11: Big train = Big honk

Hey 1458, if you can, search up the Battle River Railway. The crew LOVES railfans, as they invite you in the cab, wave, and give horn shows. They also run only SD40-2 variations. Thanks!

YO THE SLIPPING FOAMER RETURNED!!!!

One thing I learned while railfanning is that you have to be flexible. You can’t catch everything, but you can catch anything. I used to be so upset whenever I missed something rare or interesting, but I realized that being upset and thinking it’s the end of the world isn’t the answer. In addition to this, you just have to realize if you miss something rare or interesting, there will always be more chances in the future. Another thing is that you need to stay out of drama. People in this community nowadays think they are perfectionists and know everything and start drama if one person says something wrong. Same goes with posting photos on platforms like Instagram and Facebook. Railfanning is CLEARLY not a hobby to determine who is the better railfan just because they have better gear than you, it’s about enjoying the sights and sounds of the train whether it’s just a boring pair of CSX GEVO’s or an colorful lashup of fallen flag locomotives.

As a railfanner of 2 years, I can say this is all EXTREMELY True. Nice Video as Always Man!

Another great vid GK! You definitely nailed it on the mark about to don’t rely on scanners. I made a trip to Louisiana back in September and it recorded a defect detector for 100 axles but nothing even came! And I accidentally left my scanner there lol, so I gonna get another soon. And yeah it’s definitely an excuse to get out of the house, I’m looking to go out more often when I get a car. Happy railfanning GK

I found 1458 in Southern Plains Railfans video There's Trains And Locomotives Of EVERY KIND In Galesburg, IL! 9:24

Makes me happy that I still have my pair of heritage livery MAC's working with an old BN caboose and the ancient high hood SD9 working a local yard.

For #3, I can relate to. When I got my camera in 2022, my parents have been driving me to getting good photography and videography. I thought since trains run on scenic routes too, it would prove that I'm good at photography and videography.

The first thing I learned was you always miss heritage units

I can totally relate to the part about all the interesting power vanishing as soon as you get a camera. I got my drivers license just in time to miss the massive NS EMD purge around 2020… good times

At 4 I can railfan inside AND outside cause my main railfan spot is my bedroom but for outside it’s in the sidewalk

I ran across your vids looking for something else, but I watched a few and enjoyed them. I’ve worked on the railroad for 14 years with several different companies and been a rail fan since I was a kid in the 1980’s. You make a lot of valid - and humorous - points. I enjoy seeing rail fans when I’m working. Many of the guys I work with complain about them. I’ve yet to get a good answer when I say there are very few jobs, other than being a professional athlete, where people want to take pictures of you working.

I've been a railfanner before I started a channel, but I've never really met other railfans then. When I met a new railfan in March 2023, I started my channel. Ever since, I've met new railfans and I've gotten lots of support on my channel. It feels good and well appreciated!

0:20 that’s true, I used to be really close to the Northeast corridor and saw trains every weekend but know I live in South Carolina and the nearest track is like 1h 24m and the closest station is 1h 21m only opperating 4 Amtraks a day two being super late in the night and a csx only passes every couple 1 or 2 hours

Dude I can so relate to the first reason that was said. I think it's been twice now I was at the tracks for an hour or a bit more with nothing until literally the last minutes before I leave! Which is usually not normal in my area. And my area is a sort of busy line with a good amount of trains each day. And I agree with the unpredictableness of trains

1:37 LINLIN a year or two ago had good power like this, now it’s mostly just GEVOs, ACes and occasional C44-9Ws. There is sometimes 4-Axle power for Omaha’s Yard Jobs and Locals, mostly Y-OMA101 (requires 4-Axle Units) & L-HLA608.

It’s definitely a way to get out of the house for me, I ride my bike to the railroad crossing close to me and chill there either by myself or with my railfan friend. Great times!

