The mother of all "you might be a railfan ifs...."

[Anonymous]

you intentionally park out in the middle of the tracks in Blue Island, Illinois hoping to be blocked by trains !!!
you can't see the car right in front of you but you can read RR reporting marks a mile away !!!
you have reserved parking at your favorite railfan spots !!!
you know the RR police on a first name basis !!![:D][:D][:D]

[Anonymous]

How about this:
...you go through entire sets of encyclopedias page by page to find any train pictures and bookmark them (yes, I am guilty of this one!)

[Anonymous]

You might be a railfan if...
...you spent the better part of your stay at the Grand Canyon at the GCRy station (I did)
...whenever you go to an open space, you immediately begin surveying a route for railroads in small, live steam, and full size scales
...a member of your family asks "what is a train, specifically," and the first words out of your mouth are "well, I tell you-this is a topic that has baffled the greatest of philosiphers."
...you express all driving distances by the railroad distances you have memorized
...you've heard of Rails-to-Trails, and said "well they're great, but I feel that Trails-to-Rails is the natural succesor to them"
...you always bring swing music and dress up whenever you ride Amtrak for the "complete experience;" I am not quite guilty of this yet

[Anonymous]

What about if you are posting on this forum on Christmas day (Like Me)

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by JoeKoh

dont know how often they do it now but the local crews used to stop for kfc and ice cream and now we have a dairy queen going up along the tracks.
stay safe
Joe

Our town's grocery store is located right next to the tracks, so occaisonally a crew might stop there to pick up groceries. When I was about 5 I was lucky enough to be near there when a crew stopped to buy potatoes and they let me go in the engine. That was a thrill!

[jeaton]

Puckdropper-Yeah, your right, except on those tracks it would have been more likely 7 1/2, not figuring a caboose, whatever those were.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by JoeKoh

dont know how often they do it now but the local crews used to stop for kfc and ice cream and now we have a dairy queen going up along the tracks.
stay safe
Joe

We have a place called The Ranch Kitchen right across the street from the tracks in Woodland Ca.. The Cal- Northern crews always stop there for breakfast[:D] The best vittles in town[bow][C=:-)]

[Puckdropper]

QUOTE: -your teenaged stepson insists on riding or walking 100 yards ahead of you so he doesn't have to hear the history of the railroad that used to occupy the trail.

Don't you mean 6 carlengths?

[JoeKoh]

dont know how often they do it now but the local crews used to stop for kfc and ice cream and now we have a dairy queen going up along the tracks.
stay safe
Joe

[tree68]

QUOTE: Originally posted by JoeKoh

QUOTE: Originally posted by rrnut282
.

- if you stop at every crossing whether the lights are flashing or not...

thats good advice because gates and lights are not always foolproof.
STAY SAFE
Joe

It can be especially startling to look both ways and discover the nose of an idling loco about 25 yards from the crossing, on the main. (Crew likes to go for beans at a convenience store next to the tracks). Done that many times, and the heart still misses a beat or two until I figure out what's going on.

[Modelcar]

....I like the post above that identifies the ex ROW in a cultivated field. I put myself in that category...and add, no matter how long ago and where it did run years ago, I can identify it as an ex RR ROW.

[joecool1212]

How about when you see a RR employee and you know more about the loco he is using than he does.......Joe

[joecool1212]

you go on a inland boat trip to watch for trains. Joe

[joecool1212]

How about when your on a long trip with the kids and they want to look for slug bugs or yellow cars and you say how about we look at how many different train locos we can see. Or lets count how many cars that train has. Happy holidays Joe

[Anonymous]

The first and last ones of Jeaton's hit the nail right on the nail for me.
what about if:
You allways stare at the tracks as id a train were actually there.
You stop talking on the phone for a minuite when you hear a train horn.
You only want to see a movie in the theaters if it has a train in it.

[jeaton]

-you can spot the location of abandoned railroad right of way on cultivated fields.

