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Rey Alejandro Conde

Rey Alejandro Conde Valdivia is a Mexican conductor who has conducted the Orquesta Sinfónica de Xalapa (OSX) since 1977. He is a native of Xalapa, Veracruz. His discography has over 300 recordings.

Born in the 'court of The Pearl', a no longer existent building that was locating on the street Úrsulo Galván of Xalapa's center, with graduate and master's degrees for the Faculty of Music of the Universidad Veracruzana, to which he entered from 1985 after taking particular classes with several teachers, Rey Alejandro (called this way by his father and because he was born on 6 January) took classes of violin with Stanisław Kawalla, with "the Rabbit" Jiménez, Agnieszka Maklakiewicz, and Míkhail Medvid. His degree is the number 71 sent by the institution. Also, he studied orchestral direction course in Venezuela, whereas in Mexico it he did the proper thing with Francisco Savín, Gonzalo Romeu, Enrique Bátiz and others.

On having obtained a scholarship proceeding from the Organization of American States (OEA) to complement his preparation in Venezuela, this teacher had the opportunity to observe and analyze closely one of the most complete and ambitious plans for the formation of musical young men. And he comments around that experience: "In Venezuela there are federative entities of medium importance that have from five to ten youth professional orchestras, without counted the infantile ones that can come to thirty, and all with excellent level … The teacher Jose Antonio Abreu, with the collaboration of a formidable team in which Argentine teachers tell each other, he has created a system of child and youth orchestras that has revolutionized the concept of the training and musical creativity, with hundreds of thousands of integrated young men".

With artistic as executing preparation of violin and viola, from 1995 he got out of a jam itself as one of four leaders of an orchestra whom was relying on the Camerata Juvenil at the time (today La Orquesta Sinfónica Juvenil del Estado de Veracruz), at the time that he realized arrangements that were registered in recording by the same Camerata under the conducting of the Argentinian Efraín Guigui.

title: Rey Alejandro Conde


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Vanguard University

Vanguard University (officially Vanguard University of Southern California) is a private Protestant university in Costa Mesa, California. It was the first four-year college in Orange County. Vanguard's required core curriculum includes courses on American politics and history, theology, fine arts, and public speaking.

History
In summer 1920, Harold K. Needham, D. W. Kerr, and W. C. Pierce opened Southern California Bible School, an institution intended to prepare Christian workers for the various ministries of the church. The school moved from Los Angeles to Pasadena in 1927, and was chartered by the state of California in 1939 to grant degrees. Given this new distinction, the former Southern California Bible School became Southern California Bible College, the first four-year institution of the Assemblies of God. In 1943 the college received recognition by the government for the training of military chaplains. It moved to the present campus in 1950, becoming the first four-year college in Orange County. Its name was changed to Southern California College nine years later when majors in the liberal arts were added to the curriculum.

Regional accreditation and membership in the Western Association of Schools and Colleges were granted in 1964. In 1967 the college received recognition and approval of its teaching credential program from the California State Board of Education. In June 1983 the Graduate Studies Program received approval from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. A Degree Completion Program was started in 1994 for adult learners. On July 1, 1999, university status was achieved when Southern California College registered with the Secretary of State's Office as Vanguard University of Southern California.

Campus
Vanguard's campus is in Costa Mesa, California, centrally located in Orange County and about halfway between Los Angeles and San Diego. Two graduate programs, organizational psychology and clinical psychology, are housed nearby at a satellite campus in Santa Ana, California.

Structure
The President's Cabinet is responsible for oversight and management of the university. The university is divided into four schools: College of Arts and Sciences, Patty Arvielo School of Business and Communication, School of Education, and School of Theology and Ministry.

Accreditation
It is accredited by the WASC Senior College and University Commission.

List of presidents
Harold K. Needham served as the founding president of Vanguard University. Subsequently, nine people have served as presidents of the university: Daniel W. Kerr, Irvine J. Harrison, John B. Scott, O. Cope Budge, Emil A. Balliet, Wayne E. Kraiss, Murray W. Dempster, Carol Taylor, and Michael J. Beals, who assumed the office on August 1, 2013.

Harold K. Needham
Needham was one of the founders of the university. He served as its inaugural president. Needham chapel, Vanguard University's chapel, is named in his honor.

Michael J. Beals
Beals received a BA from Vanguard in 1981 and a PhD in Christian Ethics from Fuller Theological Seminary. Before assuming the university's presidency, he served as the senior pastor of a Pentecostal church for 23 years. As president, Beals has overseen the construction of the 42,000 sq. ft. Waugh Student Center and 61,000 sq. ft. Freed Center. Additionally, he oversaw the recruitment of the largest incoming ungraduated class in the university's history. In 2016, Beals, along with other conservative Christians, publicly opposed California Senate Bill 1146 authored by Democrat Ricardo Laura. He asserted "[SB 1146] seeks to restrict the state religious exemption that allows Vanguard and other faith-based institutions the right to operate according to our religious mission and identity. SB 1146 erodes the religious liberty of all California faith-based universities."

Rankings
In 2019, the school was ranked #43 in U.S. News & World Report's Western Regional Colleges ranking, and was named by The Princeton Review as one of its 124 “Best Western” Colleges.

Athletics
The Vanguard athletic teams are called the Lions. The university is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA), primarily competing in the Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) for most of its sports since the 1986–87 academic year; while its men's and women's wrestling teams compete in the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC).

Vanguard competes in 20 intercollegiate varsity sports: Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, track & field, volleyball and wrestling; while women's sports include basketball, beach volleyball, cross country, dance, golf, soccer, sideline dance, softball, stunt, track & field, volleyball and wrestling.

Facilities
Beginning in 2024, the Freed Center will serve as the primary facilities for the university's athletic programs. The center will contain a 1,900 seat gymnasium, along with weight and training rooms. Dean Harvey Field serves as the university's baseball field. The university's also has a softball field and soccer complex.

Notable alumni and faculty

 * Daniel Amen, psychiatrist and author
 * Heidi Baker, Christian missionary and author
 * Ila Borders, professional female baseball player
 * Stephanie Borowicz, Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
 * Ralph Carmichael, jazz and contemporary Christian musician and arranger
 * Cubbie Fink, musician
 * Jason Frenn, Missionary Evangelist, conference speaker, and author
 * José Rojas, professional baseball player
 * Julius Kim, President of The Gospel Coalition and former professor of Westminster Seminary California
 * Brent Kutzle, musician
 * Larry Mantle, radio show host
 * Emily Rose, actress

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Vanguard University


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Wray Carlton

Linwood Wray Carlton (born June 18, 1937) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in both Canada and the United States. He played college football for the Duke Blue Devils.

Unable to come to terms with the Philadelphia Eagles, who had selected him in the 1959 NFL draft, Carlton traveled to Toronto and the Canadian Football League (CFL) to play for the Argonauts. His Canadian career lasted only four games before he declined a trade to Vancouver, British Columbia, and went home. But another league and another opportunity was in his future.

In his early years with the Buffalo Bills of the American Football League (AFL), Carlton formed a virtually unstoppable backfield tandem, first with Elbert "Golden Wheels" Dubenion, then with Carlton Chester "Cookie" Gilchrist.

On September 18, 1960, in Buffalo's home opener, a 27–21 loss to the Denver Broncos, Carlton made history in the second quarter when he scored the team's first touchdown on a one-yard run. Carlton gained 1,010 yards from scrimmage (533 rushing and 477 receiving) and 11 touchdowns in the Bills first season.

Carlton briefly retired following the 1963 season, but re-signed with the Bills in July 1964.

Later he helped the Bills win back-to-back league championships in 1964 and 1965. Perennially among the AFL's top rushers, he led the league in rushing touchdowns in 1965 and was voted to the American Football League Eastern Division All-Star team in 1965 and 1966. Carlton was the Bills' all-time leading rusher during their AFL years, with a 4.1 yards per carry average. He was cut from the team in the 1968 preseason; he, along with Dubenion (who finished the 1968 season then retired), were the last players from the Bills' inaugural season still on the roster.

Awards

 * Carlton was inducted into The Greater Wilmington Sports Hall of Fame in 2008
 * The North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in 2012.

title: Wray Carlton


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User:UmpireAJS

UmpireAJS

title: User:UmpireAJS


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Simon Heffer

Simon James Heffer (born 18 July 1960) is an English historian, journalist, author and political commentator. He has published several biographies and a series of books on the social history of Great Britain from the mid-nineteenth century until the end of the First World War. He was appointed professorial research fellow at the University of Buckingham in 2017.

He worked as a columnist for the Daily Mail and since 2015 has had a weekly column in The Sunday Telegraph. As a political commentator, Heffer takes a socially conservative position.

Early life and education
Heffer was born in Chelmsford, Essex, and was educated there at King Edward VI Grammar School before going to read English at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge (MA); after he had become a successful journalist, his old university later awarded him a PhD in History for a book on Enoch Powell.

Journalism
Heffer worked for The Daily Telegraph until 1995. He worked as a columnist for the Daily Mail from 1995 to 2005. He rejoined the Telegraph in October 2005 as a columnist and associate editor. Martin Newland, the Daily Telegraph editor at the time, described the newspaper as Heffer's "natural journalistic home". He left the Telegraph in May 2011 to "pursue a role in journalism and broadcasting" and "complete a major literary project". It had been speculated that his departure had been prompted by his constant attacks on David Cameron's government, of which the Telegraph had been generally supportive. Heffer later rejoined the Daily Mail to edit a new online comment section, called RightMinds, of the paper's online edition. He returned to the Daily Telegraph in June 2015 and has a weekly column in the Sunday Telegraph.

Historian and author
Heffer has written biographies of the historian and essayist Thomas Carlyle, the composer Ralph Vaughan Williams and of the British politician Enoch Powell (Like the Roman), which was described by the New Statesman as "a lucid and majestic tribute" to the politician. He received his PhD in modern history from Cambridge University for the 1998 Powell biography.

