Hi everyone.
I live in Canada and I am interested in learning more about trains, railroads, freight trains ... I am a complete beginner.
What are the things a newbie like should do to learn more about those subjects and be able to watch more trains in real?
Thanks for your help!
Stéphan
aboard!
Everything about railroads? Oh my, so much to learn, and you may never know it all.
My advice would be to pick a particular aspect of railroading you're interested in and follow that. A good tool is this website, there's a lot of good information in its nooks and crannies. If historic railroading is your interest, and it's my primary interest by the way, there's the "Classic Trains" website, a companion to this one.
Reading the various Forums is a good way to learn. Look at the various topics, read what's asked and the answers to the same. (You'll also learn a lot about peoples eccentricities, trust me!) Ask questions too, you'll get some good answers.
Here's another good overview, "The Railroad, What It Is, What It Does."
https://qhy92hged07.storage.googleapis.com/MDkxMTM4MjU4NQ==07.pdf
Or you can find the book on Amazon.
Although I can answer that question briefly. A railroad is a business that moves stuff from Point A to Point B in the most efficient and profitable manner possible.
I've picked up most of what I know by doing all of the above and really by a process of osmosis, keeping my eyes and ears open and trying to absorb all I could.
Since you live in Canada I couldn't tell you where to go trainwatching, but a good "Almost there" is the Virtual Railfan YouTube channel. There's remote cameras all over placed by busy rail lines, but mind you sometimes it's like watching paint dry if nothing's happening.
Google YouTube Virtual Railfan and you're there.
Hope this helps. Anyone else care to join in?
Also read the quarterly and annual reports that are available on all major railroad websites. They're a gold mine of information.
What part of Canada are you from?
You should consider volunteering at a railway museum if there is one in your area, it's a good way to make a contribution to historic preservation while also learning about trains with like-minded people.
Greetings from Alberta
-an Articulate Malcontent
I'd strongly suggest subscribing to both Trains (monthly), and Classic Trains (quarterly). You'll learn a ton just by doing that. Also, the same company, Kalmbach, has some excellent reference books. I just got one that's a historical guide to North American railroads; it's got anywhere from 1-4 pages for each of the railroads that formed the framework we have today, plus it has the current major railroads. Lots of good photos and maps.
Good luck! There's so much that's fascinating.
Great suggestion by SD70Dude.
Subscribe to Trains Magazine!
Semper Vaporo
Pkgs.
Stay OFF railroad property!
If you are smart, learn the art of being incognito.
After the 9-11 terrorists attack in 2001, some railroaders and managements became super unbalanced. Case in point: In the High Desert of Southern California, a train’s crew reported to the DS that a car with a bunch of people was following the train. The more experienced and civilized railroad dispatcher asked them if the vehicle following the train was ‘not just railfans?’
So, realize some railroaders and managements are wise and knowledgeable about their surroundings and not paranoid, and some are dumb, ignorant, and scared of their own shadows! You will play it smart if you take the more incognito approach … but, whatever you do, always stay off any type of railroad property.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- K.P.’s absolute “theorem” from early, early childhood that he has seen over and over and over again: Those that CAUSE a problem in the first place will act the most violently if questioned or exposed.
Not to be a Debbie Downer, but the most important thing when starting railfanning is the same as starting work on a railroad: SAFETY FIRST, LAST AND ALWAYS. I have not seen this mentioned in all the preceding advice.
Always be aware of what is around you and what might happen, and learn about how different and often counterintuitive the effects of speed and higher mass can be. And never, ever relax your vigilance, no matter how great the 'catch' or the difficulties in setting up for a particular shot.
I was taught an exaggerated respect for firearms -- always treat them as loaded and ready to fire, even when you know otherwise. The same is true around railroads. There's an adage for employees -- "expect a train on any track at any time" -- and a rule never to cross less than 20-30 feet from any standing equipment. There's also a saying 'rules like these were written in blood'. These are not just tales told to frighten newbies.
And please don't 'trespass'. Railfans used to be welcome many places. Now we're an insurance risk at best.
Watch the several railfan cams on YouTube. They are often accompanied by a "chat" with contributions by folks knowledgeable in the local operation. Some now have a log that tells what trains have passed that day.
You'll get to see a variety of types of trains.
Trains magazine sponsors the cam at Rochelle, IL.
My favorite is Deshler, OH, but there are cams at Fairport, NY; Horseshoe Curve, PA, and Fort Madison, IA, to name a few.
While the experts on the chats are happy to answer questions, perhaps the best thing to do in the beginning is to just sit back and watch, and read the chat. Please don't ask "when is the next train?" as nothing is scheduled as such. Oftimes the knowledgeable folks on the chat do have an idea of what's coming, but they'll share that if they do know.
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...
