175K railfans. That's a lot of foamers.

[Anonymous]

YOU DARN RIGHT IM A RAILFAN.....................
AND PROUD OF IT TO.
THE POLICE HERE IN TOWN KNOW ME ALOT AND THAY DON'T BOTHER ME AT ALL.
IM A RAILFAN AND PROUD OF IT TOO.
IM NOT WORRIED AT ALL............THE TRAIN CREWS SEE ME ALL THE TIME,THAY KNOW ME OF COURSE THAT'S NOT TO SAY THAT THAY TRUST ME BECAUSE IM JUST BEING A TYPICAL RAILFAN.
[bow]BNSF[bow]

[FJ and G]

Hobbyists or Terrorists? Railfans Find it Hard to Pursue Passion in
Post-September 11 World

Commuter Weekly, June 29, 2004

Some people like tinkering with old cars. Others love collecting stamps
and coins or building model airplanes. Bird watchers, on the other hand,
love watching and “collecting” bird species. Then, there are railfans-also
known as train spotters, foamers (as in, “foaming at the mouth” when they
see a train) and railbuffs. No matter what you call them, there are an
estimated 175,000 railfans in the U.S., almost all of whom are men, and
they all share one common passion: trains. Clubs, Web sites and even
vacation excursions all serve to feed their passion for trains.

According to Rob Buckman, a railfan and owner of 3RI, a Web site
dedicated
to railroad images, the casual observer might not notice that trains are
all that different. You’ve seen one train … you've seen them all, right?
But, stresses Buckman, “Rarely will two trains be exactly alike. The
engines pulling that train blocking the crossing and made you late for
work? They might have been GP38-2s, an engine that is quickly fading from
the scene like the steam engines of years gone by. Who cares? It is the
same type of person who cares and knows about the old muscle cars, like an
Olds Cutlass 442 or Barracuda.”

For many years, railfans were largely left alone, allowed to document
their train sightings with cameras (most railfans are photographers,
documenting trains through their lenses), and sometimes documenting engine
paint schemes, engine numbers, number of cars, and train frequency in
well-worn notebooks. But then came September 11, and, much later, train
bombings in Madrid, Spain. Suddenly, an innocent pastime became viewed as
maybe something a bit more sinister. Could that man with a camera really
be a terrorist plotting out the best way to derail or bomb a train, or is
he merely a railfan pursuing a hobby?

“Anyone seen taking photographs is going to be questioned,” said
Richard
Maloney, a spokesman for SEPTA, Philadelphia’s public transit authority,
in a recent Time magazine about railfans. “The wide-open spaces and the
freedom we have enjoyed to meander almost anywhere is gone.”

It’s a sentiment shared by John Almeida, profiled in the Time magazine
article, who chases train every day during lunch hour. He sets up four
video cameras on tripods beside the tracks and waits, listening to his
scanner. Over the past 15 years, he has shot hundreds of hours of video
and tens of thousands of pictures. And since September 11, he has been
mistaken for a terrorist about once a month and has been followed by an
Amtrak helicopter, questioned by police and rail workers and described to
a 911 dispatch as a "suspicious Middle Eastern male." (Although Almeida is
of Irish Catholic descent.)

But regardless of how you feel about the situation-whether you think
that
railfans should be left to pursue their hobby or whether you think that
railfans should pursue a different hobby in this post-September 11
environment, one thing is clear: no one should ever, ever walk on railroad
tracks or enter private rail property without permission. It’s illegal and
dangerous, with the consequences sometimes fatal. It will also be viewed
by law enforcement as a security risk.

Operation Lifesaver, an organization dedicated to educating the public
about railroads and ensuring the public’s safety, began a public outreach
program in 1972, in fact, that has helped reduce the number of injuries
and fatalities on the tracks by 75 percent. And since it became clear that
railfans’ desires were often at odds with the desires of the Department of
Homeland Security, Operation Lifesaver reached out to railfans with the
Railfan Tips and Security Advisory, developed in cooperation with the U.S.
Transportation Security Administration (TSA).

“Nearly 1,000 people die each year because they do not understand
railroads,” Operation Lifesaver President Gerri Hall explains. “They
underestimate the power of trains and the dangers around the rails. In
particular, children learn from the example of their siblings and older
friends, based on what they see, not what they hear.”

Operation Lifesaver’s complete Railfan Tips and Security Advisory is
available online, but key points of Operation Lifesaver’s Safety Message
which apply to everyone-include:

Do not trespass on railroad property or rights-of-way. It is illegal,
it
can be deadly, and you also may appear to be a serious security risk.
Remember, railroad property may extend 200 feet on either side of the tracks.
Do not enter private rail property without permission.
Never walk out on a railroad bridge or trestle.
Stay out of railroad tunnels.
Do not climb on railroad property such as signal bridges, cabinets or
other structures.
Never climb on or crawl under railroad cars or equipment.
Obey all highway-rail grade crossing signs and signals.
Of course, both rail enthusiasts and the public can be a big part of the
safety/security solution by always cooperating with law enforcement and,
any time you see suspicious activities near the tracks, reporting them to
local authorities.

By following these guidelines, pedestrians and rail riders can enjoy
train
travel and help maintain the security of our nation’s transportation system.


Dave Vergun