Railroad Engineers Waving as a Train Passes

[Anonymous]

Everytime that I wait for a passing train and see and engineer, I always wave. It's just one of the things that I like to do because I love trains.

I'm sure that some of you have done the same thing.

Has anyone ever waved and not get a response from and engineer?

I'm curious[?][?]

[joegreen]

I wave at every train I see and most wave back or honk their horn.Since I railfan in the same area all the time(Polo ,IL) they pretty much know who I am and what I am doing there.No engineer or conductor looks at me like I'm an idoit. Some laugh,wave and honk the horn all at the same time if I have been there a few days in a row.I have watched trains down there all of my life ...well at least since I was 3 and now that I am 15 I'm sure they have seen me down there more than a few times.

It is harder to see the men in the newer engines since the windows are tinted but now that its summer most of them have their windows open.

[emmar]

I always wave to passing trains and I have always gotten a response from the engineer.One time outside of Spokane there was an engine sitting on a siding at a red block signal and I was taking pictures of it .When the train it was waiting for passed the engineer threw a bag out the window as the engine pulled off the siding. The bag had a bottle of water, a trespasser report card, a engine maintenence form and a copy of the orders for that train! I was exstatic untill I got to the hotel that night and found out that my camera had broken and I didn't have any pictures of the train. Luckily I had taken notes on the pictures I thought I had taken and I still had the orders for the train so I was happy.

[Anonymous]

At the risk of making you "Mean" JoeGreen, why would anybody look at you like you are an "idoit". What is an "Idoit" and what do you do as an "Idoit"? Is it fun?

FOFLMAO...

BTW I do wave to railfans while running unless they are endangering themselves or others...

LC

QUOTE: Originally posted by joegreen

I wave at every train I see and most wave back or honk their horn.Since I railfan in the same area all the time(Polo ,IL) they pretty much know who I am and what I am doing there.No engineer or conductor looks at me like I'm an idoit. Some laugh,wave and honk the horn all at the same time if I have been there a few days in a row.I have watched trains down there all of my life ...well at least since I was 3 and now that I am 15 I'm sure they have seen me down there more than a few times.

It is harder to see the men in the newer engines since the windows are tinted but now that its summer most of them have their windows open.

[Anonymous]

Not anymore I don't.
Allan.

[alstom]

Usually engineers don't wave, because they can't see me. They usually wave, but sometimes they just don't wave even if they do see you. One time, while wearing a NS train shirt, a CSX engineer leaned out and said that I had a nice sweat shirt. I didn't know what he said until I listened to it on my video I recorded that night. The only part that didn't make sense was that it was a CSX engineer that complimented an NS shirt.

[Train Guy 3]

I wave at the train and the people on the train always wave back.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Train Guy 3

I wave at the train and the people on the train always wave back.

I generally wave. I wave a lot more when the chicks on the lake flash us during the summer...

LC

[joegreen]

QUOTE: At the risk of making you "Mean" JoeGreen, why would anybody look at you like you are an "idoit". What is an "Idoit" and what do you do as an "Idoit"? Is it fun?

Its just that there was a picture of a CP train at railpictures the other day and the photographer said the engineer looked at him like an "IDIOT" so I thought that I'd say that hasn't happend to me.

[jeaton]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Limitedclear


I generally wave. I wave a lot more when the chicks on the lake flash us during the summer...

LC

Hey! That's CSXengineer's job.

Jay

[adrianspeeder]

QUOTE: Originally posted by jeaton

QUOTE: Originally posted by Limitedclear


I generally wave. I wave a lot more when the chicks on the lake flash us during the summer...

LC

Hey! That's CSXengineer's job.

Jay

Hmmm, don't want for him to get overworked from that job. Guess I could help him out from time to time to give him a rest...his hand I mean...I mean waving his hand...

Adrianspeeder

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by jeaton

QUOTE: Originally posted by Limitedclear


I generally wave. I wave a lot more when the chicks on the lake flash us during the summer...

LC

Hey! That's CSXengineer's job.

Jay

Jay -

On the NS side I hold seniority. I can bump CSXEngineer at will...lol...

Seriously, I doubt he'd want to work on the "Dark Side" anyhow. We may have "Flashers" but we have a definite downside as well...

LC

[bbrant]

I wave at them and normally get a response - at least a favorable one.

About 10 years ago I was getting pics of a CSX train stopped on the South Side of Pittsburgh. Once the train started going, I waved to the engineer. He didn't wave. Actually, he looked quite angry and had a few words for me. I'm not able to read lips but but I'm certain it wasn't "Hello. Have a nice day."

