Railroad Engineers Waving as a Train Passes

[zapp]

I'll wave at people at a crossing if they at me,but alot of th' time they aren't waving th' right hand signal,so I don't.
And then there's these new units with th' blacked out windows. Alot of th' time I can't see anybody,n they're a apin to try n open alot of th' time.
So don't take it too personally if you don't get a wave back,and oh yeah,if your on th' cornductor's side,he's probably asleep!

[coborn35]

You use alot of abbreviations huh zapp................
just kidding i usually do too.

[Anonymous]

I always wave unless it's too late or the weather is inclement. In what must by now be hundreds of sightings, I'd say I get a wave back between half and two-thirds of the time. I've only gotten the finger once[:0], and the flat or back-of-the-hand "no-nos" a few times.

Generally do much better with train engineers than truck drivers, also on the strongarmed "Blow your horn!" request.

[Gluefinger]

Here's a new one.....last week I was shooting trains in my area and as a freight came, the conductor covered his face with his hands - looking like he was yawning/rubbing his eyes...but I'm guessing he just didn't want to be on camera.

[Wolverine]

Anonymous, albiet 9 years ago...perhaps some of you will read this, I hope you do as well...I can tell you that there is a great deal of responsibility when operating and handling an engine...there are times where the engineer is at a key critical stage of operation and is completly absorbed in the handling of his train....same goes for the conductor who might be handling a great deal of track information that is required also to make sure the safety of many people is observed....dont stop waving, sometimes we're just busy working...the mass majority of us love giving a wave, and a little honk of the horn when we can...sincerly, Conductor Wolverine

[Wolverine]

Hey might have been having a bad day....maybe he hit a car a week earlier....its the life....give some room....thanks, we appreciate it   sincerly conductor wolverine

[Murphy Siding]

     Just had a BNSF engineer wave- must have been having a good day.

[Anonymous]

Its was a good day....cause he was moving. 

[ValleyX]

Talk about dredging up a topic from the past. I see that my posted response was made when I still had to work for another 4 1/2 years, now I'm coming up on 4 years retired. Which may go a long ways to explaining why I don't post a lot anymore. Thanks for the blast from the past.

[Murphy Siding]

ValleyX

Talk about dredging up a topic from the past. I see that my posted response was made when I still had to work for another 4 1/2 years, now I'm coming up on 4 years retired. Which may go a long ways to explaining why I don't post a lot anymore. Thanks for the blast from the past.

 

     Well that brings up an interesting question.  As a retired railroad guy, do you wave at engineers?

[Semper Vaporo]

I was stopped at a grade crossing the other day and waived to the engineer... A sort of friendly "tip of the hat" or 'salute' type of gesture.  He did acknowledge my wave with a gesture of his own, but I don't think anyone could construe his acknowledgement as a "wave". When I smiled, he did it again to be sure I understood the kind of day he was having.

[Ulrich]

I took my daughter out with me to railfan in the summer, and when she waved the engineer blew her a kiss (I'm sure it was for her and not me). 

[ValleyX]

Murphy Siding

 

 

 

 

 

 

     Well that brings up an interesting question.  As a retired railroad guy, do you wave at engineers?

 

 

Actually, I've seen very few trains since I retired.  There are no railroads very near my home and I don't generally go to the parts of town where they are.   I spend the winters elsewhere, where the closest railroad was abandoned twenty years ago, minimum.  However, I would wave, most certainly.

[Northtowne]

I supose you would say that I railfan. I'm not the usual type; I don't know all the nuts and bolts and loco id clues. I like trains because I grew up in a railroad family, lived only three blocks from the Katy main line till I was grown. I "railfan" on the NS, AGS div. I have a white Ford Expedition and NS has a lot of the same along with similiar Explorers. When I park to wait for trains I almost always get more than a glance from the cab crew. And a wave and seems like an extra whistle or two at the next road crossing. Maybe its that at first sight I might be taken for supervisory personell, I don't know. But I almost always get a nice acknowledgement. Which is a good thing; they are all cordial.

Northtowne

[seppburgh2]

Short back-in-the-day story.  Growing up along the Lackawanna, if I was a good kid my parents took me to see the Lake Shore Limited come through Convent Station at dusk (Dad called it the Phoebe Snow and to this day that's who she was. What we would do is stand way back on the East bound platform (Lake Shore on the West bound track) and Mom, Dad, and Son would all wave white hankerchiefs.  My Dad would say it was the proper way to wave at a passing train.

That was back in the early and mid 60's, I'm 58 now. 

Let me ask this, do people still wave white hankerchiefs at passing trains?

And if your an NS driver around Harrisburg and a red Trans Am passes by beeping his horn and giving a peace sign throught the open 'T' roof, that the original Phoebe Snow kid going by!

[McMinn TN]

The boys woke up early this morning, so I took them out to the CNOTP.  We had an autorack train follow us from Spring City (TN) to Oakdale.  With the wife's car in the shop, we were in the big red heavy chevy farm truck, so when we passed them for the 3rd time in Oakdale, I was surprized to see the huge waves from the engineer.  We were going the opposite direction and by the time I saw her through the window tinting, I did not have time to wave back before we were out of range.  I had waved at them in Roddy, so I guess we are even.