassmen we called 'junior railfans' -- kids who thought a fine activity was to put spare change on the rail for the Metroliner to convert to souvenirs. Problem was, when they were seniors they were still junior railfans...
Mind you, some of the archfoam -- the famous trainsandhawksfan 'heritage unit' video that produced the parody response being a capital example -- is so 'over the top' it's almost high camp fun. I have to wonder if the real problem is when aspects of railfanning "we" don't particularly value or respect become emphasized by others, to what seems to be a 'socially inept' degree...
May also be highly relative, of course: I remember John Dvorak's column in PC Magazine about 'only nerds know how to run WordPerfect' ... and being a little miffed at the 'review' of the Diesel Spotter's Guide in Playboy Magazine. And I do tend to get upset when various danes don't get technical details of railroading right...
So yes, it's probably a 'spectrum', perhaps shaded by inmates of the ferroequinological/siderohippological community making some of the taxonomic distinction. (I remember the more blatant examples of 'problem' types being described as "frothers" which is a bit more expressive of the rabid encepalopathy stereotype.)
BigJim Geomodelrailroader,What is your definition of a TROLL? And, Emperor of the North is a great movie, I don't give a fat rat's petoot what you think!
Geomodelrailroader,What is your definition of a TROLL?
And, Emperor of the North is a great movie, I don't give a fat rat's petoot what you think!
I have to agree with Big Jim and his position! As a retired, old, fart, I tend to have positions that are contrary to mainstream thought(s?); and I speak what is on my mind. The 'less-seasoned' members of the current generation, seem to wear their feelings on their sleeves, many do not grasp historical context or that significance of what has gone before; at the same time, they apparently, want to turn over rocks to find things to be offended by.
There is a semi-appropriate, Latin saying that many of the younger generations might look to for advice about life and what it does as one ages.
"...noli illegitimi carborundum..." The Etyomology of which, Is generally attributed to Gen, "Vingar Joe" Stillwell who learned its meaning from British Intelligence sources during WWII... Was further modernized by Barry Goldwater and also Jimmy Hoffa, who used it as: ".... noli illegitimi carborundum/" Don't let the [Bast......] grind you down..." Lessons yet to be learned by those who have not lived long enough, or fought for, the things that mean so much to many...
tree68 When I the word "foamite" I think of American LaFrance Foamite, a predecessor name for the well known American LaFrance fire apparatus builder. It has to do with one way of making fire extinguishers work, and is prominently included on items built by that company during the period.
When I the word "foamite" I think of American LaFrance Foamite, a predecessor name for the well known American LaFrance fire apparatus builder. It has to do with one way of making fire extinguishers work, and is prominently included on items built by that company during the period.
http://www.coachbuilt.com/bui/f/foamite_childs/foamite_childs.htm
.
Larry, does anyone like that show up at the Adirondack Scenic Railroad?
It's embarassing to hear such.
Johnny
geomodelrailroaderAnd don't make me say it again it is very very bad most of us railfans​ have autism when the word foamer is used as an acronym it insults us.
I know a great number of railfans who are not autistic. Watch your generalizations.
The term can't hurt you unless you let it. And, as was pointed out, virtually any word can be made an acronym. I'm sure I could come up with an acronym for foamer that was highly complimentary to rail enthusiasts if I tried.
Many folks use terms to lump together groups of people. If its a group of people they don't "get," they will often use the term in a less than complimentary sense.
Take the term "geek." Folks who have a lot of tech (or other specialized) knowledge will take the title with a bit of pride - recognition of their knowledge. There's even a business that includes "geek" in their business name. Yet some folks use the very same term with derision.
And I have heard folks called "train geeks."
If you want an idea of what most people envision when they hear the term foamer, check out this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NqvwnxgxazY
It is mainly those that are owned by European companies originating out of Great Britain and France and mostly out of Spain and Portugal in other words the EU block. These companies being DB transportation, Freightliner, Canadian Pacific, CN, CSX Transport, and Norfolk Southern all railroads who operate in the big cities. There are only two railroads in the United States that don't go through the big cities except Chicago and they don't like the word foamer these being Union Pacific and BNSF. Both of them operate in railfan territory and they have a public relations department they don't go out arresting and brutalizing railfans and they don't kill hobos. But they have asked us to stay off their property and take Operation Lifesaver classes most of us have I have 6 times I was given operation Lifesaver class in Head Start, Elementary School, and High School and I subscribed to the Operation Lifesaver Channel on YouTube and Facebook and Twitter. And I ask all of you to do the same. We are here to photograph and tape trains we are not here to break the law and we are not each of the insults defined in the acronym for foamer. I want all of you to be safe especially those who are chasing 844 this week the last thing I want is people getting hurt or worse arrested I don't want to see any of your obituaries in the newspaper.
I know and it's mainly the guys from back east, the train crews, and those who have read the book The Road, or watched Emperor of the North you are making it worse. Back East has a lot of gangs and they use a lot of slang and profanity. Back East, overseas, and in Canada and Mexico it does not count as a profane acronym but here in the United States and on the west coast it is a profane acronym. And don't make me say it again it is very very bad most of us railfans​ have autism when the word foamer is used as an acronym it insults us. I am a railfan nothing more I am not the F word, I am not Overreactive, I am not Arrogant, I am not Mentally Retarded, and I am not an Eccentric. I was born a railfan I will die a railfan I am nothing more.
Thanks Volker, that was interesting!
Wayne
It is just my last name. In the beginning Landwehr had nothing to do with armies. In the middle ages it were border markers in the form of canals, hedges, walls etc. There were locations named Landwehr too.
Landwehr in the meaning of reserve forces beside the regular army was established much later.
Landwehr as reserve army isn't used anymore.Regards, Volker (Germany)
Ferro is iron. Atomic symbol Fe. Chemin de Fer is common in Canada on Atlas's and Roadmaps as we are officially bilingual and as Firelock pointed out means literally "road of iron" or railroad. A railroad in Quebec is Chemin de Fer, also obligatory in New Brunswick.
A bit nasty there RME! What do you make of poor little ole moi at the NMRA National Conventions wearing my vest with all the patches?
Do not have the bibs and hat adorned with many pins but I do wear a CPR pin and a CNR pin occasionally on my blazers that I wear in my lectures. Of course with the obligatory elbow leather patches, you know to look smarter than I really am. Smoke a pipe too!
Chemin de Fer is the name of a station on one of my NTrak modules just for fun. People ask what it means and I answer "really?"
schlimmMy experience of German rail crews is that most are friendly.
Had to work with them while in the Army in the 1980's they inspected our tiedowns and bracing of armored vehicles before the train could leave and they inspected the mixed train while in operation......never a critical or angry word from German rail crews. They always gave us compliments on how quickly we got things done (of course in the Army labor is cheap and plentiful compared with DB.....so unfair comparison but...it is what it is).
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