At least incidents like this are few and far between.

[halifaxcn]

Alway wave and get a wave 99.9% of the time. Now that Dominic my 4 y.o is with me, I get a wave and a toot! Nice to have a kid with you railfanning! LOL

[emd_SD_60]

Usually in some cases, i'm the first to wave and then get one in return... as for them blowing the whistle too, I have got it twice first on the IC and on the CSX, strangely not on the UP...yet.[:o)] I remember back in March when we had the BNSF coal detours, I was catching my first one, he was just coming through the crossing, was approaching me, gave the engineer a big wave, but due to the SD70MAC's tinted windows, I couldn't see him wave back.[:(] He could have at least opened the window and waved![;)] Oh well, I do also get my share of being 'ignored', but it is usually at a crossing and the engineer has to concentrate on blowing the whistle (or even talking to the conductor), which I can understand.

[Chris30]

QUOTE: I generally wave. I wave a lot more when the chicks on the lake flash us during the summer...

Something tells me there are a lot of slow orders at "the lake" on a nice, hot summers day!

CC

[wctransfer]

I wave all the time because of the jobs i follow , i know them , and so ill get a short blast of the horn. I hate the new whistle ordinance though, 15 second blast , instead of just tooting a little bit. But its funny to see people cover there ears lol.

Alec

[CSXrules4eva]

Ya know what since I'm shy, some of the time. I don't wave unless someone waves at me. I guess it's moslty because, I'm a little self consciense. Yes I've gotten crews that didn't wave, I've gotten some crews that have blew the horn and waved at me. Thats interesting in itself.

[ValleyX]

I try to wave back but I think that sometimes we're not seen because of the tinted windows and sometimes, we're focused on the job and really don't see folks waving at us.

As for opening the window, probably they had the windows latched and so by the time you fumble with the latch to open it or forget you have it latched and try to open it, you're already by the person. Oh sure, they could just be enjoying their air conditioning.[2c]

[JoeKoh]

some crews wave back some dont. but when you have 3 little train lovers on a front porch watching with you they tend to wave back.
stay safe
Joe

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by JoeKoh

some crews wave back some dont. but when you have 3 little train lovers on a front porch watching with you they tend to wave back.
stay safe
Joe

Kids always get a wave...

LC

[Anonymous]

I always wave at the crew when a train passes by. I almost always get a wave back if they see me, but many times they don't.

[espee]

Like everyone else, I usually get a wave back. I have had some train crews open the windows as they approach and then wave. When the Tennessee Pass line was still in operation, I got to know a lot of the crews. When they seen me sometimes they would say hi on the radio knowing I had my scanner![:)]

[Anonymous]

I wave at every train an dalmost everytime some waves back.

[NellsChoo]

I usually don't wave if alone unless they wave first. But there have been times that I was standing there, snapping photos, and when I get home and view the photos, I see the crew was waving!

[dknelson]

Maybe engineers still wave because they tend to come from small towns or rural areas where lots of people wave at strangers.
Back in the days of the Milwaukee Road engineers would frequently toss out train orders for railfans. There is an engineer on the former MIlw Road CP line through Milwaukee who flashes a blue flashlight at dusk.
An enginner of a Wisconsin Central/CN train stopped at a signal came out of his cab, approached another railfan and me, and gave us two bottles of ice cold water (it was a hot day), and talked about the closing of the Fond du Lac shops.
Down at Brighton Park IL a passing engineer on an NS frieght leaned out of the cab, grinned, pointed to the rails he was on and yelled "New York Central." He was correct - those were former NYC tracks.
Dave Nelson

[Gluefinger]

Most of the time they wave...but on two occassions there have just been grumpy-looking glances....

[Tharmeni]

I usually get a wave - not often from the CSX engineers, but I don't why that is. I once waved at an engineer running the B&O's National Limited and was hit in the leg by a mailbag. I was at an non-passenger station in Illinois, although I can't remember the town's name.

[BNSFGP38]

I generally do and if I am stopped for a bit I offer a quick cab tour, kids always get a special horn toot as well. I figured thats what got me into trains when I was young, so why not pass it on. [8D]


I am the engineer that you wish was on every train..........[:o)]

[Tharmeni]

Once while waiting for a long B&O freight train to pass my very rural crossing in Southern Indiana, I spotted a hot box (actually on fire) on one of the cars in about the middle of the train. I franctically yelled "hotbox", pointed and waved at the fellow in the caboose and he gave me a big smile and wave back! I went to a nearby country general store and called the railroad and I have to assume that they relayed it to the crew. No cell phones back then!