Railfan vs. Railhead???

[Jimklag]

This is not strictly Civil War related, but I need your help. I have always used railfan and railhead interchangeably. But, this morning at breakfast, an old buddy told me they were different, mainly that a railhead is much more hardcore than a railfan. Is this true? Are there more differences?

 

[Waterloo50]

This is not strictly Civil War related, but I need your help. I have always used railfan and railhead interchangeably. But, this morning at breakfast, an old buddy told me they were different, mainly that a railhead is much more hardcore than a railfan. Is this true? Are there more differences?

Its train spotters in the UK, it all started with Ian Allen in 1942; a then young trainee in the Public-Relations office in Waterloo, London. Being bored of constant incoming letters from railway enthusiasts wanting to know everything there is to know about the locomotives. Having to write the same responses, he suggested that the company should write a booklet to show the data and statistics on all of the trains.
This however was rejected by his boss, and instead decided that it was something he had to undertake himself.

Since then the ´loco-spotting´ fanatics took a hold; even more so when in 1944 a group of teenage boys were arrested at the Tamworth (England) tracks. Due to the little awareness of train safety, Ian Allan took it upon himself to set up the Loco-spotters club, and teach railway safety to those who joined. Once set up, its popularity expanded dramatically, and by the 1950s roughly one million locomotive guides, or ABC guides were sold every year.

Since then, train spotting took a hold of a large amount of people, and even made its way across the seas to America, whereby its popularity shot up.

So for me personally, even though you guys call yourselves Rail Fans or Rail Heads, you are all Train Spotters, as you know its not all about collecting numbers, just being near or even having an interest in Trains/engines is enough to include you in that time honoured tradition of being a Train Spotter or Rail fan. Its also worth adding that in the UK, we have a large group of enthusiasts that collect wagon numbers and we have a hard core group of rail enthusiasts called 'Bashers', they like to travel the rail network and visit as many depots and stations as they can. I'm pretty sure that a rail fan likes railroads in their entirety where as a rail head is probably a bit of a rivet counter.

 

[Mike Serpa]

I don't know for sure but it makes sense to me. There are people who like old cars and go to car shows. They would be considered fans. But a gearhead likes old cars and knows how to work on them.

 

[Jimklag]

Good comparison, Mike. Dave (@Waterloo50 ) would call them petrolheads.

 

[JOHN42768]

Railfan-- someone interested in locomotives and trains in general
Railhead-- The beginning or ending point of a RR line

 

[Jimklag]

Railfan-- someone interested in locomotives and trains in general
Railhead-- The beginning or ending point of a RR line

 

[Carronade]

Or foamers, as in foam at the mouth

 

[Southern Unionist]

Railfan is a term often but not always associated with bad behavior, such as trespassing, theft of railroad artifacts, generally rude online behavior, and sometimes vandalism. I think of railheads more in connection with technical subjects and serious study.

 

[wausaubob]

Neither. But you guys are on the right,... shall we say track.

 

[wausaubob]

The language of railroad management was creeping to the United States army. Terms like management, efficiency and operation were used by Grant and Meade.
McClellen and McCallum had an effect.