xboxtravis7992 Flintlock76 As a matter of fact, I think he's got a fine speaking voice and good vocabulary to go along with it! He might just have a future doing radio news broadcasts or voice-overs, if he can stay away from the tracks long enough! Jokes on you; you can foam and radio host at the same time! We have a local radio DJ here (Todd "Nuk'em" Noker on Utah's alternative radio station X96) who is a major railfan. He made sure all his radio listeners knew about Big Boy during its runs through our state this year. A friend of mine is a co-host with him on a podcast they produce in the radio station about railfanning.
Flintlock76 As a matter of fact, I think he's got a fine speaking voice and good vocabulary to go along with it! He might just have a future doing radio news broadcasts or voice-overs, if he can stay away from the tracks long enough!
As a matter of fact, I think he's got a fine speaking voice and good vocabulary to go along with it! He might just have a future doing radio news broadcasts or voice-overs, if he can stay away from the tracks long enough!
Jokes on you; you can foam and radio host at the same time! We have a local radio DJ here (Todd "Nuk'em" Noker on Utah's alternative radio station X96) who is a major railfan. He made sure all his radio listeners knew about Big Boy during its runs through our state this year. A friend of mine is a co-host with him on a podcast they produce in the radio station about railfanning.
Well then Travis, if that's the case they should get hold of Mr. Foamer, if they're "hiring" that is. Seems like he'd make a good member of the "firm!"
How well a Chicago kid would fit into the Utah mileu is another matter. Could be a bit of culture shock involved.
Overmod charlie hebdo Were there several different videos? The last video's location should be familiar to you and others who saw Big Boy this summer in West Chicago. I never noticed that!!! I need to look at a map!!! (Now who's foaming??) The famous "I finally caught a Heritage unit" video is the original, and it has almost charming enthusiasm; I can remember being as excited about something, but I was never quite so vocal (or uncontrolled in such 'exuberant' ways) as he is. The parody is the one shot at the 'heritage railroad' with the BL2 and E unit, with the script (such as it is) taken from the kind of language in the original. It's pretty funny in its own right (once you know why a BL2 or the horn on an E unit would be exciting to people) but it's far funnier when you know what he was parodying. Problem was... people far and wide didn't know that's what he was doing. And I suspect he got far more social-media hits, at least at the time, than the original 'life-changing' video did.
charlie hebdo Were there several different videos? The last video's location should be familiar to you and others who saw Big Boy this summer in West Chicago.
I never noticed that!!! I need to look at a map!!! (Now who's foaming??)
The famous "I finally caught a Heritage unit" video is the original, and it has almost charming enthusiasm; I can remember being as excited about something, but I was never quite so vocal (or uncontrolled in such 'exuberant' ways) as he is.
The parody is the one shot at the 'heritage railroad' with the BL2 and E unit, with the script (such as it is) taken from the kind of language in the original. It's pretty funny in its own right (once you know why a BL2 or the horn on an E unit would be exciting to people) but it's far funnier when you know what he was parodying. Problem was... people far and wide didn't know that's what he was doing. And I suspect he got far more social-media hits, at least at the time, than the original 'life-changing' video did.
The location of the video is a few blocks west of where you would have looked at 4014 up close and spoken with the crew.
The Heritage video kid does not seem especially unusual clinically. Someone on here spoke as though he knew with certainty that the kid was autistic, but I think he was wrong.
I just watched "Mr. Foamer's" five year update video. He looks fine to me, I wouldn't assume he has anything wrong with him.
BigJim Ulrich BigJim Ulrich As the locomotive slowly ground past me the engineer looked down at me and gestured with both hands as if to say "what the heck??" Maybe he was expecting a wave.. I dunno. Don't humor yourself, more likely he was gesturing as if asking..."What are you stopping here for?" That could have been it too. Ulrich,Just to show you that the shoe can be on the other foot, I once had a train with, supposedly, plenty of extra power as the tonnage was about half of what the AC units power could have pulled up the mountain. So, near the foot of the hill I passed a couple of bikers on a parallel road a ways off to the side. Thinking that I would never see them again was a mistake. Soon after that, the foreign units in my consist started losing power for some unknown reason. The train started slowing down and getting slower and slower until we were just barely creeping along. I was hoping that we wouldn't have to stop and double the hill. But, they kept on moving at a snails pace. Getting near the top of the hill, the road came close to the tracks and those bikers that I had left in the distance caught up to, passed the train and crossed the road crossing a short way ahead of us. As the bikers pedaled past my creeping train, I just laughed and waved as if to say "well done men, goodbye".
