Engineers forgetting to turn on headlights... common?

It is not common on BNSF out here.

UPRR engineer wrote:UP hogs are now required to leave the headlights on bright and the ditch lights on also during the daylight hours.

Maybe because you guys out West have had more problems with head-ons.

That could be dude.

I can tell ya I did it a lot in the daytime. Fatague does that to you.

You can signal to the engine crew; but don't be blatant or obnoxious. Most T&E guys hate foamers...we have NO leisure time and those who DO are out where we wanna get AWAY from. It's beyond all understanding...and crews are tired and cranky.

conrail_engineer wrote:I can tell ya I did it a lot in the daytime. Fatague does that to you.

You can signal to the engine crew; but don't be blatant or obnoxious. Most T&E guys hate foamers...we have NO leisure time and those who DO are out where we wanna get AWAY from. It's beyond all understanding...and crews are tired and cranky.

Maybe that can explain the numerous times I recieve the "cold shoulder" treatment, I'll be standing there by the tracks as the lead locomotive passes by, I give a friendly wave and I seeme to be ignored, plus those tinted windows make matters worse, maybe I am actually getting a wave back, but can't see it thru the tinted glass... but then again there are those who seem to be having a good day and are happy seeing fans, heck I could be waiting in my car watching the lead loco pass and see the engineer waving to me!

Maybe that can explain the numerous times I recieve the "cold shoulder" treatment, I'll be standing there by the tracks as the lead locomotive passes by, I give a friendly wave and I seeme to be ignored, plus those tinted windows make matters worse, maybe I am actually getting a wave back, but can't see it thru the tinted glass... but then again there are those who seem to be having a good day and are happy seeing fans, heck I could be waiting in my car watching the lead loco pass and see the engineer waving to me!

Hoping that you are under the age of 16....being disappointed that your not getting or seeing a wave is much too wackerish.

If you over the age of 16, time for a part time job. If you over the age of 18, you need to be out with a woman. Way too much to do in life than to wave to the guys at work.

If that's what you are looking for, I am sure some guys at a construction site would love to wave back at you!

Not trying to be a put-down, but from what you are writing screams serious foamer/wacker issues.

Pj wrote:Hoping that you are under the age of 16....being disappointed that your not getting or seeing a wave is much too wackerish.

If you over the age of 16, time for a part time job. If you over the age of 18, you need to be out with a woman. Way too much to do in life than to wave to the guys at work.

If that's what you are looking for, I am sure some guys at a construction site would love to wave back at you!

Not trying to be a put-down, but from what you are writing screams serious foamer/wacker issues.

Hey douchebag,
You are wrong on several issues... my post has nothing to do whatsoever about complaining about the crews, and you don't know already, waving to the crew is part of being a railfan, I am just being friendly, which you certainly don't get! And if I don't get a wave back, it ain't the end of the world, I just move on! Usually I am too busy running my video camera to even wave at the crew. Sometimes getting my shot right is more important than that. BTW I am 20 and HAVE a job. And if anybody has serious issues here, it's gotta be you. Grow up...

I'll be standing there by the tracks as the lead locomotive passes by, I give a friendly wave and I seeme to be ignored, plus those tinted windows make matters worse, maybe I am actually getting a wave back, but can't see it thru the tinted glass... but then again there are those who seem to be having a good day and are happy seeing fans, heck I could be waiting in my car watching the lead loco pass and see the engineer waving to me!

That's where is sounds freaky to me.

Usually I am too busy running my video camera to even wave at the crew. Sometimes getting my shot right is more important than that. BTW I am 20 and HAVE a job.

I didn't think it takes all the time to run a video camera these days, but again, that just might be me.

Rule #1, leave the crew alone. You are a guest at their workplace, been up for countless hours, and the last thing they want to do is become starring people for your home video. Remember, they are seeing some goofy people jumping up and down waving at them.



10 points if you know where that picture was taken. Yes, he/she was litterlly drooling with all the trains going by.

My number one rule of taking pictures: Respect the crews privacy and don't act nuts, don't bother them. I do the scenic side of things. Most of the time no one knows that I am there and so they don't have to worry about a nut jumping out on them and giving them a scare.

Just the way you have been posting (including lets make cardboard signs and potentionally jam up the crews) screams that you could be a rabid foamer.

