Why it is worse to be a young rail fan

[gabe]

I am sure you are all familiar with the older generation telling the younger one that it doesn’t know how lucky it is with all of the modern conveniences—essentially I had to walk to school eight miles up hill both ways types of stories (and we liked it).

Well, as I was staring at one of the most incredible railroad sights I have saw yesterday (Madison Hill), it really hit home how much I and the current younger generation of railroaders miss and how today’s enthusiasts are eclipsed by the hobby of yesteryear.

(1) I will never see a set of SD-9s with dynamic braking, extra ballast, and scrubbers bring an empty coal train up Madison Hill (a hill that would wind an in-shape person just from walking up).

(2) I will never see a quartet of Illinois Terminal diesels of ranging from SW-9s, covered wagons, geeps, and SD-39s haul a 150 car grain train down the main street of Gillespie (or Staunton) Illinois.

(3) I will never get to see steam engines regularly entering and leaving the siding of the now gone Illinois Central Springfield-St. Louis main--or regular steam engines at all as my father did as child.

(4) I have never seen an F-unit on a regular freight train, and it doesn't seem likely that I ever will.

(5) I didn't get to witness railroading when there was 50 (or even 25) Class ones, more short lines than you could count, and I couldn't travel 100 miles in any direction without crossing 5 different routes.

(6) I think ALCO is a discount store.

(7) I didn't get to rail fan when you could not only walk on the tracks and get a friendly wave from the engineer—rather than your phone tapped by the FBI—but also get occasional cab rides.

(8) I didn't get to see Illinois Central (and other railroads) race passenger trains with E-units at speeds that would turn Amtrak's knuckles white.

(9) I don't get to see Chicago Illinois & Midland Geeps sneak into the back side of Taylorville with 13 cars and steal the show from the larger Norfolk Southern (at least there is a chance that could happen again—though I doubt it).

Old timers: you may have had to walk 8 miles to school uphill both ways—and liked it. But, let me assure you, I don't have anything on you when it comes to Trains.

A very depressed Gabe

[dldance]

But Gabe, remember that you will be around to see sights in the future that the older timers may not.

- 150 ton cars
- bering strait railroad
- 10000 hp diesels
- new electrification
- etc

- Just keep off the tracks.

dd

[Modelcar]

....gabe....Of course both generations have advantages and disadvantages....I'll just add a bit to it all....We had steam action all around the county in my growing up days and all the other operations of branch railroading happening too...{Much coal hauling territory}....but as close as it was traveling TO some of these places was not as common as is in today's world...Economic times were totally different. I'm sure many people of this generation can't understand such utterings but it was a part of everyday reality.
PS: School house was adjacent to my home...Walked about 200 ft. to front door...{and no hills}....

[Anonymous]

Steam was around when I was young, but I don't remember it. I don't remember Alco PA's or F-7's but they were around too... and depots. But I'm not gonna be depressed or worry about what I can't change or what I can't remember. Railfan what you got. It's still a fun hobby.

mike

[gabe]

Oh, I concede it is still a VERY fun hobby. It is just as I was staring at Madison Hill yesterday, it occurred to me that (short of a nifty steam excursion--which isn't really reality railroading--there was nothing in the world--train wise--that I would rather see than a train climb that hill.

Gabe

Modlecar: I think you raise a very good point about not being able to travel to see sites like you can now days.

[zardoz]

The same can be said of the railroaders of today compared to even 25 years ago. Although in many ways railroading was much more difficult then, it was also much more interesting.

I remember how thrilled we (the crew) we were when our locomotive actually had a radio! No more trying to find in the darkness lineside phones to call the dispatcher.

I remember how nice it was to get a SD40-2 with dynamic brakes in my train.

I remember the interesting combinations of power we were expected to get over the road with (6 unit consist, 3 of them working with 2 of those not making transition).

I remember trying to grab the floppies (train orders) at 50mph in the middle of the night (and what we had to go through if we missed).

I remember thinking nothing of it to let some train fans up into the cab, and take them for a ride around the yard.

I remember 5-man train crews. And cabooses (cabeese).

I remember how much more challenging it was operating a train when you had two men in the caboose that you had to be concerned about when considering the various ways to handle a train, so as to not injure the men in the caboose.

Were they the "good old days"? I'm not sure; in some ways yes, in some ways no.

And just think, 25 years from now, you younger folks will be telling similar stories to the next generation of fans and railroaders.

I'm only 51, but I remember my parents had only one tv, and it was black & white. The fridge had to be defrosted every month. The milkman came daily. There was no central air. What's a computer? What's a remote control? Gas was 29 cents per gallon, and you could actually see the road under the car if you looked in the engine compartment.

In 1985 I bought my first computer. It had a 4.77mhz clock speed, with a whopping 20MB hard drive, a 5 1/2" floppy drive, and EGA graphics. And it was nearly top-of-the-line at the time! Only 20 years ago!!

Time flies when you're having fun.

[BNSFGP38]

I sometimes wish I could travel back to the see all steam,cabbosess,REAL brakemen,wooden cars, heavy wieght cars, streamliners, smoke belching ALCO's.

Dunno, I stopped railfanning alot of modern stuff....................to sterile, how many pictures of SD-70's can you really take?

[arbfbe]

Gabe,

Buy books and videos (DVDs) from those times, get comfortable and use your imagination. What you can see today will be a good reference to what has gone before.

Hey, if you invented a time machine to go back and see it all some government agency would have to kill you anyway.

[spbed]

When I was a kid I lived in Brooklyn NY no RRs their. No $$$$$ or car either to go out into the countryside to see real trains. The NYC subway system had to suffice in my childhood. [:o)][:p]

Originally posted by gabe

Living nearby to MP 186 of the UPRR  Austin TX Sub

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