In September 2010, Heffer published Strictly English: the Correct Way to Write... and Why it Matters, a guide to English grammar and usage. The book met with some negative reception. Since 2010 he has published several historical works such as A Short History of Power (2010) and a series of three books on the social history of Great Britain from the mid nineteenth century until the end of the First World War: High Minds: the Victorians and the Birth of Modern Britain (2013), The Age of Decadence: Britain 1880 to 1914 and Staring at God: Britain 1914 to 1919 (2019).

Heffer became a professorial research fellow at the University of Buckingham in 2017.

Hillsborough comments
Heffer said in 2012 that he wrote the first draft of a Spectator editorial in 2004 regarding the death of Kenneth Bigley, which said in part: "The extreme reaction to Mr Bigley's murder is fed by the fact that he was a Liverpudlian. Liverpool is a handsome city with a tribal sense of community. A combination of economic misfortune – its docks were, fundamentally, on the wrong side of England when Britain entered what is now the European Union – and an excessive predilection for welfarism have created a peculiar, and deeply unattractive, psyche among many Liverpudlians. They see themselves whenever possible as victims, and resent their victim status; yet at the same time they wallow in it. ... They cannot accept that they might have made any contribution to their misfortunes, but seek rather to blame someone else for it, thereby deepening their sense of shared tribal grievance against the rest of society. The deaths of more than 50 Liverpool football supporters at Hillsborough in 1989 was undeniably a greater tragedy than the single death, however horrible, of Mr Bigley; but that is no excuse for Liverpool's failure to acknowledge, even to this day, the part played in the disaster by drunken fans at the back of the crowd who mindlessly tried to fight their way into the ground that Saturday afternoon. The police became a convenient scapegoat, and The Sun newspaper a whipping-boy for daring, albeit in a tasteless fashion, to hint at the wider causes of the incident." These comments (sometimes incorrectly attributed to the then-editor of the Spectator, Boris Johnson) were widely circulated following the April 2016 verdict by the Hillsborough inquest's second hearing proving unlawful killing of the 96 dead at Hillsborough. Johnson apologised at the time of the publication, saying: "That was a lie that unfortunately and very, very regrettably got picked up in a leader in the Spectator in 2004, which I was then editing."

Politics
Heffer was politically left-wing in his teenage years, but had abandoned his views by the time he went to university, although he states he still has a lingering respect and affection for several past figures of the left, such as Michael Foot and Tony Benn.

Heffer is a social conservative, though in a recent interview he described himself as a Gladstonian Liberal. He supported the retention of Section 28, opposed the equalisation of the age of consent and the liberalisation of laws on abortion and divorce. He opposed the removal of hereditary peers from the House of Lords in 1999.

Heffer believes that Christianity should have a strong role in shaping both the moral foundation of society and public policy, but he is personally an atheist.

In 2008, Heffer called for the United Nations to be strengthened: "If the UN ceases to be regarded by the larger powers as an institution to secure the peace of the world and justice therein, then that holds out all sorts of potential dangers." On 27 May 2009, Heffer threatened to stand as an independent against Sir Alan Haselhurst, his local Conservative MP and a deputy speaker, unless Haselhurst paid back the £12,000 he claimed for work on his garden, as revealed in the Parliamentary expenses scandal. A month later, Haselhurst announced that he would pay the £12,000 back, while insisting it had been claimed within the rules.

In 2010, Heffer criticised the then Prime Minister, David Cameron, and modernising elements within the Conservative Party.

Heffer has written sympathetically about and backed the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) and Nigel Farage. He supported the UK's withdrawal from the EU in the Brexit referendum. In an article in the Daily Telegraph, Heffer suggested that some of those who supported Britain remaining in the European Union were members of the Bilderberg Group and attendees of the World Economic Forum at Davos. From 2016 to 2019, he was part of the political advisory board of Leave Means Leave.

Personal life
Heffer married his wife Diana Caroline in 1987. He has two children. Heffer lives in Essex with his family. His passions outside of politics include classical music and cricket.

Books

 * Heffer, Simon, & Charles Moore (editors), A Tory Seer: The Selected Journalism of T.E. Utley, London, 1989. ISBN 0-241-12728-9
 * Heffer, Simon, The Daily Telegraph century of county cricket : the 100 best matches, Sidgwick & Jackson, London, 1990. ISBN 0283060484
 * Heffer, Simon, Moral Desperado: A Life of Thomas Carlyle, London, 1995. ISBN 0297815644
 * Heffer, Simon, Power and Place: The Political Consequences of King Edward VII, London, 1998. ISBN 029784220X
 * Heffer, Simon, Like the Roman: The Life of Enoch Powell, London, 1998. ISBN 0-297-84286-2
 * Heffer, Simon, Nor Shall My Sword: The Reinvention of England, London, 1999. ISBN 0297643320
 * Heffer, Simon, Vaughan Williams, London, 2000. ISBN 0-297-64398-3
 * Heffer, Simon, Great British speeches, Quercus, London, 2007. ISBN 0857383272
 * Heffer, Simon, The Daily Telegraph style guide, Aurum, London, 2010. ISBN 1845135717
 * Heffer, Simon, Strictly English: The correct way to write... and why it matters, RH Books, London, 2010. ISBN 978-1-84794-630-0
 * Heffer, Simon, A short history of power, Notting Hill Editions, London, 2011. ISBN 1907903208
 * ISBN 9780099558477
 * Heffer, Simon, Simply English, RH Books, London, 2014. ISBN 0099558467
 * Heffer, Simon, The Age of Decadence: Britain 1880 to 1914, Random House, London, 2017. ISBN 978-1-84794-742-0
 * Heffer, Simon, Staring at God: Britain in the Great War, Random House, London, 2019. ISBN 978-184794-831-1
 * Heffer, Simon, Sing as we go : Britain between the wars, Hutchinson Heinemann, London, 2023. ISBN 152915264X

Critical studies and reviews of Heffer's work

 * High minds

title: Simon Heffer


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User talk:Ta bu shi da yu/Math structure

ta: start with b:Discrete mathematics:Set theory then b:Discrete mathematics:Functions and relations, then maybe b:Algebra:Vectors, Complex numbers, b:Calculus:Limits, b:Calculus:Differentiation


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Members of the Australian House of Representatives, 1975–1977

This is a list of members of the Australian House of Representatives from 1975 to 1977. The 13 December 1975 election was a double dissolution of both Houses, with all 127 seats in the House of Representatives, and all 64 seats in the Senate were up for election. Malcolm Fraser had been commissioned as prime minister following the dismissal of the Prime Minister Gough Whitlam's three-year-old Labor government by Governor-General Sir John Kerr, on 11 November 1975. The same day, Fraser advised the calling of the election, in accordance with Kerr's stipulated conditions. Thus the Liberal Party of Australia, led by Fraser, with coalition partner the National Country Party, led by Doug Anthony, went to the election as a minority caretaker government. The election resulted in the Coalition securing government with a 30-seat swing in the House of Representatives away from Labor.

 * 1 Labor member Rex Connor died on 22 August 1977; Labor candidate Stewart West won the resulting by-election on 15 October 1977.


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Leila Josefowicz

Leila Bronia Josefowicz (born October 20, 1977) is an American-Canadian classical violinist.

Biography
Josefowicz was born in Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. When she was a young child her family moved to Los Angeles, California, where she started studying violin at the age of three and a half using the Suzuki method. Her father, physicist Jack Josefowicz, and mother, biologist Wendy Josefowicz, learned with her. At age five she started formal lessons with Idel Low. At seven she began studies with the distinguished violin teacher Robert Lipsett at The Colburn School. Leila's parents, valuing a well-rounded education, believed that both she and her brother Steven should stay in the public school system, and Leila attended public middle and high school despite a very full schedule of music activities.

When Leila was 13 the Josefowiczes moved to Philadelphia so she could attend the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music, where she studied with Jaime Laredo, Jascha Brodsky, Felix Galimir and Joseph Gingold. Leila also attended the Julia R. Masterman School in Philadelphia while at Curtis, completing a bachelor of music degree and her high school diploma in the same year.

Career
While still in her teens, Josefowicz played with symphony orchestras in Europe, Asia and North America, including the major orchestras of Philadelphia, Cleveland, Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago, Boston, Montreal, and Toronto.

Josefowicz made her Carnegie Hall debut in 1994 performing the Tchaikovsky Concerto with Sir Neville Marriner and the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields. The same year, she signed an exclusive recording contract with Philips Classics, recording the Tchaikovsky and Sibelius concertos. Other recordings followed on Warner Classics, Nonesuch Records, and Deutsche Grammophon that include masterworks for solo violin, recital repertoire and the concertos of Romantic and modern composers.

Josefowicz has kept a busy international schedule as a soloist, performing regularly around the world, including North and South America, Europe, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. In addition to traditional masterworks, she has performed contemporary compositions with orchestras including the Berlin Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic, Cleveland Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony, Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. She has also made recent appearances with the London Symphony Orchestra, Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Munich Philharmonic, and the Czech Philharmonic.

Josefowicz is acclaimed for championing new compositions, including works by John Adams, Oliver Knussen, Thomas Adès and Luca Francesconi. In 2008–09 she performed the world premiere of the violin concerto written for her by Esa-Pekka Salonen, for which he won the Grawemeyer Prize, with the Los Angeles Philharmonic; Steven Mackey wrote a violin concerto for her that had its world premiere with the St. Louis Symphony; and Colin Matthews wrote a concerto for her that had its world premiere with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. In 2014 she gave the world premiere of the concerto Duende written for her by Luca Francesconi, for which he won the Royal Philharmonic Society Music Award. In 2015 she gave the world premiere of the concerto Scheherazade.2, written for her by John Adams, with the New York Philharmonic.

