An encounter back in the fall made me think this could be an interesting thread.

As I was feeling bearing temperatures on OC 1293, a railfan with the usual hat full of pins, loud t-shirt and two $900+ digital cameras came over and the following conversation took place:

[Fan]: Excuse me, why isn't the tender lettered for "Canadian Pacific?"
[Me]: Well, Mr. Jacobson wanted it lettered "Ohio Central," and he's the boss, so that's that.
[Fan]: Well could you letter it back? It's really killing the authenticity of my pictures. (yes, he was serious)
[Me]: Umm, yeah. We'll get right on it.
[Fan]: Great. Also, would you mind removing those safety glasses? The CP guys didn't wear them in the '40's.

At about this point I just went back to what I was doing. I'm certainly not looking to be anti-foamer, but does anyone else have any good stories of encounters with the railfan types? Come to think of it, we've all got to be fans to keep doing this, eh?

Also, a late Happy New Year, RYPN!

PA system announcement---

"Attention, please: Would the Michigan-based owner of a four-door Lincoln Continental with plate number "HWY 61" please report to RyPN Interchange and deliver the "Lincoln-Grade Crossing-1225-Music-Foamer" story? Thank You!"

(static hums, buzzes...)

From the original "Superheater" that many of us in the Washington area are familiar with, at the 1976 EBT Winter Spectacular: "Gee, there aren't very many patriotic railfans around here!"

No, but there was at least one idiotic one.

"I just found a new spot nobody else knows to take photos of the East Broad Top Winter Spectacular!"

From a modeler: "You're wrong - that pipe doesn't run there on my HO scale model of this engine, it's two inches to the left."

dave

After just turning the left gun on to bring the water level up and returning to a semi bentover position to chuck my 10,000th scoop load of carbon based fuel source into the hungry gaping mawl ,a head pops up in the engineers side gangway and says 'Is this real?' Mind goes blank and silence ensues as I peruse the inner most archives of my now highly challenged knowledge of all things steam and mechanical so as to supply an appropiate response. A sarcastic, pithy diatribe was close to leaving my lips along the lines of 'No, you are really in a parallel universe at the other end of a worm hole and I am Zorg from Helon, and you are seeing this warp drive core unit because of your close proximity to the liquid dilithium crystal overload exhaust'. What really came out was 'yup' to which the inquiring mind behind the face said 'I thought so'. and he walked away. Great fun isn't it?

In volunteering at Pennsylvania Trolley Museum since 1960, I've encountered more than my share of folks who know just enough about trolleys to ask some really bonehead questions.

Not long ago a chart topper came along. A 40-ish kind of guy with two small kids in tow wanted to know why all the trolleys had "those big radio antennas." Took a while to figure out he meant the trolley poles. Somehow the fact that trolleys ran on electricity had totally escaped him. When I explained that, he said "But I heard the engine running under the floor." (Air compressor).

It keeps life interesting, and amusing.

Dave

My favorite (and this happened many times) was people asking where the stairs are to get into the dome - in an RDC!

.

Question from female visitor to the B&O Museum roundhouse: "The man next to the cornerstone said that construction started in 1828."

Me, "That's right."

Visitor, pointing to caboose #C1775, "Then why was that caboose built in 1775?

Me, with straight face, "They were planning ahead. And if you see C2943 ouside, it is purely an optical illusion. It hasn't been built yet."

What I wanted to add, but didn't, "And if you look at Clinchfield #1 over there, it pulled the Holy Family from Nazareth to Bethlehem just over 2000 years ago."

Miserable hot and humid August day. Cranky engineer and lousy coal. Passenger says "What keeps this thing running?" Not wanting to offend the public but still desiring to let him know that my work is keeping things in order in the cab, I pick up the shovel and say "This does, with lots of work" To which, he says "How do you keep the oil on the shovel?" The need to put water in the boiler kept me from a verbal reply, plus pointing to the pile of coal.

Another time, while re-packing driving boxes in our pit after a long day of hard work making repairs to return the locomotive to service, a foamer comes up and asks "Does this vehicle run?" Reply, "Yes", to which a barrage of questions about history and such that just led me to hop out and get a drink of water, out of sight.

One of the best is the time, on an 0-4-0T, one "xspurt" says "Oh those little puddle-jumpers are easy to fire. Anyone could do it!" Oh really, lets see, 4 coaches, an open car full of overweight people and 2 hacks, plus lousy coal and heavy rain. Many times, on a hot Summer day, how much I wished to hand over the shovel to a novice. Even had "experienced" fireman who wanted to learn the line, fail miserably. That locomotive was called "The Widow Maker" for a reason!

Rob

Email exchange from "a person" to myself about last summer's RYPN picnic. Email received on 6/20/07

"Alan, I can attend the picnic, but I will only come if #90 is running. Can you contact Strasburg and get a commitment."

From Me: "Are you being serious?"

Return email: "Yes I am serious. I am not driving 2 hours for
nothing."

From Me: "I don't wish to bother those guys with things they can't promise. What if #90 is in the shop that day? Most of us are coming for the social fun AND the trains.

Return: "Not me. I just like trains. Maybe next year."

More from the "original" Superheater :
You always got this one, no matter how many times you had already met him : "Hiy....I'm Day-vid and I'm from Wash-ing-ton......."(Accompanied by a dead mackeral handshake)

This one was Preston Claytor's favorite: "Steam is where you find it"

One of the funniest "Superheater" incidents I ever saw was on one of the Bicentennial trips out of Alexandria. Preston and I were walking through the train, heading for the commissary car with our "firing instructors", Paul Brock of TVRM, and Carl Krueger from Kentucky Railway Museum. Paul, in the lead, met up with "the heater" in the center of a coach. Paul was wearing his trademark aviator sunglasses, and Carl was wearing a set also. The "heater" stared myopically and said "aren't you Paul Brock?" Paul grinned, then proceeded with a completely straight face to introduce Carl as his twin brother, "Saul Brock". After we had passed by, it took us about 2 carlengths to stop laughing..............

One of our conductors at the Georgetown Loop in Colorado compiled a list of 'memorable questions' from passengers and railfans a few years back. I think I may still have it stashed somewhere.

One of the best in my opinion was this question from a passenger: "At what elevation do the deer turn into elk?"

Or this one from a passenger looking up into the gangway at the pile of coal around my feet....

Passenger: 'Is that coal real?"

Me: Yes, it is.

Passenger: "Well, it doesn't look black enough."