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KCSfan wrote: In all my 75 years of train watching I've never seen one that's boring regardless of what's on the head end or its makeup!
Could not agree more! A boring train to railfanners? Never! I love them all: racks, stacks, coal, passenger commuter, high & wide, short, long, NS, CSX, UP, BNSF, more more more I want more! In fact I am sneaking out of the office now in hopes of finding a "boring" stack train so I can forget about this thread!
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I thought about this one carefully and considered all the types of trains I see regularly, the ones that are guaranteed to come through town, the ones I see all the time. I tried to think hard about not only routine trains, but what would constitute a boring train. I thought about all the American trains I remember and the types of German trains I see everyday now. After thinking about this for a while I concluded that if at anytime I considered any train boring then I should probably find another hobby.
No matter how routine, no matter regular, no matter how identical the next train is to the last I still catch myself stopping to watch and everytime I didn't have a camera on me I wish I did. Whenever I'm out running or biking I somehow end up by the tracks looking at block signals or watching up and down the line trying to guesstimate how close the next train is and how long I can stall in that particular area before I need to move on. Living in Germany in the last couple years it's the same old commuter trains time after time after time, yet I'm compelled to watch every single time. I miss the intermodals and the coal trains that are usually a mile long pulled by big, loud diesels.
For me the most boring train is the one that isn't there, but even when the rails are empty that only lets my imagination run wild.
I'm a train watcher/I'm a train watcher/Watching trains go by/My, oh my, here comes one now...
yad sdrawkcab s'ti
ironhorseman wrote: For me the most boring train is the one that isn't there, but even when the rails are empty that only lets my imagination run wild.
Oh yeah! Even the time between the trains I use to setup the next shot or think about what's going to be coming down the line or around the next bend.
Some trains have a certain amount of sameness but NONE of them are boring.
KCSfan wrote: In all my 75 years of train watching I've never seen one that's boring regardless of what's on the head end or its makeup! I'll often chase a train out of town regardless of its consist just to pace it after it's up to track speed or sit at a grade crossing to watch it roar by. Heck I sometimes even go out of my way to check out cars that are spotted at local businesses and industries. If it's freight I like to watch it - if its Amtrak, commuter or light rail, I'd like to be riding it. The day I find a train, any train, boring is the day I'll take up another hobby!Mark
In all my 75 years of train watching I've never seen one that's boring regardless of what's on the head end or its makeup! I'll often chase a train out of town regardless of its consist just to pace it after it's up to track speed or sit at a grade crossing to watch it roar by. Heck I sometimes even go out of my way to check out cars that are spotted at local businesses and industries. If it's freight I like to watch it - if its Amtrak, commuter or light rail, I'd like to be riding it. The day I find a train, any train, boring is the day I'll take up another hobby!
Mark
I have to agree with Mark 100%. I don't like threads that start with negativity. But let me throw a different spin on this. I think of all the friends I have and friends I've made (one more this week) and will make in the future watching trains. I've never met any one of them talk or think about trains they don't like. I once was caught on someone's video saying "as long as they shake the ground make a lot of noise and stink, I like em).
Besides trains I enjoy drag racing, sprint car racing and football. There are good and bad races, good and bad games. That doesn't mean I won't come back or complain that any of them are boring. Like trains, there's something about each one of them to make me love all of them. Well, sometimes when the Falls City Beavers lose I get a little upset!
m
KCSfan wrote:In all my 75 years of train watching I've never seen one that's boring regardless of what's on the head end or its makeup! I'll often chase a train out of town regardless of its consist just to pace it after it's up to track speed or sit at a grade crossing to watch it roar by. Heck I sometimes even go out of my way to check out cars that are spotted at local businesses and industries. If it's freight I like to watch it - if its Amtrak, commuter or light rail, I'd like to be riding it. The day I find a train, any train, boring is the day I'll take up another hobby!Mark
The only train that could be described as "boring" would be a couple of locomotives pulling an endless train of empty semi-trailer flats. That being said, I try to look at all the cars in the train for any oddball reporting marks, or fallen flags. Several years ago, when SP, and later UP, was running the Geneva Steel taconite trains with a mixed bag of hopper cars, I'd occasionally see a Clinchfield or Reading hopper mixed in with the usual UP, Rio Grande, MP, BN, and CTRN hoppers. Some of those Geneva trainsets are still running, but the Clinchfield and RDG hoppers are gone, having been replaced by UP and C & NW cars.
There's much worse than your (empty) intermodal freight trains: European high speed passenger trains (TGV's). Not only they all look the same, but you don't even have the time to look or spot their details, unless of course they are waiting at the depot !!!
There's one exception however: try to get as close to them as possible when passing at speeds over 200 mph, that may suddenly become very exciting
Juanfran, the Netherlands
Auto Carrier Unit Trains that are crawling along slowly and occasionally stopping which only have UP, CSX, NS, BNSF Auto Racks. They are practical and well maintained, but they are not exciting after the 5th viewing.