-your teenaged stepson insists on riding or walking 100 yards ahead of you so he doesn't have to hear the history of the railroad that used to occupy the trail.

-traveling by car, you can identify the current and past one or two owners of any rail crossing you encounter at any place in at least two states.

-riding on Metra, you point to Lake Street Tower, and tell your wife about third trick visits with IIT MR Club members, one of whom was the operator. (That makes you an OLD rail fan).

-finally, you are disappointed if there are no new posts to this forum since the last time you visited maybe an hour ago.

[Anonymous]

if your asked to do a history of the railroads that pass thru your city
by the historical society and do.....[:D][:)]

you know what a trick is and it doesnt involve a lady of the night[:o)]

[JoeKoh]

QUOTE: Originally posted by rrnut282
.

- if you stop at every crossing whether the lights are flashing or not...

thats good advice because gates and lights are not always fullproof.
STAY SAFE
Joe

[rrnut282]

- If you name your children so that their initials are reporting marks and you can buy a railroad logo for their monogram....

-If you convinced your wife that it was educational to stop and wait for the train so the kids could practice counting [ the cars]....

If you convinced your wife that it was educational to stop and wait for the train so the toddlers could point out the pretty colors or letters of the alphabet...

- if you stop at every crossing whether the lights are flashing or not...

- If every trip you make starts with, " Hey that gets me close to XX railroad."

-When you get to the "L"'s in a book/catalog, you would rather look at locomotives than longerie.

I'm not guilty of the last one, but give my wife another twenty years and maybe...

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by raakone

Another one.......
~You somehow work a train into your wedding day (if you actually marry ON the train, you REALLY are a railfan)

There was an issue of Classic Toy Trains that had an article about the layout of CTT staff memebr Kent Jonhson. It mentioned his wedding and said that it had a model train running around the wedding cake, windup trains on the tables at the reception and a "Just Coupled" sign on the car. Now that's what I call a wedding!

[JoeUmp]

I always feel cheated if I miss the locomotive(s).

[Anonymous]

If you convince your family that the carol was the "12 trains of christmas" and was originally about Lionel

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If you search the internet for a railroad Smiley, just to place in your forum signature.

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If your best conversations are with railfans on differant parts of the continent (and beyond)

[JoeUmp]

- You hear a horn and the first words out of your mouth are, "de train, de train" ala Tatoo.

[brilondon]

Your doorbell chimes are the same as the local passenger stations chimes that precede passwnger train announcements.

[Anonymous]

Another one.......
~You somehow work a train into your wedding day (if you actually marry ON the train, you REALLY are a railfan)

[Anonymous]

~You don't work shifts, you work "Tricks"
~And you're angry at those who gave the word certain undertones
~You keep asking for new timetables at the station as soon as you here there's an update in service
~You visit the shops, find out you know more than the mechanics
~"The shops" call YOU first every time any piece of equipment needs an overhaul
~The sound of a train's airhorn does more for you than the planet's supply of Prozzac

[Anonymous]

Here are some:
You might be a railfan if...
...your car looks like a miniature E8, complete with paint job.
...the north wall of your office has a picture of 4449, the west has 844, the south has 3751, the east has 261, and you're wondering if you should put 3985 on the ceiling.
...you go into the railroad offices, and the CEO says "what's your great idea this week?"
...you always put "president and CEO, KR&NP railroad" at the end of your letters. Little do the readers know the KR&NP is a 4x8 table layout.

[Anonymous]

when all your photo equipment, costs more than the new 4wheel drive SUV, that you have to haul all of it in......

[JoeKoh]

you go to the doctors office for a check up and they have a beautiful poster for an event featuring cincinnati union terminal in the foreground and you want to ask hey can I have that?
stay safe
Joe

[Anonymous]

~You look forward to any upcoming trip that involves a train.....simply because it involves a train....
~When a new commuter line starts up or expands, you have to be on the first train on the first day of operation (guilty as charged!)