Mark Wrote:
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> Today, railfans seem to care only about their
> photography or personal achievements. Helping
> other railfans is a foreign concept. That other
> discussion board has several guys with egos the
> size of Mars and a cult following providing
> compliments with every photo posted. And that guy
> with 1 million miles on Amtrak is totally
> obnoxious with his incessant self promotion. My
> point is that the number of these folks is
> increasing at the expense of the other, more
> friendly and generous railfans.

I think you hit the nail on the head. One of the reasons behind the lack of manners and the disrespectful comments is that some people who have never had a voice in their entire lives now are suddenly "brave" when sitting behind a keyboard. People like to talk in "code" and hold things close to the chest, while leaking out just a teeny-tiny bit of information as a way of saying, "I know something you don't know!". The butt kissing that goes on is ridiculous, and my favorite (and there's always a few of these) are the people who run to the moderator when they see something they don't like. How do people like that make it through life when they have to run to a moderator for a comment (which they aren't required to read) on a choo-choo bulletin board?? It's mind boggling.

> How will the hobby survive?
> What can we do to discourage the recent trend?

As long as there are trains, there will be foamers. I think the more appropriate question would be along the lines of, "How can we be more respectful?". I've said it before and I'll say it again, but I am sick and tired of people leaving comments about "my train was late" when the cause was someone who lost their life on the tracks. Or the Darwin comments every time someone loses a life. Or writing a novella about their small and insignificant encounter with the police because they were trespassing on railroad property.

Just the fact that you raised this entire issue has probably ruffled some feathers. And for those reading these comments who don't see any of these things, well, that's probably because you're the ones we're talking about.