Where do you railfan?

[Guilford350]

What locations or hot spots do you guys mostly railfan at? How often?

Me, I go to Selkirk Yard in New York about one or two times a year, visit West Springfield Yard in Massachusetts a couple times a year, go to Palmer, Massachusetts about three times a year, and travel to East Deerfield, Massachusetts at least once a year. But I mostly go to Plainville, Connecticut and Tomaston, Connecticut. I know those later two are obscure spots and not well known but if you have a schedule handy then prepare yourself for a little action.

Sometime in the future I plan on going to Horseshoe Curve once more and also plan on traveling down to the Cumberland, Maryland area including Sand Patch to see some nice action action down there.

[iCe]

I don't go anywhere...I stay home.

That's going to change when I start driving! 8)

Btw, how do you get a schedule of freight trains?

[S.C. Vermillion]

HMM let me see. My best spots are and include!

Springfield, Ohio (of course this is where I live)
NS Dayton District and I&O Flat Rock Sub. 18 to 22 daily

Troy, Ohio
CSX Toledo Sub. 20 to 30 daily

Sidney, Ohio (Hotspot)
CSX Toledo Sub and CSX's former Conrail Indianapolis sub. 40 to 45 daily

Quincy, Ohio
CSX's former Conrail Indianapolis Sub and I&O's Flat rock sub. 25 plus or minus a few daily

Marion, Ohio (Hot spot - my favorite)
NS Sandusky District, CSX Columbus Sub, and CSX's former Conrail Indianapolis sub. 75 plus or minus a few daily

Degraff, Ohio
CSX's former Conrail Indianapolis sub. 20 to 25 daily

Deshler, Ohio (Hotspot)
CSX Chicago Gateway and CSX Toledo sub. 75 plus or minus a few daily

Dayton, Ohio (Hotspot)
NS Dayton District and CSX Toledo sub. 40 to 45 daily

[petertenthije]

Where do I spot:
Where I happen to have to change trains (mostly Doetinchem/Arnhem/Zutphen/Amsterdam in the Netherlands as well as Dusseldorf/Duisburg in Germany).

When do I spot:
Whenever I have to change trains.

You might say I am not the most dedicated spotter. I have other priorities (planes).

[Ken Carr]

Well since my mini-stroke or T.I.A I haven't even chased a local in almost two months. But starting this weekend I'm back on the trail and the chase.
My local spots are Las Vegas crew change point in downtown Vegas, Valley and Arden mini-yards, then of course Bard south of Arden and Moapa north of Valley. Bard for it rock faces and canyons and Moapa and Ute for the mountain backgrounds. For night shots the downtown crew change point and the siding at Valley and siding near the Rio Hotel. Heading south during the day I follow the UP Cima sub to Kelso, shooting at Nipton, Cima and Kelso.
Then heading further south and reaching I-40 to the BNSF Needles sub between Barstow and Needles with occasional trips to Kingman. Along this route are many locations to chase and shoot trains With Daggett being a favorite hang out if you just want to stay still ad catch either BNSf or UP trains.
Further south is Victorville and El Cajon but I haven't had much luck shooting trains there due to time limits but I plan on makig time in the near futere. And last just to sit and watch them go by over a beer, soda or a great hamburger is Joe's in Devore at the base of Cajon with four lines running less than hundred feet away both UP and BNSF.

[S.C. Vermillion]

I do plan to go to ILL nest summer for a week of train fun. The spots I do plan on hitting up are Rochelle, Tolono, Effingham. Indiana Spots will be be Lafayette.

Shawn

[Dutch Steam]

Normaly i do onroute when i am driving

[Black_Knight]

Where do I spot:

Mostly at my house, because the train comes by every so often only on Weekdays though never on Weekends. [CN Rail Old GM Spur Line - Still Active] Current Locomotives being used are EMD GP9RM's, used to have those EMD SW1200RS's, but they are long gone now.

Sometimes if I have the time, I will go to Brimley Rd. and Sheppard Ave. in Toronto to get my fair share of Canadian Pacific Railway Operations.

Various Go Train Stations, especially Scarborough, Eglington Station, and Guildwood Station [VIA Station].

[cmherndon]

The Second District of the CNO&TP is by far my favorite place to railfan with an average of 40-45 daily trains. The Louisville District (which I actually live on) can be rather interesting, though. Most of the line is dispatched by TWC, and with 24 daily trains (and even more when you throw in grain, coal, and extras that run as needed) it's not uncommon to see three and four train meets sometimes. In fact, once last year, they pulled off a FIVE train meet at Waddy, with all five trains between the switches at once. So contraray to popular belief, it can get busy over here, and that's why I like it.

[Richard klok]

mostly amsterdam central station, or when i'm going to germany, in cologne, koblenz, rhens, i do it from the hotel terrace :lol: