Railroaders' Nostalgia > Some guys just don't care

As a life-long railfan I worked in train service for 3 different RR’s over a span of 32 years. But railfanning always came second to the job. I always established myself as someone who could be relied on to do my job. First, foremost. Most of the guys I worked with during my career were basically OK with a fellow crewman being a fan. The history aspect of this hobby was often a conversation subject that helped to dispel the long hours of monotony during a long trip over the road. Not being an outdoorsman man at all, I sat and listened for many collective hours to a fellow crewman describe his pleasure in training a birddog for hunting. Or the art of making homemade lures for that special fishin’ hole. I’ve listened politely as a fellow crewman described in detail how he took pleasure in making his own ammo for the various firearms in his collection. Once I even listened to a fellow crewman boil over with excitement about a “sport” where otherwise well-adjusted, grown men walk around with nails sticking outta their shoes, chasing a rock-hard little white orb around the countryside. An orb they would alternatively walk after, the beat away again with something called clubs …

I discovered with glee how to listen to some of those crusty, crotchety old heads who at first scared the hell out of me. It was surprising to learn that many of those senior “old heads” had just a tiny bit of railfan in them. And one precious item at a time, they could be made to give up a treasure trove of historical details. You just had to know how to sift through all of the usual bitching about their jobs. And I worked with a few guys who just plain hated railfans no matter what. With those guys I generally tried to steer any over-the-road conversation into any other subject currently at hand. Even if I had to listen to them brag about having a wife at home and a girlfriend on the other end of the road.

But I never worked with anybody who just plain didn’t give a $#!+ about his own job. In 32 years I never worked with anybody who would callously & knowing debase themselves. In front of someone on the ground they KNEW had a camera pointed at them. I guess good paying jobs just grow on trees nowadays. And they just don’t care about the job they have right now…

1. 2. & 3. UP 7238 leads an grain empty over the Big Blue River on the east side of town. Taken from the Levee Dr (aka ‘Water Works’) crossing. Photoshop “blackout” applied in a couple of strategic places.



Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 11/08/20 02:50 by santafe199.

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Just one more, because that’s what I do:

4. A surprising “away” shot with some low classic pre-sunset glint off Uncle Pete’s canary yellow paint. Clear signal: Proceed west, young man. Proceed west…
(4 photos taken in Manhattan, KS on November 6, 2020)

Thanks for listening!
Lance Garrels
santafe199

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Just wondering why the photoshop blackout - surely the date, location and locomotive number would serve to identify the crew member?

Isn't canary yellow more of a pale/lemon yellow - UP's is 'Armour yellow' if I'm not mistaken?

Lance, as a highly visable and known railfan / veteran engineer who is still in service - I have seen attitudes toward our jobs and the railfans among us change over the decades.  I used to work with a bunch of lightly educated southern boys that were grateful to have a good railroad job to follow in their family's footsteps or get away from being a textile mill worker or a field hand. Today I have never seen or imagined the amount of people quitting.  We have had entire hiring sessions quit.  It ain't unusual to hear "I had a better job before I come out here". This summer I even had a transferred conductor throw his crap down and quit with our unfinished train hanging up a yard ladder.  Sure the job is harder today with minimal crew consist agreements, PSR, 12 hour locals and yard jobs, overbearing officers, and false expectations of getting time off and riding non-stop no work intermodals each trip.  As a teenage railfan/fireman I was in heaven working on E-units 7 nights a week and getting big paychecks for doing it. 

For us working railfans it was easier as more of us got hired or else showed our hands. Also easier with rail executives that loved trains.   Quite a few of the old heads liked trains.  They modeled, collected, wrote, and took pictures without being a card-carrying railfan or even admitting to it.  For a young working railfan it was delight to gain the trust of an old head that would tell you the true raw tales of oldtime railroading.  These were the good stories never printed or told publicly.

I too endured  locomotive cab conversations about boring crap i didn't know about or give a rat's ass about.  Inadvertently I found a cure for that - I became a local chairman .  Then it was just talking about contract, grievances, and time claims.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/08/20 07:18 by Notch7.