I've been railfanning since i was 3 years old back in 2013 and i only got serious in 2020 and i got the Lucky State because Most Locomotives are Geeps (M-EVECUS) And SD75Ms and A Whole bunch of stuff. Even Amtrak's Talgos went up here which is my Favorite we also get a As Needed CN Ethanol and sometimes there's a lot of unique Power on it such as Ex-CITX and 100th Anniversary Units which i've caught. I think i got a Lucky State in Terms of Power Variety idk why

Loved those short mashed up clips with the horn blasts. Very creative editing, made me smile

I’m not much of a rail fan myself though I find the subject interesting. It’s very similar to my boat watching hobby. I like taking pictures of Great Lakes freighters.

I started out railfanning in my hometown catching local freights with GP40-2s and GP38-2s so the first time I caught a GEVO, I flipped out. sadly, that'll never happen again. though since seeing a train is a rare opportunity, I'm not usually disappointed even if it's a boring lashup.

How do I become a dedicated fan? You are my favorite railfanner on KZfaq I am also a railfanner, but most of the time I can’t get out often because of school but you’re always what makes me want to go out to the tracks.

Love these types of videos, George, keep cranking them out buddy! OMK

One thing that i learned about railfanning is the history between railroads & subdivisions. For example, I found out that the CSX Abbeville Sub was originally owned by the Seaboard System till the 80s, until CSX bought it from them in the early 90s.

If there is one thing I’ve learned, it’s that that you shouldn’t be too excited about new traction too soon as when you get bored of the older stuff, it disappears and then you get bored of the new stuff very quickly and then get excited about the old stuff that then only runs on Sundays and then almost never.

A lot different from Europe. Here in Germany we just go to a line and even on very less frequented single tracked side lines there is a train at least like every hour. On mainlines there are trains like every 3 minutes and a wide variety of them from local commuter, to high speed all the way to cargo.

Loved this vid bro! #10 is very relatable. I live RIGHT NEXT to a UP line but it only sees 1-2 trains a day. Sounds convenient but it’s actually very hard to catch those trains due to work and other silly reasons..luckily I live about an hour and a half away from the BNSF Transcon so I just go there😂..

I know what you mean by it's hard to catch a train. I am currently in college but thankfully there is a CPKC line that cuts through the edge of campus. I can sit out there for hours to no avail but soon as I go to class, there will be like 4.

I have a pretty good scanner set up at my house now so I can give you a heads up on NB’s AMAP.

I’m extremely lucky to live within an hour near several NJ Transit & Metro North lines, along with several freight railroads, but I can understand how rural railfans or railfans with only freight around them can have a much tougher time looking for trains or more variety. I’d love to railfan more in rural areas but the unpredictability of trains running kinda keeps me away

I was going swimming and of course I hear an EMD horn…

i havent seen a train in 5.5 months and ive been a buff for 10 years now... i started getting serious around 5years ago.

1:36 listen to all those k3LAs 🔥🔥

As a railroader myself, a couple things I want to mention: 1: Even if you do know someone who works for the railroad, there's an extremely high chance they aren't allowed to share any information about train schedules. It's considered a huge security risk. 2: The line about EMDs becoming rare always makes me giggle. Not because it isn't true, (at least on class Is) but because the railroad I work for literally doesn't have anything other than EMDs in their fleet, so for me, seeing an actual wide-body come into the shop is a fun experience.

"Catching train is hard" , I am happy that I Live in Poland so in three hours I can catch at least Long-distance or local passanger trains :)

I am a Railfan from switzerland and its interesting just how diffrent swiss freight trains are from american ones. As an exemple currently the main locomotive for heavy trains is the Re 6/6. An electric locomotive built in 1972 with over 11'000 hp. It is capeable to pull a 750m train on flat and if it needs to go uphill, they most likley put a second Re 6/6 infront so then you have a Re 12/12 with over 22'000 hp

here in germany there comes a train mostly every 30-60min on single track railways but on a few double track railways there comes a train every few minutes (also at nighttime)

Hands down best railfanning spot: 3 lines intersect at a diamond 50-60 trains a day Amtrak traffic in the morning Actively used line A lot of special and interesting Locomotives come threw A lot of forien power Owned by Norfolk Southern

