Mike's Railroad Crossing Forum

I made a rant saying why I think the traditional hobby of railfanning is being ruined. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEmKd0Nr46Y

I agree with you on some parts, but its okay to have favorite locomotives, i dont hate GE, but i would probably like them a lot more if that wasn't all BNSF ran in and out of Phoenix. In 2 years of railfanning and seeing about 50 trains in Phoenix, I've only seen 2 EMDs (not counting switchers). I was really delighted when i was on the Transcon in Arizona to see 7 EMDs (2 SD40-2's and 4 SD75I's (two were CN)and one SD75M) and about 120 GEs. I dont hate GE, but they just keep coming... I love railfanning and it is always fun watching the train approach and guessing what might be on it. I agree it is a lot better when something in special paint appears, Last night a train left phoenix with an unpatched ATSF C44-9W and one of only 18 BNSF C44-9W's in Heritage 3 (I didnt see this train). I am going today sand i dont know what will be on the train? its a guessing game, but even if it is more GE's i will still be happy to get to go.

I don't hate GEs...I'm just sick of seeing them all the time. Call me not a true railfan if you want, but I'm just not going to spend a whole day freezing my off if all I'm going to see is more of CP's ES44ACs and AC4400CWs when I've already seen enough of them to last a lifetime.

Take the first train in this video for instance...I wasn't unhappy to see it, but I would have MUCH preferred it if the lashup had been flipped around. If I hadn't known the second train was running, I doubt I'd have bothered to go out today when my hands started to actually hurt from the cold just a few seconds after taking my gloves off so I could work the camera controls.



GEs in "nonstandard" paint schemes are good catches to me as well. I like seeing CEFX AC4400CWs, and NS C40-9Ws on the CN, and I'd be happy to catch some CSX GEs on the CP.

I admit sometimes I do want to see more than GE's, but what I'm saying is that there are people out there who constantly complain every time a GE comes through and it just ruins the hobby for them and us

Railfanning is when I'm out indulging myself with things railroad. I can't really gripe about the abundance of particular types of motive power because that's only a part of the whole picture for me.
Sometimes it's the scenery, sometimes it's the train, sometimes it is just being out with the wife.