Overmod Not to be a Debbie Downer, but the most important thing when starting railfanning is the same as starting work on a railroad: SAFETY FIRST, LAST AND ALWAYS. I have not seen this mentioned in all the preceding advice.
JPS1I agree 100 percent. Life with all your limbs intact. It is the only thing that is really important!
That's one nice thing about virtual railfanning. The worst injury I might sustain would be carpal tunnel or tripping on the way to the fridge for some refreshments...
Overmod Not to be a Debbie Downer, but the most important thing when starting railfanning is the same as starting work on a railroad: SAFETY FIRST, LAST AND ALWAYS. I have not seen this mentioned in all the preceding advice. Always be aware of what is around you and what might happen, and learn about how different and often counterintuitive the effects of speed and higher mass can be. And never, ever relax your vigilance, no matter how great the 'catch' or the difficulties in setting up for a particular shot.
In the industry we call that "situational awareness". Maintaining it is of utmost importance.
It is also what sets railfans apart from "foamers", a term you will hear soon enough if you haven't already.
A railfan is someone who likes trains because they are trains.
A foamer is someone who loses situational awareness and allows themselves to get into harm's way.
Very few railfans are foamers, and not all foamers are railfans; I would argue that overenthusiastic sports fans could also be described as foamers, to pick just one example.
Overmod I was taught an exaggerated respect for firearms -- always treat them as loaded and ready to fire, even when you know otherwise. The same is true around railroads. There's an adage for employees -- "expect a train on any track at any time" -- and a rule never to cross less than 20-30 feet from any standing equipment. There's also a saying 'rules like these were written in blood'. These are not just tales told to frighten newbies. And please don't 'trespass'. Railfans used to be welcome many places. Now we're an insurance risk at best.
Rule #1 of railfanning is "don't become part of the action. All other rules refer to rule #1.
But don't let any of this scare you. As long as you use common sense and don't trespass you have nothing to fear.
While I don't know where specifically, you said you're in Canada, and a helpful reference material is published by the Bytown Railway Society in the Canadian Trackside guide:
https://bytownrailwaysociety.ca/index.php/sales-desk/canadian-trackside-guide
This book is updated annually and includes a lot of data/reference information on current diesel and passenger car rosters on all Canadian railways (so if you want to check out what type of engine you saw you can look it up by railroad and cab #), listings of locations/mileages and names on all rail lines, radio frequencies used if you have a radio scanner to listen, etc.
Otherwise, you can start by trying to go down by the local station or other PUBLIC place to watch from a SAFE position; however depending on where you're actually located this may or may not work out better.... if the particular line only has a train once or twice a day, or even only a few times a week, this won't work real great. Even on a busy line you can sometimes get lucky and sometimes not see anything for a block of several hours. If there's passenger service you can sort of follow schedules for those, but there are no schedules for freight trains. Depending on the railroad there may be certain trains that "generally" run around the same time (ish) each day, but that is highly variable depending on work required, delays encountered en route, crew availabilities, etc.
Chris van der Heide
My Algoma Central Railway Modeling Blog
Also, in learning about trains "in general" there are a lot of topics on these and other forums, there will be railfanning sites specifically about your favourite railway(s), and YouTube has lots of video content as well.
tree68Watch the several railfan cams on YouTube. They are often accompanied by a "chat" with contributions by folks knowledgeable in the local operation.
I agree, and recommend webcams where trains have to stop and you can get appreciation for the operations.
At Ft. Madison (BNSF Chillicothe sub) trains stop in both directions either for a) the swing bridge or b) the crew change about a mile west. With large 'no fitters' running around the crossing is often blocked.
The three Tehachapi webcams (UP Mojave sub) can show how even the overworked dispatcher can keep multiple trains moving in both directions through alternating blocks of single and double track.
Links to my Google Maps ---> Sunset Route overview, SoCal metro, Yuma sub, Gila sub, SR east of Tucson, BNSF Northern Transcon and Southern Transcon *** Why you should support Ukraine! ***
Never, ever cross a track if a stopped train (or cut of cars) is blocking your view of a second (or 3rd, etc.) parallel track. Many, many years ago, I (and my innocent not-driving wife) almost got killed because I failed to follow this rule. I still shiver thinking about that dumb$#!t move.
And don't let your focus on one moving train blind you to the possibility that another is coming on a parallel track, in the opposite or same direction. One train's noise will keep you from noticing the second train.
And don't assume that all trains will blow for a grade crossing. For example, here in Maine there are neighborhoods whose local governments have succumbed to residents' pleas for quiet, and have banned horn-blowing. One neighborhood I have in mind abuts a track where the Amtrak Downeaster runs; this is by far Maine's fastest train. There are electric crossing "crossbucks," but no gates. Crazy, IMO.
Be careful. And WELCOME ABOARD.