Notch7 Wrote: > ...  I found a cure ... I became a local chairman ...

Wow... Although I was (& still am) completely loyal to the idea of being part of a unionized work force that's a solution don't think I could have looked for. I guess I was just OK with sitting still and listening to the boring stuff, knowing I was being accepted as a fellow rail. That acceptance was important to me. I always tried to give a 100% effort in any endeavor. Whether it was a vocation, or avocation. It didn't take long before I knew why a fellow rail absolutely hated his job. And felt trapped in it, especially if kids were involved. I had (still have) all the empathy in the world for that situation. Still, I can't understand why a railroader would go to the extremes I have been seeing through my lenses. My "blacking out" part of his face is purely symbollic. Bottom line is: "He's purposely exposing himself. So when he obviously doesn't give a damn about his job, why should I?" Even so I know & understand the hatred of the situation. Maybe not so much the actual job, but definitely the situation. It gives me even more appreciation for being retired. You never wanna wish your life away. I remember wishing I would hurry up & turn 16 so I could get my driver's license, and the very next week looking in the mirror watching my 40th birthday approaching. But as a railfan I DO embrace being retired from the RR. And wouldn't trade it for anything...

Lance/199



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/08/20 09:58 by santafe199.

Thanks for the post.I went with the attitude of I do not care what you think.It worked well for me because I never tried to hide being a railfan.I am also a big time football and baseball fan and spend countless hours of watching these events on tv and occasionally in person.But,that is very similar to railfanning mostly because of the enjoyment we get by doing it,not whether it is a productive use of time.Bill Webb

Your not alone in encountering jerks out there that just don't care.  There are a**holes everywhere and probably every railroad has there share.  We have one in my area that works the BNSF local job from the Quad Cities to Clinton and back.  He's a real jerk and goes out of his way to make a face or some derogatory gesture ever time he see's me trackside taking a picture.  Once he even put his butt up against the window for the sake of the camera.  It was a nice consist too with a GP30 leading but that a**hole totally ruined the shot.  And why?  I consider this low life to be a complete zero and not deserving of the job he has and would love nothing more than to run into him off the property somewhere.  But back to reality, there are always gonna be jerks around in every endeavor, and your gonna run into one at some point.  I wish it wasn't this way but this seems to be the way of the world now.  Always a select few out there to ruin it, and they'll go out of their way to do so.  Very sad.  Just wanted you to know I share your frustration toward certain low lifes as they seem to be everywhere.  I think I share your interest in golf as well, which is none at all!  Probably why we take pictures.
 




 

CNW8531 Wrote:
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> Once he even put his butt up against the window
> ... that a**hole totally ruined the shot.

I see what you did there.

Some may think they are being funny. I have not run in to any quite that animated. The "worst" I have seen is a friendly wave.

Are you seriously crying about someone making a funny face in your picture?

Would you like some cheese with your whine sir?

Posted from iPhone

Did you seriously think it necessary to insult one of the largest and best contributors to this site?  If you felt it necessary to criticize, a private message would have been more appropriate.  ....or next time, don't open the thread!

swingnose Wrote:
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> Are you seriously crying about someone making a
> funny face in your picture?
>
> Would you like some cheese with your whine sir?
>
> Posted from iPhone

Yes I did, which is why I posted my reply.
After reading the thread I was expecting to see the conductor doing something way worse than simply making a funny face.
I like the OPs content but come on man unless he’s 1000 years old and worked on steam engines I thought he would have enough of a sense of humor to see the comedic value in the dude making a funny face up against the windshield. Sour oldhead.....

twjurgens Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Did you seriously think it necessary to insult one
> of the largest and best contributors to this
> site?  If you felt it necessary to criticize, a
> private message would have been more
> appropriate.  ....or next time, don't open the
> thread!
>
> swingnose Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Are you seriously crying about someone making a
> > funny face in your picture?
> >
> > Would you like some cheese with your whine sir?
> >
> > Posted from iPhone

I was taught that if I couldn't say something nice to not say anything at all, but for you, there must be an exception.  I'm going to repeat my earlier advice that if you want to criticize someone, do it privately or in person rather than make yourself look foolish.  Maybe you should try the whine and cheese?

