How many of you are crazy about trains? you know take pictures and collect stuff? ?
Angel2008 asked:
What got you started and how old were you when you started?
What is it that fascinates you most about trains?
Do you work for a railroad? Do you have a model train track?
What do you collect?
What got you started and how old were you when you started?
What is it that fascinates you most about trains?
Do you work for a railroad? Do you have a model train track?
What do you collect?
I got started back when I was 3 years old. My dad would take me out quite often to see the Amtrak train run through town. I can’t really describe what it is about trains that I love, just that it’s big machines moving America. And railroads are an ingenious, yet simple concept.
I mainly take pictures, about 5,000 photos to date. Not many compared to many railfans.
I have a cousin Bobby who has collected trains since he was a child he is now approx 50 lets say. He has built a whole village in his basement or should i say city. He works on it daily and has added to it for years now its absolutley amazing the most amazing part is when he goes to the basement he keeps a conducters cap at the top of the stairs he puts on before going down. When we were younger i used to love to watch him blow up bridges and stuff like that he has his entire basement covered. His are all lionel his dad bought him his first on christmas one year when he was small for both him and his brother only he took the love of t trains on with him through life.
My first railway photo was taken in 1968 at age 12 on a visit to the Bluebell Railway, Sussex, England. I had already been a rail enthusiast since early childhood and collected model trains, books, etc. Around the same time my Dad and I built a model railway together.
I’ve been an enthusiast all my life and must have taken hundreds if not thousands of photos of trains, both here and abroad. I collect books, anything from local railway history to locomen’s training manuals, rule books, timetables etc. I also have a model railway layout under construction.
I work part time in a local railway museum which has a collection of objects dating back to the early 1800s when the railways consisted of horse-drawn wagons running on cast-iron rails. The museum also has among other things a full-sized steam locomotive, a miniature railway, a working signal box (interlocking tower) and a telephone exchange.
I spend many happy afternoons showing visitors round and listening to the reminiscences of the Curator, an ex-railwayman with extensive local knowledge.
I like steam trains best of all and I am lucky enough to live near a Heritage Railway which I visit from time to time to relive the atmosphere of when ‘Steam was King’.
I’m not sure if i’m crazy about them or that they have made me crazy lol.My family has over 150 years total time in working for the railroads.My dad retired with 44 years in as an engineer and so far i have 32 in as an engineer.The rest of my family is or has worked as conductors or for the union.I don’t know why but i still get a thrill when start notching open the throttle and feel the thousands of horsepower coming to life.Especially if you have a low tonnage train with lots of horsepower.You can feel it in the seat of your pants.My dad took me to work with him when i was 9 and let me run my first engine for an hour so i guess i have him to blame.As for collecting i collect stuff from the late great Southern Pacific that sadly faded off into the history books.I hired out with them and dearly miss working for them.We didn’t know how good we had it til the bunch i work for now took over.The job isn’t near as good anymore.