A rant about the gen-z railfanning community

[SD80MAC]

One thing you have to remember is most Railfans are on the spectrum.

Are you on the spectrum, SD80MAC? Most (but not all) of the people I've met here have been normal, well adjusted individuals. Those who aren't either don't stick around very long (or get ban hammered) or mature to the point where they interact well with the rest of the group.

I think we all are to some degree. For what it’s worth, that was not meant to be a mean comment, just an observation.

[Garry K]

While I believe most railfans are normal folks, there are some rotten apples in the barrel (just like in other parts of life). I have met some nice people while out foaming, and have had bad interactions with some others.

The nice: When I was vacationing down south and checking out Civil War battlefields, I happened to arrive at Tunnel Hill near Dalton, Georgia. That is near the northern terminus of "The Great Locomotive Chase," where in April 1862 some Yankee spies stole a locomotive near Atlanta and were going to drive it toward Chattanooga, burning bridges behind them. Most of you probably know the story (if you don't know it, look it up!). Anyway, the stolen locomotive ran out of fuel near Tunnel Hill. So (back to modern times) I'm taking pictures of the mouth of that old Western & Atlantic Railroad tunnel, and suddenly a red pickup truck screeches to a halt near me and a guy jumps out. I thought he was going to yell at me for trespassing or something (there is an active CSX rail line right next to the abandoned W&A right-of-way), but instead the guy was a local historian. He was amazed that he had met up with a Yankee who knew the history of that tunnel. That tunnel also had a locked gate across it to keep people from wandering through, and he happened to have the key to the gate, so he opened it and we walked through that old abandoned tunnel. We have kept in touch since then, but I have never been back down there (although I have been invited back).

Another nice: While on vacation in Ames, Iowa, I was standing on the platform of the old passenger station (which had been repurposed as various retail shops) waiting for a train to come by to photograph. A young guy walked past me with his camera. I casually asked him, "Are you a foamer, too?" He answered, "Certifiable!" So we chatted for a while, and he gave me some tips about some local places to railfan. He told me about the Kate Shelley bridge, but that was already on my list of stops to make.

But then there is the bad: Some time in the mid to late 2000s, I put up a bunch of my personal railfan photos on my personal web page. I had added a "copyright by" my full name at the bottom of each picture. Well, on the "other" local RR discussion forum, there got to be a heated debate. It seems an Officer Baker of the Ann Arbor Police Department had given an old woman a ticket for trespassing because she crossed the AA RR tracks in downtown AA where there wasn't a crossing. I pointed out that the cops probably wrote her a ticket because she was easy to catch, and that if the cops had tried to ticket a typical college student the cops probably wouldn't have been able to catch that student! I also said that THOUSANDS of people "trespassed" on the AA RR every U of Michigan football weekend, where they walk along the tracks as a shortcut to the stadium. Of course, the cops couldn't possibly ticket all of the trespassers on football weekends so the cops just looked away at those times.

Anyway, some creep from that discussion took the trouble to look up my home address (I was living in the People's Republic of Ann Arbor at that time) and he physically mailed me a letter. In it, he cited the law about trespassing on railroad property (which I was already familiar with), and he also made a vague threat to me, anonymously, of course. So I posted his letter on that other discussion forum, and I invited him to reveal himself and to meet me in person some time. After that, I got banned from that other forum.

So, as a result of that idiot sending me the threatening letter, I took down all of my railroad related pictures, so the railfan community at large doesn't get the benefit of seeing my old pictures (user AARR here probably remembers the pictures I used to have on my website).

And nice or not-so-nice behavior doesn't seem to have anything with age, although I have to say it seems folks in general are a lot ruder than they used to be. I don't use the phrase "common courtesy" any more because there's nothing common about it now. I say it is "uncommon courtesy" when you find it, although it seems to be "common rudeness."

Garry K

[GreatLakesRailfan]

One thing you have to remember is most Railfans are on the spectrum.

Are you on the spectrum, SD80MAC? Most (but not all) of the people I've met here have been normal, well adjusted individuals. Those who aren't either don't stick around very long (or get ban hammered) or mature to the point where they interact well with the rest of the group.

I think we all are to some degree. For what it’s worth, that was not meant to be a mean comment, just an observation.

I didn't think you were trying to be mean, you just never struck me as someone on the autism spectrum. I didn't mean to come across as accusatory when I quoted you.

[Blaze06]

As a high school aged railfan, I gotta say this is the best stuff I’ve read in my life. Pure facts being spoken in the first post. In the Chicago area (where I live), the Railfanning community is just a disaster that’s finished waiting to happen. There are many people who won’t shut up and stop bullying each other. Recently I’ve been using the website known as discord to communicate with people with similar hobbies just like me but sadly I feel like it’s taking a toll on me since I’ve not only met some cool people but I’ve also met some people that have made me go crazy. Sometimes I just get so annoyed with some people being complete jerks to me or others that I feel and sometimes realize I’m just acting like them because I don’t understand when someone is making a joke or if I’m overreacting (yeah I get mad easily a lot) because of something really stupid. I blame a lot of people for my problems sometimes and it causes me to make up stories in my head which makes me ask myself, do I belong in this community? I like trains. A lot. Ever since I was a little kid. That’s why I started my YouTube channel and it’s helped me meet a lot of cool people! Now I can be a jerk a lot because sometimes I don’t understand what people are talking about or someone isn’t responding fast enough or just being flat out useless to help me catch something cool on the high iron but no matter what, I like what I do (even if it isn’t a real job) and I really don’t like it when I ruin it for myself and others. Sorry for my life story there but I just wanted to put it out there since some people nowadays in this community aren’t really who they are.

