I once heard a quote attributed to Mark Twain that goes something like this: "When I was 17, I could not believe how ignorant my parents were. When I was 21, I could not believe how much they had learned in the past four years." Much of what I see in the railfan community would follow this adage, that we change as we grow. But I think it is important that those who have been doing this for a long time need to share their knowledge and experience, and not remain silent and reserved. We need to make sure we are fully committed to the first group.

I think foamers (that third group) are as socially inept as they were 20 or 30 years ago. But the rest of the railfan community are fairly normal, balanced people who are able to interact with one another. I grew up railfanning with my father and uncle, both who are excellent photographers, who took photographs of more than trains. What I remember most about those long trips up the Sierra's or down the Valley was not the trains we saw and photographed. I remember the chase - it was almost like we were out hunting. And there were times we got skunked, but it was still fun.

Now, as I read posts or talk to others, it seems this has changed, that getting skunked is just abborant. There is almost a need for instant gratification, that the chase is less important, that we just want to see trains, not the whole railroad. If one goes through their train photo collections, I will bet a dollar to a donut the best photos are those which capture the chase. A 3/4 roster shot is about as exciting as a warm cup of spit, but a picture of a train crossing a mountain trestle you had to hike a mile to get to, all while crossing streams - and to get the shot you had to stand on a water-soaked boulder in the middle of a river, that is what makes railfanninng great. When I take my 5 and 3 year old boys railfanning, they love seeing the trains, but love chasing them even more. They jump out of the truck, stand by my side and take a photograph using their cheap digital cameras and immediately tell me as the train rolls by "Lets go Daddy, we need to chase it!" They love the chase more than the pictures.

What has changed is the instant gratification aspect of the community. If we teach our children and our "railfan protoeges" to have patience, to love the hunt and to welcome and respect those around them, I think this need for instant gratification will be mitigated. But if we all remain part of Espee's second group - unwilling to share our experiences and knowledge, yes, this hobby will suffer. But not only will the hobby suffer, everything else will as well, since we will be surrounded by impatient, self-centered individuals who give not a thought for anyone else but themselves.