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NSFan14
March 8th, 2007, 04:46 PM
How often do you get friendly waves from crew?

NSFan14
March 8th, 2007, 04:47 PM
How often do you get friendly waves from crew?
I get alot of waves. But mostly everyone in the yard knows who we are. But i can understand if they didn't wave cause im sure they are tired.

SP 9811
March 8th, 2007, 05:44 PM
I would get them most every time an SP train pasted, along with a blow of the horn. Of course there were times when they wouldn't wave, but it was more times then not. Also sometimes would get flimsies tossed, and even got a timetable. Once got a cab tour of SP 9824!
Thom
Heres a pic of one of those times. Its kinda hard to see. but the hogger is waving.
http://www.trainboard.com/railimages/data/1317/SP_6856-1.jpg

MEClover
March 8th, 2007, 06:02 PM
I get waves from engineers up here in Maine. I think they want to show peope that they are not out to report us for standing a fair distance away and just watching. Unlike the FBI who think that railfans should be under watch when ever they go railfanning.

friscobob
March 8th, 2007, 06:29 PM
MOst of the time I've gotten waves, and/or they would give a blast of the whistle. I try every time to either wave or tip my hat to 'em as they roll by. Sometimes they don't respond, but most times they do.

It's not a bad idea to wave at the crew as the train rolls by- I know small children waving at trains will tickle most railroaders, and they can't help but wave back.

Of course, always remember to stay off railroad property, or the next RR employee you see may be a special agent.

BnOEngrRick
March 8th, 2007, 07:35 PM
I generally only wave at kids or people I know or recognize. Call me a grouch if you want.

SecretWeapon
March 8th, 2007, 09:31 PM
All the time:shade:

Pete Nolan
March 8th, 2007, 10:28 PM
Most of the time.

BTW, Maine is northeast of Boston.

Charlie
March 8th, 2007, 11:47 PM
I usually get a wave and sometimes a "bamp" on the horn, but then again most of them recognize me from having been "on the job".
Some of the commuter engineers will signal me to come up to the control cab if they see that I am going to board the train.
When I was working, I would wave to folks who waved to me. I would return "one finger waves" too!

CT

campp
March 9th, 2007, 01:31 AM
I get the bamp often and love it, and a few waves here and there. Got the bell rung last time. When my wife is with me waving at them, we get a LOT of horns. I'm like Bob, I always wave or something.

bierbass
March 9th, 2007, 03:38 AM
Its about 70/30 around here. I don't take it personally though if they don't wave back. I figure its a tough job, they're tired, and perhaps they wonder what I do to be having the time to hang out trackside.
One of my favorite waves came from a NS exCon Dash8. I was photographing from an overpass above the track and both the conductor and the engineer were hunched down waving through the windshield. Lotta fun. Very cool. Well worth the sunburn I got while waiting for the train.

sillystringtheory
March 9th, 2007, 05:21 AM
I get a lot of toots on the horns when my son and I wave. I think we have been coming to the same spots locally for so long that a lot of the crews know us.
Then there is the one CSX engineer that I know very well that lays on the horn when he sees us.

friscobob
March 9th, 2007, 07:13 AM
I get a lot of toots on the horns when my son and I wave. I think we have been coming to the same spots locally for so long that a lot of the crews know us.
Then there is the one CSX engineer that I know very well that lays on the horn when he sees us.

Reminds me of a story I heard from two crewmen on the Kiamichi RR- I had the opportunity to ride the Madill Turn from Hugo to Madill, OK (a daily job that had 45-80 cars daily). At Lakeside, OK, Kiamichi trains go on the BNSF (back then BN) Madill Sub that goes over Lake Texoma. I was told that in the summer, they'll see folks on boats sunning themselves, and on occasion, females on the boats doing so without parts of their bathing suit.:eek: One long whistle blast, or the equivalent of a wolf whistle, is usually given by the crews- not only of Kiamichi, but BN as well.

Ufortunately, my ride was in December, and no boats out on the lake-drat! (wife isn't here to read this...... ;) )

stewarttrains98
March 9th, 2007, 08:05 AM
I have gotten waves and the horn toots. Also have gotten the horn toots as thier way of alerting me. Even though I knew they where there and coming towards me. But most of the time I have my eye in the camera and then by time I wave at them they are even with me. But I have gotten "the look" from them also.