Josefowicz received an Avery Fisher Career Grant in 1994. In 2007 she was named a USA Cummings Fellow, United States Artists. For her advocacy of new contemporary works for the violin, Josefowicz was named a 2008 MacArthur Fellow. In 2018 she was awarded the Avery Fisher Prize.

title: Leila Josefowicz


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Joseph Kavaruganda

Joseph Kavaruganda (8 May 1935 – 7 April 1994) was a Rwandan jurist who served as president of Rwanda's Constitutional Court. He was killed at the beginning of the Rwandan genocide.

Early life
Joseph Kavaruganda was born on 8 May 1935 in Tare, Ruanda-Urundi. He attended primary school in Tare, and then attended the Kigali Junior Seminary before studying law in Belgium, earning his Doctor of Philosophy in 1966. He returned to Rwanda in 1967 and took up work as a president of Caisse d'Épargne, a credit and savings institution.

Legal career
In 1974 Kavaruganda was appointed Prosecutor General of Rwanda.

As President of the Constitutional Court, Kavaruganda came into conflict with President Juvénal Habyarimana over legal matters. In 1991 he ruled against Habyarimana in a case involving the denial of certain political privileges to opposition parties which the president had allowed to his own party, the Mouvement Révolutionaire National pour le Développement (MRND), such as the ability to broadcast positions on the state radio station, Radio Rwanda. Though a Hutu, Kavaruganda rejected the ideology of Hutu Power, which sought to discriminate against Rwanda's Tutsi population. As a lawyer, he believed that Tutsi exiles had a right to return to the country, and believed that the government should pursue negotiations with the Tutsi-dominated rebel group, the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF). His family maintained friendships with Hutus and Tutsis.

Kavaruganda came under increased pressure following his break with Habyarimana. In 1991 a bomb was detonated adjacent his bedroom at his country retreat. Soon thereafter he began receiving a steady flow of death threats from Hutu extremists. As the Rwandan Civil War dragged on, Habyarimana would negotiate with the political opposition and agree to reforms only to soon thereafter renege on them. Tired with what he perceived as obstructionism, in 1993 Kavaruganda wrote a letter to the president, listing the occasions in the previous years in which he had violated laws and broken his promises. He questioned, "When you violate the law, do you do it in the interest of the Rwandan people? In the spirit of the constitution? No."

On 4 August 1993 the Rwandan government and the RPF signed the Arusha Accords to end the Rwandan Civil War. Kavaruganda had assisted in drafting the agreement, which provoked the further ire of Hutu extremists. One edition of Kangura displayed a cartoon of him hanging from a tree with copies of the accords below him, captioned with a threat to kill him if a bi-ethnic power-sharing government was installed. The Arusha Accords stipulated the investiture of an interim president and transitional government. As Chief Justice, Kavaruganda was responsible for swearing-in the officials. On the morning of 4 August Habyarimana was sworn in as interim President at the Parliament building, but then suddenly departed before calling up the new prime minister and cabinet to be inaugurated. Confused and surprised, Kavaruganda left. Habyarimana returned that afternoon with a list of new cabinet members to be sworn in from Hutu extremist parties which had not been agreed upon in the Arusha Accords. Having not been formally invited for a second ceremony, Kavaruganda did not appear and the suggested ministers were not sworn-in. Habyarimana was infuriated, and thereafter he and his political allies regarded Kavaruganda as an ally of the RPF.

To assist with implementation of the Arusha Accords, the United Nations established the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda and dispatched an international peacekeeping force to the country. In early February 1994 members of the Interahamwe, a Hutu extremist militia, stoned Kavaruganda's car. The following day they stormed the Constitutional Court building, but Kavaruganda and his colleagues escaped through his office window. On 17 February UNAMIR commander Roméo Dallaire learned that an extremist group known as the Death Escadron was planning to assassinate Tutsi politician Lando Ndasingwa and Kavaruganda. In response, Daillaire sent peacekeepers to both men's homes to protect them. Kavaruganda, his wife Annonciata, and his two children still living with him felt reassured by their presence.

Death
On 6April 1994 when President Habyarimana's plane was shot down near Kigali Airport, killing him and triggering the start of the Rwandan genocide. Hutu extremists planned to eliminate moderate Hutu leaders across Kigali before killing Rwandan Tutsis. Kavaruganda's Kigali home was in a neighborhood where numerous government officials lived. Minister of Agriculture Frédéric Nzamurambaho, a moderate Hutu and a neighbor of Kavaruganda, telephoned him shortly after midnight on 7 April to inform him that all MRND members were being evacuated from the neighborhood. Kavaruganda then spoke briefly over the phone with his son, Jean-Marcel, who was in Brussels. Nzamurambaho called again to inform him that members of the Presidential Guard had sealed off the neighborhood, leaving only opposition party members in the area. At dawn gunfire erupted nearby and the family took shelter in their bathrooms. Some time thereafter one of the Ghanaian UN peacekeepers knocked on a window and told Kavaruganda, "There are military men here. They've come to take you away for safekeeping." Kavaruganda went to the front door where he was met by Captain Kabera of the Presidential Guard, while about 40 Rwandan soldiers stood in the front yard and the UN peacekeepers stood on the terrace. Kabera informed him that he had orders to take him to join the opposition politicians. Stalling for time, Kavaruganda insisted on getting dressed and locked the door. He then telephoned the Belgian UN contingent and Ghanaian and Bangladeshi UN outposts, telling him his family was under attack and he needed help. The UN personnel assured him that they would send reinforcements.

While Kavaruganda waited for help, Jean-Marcel telephoned to say that he heard on Belgian radio that opposition party members in Kigali were being killed and urged his father to leave. While Kavaruganda explained that he was trapped, Kabera's men broke down the front door and began searching the house. They found his daughter, Julithe, and put a gun to her head and demanded to know where her father was. She cried to her father for help, and Kavaruganda revealed himself and insisted again on getting dressed. Kabera told him that there was no need to do so and that he had to leave right away. Kabera and the soldiers brought him outside to a waiting truck and drove away with him. The UN peacekeepers watched in the yard and did not resist. He was killed later that day. The remaining soldiers then harassed the family and looted their house before leaving. One of the Hutu-loyalist ministers evacuated during the night, Casimir Bizimungu, returned to the neighborhood soon thereafter to gather some things from his home. Annonciata begged him to take herself, her children, and a neighbor to the Canadian embassy, and he reluctantly did so. They were granted refuge there during the genocide.

title: Joseph Kavaruganda


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Hawaiian Punch

Hawaiian Punch is an American brand of fruit punch currently manufactured by Keurig Dr Pepper, originally invented in 1934 by A.W. Leo, Tom Yeats, and Ralph Harrison as a topping for ice cream. It was started from an original syrup flavor titled Leo's Hawaiian Punch, containing orange, pineapple, passion fruit, guava and papaya, and is currently offering 14 different flavors since 2020. Though earlier versions contained 10% fruit juice, the drink is currently made with 3% fruit juice.

History
Leo's Hawaiian Punch was created as an ice cream topping syrup in 1934 by A.W. Leo, Tom Yeats, and Ralph Harrison in a converted garage in Fullerton, California. It originally contained 5 fruit juices: orange, pineapple, passion fruit, guava and papaya—all imported from Hawaii. Although customers later discovered that it made an appealing drink when mixed with water, Hawaiian Punch (with "Leo's" name omitted) was only available wholesale in gallon glass jugs to ice cream parlors and soda fountains. The original company was named Pacific Citrus Products (PCP).

In 1946, Reuben P. Hughes purchased the company and renamed it the Pacific Hawaiian Products Company and quickly set about making Hawaiian Punch Base available directly to consumers in 1 quart glass containers. The immediate post-war period saw the introduction of ready-to-serve Hawaiian Punch in 46 oz tins (1950) & frozen concentrate (1955). Sometime around 1954, the brand was expanded to a second flavor, Sunshine Yellow. The original red Hawaiian Punch became the "Rosy" flavor. At that same time, a sixth fruit flavor, apricot puree, was added to the formula. The Sunshine Yellow flavor omitted the orange juice of the original and replaced the original red food coloring with yellow. By 1955, Hawaiian Punch had become a national brand.

R. J. Reynolds Tobacco Company bought Pacific Hawaiian in 1962 and later transferred it to its newly acquired Del Monte subsidiary in 1981. At the time, Hawaiian Punch was marketed primarily as a cocktail mixer, but under RJR's leadership, the company conducted market research studies to housewives and children and directed marketing to the household market. RJR introduced individual sized 8 ounce cans in 1973 and a powdered form, similar to Kool-Aid, in 1976. By 1978, Hawaiian Punch was available in liquid, frozen concentrate, shelf concentrate, pre-sweetened powder, and unsweetened powder form. In 1983, RJR introduced the first nationally distributed juice box, which increased sales by 35%.

Procter & Gamble bought Hawaiian Punch from Del Monte Foods, spun off from RJR Nabisco in 1989, a year later. Procter & Gamble sold Hawaiian Punch to Cadbury Schweppes in 1999. Dr Pepper Snapple was spun off from Cadbury Schweppes in 2008. In 2018, Dr Pepper Snapple merged with Keurig Green Mountain to become Keurig Dr Pepper.

Mascot
In 1961, the Atherton-Privett ad agency created a 20-second commercial to advertise Hawaiian Punch drink. The commercial was produced by John Urie and Associates in Hollywood. Jean Guy Jacques was the director; Bob Guidi and John Urie designed the two characters, Punchy and Oaf. Ross Martin did Punchy's voice, "Hey! How 'bout a nice Hawaiian Punch?" and John Urie did Oaf's line, "Sure". Rod Scribner animated the commercials. Sam Cornell also worked on the later versions. Oaf never learned to say "No" and he was always punched. The commercial ended with Punchy leaning on a can of Hawaiian Punch, saying, "Wasn't that a refreshing commercial?" The commercial won many awards.

Although the character was introduced prior to RJR's ownership, they took it to a new level with "television commercials, magazines, and Sunday comics and on school book covers, toys, clothing, tumblers, and wrist watches" featuring the character marketed to children. The RJR employee magazine stated “[h]is presence on point-of-purchase displays lends instant eye-appeal” and named Punchy “[t]he best salesman the beverage has ever had."