swingnose Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Yes I did, which is why I posted my reply.
> After reading the thread I was expecting to see
> the conductor doing something way worse than
> simply making a funny face.
> I like the OPs content but come on man unless
> he’s 1000 years old and worked on steam engines
> I thought he would have enough of a sense of humor
> to see the comedic value in the dude making a
> funny face up against the windshield. Sour
> oldhead.....
>
> twjurgens Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Did you seriously think it necessary to insult
> one
> > of the largest and best contributors to this
> > site?  If you felt it necessary to criticize,
> a
> > private message would have been more
> > appropriate.  ....or next time, don't open the
> > thread!
> >
> > swingnose Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > Are you seriously crying about someone making
> a
> > > funny face in your picture?
> > >
> > > Would you like some cheese with your whine
> sir?
> > >
> > > Posted from iPhone



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/12/20 19:00 by twjurgens.

swingnose Wrote: > ... seriously crying ...
Well... aren't YOU special. It must take a serious lack of education read my dialogue as "crying". I would single out a couple of the points I made, IF I thought you were actually interested in adult discussion. But you're obviously not interested in being an adult. I did a search on your ENTIRE body of dialogue here on TO. All 11 months of it. Apparently there's nobody at all you won't spew on with your immature, heavily sarcastic garbage. I would try to remind you that you signed up to be on a R-A-I-L-F-A-N website. And it's for people who wanna be railfans. Who wanna share pictures & stories, etc. But based on your past 11 months it's quite evident you have some other agenda. What a pity. This is one of the best railfan websites I've ever seen. But gutless trolls like you are a drag. Tell ya what: Go back wherever you came from, grow up and come back when you've grown a pair big enough to allow you to sign your real to your verbal diarrhea. If you can't do that, then I suggest you put a big cork in it. And now that I've delivered this, I'd bet the farm a couple of your troll bros are just foaming at the mouth to jump on here...   

> ... Sour oldhead ...
Nice! As if you'll never get old. But you're flat wrong. And I made quite a large number number of friends & friendly contacts who'll tell you the same. I've spent the vast bulk of my 9+ years on TO tirelessly promoting this great website, this great hobby, and all of the camaraderie that goes along with it. Not that you give a $#!+. I know you'll HAVE to spew back some kind of last word thing. So bring it on. Come on: DAZZLE us all with your maturity...

Lance Garrels
Manhattan, KS

 

twjurgens Wrote:
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> I'm going to repeat my earlier advice that if you want to criticize someone.
> do it privately or in person rather than make you look foolish.

So do you think the thread starter should have criticized the railroader privately?
Did you send a private message before critcizing this poster in public?
Just curious. No need to reply (private or public).

justalurker66 Wrote: > ...  Did you send a private message before critcizing this poster in public ...

He didn't have to. The garbage was ALREADY out in the public arena!

Neither you nor swingnose felt it necessary or appropriate to handle this privately.  Guess there's enough hypocrisy to go around isn't there?  Don't try to twist this around anymore, I have no problem with the original post.  If you and swingnose think you need the last word, you got it, I'm out of this.  Keep on lurkin'!

justalurker66 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> twjurgens Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I'm going to repeat my earlier advice that if
> you want to criticize someone.
> > do it privately or in person rather than make
> you look foolish.
>
> So do you think the thread starter should have
> criticized the railroader privately?
> Did you send a private message before critcizing
> this poster in public?
> Just curious. No need to reply (private or
> public).

Just remember you started it. You could have easily followed your own advice and saved yourself and others from the posts that offend you. You pooped in the pool then complained about dirty water.

Yeah it was there when I replied to your thread.......

santafe199 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> justalurker66 Wrote: > ...  Did you send a
> private message before critcizing this poster in
> public ...
>
> He didn't have to. The garbage was ALREADY out in
> the public arena!

Posted from iPhone

I have not posted in eons. I enjoy reading Lance's posts and viewing his photography. Consider the source.

Why don’t you ladies just meet up somewhere, put up your fists, and settle your bickering once and for all and get on with your lives.

Sheesh