Ulrich BigJim Ulrich As the locomotive slowly ground past me the engineer looked down at me and gestured with both hands as if to say "what the heck??" Maybe he was expecting a wave.. I dunno. Don't humor yourself, more likely he was gesturing as if asking..."What are you stopping here for?" That could have been it too.
BigJim
Ulrich
Don't humor yourself, more likely he was gesturing as if asking..."What are you stopping here for?"
That could have been it too.
Ulrich,Just to show you that the shoe can be on the other foot, I once had a train with, supposedly, plenty of extra power as the tonnage was about half of what the AC units power could have pulled up the mountain. So, near the foot of the hill I passed a couple of bikers on a parallel road a ways off to the side. Thinking that I would never see them again was a mistake.
Soon after that, the foreign units in my consist started losing power for some unknown reason. The train started slowing down and getting slower and slower until we were just barely creeping along. I was hoping that we wouldn't have to stop and double the hill. But, they kept on moving at a snails pace.
Getting near the top of the hill, the road came close to the tracks and those bikers that I had left in the distance caught up to, passed the train and crossed the road crossing a short way ahead of us. As the bikers pedaled past my creeping train, I just laughed and waved as if to say "well done men, goodbye".
That was probably the only time I didn't wave at a passing train.. wasn't feeling well, and talk about timing... I needed a break and here was a train coming that would give me that 15 or 20 minutes to get myself right again. Generally I do wave at passing trains. To not wave would strike me as being slightly rude.. like getting on an elevator and not smiling and saying good morning/good afternoon to the others who are already there. Likely has less do to with being a foamer/railfan and more to do with simple acknowledgement of our shared humanity.
.
steve-in-kvilleOkay, have to ask... what is a "weed weasel"?
Company operating Official's - ie. a Trainmaster and/or Road Foreman of Engines that are in the field performing 'Efficiency Tests' to document employee compliance (or failure) with the Rules that apply to the situation being observed (situation might have to be created by the Officials involved).
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
Regards - Steve
charlie hebdoWere there several different videos? The last video's location should be familiar to you and others who saw Big Boy this summer in West Chicago.
Overmod charlie hebdo In my opinion, the guy on the video seems to be hamming it up for making a viral video, possibly deliberately portraying foamers as immature and socially weird. Which video is this? The hawksandtrainsfan22 or whatever it is video is legitimately the product of foaming enthusiasm -- he gets what used to be called 'carried away' by the excitement. Part of that is class-clown style perceived enablement: he's showing off for his YouTube audience, and it is a pretty good show (although not entirely for reasons he intended). The parody video, yes. He's intentionally hamming it up in ways normal people will find strange -- and he succeeded so thoroughly that a wide cross-section of American media not only thought he was serious, but chastised him in various ways as 'Train Boy'. There have been times it's a hard life trying to explain why you're a railfan.
charlie hebdo In my opinion, the guy on the video seems to be hamming it up for making a viral video, possibly deliberately portraying foamers as immature and socially weird.
Which video is this?
The hawksandtrainsfan22 or whatever it is video is legitimately the product of foaming enthusiasm -- he gets what used to be called 'carried away' by the excitement. Part of that is class-clown style perceived enablement: he's showing off for his YouTube audience, and it is a pretty good show (although not entirely for reasons he intended).
The parody video, yes. He's intentionally hamming it up in ways normal people will find strange -- and he succeeded so thoroughly that a wide cross-section of American media not only thought he was serious, but chastised him in various ways as 'Train Boy'.
There have been times it's a hard life trying to explain why you're a railfan.