The Punchy and Oaf (sometimes known as "Opie" ) characters were used in the product's commercials well into the 1980s, and again for a period in the early 1990s.

Original Syrup
(became Hawaiian Punch, but the original consumer product in 1946 was titled Hawaiian Punch Base)
 * Leo's Hawaiian Punch

Original canned flavors

 * Rosy Red (later Fruit Juicy)
 * Sunshine Yellow

2 additional flavors by 1966
(Sunshine Yellow contained banana puree by 1966)
 * Orange
 * Grape

Other flavors 1967 & later

 * Cherry
 * Strawberry
 * Lemonade

Added 1969

 * Fruit Juicy Red Low Calorie

Added 1971

 * Cherry Royal

1975 canned flavors

 * Fruit Juicy Red
 * Great Grape
 * Sunshine Orange
 * Tropical Fruit
 * Very Berry
 * Fruit Punch Low Sugar

1975 "Drink Mix" flavors

 * Red Punch
 * Strawberry Punch
 * Tutti Frutti Punch

Post-1980 canned flavors

 * Fruit Juicy Red
 * Fruit Juicy Red Light
 * Green Berry Rush: strawberry and kiwi
 * Mazin' Melon Mix: melon
 * Bodacious Berry: berry
 * Orange Ocean: orange
 * Wild Purple Smash: grape and berry
 * Lemonade: old-fashioned lemonade
 * Berry Blue Typhoon: strawberry, blueberry, raspberry and kiwi
 * Berry Bonkers: strawberry, blueberry, raspberry and pomegranate
 * Lemon Berry Squeeze: strawberry and lemonade
 * Berry Limeade Blast: strawberry and limeade
 * Lemon Lime Splash: lemon and lime
 * Island Citrus Guava: guava and lime
 * Polar Blast: orange and raspberry
 * Mango Passionfruit Squeeze: mango and passion fruit
 * Mango Monsoon: orange, mango and pineapple
 * White Water Wave: coconut and pineapple
 * Watermelon Berry Boom: strawberry and watermelon

Product flavors since 2020
The following fruit flavors are offered by Keurig Dr Pepper:
 * Hawaiian Punch Berry Blue Typhoon Juice Drink
 * Hawaiian Punch Berry Bonkers Juice Drink
 * Hawaiian Punch Berry Limeade Blast Juice Drink
 * Hawaiian Punch Fruit Juicy Red Juice Drink
 * Hawaiian Punch Fruit Juicy Red Juice Drink Light
 * Hawaiian Punch Green Berry Rush Juice Drink
 * Hawaiian Punch Lemon Berry Squeeze Juice Drink
 * Hawaiian Punch Lemon Lime Splash Juice Drink
 * Hawaiian Punch Lemonade Juice Drink
 * Hawaiian Punch Mango Monsoon Juice Drink
 * Hawaiian Punch Orange Ocean Juice Drink
 * Hawaiian Punch Punch Polar Blast Juice Drink
 * Hawaiian Punch Watermelon Berry Boom Juice Drink
 * Hawaiian Punch Whitewater Wave Juice Drink

title: Hawaiian Punch


text:
Talk:Railfan

Notable railfans
is it really interesting that Michael Palin is a railfan? i think we need a citation for that. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by Ben moss (talk • contribs) 19:50, November 28, 2006.

 * I think it is interesting. Railway enthusiasts get such a bad press in the media that it is worth noting any well-known people who "come out of the closet" (so to speak!) about their interest in railways. This would help reinforce the worth of our hobby without entering into POV issues.  It would also be useful reference for anyone researching the hobby from a 'people' POV (consider someone researching for a TV documentary about the hobby).  Obviously we would need appropriate refs, but in many cases this would be straightforward.  If the references are more than just mentioning their interest (as in many of the examples below) they will be of much greater value.
 * Some examples:
 * The composer Antonín Dvořák (it's mentioned in his article, and I found another reference on another site)
 * Producer Pete Waterman, whose interest extended to forming his own rolling stock company. (I believe he was a steam loco fireman on BR before entering the world of pop.)
 * Joe Brown (singer) featured in some 1950's/1960's British Transport Films productions, and his commentary suggested that he had a love of steam engines and had spent some time working on the railways. (Sorry, it's a while since I've seen the film in question!)
 * Bob Symes - who has presented TV programmes about model railways
 * David Shepherd (artist) - owner of several steam locomotives and instrumental in the establishment of the East Somerset Railway
 * Michael Palin - whose first TV travel documentary was Great Railway Journeys of the World for the BBC, his involvement having come from his interest in railways, and which was the start of a new direction in his career

 * EdJogg 14:46, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

This might be an interesting section to add. To the above list can be added:
 * O. Winston Link - photographer
 * Otto Perry - photographer
 * Richard Steinheimer - photographer
 * Rogers E. M. Whitaker - former editor of The New Yorker
 * Michael Gross (actor) - part owner of a short line
 * Rod Stewart - British rock star
 * Walt Disney
 * Ward Kimball - Disney animator
 * Kevin Costner - he and his brother Dan were two of the founders of Dunrail, which has been trying to obtain a lease on a disused line between Whitewood and Deadwood in South Dakota.
 * H. Reid - author and historian
 * Charles Clegg - author and photographer
 * O.S. Nock - engineer and author
 * Sir John Betjeman - poet, writer and broadcaster
 * Nicholas Owen - British journalist
 * Dionysius Lardner - philosopher and astronomer
 * Paul Flaherty - computer programer and co-inventor of the search engine
 * Wilbert Vere Awdry - the Rev. W. Awdry
 * Frederick IX of Denmark - he stipulated in his will that his funeral train was to be hauled by steam!
 * Robert Adley - British politician
 * Tim Fischer - former Deputy Prime Minister of Australia.
 * Clive Robertson (journalist)
 * Scott McGregor (television presenter)
 * Anson Austin - opera singer. No article at present but I have personally seen him on several railfan trips.

Two other names I have seen mentioned whenever this topic is raised in discussion forums are James Doohan and Johnny Cash, but I can't find reliable references.

There are many more into model trains but it's probably best suited to that article.

Dbromage 01:34, 8 March 2007 (UTC)

 * If we start collecting such data, I think, judging by the size of the list that's already here on the talk page, that it would be better suited to a subpage titled something like List of notable railfans. I see that there are similar lists in Category:Lists of people by activity such as List of notable birdwatchers, so this isn't out of the question. Slambo (Speak)  11:37, 8 March 2007 (UTC)

 * Agree with Slambo, but need to take the right approach. What we want, in order to show railfans in a favourable light, is an article like List of bow tie wearers, which not only lists the people, but discusses the social impact (etc) of them doing so.  The railfan equivalent to List of notable birdwatchers would be a list of the train spotters who had the most 'cops', which could be very difficult to verify!! (Noooooooooooooo! - and unlikely to exist for very long!!) On the other hand, List of famous smokers follows a similar pattern to what we already have (although it is slated as unreferenced, etc).

 * I think the following will be important to avoid the list being 'Speedied' and to avoid it growing unchecked:
 * Separate into those for whom being a railfan is 'just a hobby', and those whose hobby has led to a career, or similar. See my original list for the sort of 'notability criteria' that might be useful.
 * Include notes to explain reason for inclusion in list
 * Provide external references (will also add more weight to the value of the article)
 * Ensure the person's WP entry mentions their rail enthusiasm and the effect it has had (re-use the previously-obtained reference and reasoning!)

 * EdJogg 12:51, 8 March 2007 (UTC)

 * I hadn't looked at the contents of the other articles yet, but List of bow tie wearers certainly presents an agreeable format. I like the discussion of the activity's impact on society and fashion, but wonder how we would word something like that here.
 * My first thoughts for inclusion criteria were that any person to be included in the list must either already have a Wikipedia biography article or would meet the notability guidelines for inclusion on his/her own merits. Requiring citations would be a given in my mind; and I'd even go so far as to propose that if a verifiable reference isn't supplied within a specified period of time (perhaps one month after being tagged with fact), then it should be removed from the list as unverified. Slambo (Speak)  14:01, 8 March 2007 (UTC)
 * That was the idea - anybody who already meets notability (people) guidelines and hence already has an article. Most of those already listed have some mention of rail enthusiasm in each article. Probably best to restrict the scope to those who had some level of ongoing interest/activity/activism in adulthood. People who just did a bit of train spotting in their youth (e.g. Michael Portillo and Geoffrey Palmer (actor)) should probably not be included. A one liner for each person about their type and level of interest is easy enough. There are many others I have not (yet) listed due to lack of sources. Unfortunately Usenet postings aren't reliable enough. Dbromage 01:33, 9 March 2007 (UTC)

I have created List of notable railfans. Those who do not already have mention of the hobby in their Wiki article have external links. Dbromage 01:56, 14 March 2007 (UTC)
 * The German Wikipedia Eisenbahnfreund article was quite helpful in providing more non-English speaking names, giving the list a more international scope. Are there any Dutch, Polish, Russian, Japanese or Chinese speakers who can check those Wikis? Dbromage 03:35, 14 March 2007 (UTC)

NoMoreLinks
I did a little more reading today on WikiProject Spam to see what is being done in other articles about the proliferation of external links. After reading there, I added NoMoreLinks to the External links section here to explicitly state that undiscussed links can and will be deleted. I think there are too many links there now, and I plan to go through with a rather large paring knife to remove links that aren't specifically about railfans (links containing rolling stock lists, photo galleries, tips on photo locations, etc., may be removed) soon. The list of railfanning locations should probably also move to a separate page to keep the content here more concise. Slambo (Speak) 16:35, 29 November 2006 (UTC)
 * Good idea. Hopefully this will also address the imbalance between the quantity of US links vs quantity of links for any other individual country... :o) EdJogg 17:12, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

Suggested New Links
Please add suggestions here for review:

TrainSim Eesti Estonian railfan and Microsoft Train Simulator forum - 82.131.29.158 23:13, 25 April 2007 (UTC)

A news report on a new book all about the beautiful things you can see from the trains in Wales —Preceding [[Wikipedia:Signatures|unsigned] comment added by 193.35.10.55 (talk) 12:48, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

"What is a railfan?"
Bumped into this site written by a mature US railfan: http://www.3ri.com/what_is_a_railfan.htm.

