Western Railroad Discussion > WGRF

What is World's Greatest Railfans (WGRF) all about? Where can you find information on it, and where will it be held this year? Why is this established event hardly advertised? I have to admit, even though I've been a railfan for over 15 years, I've never heard of WGRF until this year.

They are intense roster shooters and slide traders. They get together annually either on Memorial day or Labor day somewhere in the country to shoot the local stuff and swap slides from their collection. They formed the loose WGRF organization in order to have some respectability when seeking access to yards and mills to photograph the locomotives there.

Some first time attendees feel ignored when arriving but that is because these folks have known each other for years and there are thousands of slides to trade in just a few short days. I'm sure there are active members here who can add more. Go, enjoy.

Go to http://www.wgrf.org/ for info on group and this years convention. All are welcomed. This is a group of railroad photographers who trade/sell both rosters and action shots. JCB

They are actually the nerds of the railfan community.

JDRumley wrote:

> They are actually the nerds of the railfan community.
>

The nerds of the nerds? :)
(sorry my sister said that NOT me.)

I know several members and find them to be gragarious, mischeivous, outgoing and a wealth of knowledge and history. Though they may be focused on trading at the annual meet they generally are willing to show and share what they have with others interested in the railfan hobby. Far from nerdish I find those I know to have varied interests outside the hobby that they are successful in.

This year's WGRF will be the third weekend of October (10/17-19) in Indianapolis. The unusually late scheduling reportedly was done for better light and fall foliage potential on the Indiana Rail Road.

Lodging information is posted on the wgrf.org web site. Be sure to use .org, not .com, or you'll end up on a Buffalo radio station's site.

As the great song from the "50's says " everybody's somebodys fool, everybody's somebody's
crazy" I've been attending WGRF's since 1966, and
we probably were nerdy back then .I'd hope we gained
some social graces along with plump guts, families
and a middle class lifestyle. Most of us started
in the late 50's to mid 70's. By nature most are
roster - action slide shooters, with collections
from the 10's of thousands to in one case over 2
million slides! With the loss of K 25 several of
the best shooters have packed it in. A real loss.
No fan should be put off by the "Worlds Greatest
Rail Fans" name. It always was a toung in cheek
term. There are no dues,and no membership requirments. If you like slides and long term
friendships, we could use new trading blood.

Each year we try and have a group shot on a unit
of interest. Last year on the way to Duluth about
half of us met at the Minnesota Commercial, with
permission, and posed on an ex Aussi GE. The first
WGRF I attended in '66 we were around a
NYC Shark.

Keith

---

Like any group, there are a few egos at WGRF, but most would agree that the name is cheeky.

Perhaps the greatest prominence I can think of for WGRF was when Steve Forrest's "membership" was mentioned in the caption to one of his photos that was published in the NS company calendar.

Re WGRF nerds -- railfan nerd is an oxymoron anyway. But who gives a s---. Having attended most every WGRF gathering since 1967 it's a hoot. We need new guys so come on out before the old guard is using walkers.

mr slide the wgrf web site dose'nt work how do you get to the show is there one on the west cost
anytime soon

tom cataldo
hemet,ca

I want to know the names of people in this grouip. Tim Vana/Omaha, NE