Were there several different videos? The last video's location should be familiar to you and others who saw Big Boy this summer in West Chicago.
Deleted
Vern Moore The backstory to this video is that the overly exited railfan is autistic and his extreme enthusiasm is the result of that. Locally I know of several young men who are on the autism spectrum who are railfans. Their reactions to seeing unique rail equipment ranges from normal "Wow! I haven't seen that one before." to a reaction like the video and on to just exitedly flailing both arms and screaming like a small child. It depends on how profoundly autistic they are. There's a local mother who is very active on the railfan groups to track the location and arrival of trains by her house because those trains are the highlight of her autistic son's day. Locally based crews have learned of the situation and always give him an extra toot of the horn. They're good guys. And it just doesn't extend to railfans. I've seen similar behavior by individuals watching airplanes, firetrucks and motorcycles. We have a young men whose caretaker brings him to the local Harley dealership when they hold a cookout on summer weekends. For him the sound of the hundred or so bikes coming and going has him constantly excited, waving wildly and smiling to no end. Just something to ponder when we see somebody reacting beyond what we consider normal behavior when the train rolls by.
The backstory to this video is that the overly exited railfan is autistic and his extreme enthusiasm is the result of that.
Locally I know of several young men who are on the autism spectrum who are railfans. Their reactions to seeing unique rail equipment ranges from normal "Wow! I haven't seen that one before." to a reaction like the video and on to just exitedly flailing both arms and screaming like a small child. It depends on how profoundly autistic they are.
There's a local mother who is very active on the railfan groups to track the location and arrival of trains by her house because those trains are the highlight of her autistic son's day. Locally based crews have learned of the situation and always give him an extra toot of the horn. They're good guys.
And it just doesn't extend to railfans. I've seen similar behavior by individuals watching airplanes, firetrucks and motorcycles. We have a young men whose caretaker brings him to the local Harley dealership when they hold a cookout on summer weekends. For him the sound of the hundred or so bikes coming and going has him constantly excited, waving wildly and smiling to no end.
Just something to ponder when we see somebody reacting beyond what we consider normal behavior when the train rolls by.
Here he is 5 years after the video was made... Does he appear to have said conditions as some have assumed?
charlie hebdoIn my opinion, the guy on the video seems to be hamming it up for making a viral video, possibly deliberately portraying foamers as immature and socially weird.
Overmod charlie hebdo Agree. He does not sound autistic. Not sure how the other poster concluded to that comment. They're starting by assuming Asperger's syndrome is on the 'autism spectrum' 'somewhere'. And making some further assumptions from there. It's even possible that some combination of Asperger's and ADHD gives you this kind of over-the-top mania. That's not what most people will think of as 'autistic'.
charlie hebdo Agree. He does not sound autistic. Not sure how the other poster concluded to that comment.
They're starting by assuming Asperger's syndrome is on the 'autism spectrum' 'somewhere'. And making some further assumptions from there.
It's even possible that some combination of Asperger's and ADHD gives you this kind of over-the-top mania. That's not what most people will think of as 'autistic'.
Asperger's is on the high-functioning end of what the DSM-5 now calls Austism Spectrum Disorder. It's a continuum. The ICD-10 still lists autism and Asperger's, a minor difference in taxonomy.
A few symptoms overlap with ADHD, but often there is comorbidity. In my opinion, the guy on the video seems to be hamming it up for making a viral video, possibly deliberately portraying foamers as immature and socially weird.
charlie hebdoAgree. He does not sound autistic. Not sure how the other poster concluded to that comment.
Agree. He does not sound autistic. Not sure how the other poster concluded to that comment.
The over the top enthusiasm is contrived and for the cameras..no one I’ve ever met behaves that way unless there’s an audience. We live in a world where most everyone is looking to pick a fight.. say hello and someone gets mad. Wave and someone derides the damn foamers. I wave and smile when I can, and if there’s no response I’m ok with it..
SD60MAC9500. The art of engineers waving? Engineers waving began with signal/command acknowledgement..
