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How do you spot another railfan?

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Posted by garyla on Sunday, September 14, 2014 12:28 AM
Look for telltale signs of foam near our lips!
If I ever met a train I didn't like, I can't remember when it happened!
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Posted by Murphy Siding on Friday, September 12, 2014 9:15 PM

Semper Vaporo

The thread title reminds me of the Red Skelton skit where he was the two seagulls, "Gertrude and Heathcliff".

Gertrude complains, "We've been in Hollywood for two weeks now and I haven't seen a movie star yet!"

Heathcliff responds, "Fly over with me and I'll SPOT one for ya."

 

For me, where I rail-fan, Anybody else that is there is either a rail-fan watching trains, or a RR employee cussin' the rail-fans for watching them while they work.

 

 

 Awe man!  I'm old enough to remember Gertrude and Heathcliff. Sigh

Thanks to Chris / CopCarSS for my avatar.

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Posted by Murphy Siding on Friday, September 12, 2014 9:13 PM

Mookie

Look for the koala ear cuff on her left ear.  Kisses

Um....huh?

Thanks to Chris / CopCarSS for my avatar.

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Posted by Semper Vaporo on Friday, September 12, 2014 1:58 PM

The thread title reminds me of the Red Skelton skit where he was the two seagulls, "Gertrude and Heathcliff".

Gertrude complains, "We've been in Hollywood for two weeks now and I haven't seen a movie star yet!"

Heathcliff responds, "Fly over with me and I'll SPOT one for ya."

 

For me, where I rail-fan, Anybody else that is there is either a rail-fan watching trains, or a RR employee cussin' the rail-fans for watching them while they work.

 

 

Semper Vaporo

Pkgs.

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Posted by tree68 on Friday, September 12, 2014 1:48 PM

Hard core fans can often be spotted by the scanner and camera they carry.  And sometimes a pad to take notes.

More casual fans can be a little harder to spot, although they can be seen breaking out their cellphones when a train approaches.

As mentioned, seeing folks in "unusual" places can be a tip-off.  That's why the Rochelle park exists - people noticed that fans congregated there and built the park.  Same with Fostoria, Folkston, and a host of other places that now have formal trainwatching facilities.

LarryWhistling
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Posted by Mookie on Friday, September 12, 2014 1:13 PM

Look for the koala ear cuff on her left ear.  Kisses

She who has no signature! cinscocom-tmw

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Posted by CSSHEGEWISCH on Friday, September 12, 2014 11:32 AM

At Blue Island Junction it isn't that hard since it's not near a business district.  Anybody who is out there with a camera in hand is probably a fan.

The daily commute is part of everyday life but I get two rides a day out of it. Paul
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Posted by Ulrich on Friday, September 12, 2014 6:16 AM

Sometimes its hard to say. I'm at Bayview Junction, a major railfan spot here in Canada, on a regular basis. I see all kinds. Some you would never guess are railfans. I see three old ladies there on Saturday nights... all three make a date out of watching trains I guess. But looking at them you'd never guess they're railfans. And then there's the really old lady I used to see there. One day I told her that she sure doesn't look like a typical railfan. She laughed and  replied that her dad used to take her to Bayview to watch trains back in the 1930s! Sometimes you just can't tell! 

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Posted by narig01 on Friday, September 12, 2014 1:14 AM
Carrying a copy of Trains.
Rgds IGN
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How do you spot another railfan?
Posted by Boyd on Friday, September 12, 2014 1:11 AM

Other than standing 30+ feet from the rails and taking pictures, and/or wearing a Sante Fe hat, how do you tell your seeing another railfan?

Modeling the "Fargo Area Rapid Transit" in O scale 3 rail.

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