It’s Not Just a Train Trip, It’s
a State of Mind
Originally published in
The LA Times Magazine
October 10, 2004
You haven’t really ridden the rails
until you’ve ridden with the train-iacs
known as “foamers”
“Man, did you see that wigwag back there? You don’t see many of those anymore.”
“And before that, three SW8s on a local….”
“And those EMD switches…”
“Did UP build that shell or…”
“Gaviota’s at 339.5, right?”
I catch snippets of this conversation between four casually dressed early middle-aged men. The talk is lively, spirited, friendly – and completely incomprehensible. That’s because it’s in the coded language of those who live and breathe railroads. They call themselves “railfans,” but just about everyone else calls them “foamers” – as in foam at the mouth – a moniker that some of them embrace with humor while others consider an insult. Whatever they’re called, these railroad enthusiasts have elevated a staid and somewhat nerdy hobby to a grand and all-consuming obsession.