NSFan14
March 9th, 2007, 04:30 PM
Well me and my dad goes to osborne every saturday. So almost everyone knows who we are.

conrail fan2005
March 9th, 2007, 08:06 PM
DOES THE ONE FINGER SALUTE COUNT


i usually get a horn blow from the engineer........but then a friendly wave

HemiAdda2d
March 9th, 2007, 08:16 PM
I get waves often on the Moffat, but that was when I was close enough to the track to be seen by the crews. On my usual perches high above the rails, most folks don't know we're there capturing their passage.... And that's the way I like it! ;)

Steve Brown
March 9th, 2007, 08:28 PM
All the time actually even got "mooned" one time in Nebraska.

inch53
March 9th, 2007, 08:50 PM
Most the time round here I get a wave and a toot. If one of the grandkids is with me, then we always get both, gives the kids a big thrill.

EL03440
March 9th, 2007, 10:43 PM
Not all the time, but then again some of these guys have been on duty for hours. Then there's this hogger........

coloradorailroads
March 9th, 2007, 11:34 PM
My kids get horns and waves everytime. I doffed my cap to an engineer coming through Glenwood Springs one night last month while I was on the pedestrian bridge and got a double honk. Great memory. :teeth:

acsxfan1
March 9th, 2007, 11:53 PM
Most of the time.

BTW, Maine is northeast of Boston.

When I was living up there .. we used to say .. down east ...

BGosch
March 11th, 2007, 12:37 AM
This one cracked me up. It was taken last October at the Moffat Tunnel East Portal. I didn't even know the guy (Conductor?) waved until I downloaded the photos onto my PC the next day.

Sorry it's so small - I was using a new camera with resolution set too high.

BoxcabE50
March 11th, 2007, 01:30 AM
Cool! That's a neat extra detail!

:D

Boxcab E50

r_i_straw
March 11th, 2007, 05:26 AM
How about a bow? This afternoon in Rosenberg.
http://www.trainboard.com/railimages/data/601/wave.jpg

r_i_straw
March 11th, 2007, 05:32 AM
A few moments earlier.
http://www.trainboard.com/railimages/data/601/wave2.jpg

BGosch
March 11th, 2007, 04:44 PM
That's a good one, r_i_straw!

Bill

Second Moss
March 11th, 2007, 06:05 PM
On a trip down to the B&O west end a few years ago, we talked to a crew of a coal drag going up the hill at M&K junction while they waited for a local to pass them. They lemented the lack of A/C in there units (It was near 98 that afternoon). The conductor was an old Chessie guy, he said the limited slip on the new GE's is a world of difference from the EMD's he started on. As they throttled up they tossed us addresses to send them pictures.

That was pretty neat.

bierbass
March 12th, 2007, 04:35 PM
I thought for my 222nd post I'd put in one of my favorites...

sillystringtheory
March 13th, 2007, 12:48 AM
Hey, get your hands back on the steering wheel! ;~)

campp
March 13th, 2007, 01:09 AM
Bierbass, good one! :)

bryanmopac
March 13th, 2007, 05:41 AM
The train crews around here seem to be real friendly. If they see me there with a camera, I will usually get a wave and a long honk from the horn. Probally 80-90 percent of the time. The other times, the guys have their work to do.

bierbass
March 13th, 2007, 11:35 AM
Bierbass, good one! :)

Thanks!!!!!

SteveM76
March 13th, 2007, 03:54 PM
I always wave or blow the horn whenever someone waves at me. It seems that it was always the custom in the steam days. Every steam photo I've found has the crew waving. Personally, I enjoy seeing someone wave and I'm never too tired to simply wave back. Most of the time it is our only connection to the outside world for those 12 hours or more and it doesn't go unappreciated.

NSFan14
March 13th, 2007, 05:22 PM
I always wave or blow the horn whenever someone waves at me. It seems that it was always the custom in the steam days. Every steam photo I've found has the crew waving. Personally, I enjoy seeing someone wave and I'm never too tired to simply wave back. Most of the time it is our only connection to the outside world for those 12 hours or more and it doesn't go unappreciated.
Well i know you wave!:teeth:

MEClover
March 14th, 2007, 01:38 PM
Most of the time.

BTW, Maine is northeast of Boston.

I was woundeering if some one would pick that up.. lol

Colby

RRfan
March 22nd, 2007, 01:05 AM
Every time since i just got into trains wen i was just a little wippersnaper