Read a local news story that an SUV was driving on NS tracks that run above the park in Rochester, Beaver Co., Pa. and the vehicle fell off. A 15 ft. fall and two were killed. They were from out of the area. Have spent many hours there photographing Conrail and NS trains. I imagine it was the tracks that cross a bridge over the Beaver River but not sure.
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And they walk and live among us !
How about the lady who drove her car across the Norfolk Southern OC Bridge in Pittsburgh, PA last summer - probably on the tracks for 1,000 feet and then went off the bridge into the Ohio River.
I never heard of a final police report on how she even got onto the tracks and drove that far on a elevated approach to the bridge itself, then straddle the tracks to get onto the bridge before driving off it.
Must be the bad water they are drinking from the Western PA rivers.
I have spent much time in that area and the track is accessible. There are ramps from the yard on the Northside to take you on to the OC bridge. I watched an NS high railer do it one day but WHY ?? There are regular auto bridges in the area in both places. Definitely the bottom of the gene pool. Will NS get sued ?? Probably.
My youngest is an NS conductor here in Atlanta. He was working a graveyard at the NS yard in East Point Saturday night / Sunday morning when a drunk in a Mercedes came driving down the tracks - literally. He contacted the Trainmaster who called the NS police who showed up with the local constabulary who arrested the guy.
Curt
You cannot fix STUPID!
jim pastorius posted:I have spent much time in that area and the track is accessible. There are ramps from the yard on the Northside to take you on to the OC bridge. I watched an NS high railer do it one day but WHY ?? There are regular auto bridges in the area in both places. Definitely the bottom of the gene pool. Will NS get sued ?? Probably.
Doubtful that NS will get sued. The defense is too easy, they were trespassing while being stupid. Slam dunk for NS. Most lawyers would turn down a case like this on its face.
As a lover of derogatory names than I can use for people, what’s the origin, or meaning of foamers?
Tom
FlyPlanes-PlayTrains posted:As a lover of derogatory names than I can use for people, what’s the origin, or meaning of foamers?
Tom
Originally, way back in about the early to mid 1960s, the "name" FOMITE was coined in the eastern U.S. to describe a few "strange acting" enthusiasts that chased steam excursions (such as the Reading Rambles). At any rate the term was originally an acronym for:
F = Far
O = Out
M = Mentally
I = Incompetent
T = Train
E = Enthusiast
Gradually it turned into "Foamer", as one who "foamed at the mouth", and the term was spread around the United States by the crew of the American Freedom Train #4449 (as most of the crew members were from the eastern U.S.), back in 1975/1976.
jim pastorius posted:Read a local news story that an SUV was driving on NS tracks that run above the park in Rochester, Beaver Co., Pa. and the vehicle fell off. A 15 ft. fall and two were killed. They were from out of the area. Have spent many hours there photographing Conrail and NS trains. I imagine it was the tracks that cross a bridge over the Beaver River but not sure.
Freight Train Jim posted:How about the lady who drove her car across the Norfolk Southern OC Bridge in Pittsburgh, PA last summer - probably on the tracks for 1,000 feet and then went off the bridge into the Ohio River.
I never heard of a final police report on how she even got onto the tracks and drove that far on a elevated approach to the bridge itself, then straddle the tracks to get onto the bridge before driving off it.
Must be the bad water they are drinking from the Western PA rivers.
juniata guy posted:My youngest is an NS conductor here in Atlanta. He was working a graveyard at the NS yard in East Point Saturday night / Sunday morning when a drunk in a Mercedes came driving down the tracks - literally. He contacted the Trainmaster who called the NS police who showed up with the local constabulary who arrested the guy.
Curt
I wouldn't classify people who drive on the tracks because of diminished mental capacity, confusion or drunkenness as Foamers. I seriously doubt few if any are/were railroad enthusiasts.
Rusty
Foamers may be nuts but never heard of one driving on the tracks!
The two dead were identified:
In the Houston area, "foamer" = "rabid", like a sick rabid dog. Parallels HW story.
Back in my HS days, a couple of locals would let some air out of the car tires and drive down the C&NW tracks, but then there were only a couple of trains per day and no canyons to worry about in the flat lands.