The following is just my opinion, and I never have worked for a railroad, so it is "unqualified opinion" at best,.....but
I suspect that a majority of civilians-on-foot that train crews encounter, are trespassers. The crew has no idea if your intentions are noble, or otherwise...or even if perhaps you are suicidal. Or even if some weed weasel might observe them failing to report your trespass, per standard policy.
So, there are many different ways that pedestrian traffic could make a train crew's day less than enjoyable. For that reason I can empathize with the "wave? who me?" attitude.
At the same time, me personally, if I was an engineer and observed a tresspasser, I think my first concern would be to make sure they are alert and aware of the situation. Time permitting I think I would want to make eye contact with them, and a wave might be a convenient gesture to use in making sure that situational awareness is working both ways.
And I say that even if the microphone was in my other hand, getting ready to call it in.
SD70Dude Do you guys mean this thread? http://cs.trains.com/trn/f/111/t/101116.aspx
Do you guys mean this thread?
http://cs.trains.com/trn/f/111/t/101116.aspx
Good grief! Well after reading that thread it erupted rather quickly... I'm lost on the title though... The art of engineers waving? Engineers waving began with signal/command acknowledgement.. Has nothing to do with waving to foamers, buffs what have you.. Well I imagine some lose hope over the loss of a penny while stepping over the dollar...
OvermodPerhaps more likely some of them were removed in moderation.
I have no doubt that you are correct there.
I also seem to recall as well that for a time the quip of "did you wave?" rose to the point being a metaphor for malaise with the way other forum members were behaving, much the same way "Yes, but" and even "boxcars with shackles?" did.
I think there once was a song sung by Mary Hopkin that captured the emotion of that era.
Convicted One That thread must have spilled over into some other threads, because there were also old comments I recall that were not shown in this thread
Perhaps more likely some of them were removed in moderation.
Man, that thread really brought back some memories. - -
"Go stand by the highway and wave at all the cars and trucks. See how many wave back. See how many ..."
That thread must have spilled over into some other threads, because there were also old comments I recall that were not shown in this thread
To find that I entered the following phrase in Google:
"do you wave" cs.trains
I didn't even bother trying the current site's search feature....
Greetings from Alberta
-an Articulate Malcontent
Okay, thanks. I wasn't really tuned in enough at that time to know 100% what was driving that thread, but it seemed to be vitriol and acrimony splattered everywhere.
Convicted OneWasn't there a somewhat contentious thread along these lines a while back, asking "do you wave?" What was all the anger about in that thread?
As I recall, there was a lot of dislike of railfans espoused in that thread, by some of the railroaders then on the forum.
Perhaps it can be summed up with "why should I wave to someone I wish didn't exist?" Speaking of railfans, of course, not specific individuals.
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...
Wasn't there a somewhat contentious thread along these lines a while back, asking "do you wave?"
What was all the anger about in that thread?
[quote user="charlie hebdo"
Semper Vaporo I have had a few people ruin the audio of my videos by yelling loudly when a train is passing. Some kids have also made whistle and engine sounds that were louder than the train itself. Kids are cute, but not while I am trying to get a good video/audio of a steam loco. One time at the Midwest Old Settler's and Thresher's Reunion, a man was deliberately cursing loudly, with the express (he expressed it!) purpose of messing with people making videos. He followed me around for a while, so I wandered to the State Police post on the grounds and they escorted the man off and took his 5 day wrist band so he would have to pay again to get back in the event (expensive cussing!) I try to be well away from other people when making videos of trains (or anything!)
I have had a few people ruin the audio of my videos by yelling loudly when a train is passing.
Some kids have also made whistle and engine sounds that were louder than the train itself. Kids are cute, but not while I am trying to get a good video/audio of a steam loco.
One time at the Midwest Old Settler's and Thresher's Reunion, a man was deliberately cursing loudly, with the express (he expressed it!) purpose of messing with people making videos. He followed me around for a while, so I wandered to the State Police post on the grounds and they escorted the man off and took his 5 day wrist band so he would have to pay again to get back in the event (expensive cussing!)
I try to be well away from other people when making videos of trains (or anything!)
The kids have as much a right to yellow scream with excitement as you do to video.
Semper Vaporo
Pkgs.
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