I’ve been a rail-fan and scanner buff for more than half of my life. The two hobbies go so well with one another; if you’re a rail-fan without a scanner you’re missing out on a lot. A scanner gives you a behind the scenes look inside railroading. Most basic police scanners will work for monitoring railroad communications. Please keep in mind that in some states portable/mobile (In car or on-person) scanners are illegal; such as NY, FL, IN, KY, MN.