Railfanning Amtrak is a lot easier as Amtrak has a tracker and it's always consistent on when it's gonna pass

Awesome video lots of great catches and shares enjoyed this one 🚂😎

7:30... There Ferromex sure gets around, I've heard of that specific unit 500,000 times around here

2:08 This also applies on the NS Chicago Line but C6Ms instead of gevos

I'm not joking but the main freight line for the UP into Chicago has a very long 4 hour dead time near noon. You may see a boring one locomotive lead GEVO pulling a low priority intermodal if lucky.

Awesome video and topic! Although I may have to disagree with #5. More times than not I get a horn show and a wave whenever I am at the creek catching BNSF trains.

im late to this, but if your ever down near Houston, Texas; Klein Oak HS has a track that has trains run by it at least 3x per hour, usually more.. most was 1 train every seven mins.

I went to a place along the CN track. I wanted for 3:30 hours. as we were leaving, (we need to cross the tracks to get to the road). As we were leaving, I saw a train in the distance. So we hurried back into the lot and I filmed it

4:33 It’s now trapped in Hobson Yard in Lincoln, NE, I hope it’ll make it out and I can catch it at some point.

Awesome stuff! Love your videos. I started rail fanning in the late 1980's. My dad worked on the DRGW and I got to see lots of very cool stuff. Thank you for sharing your awesome videos.

Glad I stayed up till 2 am for this 🫠

You know having like two locomotives back to back can be pretty useful for like a runarounds as you have a cab at both end and doubling up the power

There is an active branch line behind my house so that helps but the main line to film can be hard at times at least thurmond is best place to go because there are 2 rail trails near by so when there are no trains you have. Plane B

The first thing I learned is that you actually have to wait for trains. First time I went railfanning I left like 5 minutes after I got there cause there was nothing. I regret it cause now retired power was common

I want to start railfanning, I do live near a rail line (Santa Paula branch line), but it's no longer connected to the main line and a bridge is out, so the tracks are just empty

You can see a major difference between Western and Eastern Railroads, as on the Eastern Railroads you can catch standard cabs on long trains, very rare out west (Edit: Yes they are putting wide cabs in but in the 2010s seeing a standard cab on a long train was a bit less rarer out east than west)

Trains are awesome. I'm a dude. And as a dude, I'm required to like large, powerful machines. Not only are these locomotives a full 16 feet tall and and 75 feet long, the horsepower isn't even the impressive performance number, it's the TORQUE. I'm talking about 60,000 foot pound from the enormous twin turbo diesel, and 200,000 pounds-force of tractive effort. My friend it is SCARCE TO BE BELIEVED.

Nice video, I enjoyed the mash-up, and the commentary. Subbed.

I live near two lines, the CN Waukesha subdivision and the Wsor branch. (Cp) technically yet the branch is wsor trackage. CN main is fun when the depot is open otherwise im out there in then freezing cold or heart pending on the time of year.

Cool to see you are into HO Scale also! Model trains are my favorite hobby.

This hobby is my outlet

Bro 0:57 I also have that scanner

Nice video! I would say from my experience since the actual mainline is 15 miles from my house and I have to use the freeway to get there, I only ever go every now and then when I'm not busy but I would say I see at least 1 train 2/3's of every time I go. Sometimes I'll see 3 or more if I'm lucky. The most I've ever seen was 8 in 4 hours when BNSF was rerouted to use the UP mainline when the bridge collapsed in Montana. From my understanding of train symbols and such there's gotta be at least 25-35 trains that use the UP Huntington Subdivision in a 24 hour period, the majority of which are manifests. However there are times I sit for 2 hours and see nothing, or go home seeing nothing. It's always a hit or miss. You either see 3 trains in 45 minutes, or 0 in 3 hours. If I may ask how many trains move through your line each day?