Although most of the points are covered in the WP article, it is a well-written document, particularly covering the relationship between railfans and law-enforcement agencies, and might better meet the tighter requirements than many of the existing external links.

EdJogg 13:52, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

 * Support addition. Good find; the site describes what a railfan is without giving a ton of information only relevant to railfans themselves.  Slambo (Speak)  14:46, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

Train Spotting World
I came across Train Spotting World. I considered adding it to the general section of external liks, but noticed the no more links warning and thought you might prefer to review it here. It's pretty new, is using WP's GFDL to load a good selection of basic articles, and allows pretty free rein to railfans to form a community and pursue the hobby rather than document as an encyclopedia —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 87.175.73.97 (talk) 23:56, 14 February 2007 (UTC).

 * I'm more inclined to say no to this one. Doing a quick look around there, everything I can see is a content fork of information we've got here. Slambo (Speak)  11:47, 15 February 2007 (UTC)
 * And looking at the User list, the account that I just created there appears to be the first user account that the site has known aside from the initial site admin. Slambo (Speak) 11:53, 15 February 2007 (UTC)

 * I am neutral. I need to declare an interest here, because I own and operate the site.  The first phase is simply to upload suitable articles in order to give a basis for things like spotting reports, timetables etc.  I absolutely do not want to turn this message into an advert, so I'll finish very shortly.  It will only be WP like if those who come there make it WP like.  It is intended as a wholly different resource with a wholly different slant.  WP is an encyclopaedia.  Train Spotting World is absolutely not.  Fiddle Faddle 23:08, 15 February 2007 (UTC)
 * We have now uploaded all we are going to upload, and thus, apart from anything a WP editor chooses to bring, or asks us to bring in bulk, that is the end of any similarity to WP. I think, ethically, this should be my final post here on the matter, and that anything else should be pursued on my talk page there.  Regarding the concept of linking or not linking in the article here, I like EdJogg's thought that it could be mutually beneficial for WP, too, but I am wholly neutral in any formal opinion. Fiddle Faddle 12:16, 16 February 2007 (UTC)

 * Could be useful. It's too early to tell, yet, but this site could be an extremely useful adjunct to WP, somewhere for all the unverifiable stuff that everyone wants to write about. Where better to have a list of 'Favourite Railfan Hotspots', for example?? As it has only just started up, it is probably not officially appropriate to include it as a link yet, however, by including it, we might be accelerating its development to the benefit of both sites. (Just a thought!) EdJogg 00:07, 16 February 2007 (UTC)

 * I've spent a little time over there yesterday starting processes for adding spotting reports (like the page for BNSF 5353, for example). Tim's even turned on the admin bit for me there too.  I agree with Ed that it could be useful as a place to put information of interest to railfans that are contrary to inclusion here per WP:NOT, and as such, I see value in the project.  I'd like to see articles there with comprehensive equipment rosters, railfan hotspots, timetables and maybe even railfan gear reviews (just how well does a specific camera work for railfanning?).  However, until the amount of original content outweighs the amount of copied content, I don't think it should be in the links section on this article. Slambo (Speak)  11:43, 16 February 2007 (UTC)

 * I just wanted to revisit this to document the divergence from WP. Apart from excellent work by editors there to generate categories relevant to railfanning rather than documenting the phenomenon of railfanning, (and much else besides) there are now:
 * Links to youtube and google videos that embed directly in the page
 * Google Map embedding
 * Embryo articles on Trackside dining & Trackside fishing
 * News articles (still in their infancy) on breaking rail news globally (The Sacramento trestle fire is a notable one)
 * Integrated blogs for registered users (direct integration with TSW accounts)
 * Dedicated chatroom
 * Events calendar (left margin)
 * Certain "Thomas" articles judged to be vulnerable on WP
 * I'm posting this here to illustrate divergence, and the entirely different ethos between here and there. WP is wholly correct in its formal stance.  As an experienced WP editor I agree with that stance and applaud it.  TSW is a very different animal and allows opinions in addition to cited facts.  It will not for some time have a greater volume of home created/edited articles than copied ones, but it already has a strong portfolio of different articles, or original articles that now contain a video, or a map, etc.
 * Again, ethically, my own stance on linking must be neutral. I am simply trying to provide an update without "puffing" the site or spamming it.  Fiddle Faddle 14:53, 18 March 2007 (UTC)

Railfan versus Trainspotter
I think this article would make much more sense being located at Trainspotter and mentioning "railfan" as an alternative term... I for one have never heard of the term railfan but "trainspotter" has not only entered every-day lexicon (it was the title of a motion picture and a novel and it is now synonymous with an obsessive personality in any context). It would also be more logical considering the fact that trainspotting is already an article whereas there is nothing written on "railfandom" or any variation thereof. Is there a reason why it is located in one place as opposed to another? Waqcku 05:21, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

 * The term "trainspotter", as in the "every-day lexicon", generally has a somewhat different meaning to railfan. For example, the film and the novel have nothing to do with trainspotting in this context. Nor does this context relate strongly to obsessive personalities. If anything, I'd have to say the reasons above go a fair way to explaining why this article should not be entitled "trainspotter". --Evan C (Talk) 06:17, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

 * Fully agree with Evan C. The colloquial use of the term trainspotter is almost always derogatory towards railway enthusiasts, and therefore a move could be considered as going against NPOV guidelines.   Admittedly, I had never heard the term 'railfan' before coming to WP, but this does seem to be a generic term used here to cover usage across multiple countries, so I guess it is OK.

 * As a railway enthusiast I would prefer the article title to be 'railway enthusiast', of course, probably as I associate the word 'fan' with a less critical appreciation of the subject matter (as in 'Beatles fan', 'Take That fan', etc). I don't like being called a 'train spotter' any more than someone interested in the architecture of religious buildings would want to be called a 'church spotter'.

 * (Touched a nerve there... :o)  ) -- EdJogg 10:11, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

At least in the American rail press, railfan seems to be the preferred term. I had heard and used both terms before logging on to WP two years ago, and with my extensive personal library, I'm sure I could find references further back. In fact, a quick search at Model Railroader Magazine's index comes up with the first hit as far back as 1940. Slambo (Speak) 11:57, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

 * I for one am certainly a railfan but not a trainspotter. I have absolutely no interest in trains, except for them as modes of transport. I find them ugly and boring. However I find old railway lines and the geography of train networks interesting. Cls14 (talk) 16:21, 8 March 2010 (UTC)

Given the above discussion perhaps it would be better to have two different articles, one for trainspotting, and one for railfanery (probably not the right expression, but I'm afraid I've never come across the word before). TehGrauniad (talk) 22:52, 9 March 2011 (UTC)

This is a perfect example of the conflict of American versus European Wikipedia authors, especially with railroad terminology. I am reminded of the constant battle between British and American authors in rewriting, merging, and deleting articles referring to "Trucks" (American term) and "Bogies" (European term). Railfan is the only legitimate term used in the United States (with the exception of "foamer", which is used as derrogatory humor), and is used extensively in such publications as Trains Magazine, Model Railroader, and is the title of the magaziine Railfan & Railroad. I recommend that the article title be left as it is to avoid such conflicts. D&RGW 223 (talk) 17:37, 8 July 2016 (UTC)

Ferroequinology definition
(Also see: "Rollback reason, Oct 29, 2006" above)

It seems that our friends at Wiktionary are disputing the verifiability of the term 'ferroequinology'. If it is not possible to prove usage by 6th Jan 2007 then the term will be deleted. See ferroequinology for the definition and Wikt:Wiktionary:Requests for verification for the discussion.

EdJogg 14:01, 13 December 2006 (UTC)

 * Definition from Wiktionary, in case it gets deleted:

==English== ===Etymology=== ferrum iron + equus horse + -logy ===Noun=== ferroequinology
 * 1) The study of railways in general, but especially locomotives. (Used somewhat whimsically).

 * EdJogg 11:48, 20 December 2006 (UTC)

 * UPDATE: Efforts by various editors have now secured concrete references for the term and it is no longer under threat.
 * Thank you, all, for your help with this matter.
 * EdJogg 10:59, 1 June 2007 (UTC)

Railfan Hotspots - List Required? or severe article pruning?
The list of so-called "Railfan Hotspots" is starting to take over the article.

I think at the very least it needs splitting into a separate list, but with what title?
 * List of railfan hotspots

would be easy but extremely misleading (how many 'hotspots' are there on the average railfan, and what defines a 'hotspot' in this instance anyway? :o) ). Alternatively,
 * List of railway locations popular with railfans

is much more accurate, if a little long-winded.

But should the list even belong in WP? As hinted above, the very section title 'Railfan Hotspots' is misleading. And how could 'popular' be verified? Sounds very subjective (and hence not NPOV). Are there any reference books that list these locations - and if so, wouldn't it be rather better to just provide an ISBN? Should we just delete the list as unverifiable?

Thoughts?