Andrew
Watch my videos on-line at https://www.youtube.com/user/AndrewNeilFalconer
Putting a positive spin on the concept. Any train is EXCITING to watch if it is moving at speeds over 55 miles per hour. The speed, noise, and lights make the trains exciting.
If the train sits there motionless and rusting away, then it can get boring.
Yeah,
I tell folks I've never met a train I wouldn't ride in, on, or under; or watch. Never rode under though, being born a few years too late, but "I probly woulda".
Been thinking about writing my last wishes lately and trying to decide about my ashes going to Reading's Outer Station remains or Neversink mountain's Haak's (we thought it was Hawks Peak). Both great places to watch and generally mess around with trains in my childhood.
Guess my Catholic family won't permit ashes though, and I'll wind up with the rest of them in Gethsemane. Charles Evans (only it's Protestant, horrors!) wouldn't be bad either with Wooten and Mulholland looking out over Reading Shops.
Rickie
rixflix aka Captain Video. Blessed be Jean Shepherd and all His works!!! Hooray for 1939, the all time movie year!!! I took that ride on the Reading but my Baby caught the Katy and left me a mule to ride.
Joe the Photog wrote: CSX coal trains through Columbia, SC are pretty boring. Mainly two AC4400CW's and a long string of cars that all look the same. The exception are when they are CSX coal cars. Every once in a while, we'll see an old Rio Grande coal hopper..... with CSXT marks. JOe H.
CSX coal trains through Columbia, SC are pretty boring. Mainly two AC4400CW's and a long string of cars that all look the same. The exception are when they are CSX coal cars. Every once in a while, we'll see an old Rio Grande coal hopper..... with CSXT marks.
JOe H.
i personally think coal trains are cool to watch specailly the csx coal trains. but i love watching intermodal trains and mixe trains the best.
No trains are boring to watch. When I was a kid I liked the locomotives and rolling stock....these days my interests are as much about the business side of the industry. So when I see a train go by I like to identify the cargo and maybe the shipper...and I take an interest in things like the condition of the right of way etc. My usual stomping ground is Milton Ontario where both CN and CP run through on a pretty much hourly basis.
Anything unusal is interesting too. Last weekend I saw a couple of Santa Fe warbonnets on the point of a CN freight. That's interesting and shows you how well the different systems work together these days.
Aside from being interesting, watching trains is a great way to spend time with the kids on a Saturday afternoon. A great way for father/son/daughter alone time away and a nice respite for all of us from daily responsibiities and expectations.
I still love watching trains even though much has changed in the last 25 years:
-No more cabooses
-No open auto racks
-Much less variety in rolling stock
-Fewer roads
-Less noise "character"
Those things have made it a more "sterile" hobby; but, I am grateful that the railroading industry is not only alive but doing well. Trains are still the best thing going on wheels..
I do most of my train watching in Fullerton CA. Double stacks are so common that I sometimes don't look up from a conversation except to look at the engines.
My favorite, on the other hand, is the La Habra Local, a short freight (usually 5 to 10 mixed cars) pulled or pushed by two elderly GPs, everything well graffitied. If the engines are pushing, they may have a caboose at the end of the cars to give the trainmen something to stand on.
Jack
This might be a strange answer. I live at the northern bottle neck of the PRB, and at the bottom of the last big climb before entering Monatna so... I think the emties flowing into the PRB are very boring, but when they are loaded and building speed a the bottom, down here, more excitingly, an SD70ACe and an ES44AC on the point with an SD70MAC in the DPU spot with 2 SD75Ms in the helper postion shoving on 15,000 tons....... WHOOO HOOO!!! I Love Loaded Coal Trains!! The foundation of my house is paying the price though. Nice thread!
Around here I'd say any train is boring to watch when travelling 10mph or under, or maybe even <20mph. I still like to see them, and study them, but still boring, especially when I'm in the middle of a run.
The most fascinating trains for me are piggybacks, then stacks. I love seeing time sensitive traffic ride the rails and competing with the truckers.
The types of trains i find the MOST BORING are unit coals,grains,& autos and baretables as well..coal is like watching the same car over & over again..the same goes with grain...boring trains...autos are boring because its just the same cars but with different reporting marks & colors...also baretables are some of the most boring trains ive seen...its nothing but a string of empty intermodal cars..at least make them single stack...for unit trains suck...except crash (trash lol) & juice...those are two i do not find boring...coal trains are the ones i despise the most and it really bothers me too see ac4400cw's pulling these boring trains....
Trains that don't move, common single-type trains, like unit trains, especially with bad lighting, trains with common widecab locos on front, like many NS, etc. Echoing most of what was already posted. Now I won't completely ignore any train, especially if I am close enough to fully hear and feel it, but those are the least interesting ones. Sadly, much of what goes by on the Rochelle webcam these days are those double stacks, followed by coal trains, and, that, combined with the bad lighting often seen, and the common widecabs, makes the Rochelle cam a smaller priority these days. Now, the Roanoke cam is loaded with so much variety, even with flocks of cabeese to be seen on occasion, is well worth watching to break away from the standard stuff.
I find boring, trains that are not earning money for their carrier.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
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