Triumphrat

Junipero

Ya gotta listen to the excitement in this guys voice. I don't know much about the vintage locomotives he is video taping, but he is one excited dude!

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swetalian

needs more cowbell!

sstenner

As the wife of a "foaming railfan" (his words, not mine, I call it something else.) I can tell you where every set of tracks I cross lead, who they belong to now and the whole chain of possession going back to the civil war, what is hauled on them and how CSX or NS or G & W are ruining the whole railroading tradition. And don't even mention Amtrak!

I once had the nerve to keep driving when he spotted a group of "ALCO" engines parked on a siding off the interstate. That was five years ago and he never misses an opportunity to point out to me that he doesn't have pictures of what were probably the last of that model still in service.

That said, I also know that if there were any other foamers out there trying to shoot video of the same train, there's a good chance the guy in this video got beat up pretty bad for ruining everyone else's video with all that shouting.

I guess there are worse habits... and all the time he spends railfanning gives me more time to ride my bike!

Lee H

one of the machine shop side projects I have going on, is the restoration of the ridable miniature train made for the 1952 Alaska state fair. When that one is done, the same man owns the one from the old Last Frontier hotel in Las Vagas.

Coroja

The EMD (Electromotive Division of General Motors) E-series locomotives were the epitome of passenger rail power in the golden age of rail travel. They utilized the very smooth-riding Blomberg A1A, 6-wheel trucks and were powered by a pair of 12-cylinder EMD 567 diesels. The later models, like the E8 in this video had vertical (so-called "bulldog") noses that were less esthetically-pleasing than the earlier slanted noses, but were much cheaper to build.

The BL-2 was essentially an EMD F-unit (freight version of the E with 4-wheel trucks) with a cutaway body to provide better visibility for the crew. The BL-2 was EMD's first road switch engine and thus was the forerunner of many of the locomotives we see in service today.

Not that I'm a railfan or anything, but the Summer 2012 issue of Classic Trains magazine has a 50-page section on the history of the E-units. Well worth a read if you remember these great locomotives as fondly as I do.

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mistermellow001

I laughed at first, but ended up rooting for the guy. Unbridled enthusiasm for a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Not a bad way to be.

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"Always be yourself... unless you suck"
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BonnieBlack

I had a life-changing epiphany watching some train spotters a few years ago. They were friendly guys, happy to share what they were up to. When some train went by, they all got excited and ran around taking pictures. The epitome of nerdiness.

It really struck me, what am I into that isn't silly? Why is it silly to get excited by a train, but cool to be excited by a rare bird? I get into the thrill of manuevering the bike around corners. Really? I get off on centrifical force? That's silly. Why is an Ariel 4 cool? No, being into old bikes is silly too. You're into riding a heavy cruiser on interstates, or a trike? Why not, just another silly thing.

None of it matters, but none of it is doing any harm, so why do I look down on some of it? Little of anything the rest of us do is any better.

Pretty obvious to anyone that paid attention in kindergarten, but it hit me later in life.

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I used to be disgusted, but now I try to be amused.

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Silverado57

Whoa, this guy is w-a-y over the top! lol

We're train and bridge fans.

If you're looking for a cool train-related motorcycle trip, try the PA Railroad museum near Strasburg, PA.
http://www.rrmuseumpa.org/

Another cool spot is Horseshoe Curve near Altoona PA. The sight and sound of a freight train navigating this stretch of rail is impressive.
http://www.railroadcity.com/altoona_...urve/index.php

Another really cool spot is Kinzua Viaduct near Mt. Jewett, PA.
http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/statepar...idge/index.htm

At 3,200 feet in length, Moodna Viaduct near Newburgh NY is the longest and highest railroad trestle east of the Mississippi, and still in service after 100 years.

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Luceo Non Uro
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Catenaccio

I'm a fan of steam trains especially those belonging to the Northern Nevada Railroad in Ely and the Nevada Railroad Museum in Carson City. There is something magical about such massive machinery.

Twism86

Its too awkward to watch! Im pretty sure he had a stiffy....

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