EdJogg 13:10, 20 December 2006 (UTC)

First, a confession, Some of my first edits in wikipedia were for adding to this list. I agree 100% and was thinking the same myself. I say delete the list. But instead add "Railfan Hotspots" as a category. Then people can instead add that category to their favorite hotspots. I've never started a new category before, so I don't know how to do this. Davemeistermoab 02:23, 21 December 2006 (UTC)

I think we should get rid of this list- it's completely a POV list (ie. whoever likes a particular location can add what they like); none of it is sourced either. If someone can provide some sources saying that they are popular railfan sites, then that's ok, but there should be neither a list or a category on WP on this. JROBBO 22:59, 17 January 2007 (UTC)

 * I would tend to agree - this list should be pruned out of existence for the reasons that others have described. It's highly POV, as it's a matter of personal preference unless we find a source substantiating it.  SchuminWeb (Talk) 23:24, 17 January 2007 (UTC)

 * Well Done Schuminweb. The more I think about it, some of the sites in the external links would serve this purpose and have more credibility doing so (railpictures.net etc.) But then that's another subject, the external links section is equally out of control. You're not finished with that machette yet =-) Davemeistermoab 02:32, 18 January 2007 (UTC)

 * For those who wish to see this list preserved (or who simply see it as not having a place in WP), Train Spotting World is a companion wiki for railfans, and is happy to have such lists, POV or not. There are embryo articles there, for example, on trackside dining and Railfan Hotspots is a wholly valid article to create there, and refer to here. Fiddle Faddle 08:33, 1 June 2007 (UTC)

Minor grammatical issue
The Railway Magazine attempted to popularise the term railwayac without success in the earlier 20th century... This is an incomplete comparison and I'm not sure if the 'obvious' correction early 20th century would be factually correct. Cryptonymius 20:07, 29 December 2006 (UTC)

Link addition
Please add a link to nswrail.net under Australia; it would be nice to have a link for each Australian state.

Trainspotting (the film)
"The activity of trainspotting was briefly mentioned in a passage set in a railway station, in Irvine Welsh's novel of the same name; however, it was left out of the film adaptation altogether. The novel Trainspotting and its film adaptation are not directly related to the hobby, although it may be inferred from the movie's opening scene that the title is a comment on what the author sees as the supposed pointlessness of the hobby."

- Actually, if you watch the film, there is a notorious cold turkey sequence, in which Renton looks at trains which cover the wall of the bedroom he occupied as a child. He starts hallucinating, and hears the sounds of trains. In adddition, the trailer, which will be on most DVD versions, includes Renton tied to a track, and there is also a sequence in which the boys are at a remote Highland railway station. So there you go - not mentioned directly, but still there. --MacRusgail 17:57, 1 May 2007 (UTC)

Autism spectrum again
I just rv'd my earlier rv. After reading through the citation early this morning, the only positive link to rail transport that I saw was in the questionnaire, so I reverted the original edit that added the citation. Later this morning after I noticed a 1500 character change in my watchlist, I reviewed the article history and restored EdJogg's edit because it more accurately presents the findings from the report without implying that all railfans would be diagnosed with asperger's or another autism spectrum disorder. Sure, there are some railfans who obsess, but the same can be said of some sports fans who memorize all of the statistics for certain teams and players, for example. Obsession is not unique to railfans and being a railfan does not make one a candidate for autism therapy. Slambo (Speak) 15:03, 31 May 2007 (UTC)

 * My feelings exactly. I had the suspicion that the original note was added by someone who was not a railfan...
 * The very fact that the hobby and the medical conditions were being linked seemed to be a rather 'negative' view, so I attempted to look for some positive comments in the report to balance this out, as the study does suggest that the specific obsessive behaviour is a positive characteristic in affected individuals – rather in the same way that blind people can develop better-than-average hearing (that's EdJogg's example, it's not a part of the report!).
 * EdJogg 17:12, 31 May 2007 (UTC)

 * One might equate any activity that has facts, figures, some sort of central focus (etc), to the autistic spectrum, including the activity of editing Wikipedia, of course. It is worth realising that it is a spectrum, and thus ranges from "not being autistic" to "being wholly autistic", and thus (probably) includes every sentient human life form. Thus "We are all, to some extent, autistic" is a valid comment, but an equally useless one.
 * Anyone who pursues a hobby in which they have an abiding interest may appear to display some of the attributes of the strongly autistic. However it is how they behave and exist in their lives as a whole that is important, not within the narrower confines of their hobby.  Logic says that a reference to hobbies in articles on autism is relevant, but a reference to autism in articles on hobbies is not.  Of course, I could now be displaying a degree of autism by making this comment :)  Fiddle Faddle 08:26, 1 June 2007 (UTC)

 * You make some very valid points there, and there could be a degree of doubt as to the appropriateness of the section in this article. However, if you scan the archive you will notice that similar sections/comments have been added (maliciously?) and removed in the past. If this section now provides the correct information about the link (or lack of it) then it may well be fulfilling a worthwhile role, although I'm happy to accept others views on the matter. EdJogg 11:17, 1 June 2007 (UTC)

 * I think that an archive is of interest, but simply demonstrates what has happened in the past. I feel one should impute no motives to those who have added it in the past and look only at the merits of its place in the article today.  The real question is "In this encyclopaedia, is a reference to autism relevant to this article?"
 * If one can say "yes" clearly and unequivocally, then it should be referenced here. If there is doubt then it should be removed.  However, this can, being Wikipedia, be decided only by consensus of those with a current interest in the article (ie without consulting the history tab).
 * My feeling is that the topic does not merit a section in the main article. However careful one is to draft it well, such a reference can always be seen as POV, and thus devalue the article as a whole.  However, it may be valid to phrase a brief link (with a ref if desired) in a 'See Also' link to the main article on Autism.  I do not favour this either, I am simply mentioning it for consideration.
 * If we took, as an example, something wholly different from having a hobby to do with trains, for example supporting (though not participating in) wrestling or boxing, those associated with those rather macho pursuits would object enormously if there were any reference to their support of their sport being able to be related to autism in an article on their sport of choice. I think making the link in an article on railfanning is being rather too politically correct.
 * It is, of course, just my opinion. I respect those who have a different view.  Fiddle Faddle 12:42, 1 June 2007 (UTC)

Deletion of autism section
Looking at the edit history, the deletion by Don1962 is wholly in line with the mini consensus reached above, and the reversion by Dontdoit, especially accusing Don1962 of vandalism is against it.

I am firmly of the opinion that a section on autism has no place in this article. Apart from Dontdoit's reversion I see absolutely nothing in favour of this section, and I certainly see no consensus for it built on this talk page.

Because there is no consensus for it to be present I am also removing this section from the article, with the strong suggestion that any re-inclusion should be after a consensus is built for its inclusion.

This article is about a hobby, not an ailment. Aligning a hobby with an ailment is disparaging and POV based however well the section is written. Fiddle Faddle 08:54, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

 * Which is why I was in the process of adjusting the wording, and the title, to try to balance it still further.

 * Having thought about it, IF this section is to be included, then it needs to be balanced against a reliable source that suggests there is a link (as this report effectively dis-proves it). Unless such a source is found, this section should remain removed.

 * For reference, my revised section is shown below. Further adjustment may be required to the first and last sentences, since they are verging on the weasly, however the bulk of the main paragraph is unlikely to need revising.

 * Obsession vs autism
 * It has been shown that people suffering from autism will frequently exhibit some kind of obsession, however it cannot be deduced from this that anyone with an obsession, or deep interest in their hobby, therefore suffers from autism or any other medical condition.
 * It has been shown that people suffering from autism will frequently exhibit some kind of obsession, however it cannot be deduced from this that anyone with an obsession, or deep interest in their hobby, therefore suffers from autism or any other medical condition.

 * A study by Cambridge University (UK) has shown that a symptom usually exhibited by children suffering from autism or Asperger's syndrome is an obsessive interest in 'folk physics' (an interest in how things work). To quote the report: "Typical examples include extreme fascinations with electricity pylons, burglar alarms, vacuum cleaners, washing machines, video players, trains, planes, and clocks. Sometimes the machine that is the object of the child’s obsession is quite simple (e.g. the workings of drain-pipes, or the designs of windows, etc.)."
 * (The paper was published in the British Journal of Psychiatry, 175, 484-490 (1999).)

 * The study noted that people exhibiting such obsessions typically follow their interests or hobbies to an extreme and narrow degree, so that they become experts in their chosen field. The study also noted that the obsession usually reflected the child’s intact or even superior folk physics. Hence, while the report shows that these conditions can lead to obsessive behaviour in an individual, it is utterly inappropriate to regard railfans – or any other kind of enthusiast – as automatically suffering from one of these conditions.

 * As I hinted at above, I think this section would be appropriate if there is a need to refute the suggestion that railfans are autistic. However, I am inclined to agree with FiddleFaddle that the section should not be included at present, unless an overwhelming concensus disagrees and thinks that it should be restored.
 * EdJogg 09:53, 15 June 2007 (UTC)

Well I certainly agree that a (sub)section about autism is inappropriate for this article. Which is why I never put such a verbosity in my contribution (neither did I in fact mention autism). The original comment was made in the context of reasons for trainspotting, and simply noted that certain studies had observed a correlation between trainspotters and Asperger's syndrome. A correlation of course doesn't necessarily imply a causal relationship, but it indicates the possibility of one. If the "Reasons" section is going to remain balanced, then a brief note about this correlation is appropriate; otherwise, delete the entire section altogether. Dontdoit 05:38, 18 June 2007 (UTC)

 * It seems to me that the section title Reasons is incorrect. IT does not deal with "reasons".  Instead it deals with the Appeal of things railway.   That section title needs an overhaul.

 * With regard to the argument about balance, it is a specious argument. If every item the suggests that one might have an interest in railway matters were to be entered we would have phases of the moon, colour of the sky, day of the week and so much else in there that it would become ridiculous.  The argument for some sort of balance is really not the discussion piint at all.  The article needs subtle improvement, almost certainly replacing "Reasons" with something along the lines of "Appeal of railfanning".

 * I'm not about to make that change because I do not feel qualified to make it. So I leave it to others to debate here.  Normally I would be bold but I think a more committed railfan shoudl do that in this article.  Fiddle Faddle 10:57, 18 June 2007 (UTC)

 * Well, I've been bold! And I'm happy that the disputed topic remains out of the article, for the reasons discussed at length above...