[Saturnalia]

As a high school aged railfan, I gotta say this is the best stuff I’ve read in my life. Pure facts being spoken in the first post. In the Chicago area (where I live), the Railfanning community is just a disaster that’s finished waiting to happen. There are many people who won’t shut up and stop bullying each other. Recently I’ve been using the website known as discord to communicate with people with similar hobbies just like me but sadly I feel like it’s taking a toll on me since I’ve not only met some cool people but I’ve also met some people that have made me go crazy. Sometimes I just get so annoyed with some people being complete jerks to me or others that I feel and sometimes realize I’m just acting like them because I don’t understand when someone is making a joke or if I’m overreacting (yeah I get mad easily a lot) because of something really stupid. I blame a lot of people for my problems sometimes and it causes me to make up stories in my head which makes me ask myself, do I belong in this community? I like trains. A lot. Ever since I was a little kid. That’s why I started my YouTube channel and it’s helped me meet a lot of cool people! Now I can be a jerk a lot because sometimes I don’t understand what people are talking about or someone isn’t responding fast enough or just being flat out useless to help me catch something cool on the high iron but no matter what, I like what I do (even if it isn’t a real job) and I really don’t like it when I ruin it for myself and others. Sorry for my life story there but I just wanted to put it out there since some people nowadays in this community aren’t really who they are.

Teenagers/adolescents are moronic jerks.

That's not an insult. It's the truth. Pretty much has always been that way, despite what the "that's not how it was when I was younger" crowd.

You (and most) will grow out of that tumultuous phase soon enough. There's a reason why it is called growing up.

[Blaze06]

As a high school aged railfan, I gotta say this is the best stuff I’ve read in my life. Pure facts being spoken in the first post. In the Chicago area (where I live), the Railfanning community is just a disaster that’s finished waiting to happen. There are many people who won’t shut up and stop bullying each other. Recently I’ve been using the website known as discord to communicate with people with similar hobbies just like me but sadly I feel like it’s taking a toll on me since I’ve not only met some cool people but I’ve also met some people that have made me go crazy. Sometimes I just get so annoyed with some people being complete jerks to me or others that I feel and sometimes realize I’m just acting like them because I don’t understand when someone is making a joke or if I’m overreacting (yeah I get mad easily a lot) because of something really stupid. I blame a lot of people for my problems sometimes and it causes me to make up stories in my head which makes me ask myself, do I belong in this community? I like trains. A lot. Ever since I was a little kid. That’s why I started my YouTube channel and it’s helped me meet a lot of cool people! Now I can be a jerk a lot because sometimes I don’t understand what people are talking about or someone isn’t responding fast enough or just being flat out useless to help me catch something cool on the high iron but no matter what, I like what I do (even if it isn’t a real job) and I really don’t like it when I ruin it for myself and others. Sorry for my life story there but I just wanted to put it out there since some people nowadays in this community aren’t really who they are.

Teenagers/adolescents are moronic jerks.

That's not an insult. It's the truth. Pretty much has always been that way, despite what the "that's not how it was when I was younger" crowd.

You (and most) will grow out of that tumultuous phase soon enough. There's a reason why it is called growing up.

You’re not wrong. I’m trying my best to get better at being more wise minded. As for the bullying in the Chicago Railfanning community, lemme tell ya it’s getting worse every day. A couple people have quit YouTube and Railfanning in general bc of the harassment and not only that but there are literally people attempting suicide! This is a reason why I want to sometimes help people but whenever you try to help someone who is having an issue, sometimes it really doesn’t work out.

[Chip]

These are all reasons why I keep to myself and rarely, if ever, attend meetups.

[AARR]

The RailroadFan.com meets I have attended have always been friendly and drama-free

These are all reasons why I keep to myself and rarely, if ever, attend meetups.

[David Collins]

The RailroadFan.com meets I have attended have always been friendly and drama-free

These are all reasons why I keep to myself and rarely, if ever, attend meetups.

I’ve only attended two of them and I’ve had so much fun at them, I always appreciate being around a group of people that are bullsh*t/drama free, and the meets are no exception.

[Jochs]

Another thing is that the younger generation always wants to stand close to or even on the tracks to get their "roster shots" and videos instead of standing at a safe distance from the tracks and using a zoom lens. Train crews don't like that.

[Blaze06]

Another thing is that the younger generation always wants to stand close to or even on the tracks to get their "roster shots" and videos instead of standing at a safe distance from the tracks and using a zoom lens. Train crews don't like that.
DSC_0723.JPG
DSC_0286.JPG

Yeah trespassing is a big deal in this generation and pretty controversial since these days some people can’t tell what is and what isn’t trespassing occasionally. In fact just recently I saw a video where some guys made a joke video about trespassing but at the same time one of the kids in the video was literally standing a good foot away from the tracks. I later found out they did this another time off camera. Yes like I said earlier, they posted a video of themselves pulling this crap.

[PatAzo]

Oh it's not confined to the young. A couple classics.

https://youtu.be/16kCRTFJr04?si=3psNhyPzWqlR8our

https://youtu.be/pd6maEpbzDg?si=2vBP8a4d6D6nCgp0

[Blaze06]

Oh it's not confined to the young. A couple classics.

https://youtu.be/16kCRTFJr04?si=3psNhyPzWqlR8our

https://youtu.be/pd6maEpbzDg?si=2vBP8a4d6D6nCgp0

Oh god I’ve seen both of those videos. Yeah it’s definitely not always Railfans that trespass these days. Everyone tries to find the easy way out yet it never ends well.