How many people are railfans outside of on the computer? Model railways? Going out to museums? Railtours? Photography/chasing? Just curious since I don't have the space for a model train setup like other people around here, but do enjoy a rail tour or museum when I can make the trip.
I don't think many people have the money for a model rail setup these days. But I will go to local shows when they happen. Museums I absolutely visit regularly. Also nice having a few heritage railways locally. I have a view from my window of the approach to my city's station, so I am quite good for seeing trains any time I want to. I often take a peek any time I hear flange squeal.
I'm lazy so don't really go out and about purely to see trains (rather I don't really know anyone who would go with me apart from an annoying person I know) , and unfortunately don't have any space for a model railway. I've apparently been to the National Railway Museum, don't seem to have memory of it though. I'll always take the opportunity to look around when I'm at a train station though. The station I work at had a steam train visit for a while, annoyingly I started there after it had left.
I see enough trains every day at work, so I don't need to have a model railway as well. I drive around in the very large shunting locomotives at SBB Cargo almost every day, when I'm not working as an instructor and conducting shunting locomotive examinations.
I'd recommend Crewe Heritage Centre if you haven't been to it already. Great views of the WCML, and loads of static stock around the site. If memory serves, I think they also have a preserved signal box you can go into as well
I have the money for the layout stuff, just not the damn house I need to set it up! lol But to answer the OP, yes, I do enjoy railfanning in IRL. Usually going for joyrides or trips, to museums once in a while. I've gotten a little bit into taking pictures of my rail exploits, but just with my phone, nothing professional. I also have an HO/OO layout planned for once my wife and I finally find a house, but the inventory in our search area has just been absolutely awful.
So you drive trains on the computer as a hobby in addition to trains at work? =-) Are they at least very different ones?
Model railways now are sadly the preserve of the very rich, especially if starting out the cost is prohibitive. Buying one OO diesel or steam outline loco plus 5 or 6 coaches to run behind it would be a significant chunk towards a new PC. And that's without buying the wood for baseboards, track and points and a controller. As retired rail staff I'm fortunate enough to have a fairly generous free and reduced travel facility so a few trips a year out on the real thing cures the itch, not that modern trains running on welded rail are that interesting.
I haven't met many railfans who go out, although I've seen lots of channels of local people making videos. There's one down in PA along the Horseshoe Curve that has a crew that hires a bus to do a couple times a year I think I'd like to check out. There's a crew fairly close that runs a scale railway (the ones you can ride on for children) but it's... weird? To me anyway. I don't dislike children as a rule, but it definitely seems more of a "kiddie ride" than a railway at that scale. I think it's like 1/10th or 1/12th scale or something? Somehow a smaller HO scale setup seems more "realistic" if that makes sense.
I have a couple of 00 gauge locos and stock and some track, but not much because damn this crud is expensive as hell. Been to the NRM a few times this year, but then that isn't that difficult since York is the next stop up the Mainline from Donny. Did take a longer trip upto Locomotion earlier this year though, that was pretty fun.
Museums and model railroading for me. I also do some railfanning, but not much videoing or photographing. I've railfanned in the following places in the southwest US: -UP LA&SL Line: Yermo, Rainbow Canyon (near Caliente), Ogden, SLC, Provo -Phoenix, AZ: BNSF and UP -BNSF Cajon Pass -BNSF Seligman Sub: Kingman-Williams, AZ -LA area: UP RR Museums I've visited: -NV Southern RR Museum, Boulder City, NV-near Las Vegas where I live -Pacific SW RR Museum, Campo, CA-east of San Diego -San Diego Model RR Museum; awesome layouts; O-Gauge layout is my favorite; the Tehachapi Pass HO layout is awesome too -McCormick-Stillman RR Park: Scottsdale, AZ-near Phoenix; train ride around park and large model rr display; again, love the O-Gauge layout, but the other layouts are pretty impressive too. -Arizona RR Museum-Chandler, AZ-also near Phoenix I've ridden the following tourist trains: -NV Northern RR-Ely, NV -Grand Canyon RR-highly recommended by me; if you get to ride the GCRY, choose the small dome car; best views! I've got an extensive list of train places in the US that I really want to visit in the future; and maybe a few international ones too. I even got to operate a real locomotive: UP GP30 #844 in Boulder City. Another great experience that I would recommend to any train fans. Has anyone else on this forum operated a real locomotive at a rr museum? Add that to your list of ?s at the beginning of this post, operator#7940. Emmy_Man, I am so jealous that you are a real engineer. That sounds like a really cool job. I know a guy who is a retired engineer for UP. I would love to drive real trains for a living, even if it was at a museum. I've mentioned my O-Gauge Layout before in a previous discussion. It's 11' X 15'; models the BNSF and UP, along with a museum train operation in Arizona; I run modern Lionel trains (and soon, MTH and Atlas O trains).