In addition to the pointers already said... DON'T LITTER.. Leave an area looking as if you never showed up.. Some nice railfan areas have become off limits to railfans because they didn't respect the property.
One thing to keep in mind is, if you like British trains and there is a whole lot to like about them and there you will not be a railfan, you will be a "train spotter." In the U.K. no one will ever think you're nuts for liking trains. Some of my friends over there are pretty hardcore but eccentricity is sort of admired in Britain. There's bus spotters, tram spotters, even truck spotters, all with notebooks writing down numbers, dates and times and no one thinks that's unusual. That's the Brits for you.
54light15One thing to keep in mind is, if you like British trains and there is a whole lot to like about them and there you will not be a railfan, you will be a "train spotter."
Now if I think about this a little more carefully with an open mind, there can be disturbingly little difference between this and having to "document a particular 'catch' photographically" (as in the old railfan, or fisherman for that matter, adage 'show picture or it didn't happen'). I sometimes wondered if train-spotting were a sort of lowest-cost enthusiasm, given the tremendous investment needed to do train photography in that era. If all you need to 'participate' fully is an Ian Allan notebook (with simple reference material) and an all-weather pencil, and you have a large number of comparably-motivated peers reinforcing your interest... unsurprising to see it develop into a sort of national pastime. (Of a sort that just did not develop to any extent in North America, for a variety of often likely synergistic reasons...)
I have suspected since the '80s that the kind of marketing and promotion organization you often see in the entertainment and gaming industries would, at some point, try to tie the trainspotting and general Japanese Pokemon-style communities of interest together somehow (it certainly seems to have more promise than exploiting the Bazooka Joe character from the bubble gum as a DC/Marvel-style character franchise, which one of the Disney people, I think Mike Eisner, actually tried as his 'comeback' project in the Nineties). I have little doubt that if it were properly 'pushed', it would catch on. For how long is another discussion entirely.
OvermodTrain-spotting always struck me as being a sort of weird pursuit, like fantasy football or Pokemon card collecting. None of the real fun of railroading, just noting down stats and documenting numbers...
Some forms of that go on on this side of the pond.
Carl rarely gets caught at a crossing without a notebook, and has probably the most extensive catalog of railcars in the country. If you throw a car number at him, he can usually tell you when it was built, by whom, and who has owned the car.
Several rail cams now have logs of trains that pass them, including symbol, motive power, and often special notes about the train. Like the taco train, AKA "Iron Maiden."
We could make trading cards with a different locomotive number on each one.
"Complete your fleet, gotta catch 'em all!"
SD70DudeWe could make trading cards with a different locomotive number on each one. "Complete your fleet, gotta catch 'em all!"
Special metalized cards for the Budd equipment, and embedded batteries for LED and EL lighting and sound effects... Heck, the history of Pokemon alone gives you all the ideas you'd need for generations and generations of milking the resource, Docomo-style...
I notice that nobody mentioned cigarette cards, back in the olden days. There were no few of these with railroad subjects, though admittedly none I know that went so far as to have examples of a particular class with different numbers to collect -- which would to me have been an obvious thing for British tobacco companies to try to exploit. (Something that always vaguely troubled me was how much overlap there would be between schoolboy train enthusiasm and a tobacco-related source of the cards...)
Hey, speaking of Virtual Railfan here's the link to the Strasburg Railroad camera. They're open for business, and with sun in the sky, snow on the ground and steam in the air it looks like a Howard Fogg Christmas card come to life! Check it out! Cool!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_phjXZUfRI
Flintlock76Hey, speaking of Virtual Railfan here's the link to the Strasburg Railroad camera.
Dang - shouldn't have gone there. Makes me miss being able to work on the railroad this past year all the more.
Thanks, Flintlock. One of these days I gotta get up there.
_____________
"A stranger's just a friend you ain't met yet." --- Dave Gardner
Paul of Covington Thanks, Flintlock. One of these days I gotta get up there.
You're welcome Paul! Let me tell you, I want to go to Strasburg to die!
And when you do, they'll make sure you get cremated properly!
There is a shop on Cecil Court (which has a lot of bookstores) near Covent Garden in London that sells all kinds of cigarette cards. Locomotives, famous cricketers, race horses, racing cars, birds, warships, you name it. A guy in the shop said that they went away with the beginning of WW2.
When I first went over to the U.K. about 15 years ago I wish I knew about the Ian Allan books. I would have bought the one that covers every extant steam locomotive and logged when and where I saw each one. Every heritage railway I've visited normally has one or two in steam but in the sheds there are a lot more. For example, in the case of the Bluebell Railway they must have at least 20 locomotives either in storage, under restoration or just waiting to go out on a run.
Friends of mine have regular notebooks and write down dates and locations and numbers of every EMU or DMU that they see. Now, that's a bit much. To me, anyway.
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