For the most part, railfanning is already a social distancing hobby. Oftentimes when I go out I only see one or two people sitting trackside awaiting the next train. As of right now, I will continue railfanning trackside unless we are told to shelter in place.
Here are some other ways you can railfan during the Coronavirus:
Railfanning from your easy chair?
You heard that right, you can do it right from your easy chair. There are three major companies that offer views along busy railroad lines across the world:
These companies offer paid subscription access to all of their cameras. All of them offer a handful of cameras that can be viewed for free through their YouTube channels.
Joining ATCS Monitoring Group
ATCS (Advanced Train Control System) is a digital display of a railroad line showing where the trains are. This group was able to set up a way to monitor a road line activity ATCS data protocol over 800/900 MHz frequencies. This can be best explained on their website – https://trainmon5.com/About.aspx
Model Railroading
Many railfans are often model railroaders as well. We are always trying to look for time to work on our layouts. This is the perfect time to work on it!
YouTube
There are thousands of Railfanning YouTube channels with great content. You could spend hours watching videos online.
Books
I know I own a few books about railroad history I’ve been meaning to read.
Online Blogs
Along with reading this blog, there are many others you can spend time reading and learning about our great hobby.
Online Photography Classes
May of us incorporate photography into our trackside hobby. Why not sharpen your skills?
Listen to the railroads
If you live near a mainline, you can learn a lot about it by listening on a scanner. If you don’t have a scanner or you don’t live along a mainline you can listen to hundreds of online railroad scanner feeds. Check out Broadcastify railroad feeds – https://www.broadcastify.com/listen/coid/1/rail
During this worldwide crisis, I plan on blogging as much as I can.
Please stay safe and wash your hands!