0:03 oof, that must of hurt

Great video! I loved that TikTok joke! That joke made me laugh so hard! lol 😂

Love the video it’s very true

420,000 pound thing got me dieing

It’s great getting fresh air watching trains. Except when the locomotive runs by you and you catch a whiff of those emissions lol.

I live so close by a train so I don’t need transportation..

I feel like this whole video could be shortened to one line: Railfanning is impossible and annoying and just getting worse.

Nice! Most of these things are very true on my line 💀 great vid!

I’m thinking on going every Saturday to my local track, how do you learn when trains come when you don’t have any people to talk to

Good motive power disappearing is sadly something that is a newer problem as when I was a kid in the late 2000s and early 2010s I saw so much sp, rio grande, Santa Fe, bn power in my area and then it was all repainted now it is all going away sadly. Rail fanning sadly as time progresses it gets worse. I don’t like thinking of it that way but it is compare railroading in 1944 to 1984 to 2024 each time it was noticeable worse less traffic, less railroads, less variety of equipment. It’s a shame but it should be seen as enjoy what we can see before it is gone.

To say railroading is unpredictable is a gross understatement! I haul crews for BNSF, even I don't know when they run trains, and it's only gotten worse with PSR! When I am out on the road, I do try to keep a lookout for any interesting road power so I can let my railfan buddies in the area know, but its gotten infinitely harder since BNSF has started deadheading crews on trains instead of vans in the past 6 or 7 months. Plus you might see something cool, alert your friends, and then the Railroad decides to tie the train down out in the middle of nowhere, and it ends up being a no-show! So yeah, very accurate list!

For good power all I really need is Whiteface Dash 9 Grey Ghost Warbonnet

I don't really hear train horns where i live because the city i live in is a no horn zone

5:30 breathing fresh air till that one old ahh train pulls up with the broken gas tank💀💀

where i live im lucky, i have trains going past every 15-30 mins 7 days a week.

It's easy for me to see trains because I live like 30 feet from the tracks

LMFAO WHAT HAPPENED AT 0:04

BNSF is retiring the SD60s because they can’t get parts. GEVOs are far more common on the Hinckley now because none of the older power has DP capability, so they’re essentially useless on road trains.

trains are indeed awesome

Me of seeing a train 0.56 chance of seeing a train Last time I seen one 4 dang weeks ago it was KCS you seen trains more than me

I go to a Amtrak on the nec so it’s easier to see trains on the nec

BTW the moment that I got in to railfanning ACE 3102 was retired from revenue service in turn of the stupid chargers pls reply

Most sortlines use sd40-2s (at least as far as I know).

These are all true but at least the older power could be reactivated when traffic levels rise

Cool video

I'm going to say this, Union Pacific has more variety in terms of locomotives and UP is my favorite class 1 but BNSH is there to and if a see A BNSF train I don't care if it has a gevo cause I don't really see BNSF that much, and why do people hate Gevo's there normal locomotives to me just a mass produced one, I kinda like Gevos there pretty cool so yea great vid and keep up the good work

Does it count if I'm on tik tok watching stuff about trains because I cant head out, lol

Why whenever any of us railfan with a camera it is a stupid GEVO but whenever we don't have a camera it is EMDs or Warbonnets?!

What are your thoughts on Canadian pacific and Kansas City southern merging?

If you live along a short line you will almost never see a gevo all the power I see is cool

5:17 a real tiktok add played here

Where do you get ATCS and scanners?

bnsf does not hate railfans bc bnsf 3141 got a horn show and a wave from a engineer but for teenagers its different

bro the good power disappearing thing is completely true, i mean csx bought pan am so their ocs dissappeared, and now all their stuff is owned by B&E (g&w). Also csx and ns trains used to have a TON of crazy foreign power, which cant even lead anymore because of mbta's stupid ACSES system. Literally only sd60es can lead, and it sucks. Any heritage i see will be a trail fail, besides some special operations.

5:39 i sit in my car (im planning on getting a foldable chair)

Does anyone know where I can find ATCS?

How did ya gets atcs ?

California and texas is places to see SD40-2 of BNSF and UP