 * And a 'verbose subsection'? I think it gave it the level of balanced NPOV coverage it deserved, assuming that it was appropriate to include it in the first place. The original submissions were without commentary and allowed far too much import to be placed on the report, unless the reader actually went and read it (most wouldn't, I did) to discover the actual findings.

 * EdJogg 20:02, 18 June 2007 (UTC)

Speaking of pejorative terms ...
... I see anorak is missing here. Isn't that an oversight, at least on the part of UK (or at least non-US) railfans? (Not a term I've ever heard used here.) +ILike2BeAnonymous 04:15, 8 September 2007 (UTC)

trainspotters vs. railfans in general
Is it just my imagination, or was there once a separate trainspotting article that was clumsily wedged into this one? I'm not so sure they shouldn't be unmerged. —Steve Summit (talk) 18:38, 8 September 2007 (UTC)

Missing Link
If links to "Autism" & "Asperger's", etc, keep getting deleted, I suppose there's no point in putting up anything even more controversial, but I have to say that some of the trainspotters I've seen lurking around the end of the platform at Crewe Station look as if they should be on the Sex Offenders' Register. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.158.250.132 (talk • contribs) 05:17, October 29, 2007

 * Do you have a citation that a being a railfan is more likely to make you a weirdo, than a person with 'normal' interests? If so, then that's why it keeps going missing. Wongm 11:40, 29 October 2007 (UTC)

Shouldn't that be "if not"? Yes - see what you mean. I know that people can't put unsupported statements up on an encyclopedia site. Just as an observation here, though, I'd be interested to know what percentage of male trainspotters over 30 a) live with their mothers, b) wear plastic shoes / socks & sandals with their trouser legs about 2 inches too short, c) have/don't have a girlfriend & d) have halitosis. A doctoral thesis there for someone. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.158.250.132 (talk) 11:59, 29 October 2007 (UTC)

 * In the railroad historical and railfanning organization meetings that I attend, all of the attendees are well-educated and successful in their careers, and the majority of them are married and have children and often have grandchildren. Rail interests are not uncommon in the medical profession (I know one cardiologist personally who has an extensive O scale layout).  The current (December 2007) issue of Model Railroader has a cover story about Rod Stewart's model railroad and his interest in trains.  Being a railfan does not lead to any autism spectrum disorder.  Slambo (Speak)  13:12, 29 October 2007 (UTC)

Oh - forgot to say: my hypothesis would be not that "being a railfan is more likely to make you a weirdo", but rather that having autistic / Asperger's / Obsessive-compulsive-type traits is, ceteris paribus, likely to predispose a given individual to engage in trainspotting. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.158.250.132 (talk) 12:33, 29 October 2007 (UTC)

 * Not necessarily. The same type of memorization of facts and statistics is done by sports or automobile fans. Slambo (Speak)  13:12, 29 October 2007 (UTC)

OK, Slambo. As you've no doubt gathered, I'm only having a bit of fun. At the risk of getting well off topic, I'll say this: my big interest outside of work & family is sea fishing. Within the sea-fishing fraternity, there is a group of people who concentrate on casting. Not fishing - just casting. They do it on sports fields miles from the sea & chat amongst themselves about different weights, lines & reels together with great casts of the past, plus who's in what casting team in the league. They always remind me of trainspotters because of the ultimate futility of their interest. You don't get fish on rugby pitches, however good your casting is.

Finally - if you're able to track it down (I can't); there was an article about ten years ago in a quality British newspaper (Observer? Independent?). Wish I'd kept it. It was a review of a medical paper which argued for strong links between a certain syndrome (something German-sounding, I think) & pointless hobbies. There was one case-study of a bloke who collected photos of different types of carrots. Another spotted light-fittings on Diesel Multiple Units. A third travelled round noting the colour of the doors of Crown Courts. He said he didn't do juvenile courts because they were "boring". OK - I'll leave it alone now! —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.158.250.132 (talk • contribs) 09:42, October 29, 2007

 * Heh, I hadn't heard of some of those yet. Thanks for making me smile today.  B-)  Aspergers is one of those topics that I'm very interested in since my son has received a positive diagnosis (his latest obsession is building with Lego bricks).  I'll take a look through my resources to see if I can find that article.  Slambo (Speak)  16:36, 29 October 2007 (UTC)

Hope all turns out well for your lad - & it has to be said that Lego isn't a futile interest. He might turn out as an architect. Take it easy. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.158.250.132 (talk) 17:21, 29 October 2007 (UTC)

Metrophile
I've merged the Metrophile section here per the consensus at Articles for deletion/Metrophile. However, I spent little time editing it, as editors here are more knowledgeable about the subject than I. It appears to be a neologism and needs reliable sources if it's going to stay in this article - if they can't be found, it may need to be deleted from here as well. Tijuana Brass (talk) 23:26, 28 November 2007 (UTC)

Safety
The safety section seems to be a maybe / could be section which is not verified. This section also claims that the BTP actively encourage spotters to report suspiscious behaviour. Surely the BTP (and other authorities) are encouraging all users of the railways to do this and therefore this doesnt warrant a special mention for spotters. Deckchair (talk) 09:45, 10 January 2008 (UTC)
 * I restored this edit, as the deleted statements are quite sensible and do warrant to be mentioned. All users of the railway may be encouraged to report suspicious behaviour, but spotters just have a keener eye on the scene. LHOON (talk) 15:43, 18 January 2008 (UTC)

 * BNSF Railway released a couple videos about their program recruiting railfans to aid in security/safety issues along the railroad's right of way; the program is called Citizes for Rail Security. Slambo (Speak) 16:22, 18 January 2008 (UTC)

 * The section as it stands it in desperate need of sources and rewriting. It is completely unjustified as it stands. Please find and add proper reliable sources for the statements included or it will be removed soon. Sorry, Gwernol 21:55, 21 January 2008 (UTC)

 * Added a cite for BTP requesting co-operation from enthusiasts and re-worded sentence Deckchair (talk) 13:34, 6 February 2008 (UTC)

Etiology (sic) of "Ferroequinology"
The following chunk was recently added to explain the origin of 'ferroequinology'.

I have removed it here (i) because the 'references' provided are unverifiable, and (ii) because I can't be bothered to re-type it in lower case! (although I have removed the gross-est formatting issues).

 * THE ETIOLOGY OF THE ROOT TERM ITSELF 'FERROEQUINOLOGIST' IS THAT IT WAS COINED IN 1948 AT THE UNIIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA LAW SCHOOL [ref. the Old Dominion Railway Club of Richmond, Va.] BY LAW STUDENT AND LATER ATTORNEY FOR THE SOUTHERN RAILWAY ROBERT N. LOWRY TO HIS 'RAILFAN' FELLOW STUDENT EMMETT GATEWOOD, WHO LEAVING SCHOOL WAS ACTIVELY INVOLVED IN THE OLD DOMINION RAILWAY CLUB. HE THEN MOVED TO LOS GATOS,CALIF. WHERE MR. GATEWOOD joined the Woodside Rail Club and started a newsletter that he entitled 'THE FERROEQUINOLOGIST' THAT CONTINUES TODAY.

 * BY 1968 THE TERM WAS IN SUCH GENERAL USAGE THAT IT WAS INCLUDED IN THAT YEAR'S 'LARGE EDITION' OF 'WEBSTER'S DICTIONARY.'[PERSONAL COMMUNICATION W/ MR. GATEWOOD, FEB. 1969.]

While the above may well be true -- it is certainly very plausible -- without appropriate references, such claims cannot be included in WP.

(PS - although 'etiology' (study of causes, usually medical term) could be used here, the term etymology (study of history of words) is probably more appropriate.)

EdJogg (talk) 09:59, 26 March 2008 (UTC)

Buff, fan, enthusiast... spotter
Afaik 'rail buff' or 'railway buff' or 'train buff' are all acceptable British usage (in the sense of enthusiast); I think Brits might be surprised to see it used in the U.S. at all, and the claim to exclusive usage in the U.S. seems a bit strange. Just a bit of a culture gap there. 'Railfan' sounds like a journalistic invention made fashionable (eg sportsfan) rather than an encyclopaedic term, but I guess that's been discussed... 'Trainspotter' meanwhile is of course completely different :) Sure that's been covered too... Hakluyt bean (talk) 22:41, 3 July 2008 (UTC)

More sources
This article in the 'The Times' (July 8, 2008) can be worked in as a reference for various bits: How Osama bin Laden killed trainspotting

Wongm (talk) 01:35, 9 July 2008 (UTC)

 * Very good find. Depressing, but a very good find nonetheless. EdJogg (talk) 12:18, 9 July 2008 (UTC)

Another from the Los Angeles Times - Train hobbyists are loco for that motion. October 1, 2008. Wongm (talk) 10:37, 5 October 2008 (UTC)

 * And this Wongm (talk) 00:05, 7 October 2008 (UTC)

 * Another from CNN Trains are life for avid 'railfans'. Wongm (talk) 10:19, 16 May 2009 (UTC)

Asperger's syndrome
I propose to delete this reference from See Also section. It gives the impression that many railfans are mentally ill. The wikilink in the discussion about Darius McCollum is enough. Sv1xv (talk) 13:02, 30 July 2008 (UTC)
 * Last time the discussion came up (see above) we deleted it. Wongm (talk) 13:07, 30 July 2008 (UTC)
 * And the last time we discussed it wasn't the first time we discussed it. Being a railfan does not lead to a diagnosis of Asperger's Syndrome any more than being a fan of the Green Bay Packers does (although, living in Wisconsin, I have to wonder sometimes B-) ).  Slambo (Speak)  13:11, 30 July 2008 (UTC)

Thank you very much, I already feel much better. You see, I was already planning to consult a psychiatrist... :-) Sv1xv (talk) 14:36, 30 July 2008 (UTC)

And again
Removed from article (for same reasons as previously):
 * Trainspotting has been associated with the mild form of autism, known as Asperger's Syndrome.
 * ( http://www.kidsgrowth.com/resources/articledetail.cfm?id=2165 )

This is getting a bit more tricky, BUT the author (a child psychiatrist) merely uses "trainspotting" as an example of an activity bordering on obsessive behaviour, there's no scientific basis for his statement, or new research. It is 'tricky' because the statement added to the wikipedia article is technically true, simply as a result of this person writing about it!

