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Post by atsfan on Jul 26, 2015 15:57:56 GMT -8
Lately I have been spending more time with real trains than with modeling.
That has varied over time for me but that is where I am right now.
Others?
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Post by fr8kar on Jul 26, 2015 16:13:23 GMT -8
My era of railfanning is pretty much over, so I don't go out to watch trains anymore outside of work. Having said that, I still enjoy being around the big trains. It's just that where once I considered the two pursuits to go hand in hand, now I find that I enjoy them independent of each other. I use the models to recreate the feeling of being around the full size trains when I was a kid. I enjoy the challenge of operating big trains as part of my job and don't focus much on the modeling part. So, as a hobbyist, my interest lies primarily in the modeling.
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Post by kentuckysouthernrwy on Jul 26, 2015 18:17:05 GMT -8
50-50
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Post by Paul Cutler III on Jul 26, 2015 19:03:29 GMT -8
I would think that here on a model railroading forum that you'd get more model railroader votes than railfan votes.  Myself, I vote more model railroading than railfan, but still a railfan. I'm very much into railroad history, and I don't mind watching trains go by and occasionally go railfanning somewhere local. But honestly, when I hang out with more "serious" railfans trackside, I get bored pretty quickly. We all stand around and wait...just waiting hours for one lousy train (that's freight railfanning in New England). Yay. Now, going out West to the Station Inn in Cresson, PA, the Bridgeview Inn in Marysville, PA, or Rochelle, IL, then yeah, railfanning trackside can be rather fun. But there needs to be at least several trains per hour to hold my interest very long. Modeling, OTOH, I'm very involved in. I'm in a club, I had my own layout, and I can do just about everything in the hobby but scenery (I've never been very good at that). I can talk models and fix models all day long and enjoy it. |
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Post by riogrande on Jul 26, 2015 19:15:29 GMT -8
More into model trains than real, although I do watch real trains now and then when I get the chance.
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Post by Great-Northern-Willmar Div on Jul 26, 2015 21:29:52 GMT -8
Well I haven't seen a real train in person in about three years. Rail activity is non-existent in this part of paradise. One, the railroad in this town is long gone. Two, the closest railroad is the CN in Shawano, Wisconsin and the line has all of two customers. A grain elevator that gets a car or two every once and while and a paper mill. I've caught the local from Appleton to the mill in Shawano once and I've lived here for nearly eight years.
When I lived in the Chicago area, there were trains everywhere and I belonged to the Illinois Railway Museum where I used to be an active working member. That is when y'all start talking about GEVO's and Ace's, I can honestly admit I've never laid eyes on either in person. Plus, my modeling period is the 60's to 70's with my commuter interest running into the 80's with Metra.
So I'm nearly 100% modeler, I still like looking at photos on the net.
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Post by Brakie on Jul 27, 2015 3:15:54 GMT -8
I am as much as a railfan as I'm a modeler since both goes hand in hand.
IMHO how can one model without observing and understanding the prototype even if its no more then watching railroad videos on you tube or DVD?
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Post by eh49 on Jul 27, 2015 3:42:23 GMT -8
Both for me. As to which gets more time is debatable. I also have a very large collection of RR books.
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Post by atsfan on Jul 27, 2015 6:03:44 GMT -8
I would think that here on a model railroading forum that you'd get more model railroader votes than railfan votes. Myself, I vote more model railroading than railfan, but still a railfan. I'm very much into railroad history, and I don't mind watching trains go by and occasionally go railfanning somewhere local. But honestly, when I hang out with more "serious" railfans trackside, I get bored pretty quickly. We all stand around and wait...just waiting hours for one lousy train (that's freight railfanning in New England). Yay. Now, going out West to the Station Inn in Cresson, PA, the Bridgeview Inn in Marysville, PA, or Rochelle, IL, then yeah, railfanning trackside can be rather fun. But there needs to be at least several trains per hour to hold my interest very long. Modeling, OTOH, I'm very involved in. I'm in a club, I had my own layout, and I can do just about everything in the hobby but scenery (I've never been very good at that). I can talk models and fix models all day long and enjoy it. yes I know I would expect more modeling. But thought I would ask as I ran into a guy at a layout tour earlier this year who basically said he had no use for real trains I thought that was a bit different but he seemed happy regardless. |
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Post by dti406 on Jul 27, 2015 7:07:17 GMT -8
Not a railfan at all, unless I find something to take a picture of that helps my modeling. And railroading today does not interest me at all, rusty old boxcars with no sense of pride in the railroad, same with all the covered hoppers all painted light gray, no distinguishing marks. And the new motive power is so ugly that I prefer the Baldwin brick on a flatcar motive power to an SD70ace or whatever they are called now.
Rick J
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Post by WP 257 on Jul 27, 2015 14:17:33 GMT -8
I'm not a railfan at all because most of the stuff I'm interested in has long since passed from the everyday scene. 25 years ago I did do some railfanning, and 14 years ago or so I did visit Cajon and Tehachapi...but that was then.
Now, collector versus modeler: I still consider myself a modeler. Everything I have has to run and run well; if it isn't capable of earning its keep for whatever reason, it won't be around long. There are no shelf queens in my house. I display one engine only on my dresser in the upstairs bedroom, and rotate them periodically, but they all get run.
John
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Post by jaygee on Aug 12, 2015 13:23:08 GMT -8
I used to be an enormous railfan, but with the decline in proto RR culture it's pretty tough to get excited about the real thing. Now I spend my resources (read money) on model RR subjects. The models are much better today as are the research materials to work with. Guess the one has sort of made up for the other. OTOH, once I get the time, another rail trip up in Canada would be most kool !
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Post by talltim on Nov 24, 2015 6:49:00 GMT -8
I model 80s Guilford and 1912 PRR, neither of which I can go and view, but I'm as interested in the real thing as the models, you need to be to be able to model it.
I very rarely actively go out to watch trains but I do commute by rail every day so get to see them, but not much interesting happens.
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Post by roadkill on Nov 24, 2015 19:06:36 GMT -8
I used to be an easy 50/50 with my modeling vs. railfanning but over the years my railfanning has become far less important to me. Too much of what enjoyed is either merged away, abandoned, or covered with graffiti. I would have to say that the end of cabooses and the formation of CSX (sorry CSX fans, that's just the way it is) just sucked the wind out of my sails. I still do a bit of railfanning but take few pics, generally just watch the graffiti covered prototype go by.
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Post by bnsftcdiv on Nov 25, 2015 12:23:39 GMT -8
Both, but it varies by the day. I live by the BNSF Northern Transcon where my layout overlooks the tracks, and I'll often run past the yard in La Crosse to see what kinds of cool freight cars or motors may be hanging around. When I road trip I try to catch stuff I don't see at home. I model modern stuff so it's prototype research at the same time.
Dave Burman
modeling the modern Twin Cities
Trempealeau, WI
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Post by eh49 on Nov 25, 2015 17:12:36 GMT -8
Both for me. As far as fanning, mostly NS as it runs two blocks from the house.
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