Some of us prefer GERF or Glassy Eyed Rail Fan. Can be used as a gerund: GERFING.
Its weird, the train lovers (Foamers) don't like to be called foamers, they get offended and feel its a derogatory term.
But the real train men, actual railroad workers call the train lovers foamers. I would think the foamers would honored by the the real train men.
GG1 2340 posted:Its weird, the train lovers (Foamers) don't like to be called foamers, they get offended and feel its a derogatory term.
But the real train men, actual railroad workers call the train lovers foamers. I would think the foamers would honored by the the real train men.
No, it's not a term of affection used by railroaders. It's typically a term of disdain in reaction to some of the antics foamers are capable of pulling.
One day I was on a switch job, and the Conductor with me was not an "in the blood" railroader. He did it because RR-ing paid well (allowing him to take care of his wife and young family) and offered good benefits and retirement. (This type of railroader typically has ZERO patience with foamers.)
We came up to an industry that we going to switch a while. There at the lead switch waiting was a foamer with his tripod and video camera all set up. We're talking maybe the tripod was a couple feet from the switch. I guess he wanted one of those "dramtic" Hollywood-esque close ups or something. It was a hot, miserable day, and the young Conductor already had beads of sweat on his face and dripping off his nose.
That young Conductor (a short, stocky, burly kid that was strong as an ox) climbed down to throw the switch and Mr. Foamer jumped into action panning the camera almost in the Conductor's face.
Without any fanfare, the Conductor looked at the foamer and said "get that f-in camera out of my face or I'll do it for you."
The foamer blinked with shock on his face... and hastily moved back.
I had no doubt in my mind that young Conductor would have indeed moved that camera if needed, and was thoroughly capable of doing so.
Advice to those that enjoy filming/photographing trains: Don't be a dick and keep your distance.
Andre
Well, there are nuts in every group. Check sports viewing audiences.
Think railroaders should be flattered that anyone has any interest in their line of work. Garbage men have no "foamers" ! Only other occupational group I can think of, with "foamers", is strippers.
We have them at the airport, but thankfully a fence keeps them at bay. I believe they’re called plane spotters...
There’s an In N Out burger right at the end of 24R at LAX, and I’d bet 80% of their business is from these guys. It’s impossible to get a table outside to eat, especially in the morning when all the international heavy aircraft are arriving.
I have to admit though, I do enjoy watching the garbage men crushing a tv or sofa. The leaf sucker also fascinated me as a child, and I still run out with my kids in the fall to watch the action.
Tom
mark s posted:Think railroaders should be flattered that anyone has any interest in their line of work. Garbage men have no "foamers" ! Only other occupational group I can think of, with "foamers", is strippers.
Guess you haven't worked with kids. 
Young boys I know eagerly wait for the garbage men, either at the window or the front door. (Adults too if they have a LOT of trash:-) Had a hospitalized youngster request a large Garbage truck model since he wasn't able to see his crew anymore. Took a while to find one and then discovered they had a driver, extra bins and all kinds of stuff available. We got him a hard hat and all the paraphernalia. They told me he was thrilled. 
Only other occupational group I can think of, with "foamers", is strippers. Charlie Harper? 
"I do enjoy watching the garbage men crushing a tv or sofa".
Ha HA HAAAA !! Quite funny !! Me too.
Those plane spotter "foamers" could easily monitor those airline/airport VHF frequencies on a good quality scanner, and also from plane tracking cell phone aps, all from the comfort of their HOMES! I am at least ten miles from BNA (Nashville, TN airport), and I can hear the air traffic controllers, pilots, and other VHS traffic on my Uniden Homepatrol II digital scanner. I use,an extended antenna for both the railroad and airport VHS traffic, and the UHF digital fire and police transmissions.
To me, "foamers" is a derogatory term meaning "mindless enthusiasm" leading to idiotic actions in all aspects of life.
jim pastorius posted:To me, "foamers" is a derogatory term meaning "mindless enthusiasm" leading to idiotic actions in all aspects of life.
Right. An excellent explanation of some of the enthusiasts that have caused no end of problems around railroads and especially during steam excursions. No wonder that working railroad employees have long developed a dislike for the "foamer types".
