I've been careful to maintain my anonymity when posting online here primarily because some of my coworkers on my railroad take a very dim view of not only foamers but casual railfans as well. If I were to be associated with any activity on any railfan-oriented forum (even if I don't make foamish statements), I would be endlessly ridiculed and not respected by my coworkers. Taking along a camera (even a cheap disposable one, or using my cell phone's camera) is enough to arouse suspicions of foamishness--even if I just want to take pictures of the beautiful scenery my railroad traverses. And bringing up just the most casual statistics (horsepower ratings of some of our new locomotives--the sheer power of which completely fascinates me) is taboo.

Most of the people on my railroad are there for the money and because it's a good job. Some are college-educated and some are former white-collar workers, but most are there for the same reason you find people in other skilled labor blue-collar industries (good pay and good benefits).

I'm hoping that railroaders on other railroads aren't so quick to discount people that enjoy trains (I'm most assuredly not a foamer--I just enjoy trains the way I like to watch planes or the way I like to drive across the country just for the excitement of seeing new places), and that if I switch to another railroad, I won't have to pretend that all I care about is a paycheck. Is my hope well-placed or would I have to remain a closet railfan for the rest of my railroading career? Maybe I'll switch to aviation--at least pilots are allowed to be happy about their jobs...