If the crew give me one of these



I'll give one back, but I am not going to go zooming in and take 50 closeup pics of the crew inside.

I'd rather do this

The Buffies don't bother me, I always wave. A couple of nights ago my train went into emergency, we had a bad retainer valve. The Buffies heard it on the radio and gave me a ride back to the head end. Considering it was a 110 car coal train, I was greatful for the ride. Granted, they humped my leg the whole way back to the head end, but it was better than walking.

-r

Hey douchebag,
You are wrong on several issues...

If thats not an indicator of your level of maturity, I don't know what is. Curb your language, and shrug off the opinions of others if you don't like them.

Its all part of being an adult.


Now for my only experience with railfans while working on the railroad.

I was an employee of the Arkansas and Missouri Railroad back in late 2002 through 2003. It was about 9am in the morning, and we were doing our normal routine of building a locomotive consist for the Fort Smith turn when lo and behold, a railfan comes walking up the main from the north, directly between the rails, with two cameras around his neck. We were backing up the house track from the shops, when I noticed the guy and signalled the engineer to stop. We both jumped down and asked the guy to leave, but the dude actually ignored us and kept on happily snapping his camera at the Alco's.

After 9/11 the railroad had adopted an absolute no trespassing policy, after many years of being open to alco fans. Apparently this guy had missed the memo. Regardless, I can't imagine the type of person that foams to the point to where they'd intentionally trespass, and place themselves in danger just to get a few shots of 50 year old locomotives.

I actually have a good idea of who the guy is, there are a few Alco sites on the net, and I recognized his picture on one of them.

Some people I guess... I like trains, and enjoy my job, but I'll never understand that level of zeal.

TxBritt

While we're on idiot railfan stories, here's one. About 15-20 years ago a couple fans came to the shortline I was working on at the time and asked to take photos, which was granted after they signed a release. One guy had a photo album of shots he had taken which he shared with us. He had some nice shots - steam, sharks, Baldwins, I forget what else. Well, they left without reclaiming the book.

We held on to it in the office, then somebody in the engine house borrowed it. A week or two later the guy showed up asking for his book back. We checked the office, could not find it, and called back to the shop, but the train and track crew guys were out working. We told the guy, who was acting pretty PO'd, we'd send it to him when it turned up. He left (we thought!)

Come to find out, he went out to the engine house, and started opening drawers and file cabinets searching for the thing! He gave the mechanical guy a ration of crap about it was his book and he wanted it back! Obviously he was asked to leave which he finally did.

When the crews were all back in and the story was told, one guy freely stated he had the book, had been looking at it, and it was in his truck and he had no intention of keeping it, he just had not figured on the owner showing up that day or he would have made sure we had it available.

The bozo had left his address, but when we thought about his actions going to the engine house and searching it, we said forget it and divided up the photos! He had forgotten it in the first place, and we would have gladly sent it back. But when he started accusing us of stealing it, and tearing the place apart, we sure were not about to go out of our way to mail it back.

Simply outstanding.

I am on a similar side of the fence with the Fire Department and the 911 center. We get all sorts of news and fire buff's to scene's. Some of them, just because they think that they are also firefighters believe they have unlimited scene access. However, there are those we do let over since they take some pretty good shots.[/img]

I've seen head lights or ditch lights that were off befor too while out railfaning on both CSX and the occational Amtrak train its rare but in most cases it was becouse they stoped a signal to waght for a train on the same track to cross over. After the train cleared the stoped train would get underway. I would not worry about the lights being off anouther aproching train or railroad emploee will most likley say something. Its not worth the hassle to run up a cell phone bill to get someone in trouble for there forgeting.

PJ REMOVE MY PICTURE THANK YOU

When I was a student engineer the guy I worked with made me give him a dollar everytime I forgot to turn the headlight on after meeting a train. Needless to say I didnt forget very much after that. We used to make bets on how close I could get to nailing a stop, stuff like that makes work fun. Notice how I call it work. I usually give a friendly wave or something since I figure that I like being the guy in the cab, and not the guy taking the pictures. If you see me going down the track with a car on fire or on the ground I would appreciate it if you called the railroad or caught up to us and gave us a great big ol washout!