Tinplate Art posted:Those plane spotter "foamers" could easily monitor those airline/airport VHF frequencies on a good quality scanner, and also from plane tracking cell phone aps, all from the comfort of their HOMES! I am at least ten miles from BNA (Nashville, TN airport), and I can hear the air traffic controllers, pilots, and other VHS traffic on my Uniden Homepatrol II digital scanner. I use,an extended antenna for both the railroad and airport VHS traffic, and the UHF digital fire and police transmissions.
While they do seem to all carry portable scanners to listen, I believe they’re in it for the visual aspect. Judging by the myriad of camera equipment they carry, it’s the photo op. Although one dude in particular would always have a telephoto lens bigger than he was... He’s a tiny Asian guy, and I’ll bet the lens is five feet long! Not sure how that helped with a picture of a 747 a hundred feet overhead... compensating for something perhaps?
Which side of BNA are you on? I’ll give you a shout out next time I’m through Nashvegas...
The other day I saw on a Pgh. news website the spot where the SUV fell of the RR tracks in Rochester,Pa. and killed those two idiots. Truly idiots. There is a blind 90 degree bend there and no berm at all. Booze? drugs? stupid ? Who knows.
Over the years, I have found that many "real railroaders" are quite pleasant to talk with once they see you are not being stupid and interested in what they do.. I've been invited into the locomotive cab by engineers on multiple occasions.. I carry a notebook of train pictures with me when I go 'train spotting' just in case the railroad police are curious as to what I'm doing.. I obey the rules and certainly don't act as if I 'own' the railroad.. 99% of my interaction with railroad employees has been positive....
I live northwest of the airport and just north of town.
mark s posted:"I do enjoy watching the garbage men crushing a tv or sofa".
Ha HA HAAAA !! Quite funny !! Me too.
Electronics get recycled separately around here but the garbage men still crunch a mean couch!
To reply to Woodsen, as a "real railroader" for over forty years, I had several occasions to run into foamers. I found most of them to be inquisitive of our work and mindful of the rules. The only time that I had to call the Conrail PD was when two OSU photography students were deep in the departure yard at Buckeye. They had crossed over five live tracks to take pictures of an "industrial nature". I told them they couldn't be there and that they were lucky they didn't get killed crossing tracks that were being constantly shoved to build trains. They told me to chill and they would be finished in a little while. That is when I got on the radio and called the yardmaster for the Conrail cops. As it turned out Columbus PD got to them first and escorted them off the property. On other occasions drunk drivers would attempt to drive through the yards. On one occasion a semi driver from Georgia wound up at the south end of our yard stuck on the rails. I asked him how he got in this predicament and he said his Garmin told him that was the right way to go. I said you remind me of Captain Kirk. He said what do you mean? I said "you have tried to go where no man's gone before"!
Hot Water posted:FlyPlanes-PlayTrains posted:As a lover of derogatory names than I can use for people, what’s the origin, or meaning of foamers?
Tom
Originally, way back in about the early to mid 1960s, the "name" FOMITE was coined in the eastern U.S. to describe a few "strange acting" enthusiasts that chased steam excursions (such as the Reading Rambles). At any rate the term was originally an acronym for:
F = Far
O = Out
M = Mentally
I = Incompetent
T = Train
E = Enthusiast
Gradually it turned into "Foamer", as one who "foamed at the mouth", and the term was spread around the United States by the crew of the American Freedom Train #4449 (as most of the crew members were from the eastern U.S.), back in 1975/1976.
I have heard that there are actually some rail enthusiasts who get so excited when a train comes along that they literally DO start foaming at the mouth. 
Mixed Freight posted:Hot Water posted:FlyPlanes-PlayTrains posted:As a lover of derogatory names than I can use for people, what’s the origin, or meaning of foamers?
Tom
Originally, way back in about the early to mid 1960s, the "name" FOMITE was coined in the eastern U.S. to describe a few "strange acting" enthusiasts that chased steam excursions (such as the Reading Rambles). At any rate the term was originally an acronym for:
F = Far
O = Out
M = Mentally
I = Incompetent
T = Train
E = Enthusiast
Gradually it turned into "Foamer", as one who "foamed at the mouth", and the term was spread around the United States by the crew of the American Freedom Train #4449 (as most of the crew members were from the eastern U.S.), back in 1975/1976.