Always been a closet train spotter I would say. Built plenty of model railway layouts over the years. Volunteered at a couple of heritage railways, been to plenty of museums. Traveled on trains all over the country just because. Been on plenty of railtours too. Visited every single station on the London underground and overground. Now the kids have grown up it's just tsw etc I guess. Although one of the kids still likes to visit the odd station or watch trains when the weather's too poor for flying.
Yes, that's exactly what I do from time to time. Unfortunately, I don't get to play TSW very often. Of course, it's better to drive real large shunting locomotives, but to unwind after a stressful day at work, I like to take a 30 to 60 minute drive in TSW.
Further to my previous post the one issue with going out on the trains is the lottery there isn't a problem and you get disrupted. The other week, went to Gloucester and on getting back to the station found the 1419 back to Swindon was cancelled (well diverted) due to a points failure. Fortunately there in time to jump on the 1409 to Bristol Parkway (a rattling old Class 166) and change there. And then GWR kindly provided a 5 car Class 800 on the Swansea to Paddington instead of 9 cars. Cosy! A few weeks previously, we had been planning an afternoon trip to Reading but at the last minute decided to go to Stroud instead. Just as well, when we got back to Swindon the train terminated due to a fatality at Didcot. Line blocked and we would have been stuck at Reading for three hours as Swindon was effectively cut off. And as regards alternative bus or coach services, Swindon might as well be 200 miles from Reading not 40! So while that particular incident is tragic and not the fault of the railway, it demonstrates how easily an enjoyable trip out by train could turn into a nightmare, particularly accompanied by an increasingly angry wife who just wants to get home!
I remember a few months back when I decided to go up to Selby (I decision I somewhat regret) my train back to Doncaster was delayed by 40 minutes due to arriving at Hull late from a previous trip due to a points failure somewhere between Doncaster and Grantham. Seriously don't understand how the reasoning could be so less specific... there's an entire 2 stations between the two... Or one time I tried to take TPE back to Donny from Sheffield that was delayed by 30 mins. The station announcement claimed it was due to a "fault with this train", but the guard over the PA claimed it was because of an East Midlands service struggling along the Hope Valley. I still have no idea who was wrong and who was right, but considering the one before was almost an hour late, I think it was TPE being TPE...
I do go out and film certain trains or railtours on my local line when they pass through and I used to volunteer at a heritage railway. I haven't been to many museums lately but did visit the small one at Middleton Railway in Leeds a while ago. I've never been to NRM or Locomotion. I have the money available to make a model railway layout and a few locos to run on one but living in a small apartment prevents one being built (that and the fact that I'm not much good at making scenery).
Yean, I can see how that pleasurable outing could turn quite "stormy" quickly. So far I've only involved the lady of the house when it's an excursion like a wine tour. Then she doesn't really care much if we're stuck for a bit as long as there's cheese, crackers and wine on hand. I don't think she honestly cares if it's a bus or a train or a plane that we're riding on.
I think my profile picture is a clue to my answer, It was taken at Locomotion in Shildon (originally an annexe of the National Railway Museum but now, like the NRM, part of the Science Museum group- not sure that's changed much at an operational level) when Mallard was there. If you're planning a visit to Shildon remember the G5 Locomotive Company is building their loco' there so you might like to go on their open day- usually the first Saturday of the month. Here's the link: https://www.g5locomotiveltd.co.uk/. Also of interest in this neck of the woods is Hopetown in Darlington- the former Darlington Railway Centre and Museum then Head of Steam which reopened last year after a huge amount of renovation and expansion in time for the 200th anniversary of the Stockton and Darlington Railway's opening. I'll give it a thumbs up in spite of not getting a job there (apparently, according to Darlington Borough Council, if you're opening a railway attraction with a museum at the heart of it the last person you want to hire is a rail enthusiast who worked at a museum for 20 years... Not that I'm bitter). Within a few minutes walk of there is the A1 Steam Trust (https://www.a1steam.com/) which is now building a Gresley P2 and Darlington Railway Preservation Society (https://drps.synthasite.com/). Both have open days and the A1 Trust building has a viewing gallery accessible from Hopetown. The usual disclaimer applies to all of the above- especially Hopetown obviously. (Yeah... you know what? Actually I am bitter.)