I have heard that there are actually some rail enthusiasts who get so excited when a train comes along that they literally DO start foaming at the mouth.
You had to be there in order to believe it.
Hot Water posted:Mixed Freight posted:Hot Water posted:FlyPlanes-PlayTrains posted:As a lover of derogatory names than I can use for people, what’s the origin, or meaning of foamers?
Tom
Originally, way back in about the early to mid 1960s, the "name" FOMITE was coined in the eastern U.S. to describe a few "strange acting" enthusiasts that chased steam excursions (such as the Reading Rambles). At any rate the term was originally an acronym for:
F = Far
O = Out
M = Mentally
I = Incompetent
T = Train
E = Enthusiast
Gradually it turned into "Foamer", as one who "foamed at the mouth", and the term was spread around the United States by the crew of the American Freedom Train #4449 (as most of the crew members were from the eastern U.S.), back in 1975/1976.
I have heard that there are actually some rail enthusiasts who get so excited when a train comes along that they literally DO start foaming at the mouth.
You had to be there in order to believe it.
I think I might have seen one myself one time about 10 or 12 years ago.
I was at South Fork, Pa. taking pictures and there was a small group of young guys with cameras all excited about the trains. Soon west bound started down the grade towards the curve. An idiot realizd he was out of position for a good shat and started running towards the curve. There was a pile of old, wet , greasy RR ties in this guy's way an he started full speed trying to run up & over them. He was so excited he was incoherent, he slipped on the greasy ties and almost took a header, with his camera, down that pile. He was very lucky. I was glad because I didn't want to pick the clown up and give first aid.
IMO, the original post had absolutely nothing to do with a...foamer!
None of the RRers that I worked with ever used the term..."Foamer" or knew what it meant.
The only people that I know that use the word are non-RR RR enthusiasts!
You are right, I was the original poster and couldn't think of a good title for these two clowns. No matter, maybe they were out looking for the best photo shot. That place where it happened is unreal though. The ballast comes down to the top of the wall.
Actually, one of yall's stories faintly reminds me of a story my friend told me, I have forgotten a good portion of the details, but I do remember I have it recorded on audio somewhere in my mass of stuff. It involved a train of contaminated dirt nearly slamming into a car that had stopped on the tracks. I don't remember the specifics, and don't want to go around saying things that aren't true, so if anyone is interested I can get that audio recording and convert it to mp3 so I can post it here. It was a pretty interesting story.
Big Jim posted:IMO, the original post had absolutely nothing to do with a...foamer!
None of the RRers that I worked with ever used the term..."Foamer" or knew what it meant.
The only people that I know that use the word are non-RR RR enthusiasts!
Actually, in my region, I first heard the term some 20 years ago from railroaders.
At the time I thought the term appropriate and humorous.
In my dateless past, I could see that I was likely turned into a "foamer" when around the dying F unit breed. (Early 1970s.)
"Eeeeeewwwwww! An F!!!"
In my years on/around the rails, I've been in F's and worked off of them, but I never got to run one.
Lands sake, I miss classic railroading.
Andre "Loved those old F units' Ming
A good friend in my NTrak club got a cab ride in a 4-6-2 Santa Fe Pacific steam loco last year. Me and another buddy were waiting at a road crossing to snap some pictures of our friend in the cab as the loco & train passed by. The engineer of the train, not knowing we were his buddies, said "Uh-oh, some more foamers ahead, gonna' take our picture!" Our friend in the cab got a big kick out of that, and told the engineer we were his buddies. The engineer got a kick out of that, and so did we later on after our lucky friend's cab ride was over and he told us about it.
Virtually all other engineers and railroad employees I've met over the past few decades know what a "foamer" is. It's such a common term around my neck of the country, that anyone who doesn't know in this day and age, or hangs out with those that don't know, are probably all half clueless.
Mixed Freight posted:It's such a common term around my neck of the country, that anyone who doesn't know in this day and age, or hangs out with those that don't know, are probably all half clueless.
And foamers.
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