However, the long-standing consensus is that adding such links may encourage people to make connections (to support their views/prejudices), as the author of this has done. (Note that we have collectively objected to much more scientifically rigorous reference works in the past, and this is 'only' a column piece written for the benefit of parents of children diagnosed with Asberger's.) I think it is also worth noting that the description "the peculiarly British hobby of train spotting" is written by an American medical author for an American website. He may know about Asberger's, but what does he know about train spotting???

EdJogg (talk) 10:32, 13 November 2009 (UTC)

The autism references should stay in. Trainspotting is virtually a byword/stereotype for some forms of high functioning autism.

However, this article conflates wider interests in railways e.g. seeing steam trains occasionally with people obsessed with numbers, timetables and the dryer parts of the interest. The latter are much more likely to be autistic or exhibit such behaviours. -2A01:4C8:1419:F777:1:2:9932:DB55 (talk) 19:33, 13 May 2019 (UTC)

"Controversy" section
The following (rather inflammatory) section was added today. I added some 'fact' tags and adjusted what text I could, but as the main accident is still under investigation (I have added a link), the second incident is not referenced, and the third paragraph is uncited, I have removed the text to here.
 * Controversy
 * Railfans were thrust into the spotlight in 2008 after a commuter train crash in Los Angeles that killed 25 people and injured 135 others. Having passed through a red signal, the train's engineer, Robert M. Sanchez, reportedly sent a text message to a group of teenage railfans seconds before slamming head-on into a freight train. (Important note. The cause of the collision is still under investigation, with the main cause thought to be fatigue.)

 * In Chicago, according to a report filed with the Federal Railroad Administration, Metra engineer Brian Voss permitted a 17 year old train enthusiast to operate trains carrying passengers. This came to light after the teen posted photographs of his adventures on his MySpace page.

 * These events have led to concerns the that enthusiasm of railfans is becoming a threat to public safety.

Such unsubstantiated claims would not be allowed on a living person's article without adequate referencing. Once there are sufficient supporting references, I don't think there is a problem with this material being in the article.

EdJogg (talk) 09:05, 26 October 2008 (UTC)

 * I read that there were at least three witnesses who saw the signal in Chatsworth as green before the Metrolink train passed it. (LA Times, Oct 4) I had just read something about the Chicago incident on Friday. (WBBM, Oct 24)  As to the last paragraph, some railroaders will always be anti-railfan with reports like these only strengthening their opinions.  To counter this, do we know of any reports where railfans were considered to be the hero?  Slambo (Speak)  14:43, 26 October 2008 (UTC)

Origins of interest
This section seems entirely POV and lacking in citations - do people think this section needs pruning or even removing? Calindreams (talk) 11:12, 7 January 2009 (UTC)

 * I think it is important to address the question "Why?". Agreed the section is uncited, and it would be good to get some more authoritative backing to the claims made; however, I do not believe the section to be particularly harmful to WP, and I don't think you would find many rail fans disagreeing with what it says. Additionally, although it has hints of WP:OR, I don't think there are many serious POV issues to address.
 * EdJogg (talk) 14:28, 7 January 2009 (UTC)
 * Agreed, it it's not a major issue. I am coming from the point of a reader who isn't particularly a railfan and for me it doesn't really add anything to the info in the article. Calindreams (talk) 16:01, 8 January 2009 (UTC)

James May, in his newspaper column, gives a few clues (see "Rail travel might have something going for it"): A steam locomotive is a noble beast and an honest expression of industrial toil. There's a reason why a five- year-old in 2009 loves Thomas the Tank Engine, even though such a thing hasn't been seen in regular employment since before his parents were born. And never had a face.

We know, as we do with mechanical wristwatches, that a steam engine can't really be as good as the modern equivalent, but that doesn't detract from the simple fact that it's just more beautiful. A steam engine is so open to understanding; so downright comprehensible in its workings. I stand next to a steam engine on a preserved railway line and, even though I would struggle to pick up any one component of it single-handed, I can conceive of making one myself. I never feel like that about a gas turbine or rocket motor.

Maybe this can be worked into the article somehow?

BTW -- Editors will find the whole linked article of interest. -- EdJogg (talk) 22:16, 2 July 2009 (UTC)

On the lingo...
For the time being, I'm removing the following block of text: Those who spend most of their time on one station only are known as "stoats" or "veg". Contrasted with Stoats are "dorbs", who travel frequently from station to station, often on a particular favourite variety of train, in order to spot lines which may not run through their home vicinity. "Cranks" are particularly attracted to one type of train and make sure they see all of its workings. "Neds" concentrate on special rail activity and tend to ignore the regular happenings on the lines, and look for "gen" (information about railway workings) prior to spotting. Most of the citation requests have been there for 3 years. I did a cursory search for a couple of the terms in relation to the practice and could find no basis for them. If someone more knowledgable in the subject would like to incorporate them again, please make sure you cite sources or, at the very least, provide some explanation for why each term came to be used. Technically, they'd still require citation, but some sort of  'oh that makes sense'  story would go a long way towards justifying their inclusion until such citation could be provided. --K10wnsta (talk) 03:56, 10 May 2010 (UTC)

 * Yeah, odd one. My dad always refers to himself as being a "crank", but doesn't do any of the above - he's just what you might call a railfan or an enthusiast. He likes his trains, that's all. Actually, the whole reason I'm reading the talk page is that I was slightly puzzled not to see any reference to "crank" anywhere on the page, and wondered if was in fact just my dad's idiolect... Brickie (talk) 20:52, 1 September 2010 (UTC)

I was a bit shocked to see "peridromophile" linked to this page, only to discover that word does not appear anywhere on the page! All this chat about "Stoats" and even "neds" is all very well, But perhaps the peridromophilia issue should be addressed first. At least we have a well documented case for the use of the term. However it could be argued that unless we grant peridromophile apage to istelf it should rather go philately, which has somewhat arbitrarily been restricted to he collecting of stamps, a quite distinct pastime. I would be grateful to hear other peoples views before tampering with the page here or that of the stamp collectors.Leutha (talk) 21:29, 1 August 2011 (UTC)

"in the USA they are known as grizzers or gricers, according to their speciality (see below)"
This topic asserts that the terms grizzers and gricers are in use in the USA, and have specialized meanings, but fails to follow up on this by explaining their use in the USA. The latter term is mentioned later, as in use in Britain for complete riding enthusiasts (though other sites say the term is used for all rainfans, not just complete riding enthusiasts). But it doesn't mention whether it has a similar meaning in the USA. The former term isn't mentioned at all. This sentence should be deleted unless specific cited descriptions of the terms as used in the USA can be added. StevenDoerfler (talk) 17:09, 17 September 2011 (UTC)

As far as I am aware, neither the term "gricer" nor the term "grizzer" have ever been used in the USA at all. The only way a US rail enthusiast is likely to come across these words is by interacting with UK rail enthusiasts. I suspect the author may be confusing "UK" with "USA" at the beginning of this paragraph. Unless someone can cite a US rail enthusiast source using the word "gricer," I also suggest that this sentence be deleted. 24.23.243.111 (talk) 06:12, 6 October 2011 (UTC)

Update: gricer is present in Wikipedia's Glossary of United Kingdom railway terminology article, but not in the List of US railfan jargon. If no one objects within a week, I will remove the italicized portion of this sentence in the Other names topic:

"'In the UK, railfans are mostly called railway enthusiasts and sometimes trainspotters, but in the USA they are known as grizzers or gricers, according to their speciality (see below).'"

24.23.243.111 (talk) 04:29, 10 October 2011 (UTC)

Update: removed the above phrase from the article. 173.228.117.98 (talk) 21:01, 18 October 2011 (UTC)

Melbourne Trains
There was a reference to Connex restricting photos in Melbourne. Connex were replaced by Metro Trains, so the ref was out of date. In updating, I removed two links: http://www.railpage.com.au/f-t11310032-0-asc-s0.htm http://forums.vicsig.net/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=1791 Since both referred to Connex and both were basically forum entries. Luckydog429 (talk) 21:04, 30 December 2011 (UTC)

External links modified
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Photography article
A question arose in Talk:Digital manipulation in railway photography as to whether that article ought to exist at all, with a consensus that it should not. I proposed that the proper implementation is to merge it, along with the photography section of this article, into a new article for Railway photography. Is this a good idea? Jim.henderson (talk) 18:50, 17 February 2016 (UTC)
 * That is not a matter for this page, which is for discussing improvements to the article Railfan. It should be at a more general discussion page, such as WT:RAIL. -- Red rose64 (talk) 00:42, 18 February 2016 (UTC)

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Interlanguage links and Poland
Kind of strange: this article, while some 6,000 words long and at least 14 years old, has none, although I know no country which would not feature this hobby. I even met a trainspotter from Kiribati. Poor guy need a lot of travelling. BTW, you might consider the existence of this page :) as well as this one. There are others.

A few days ago I tried to change it, creating a Polish version. Modest, 25x shorter, with just the basic info, such as contained in the polish version. Five minutes later it was removed as "orphan", without an attempt to contact me (against wiki rules, isn't it?). I prepared a background text, 10 times longer than my article itself, justyfying its need of existence. No answer, ever. Tried again, article removed again. Only then I checked the discussion of this wiki purity guardian. He seems to be removing at least one page every month, never providing an explanation, never answering the author's questions or complaints.

Today, at last, I noticed the existence of this Polish Wiki article. A few lines saying nothing, not even mentioning the existence of a strong community in Poland or the range of our activities. The latter, by the way, is far broader than, no offense, in the UK or particularly US, when you, American Railfans, seem to concentrate on heritage steam and financing Acela or California High Speed.

Well, I intend now to re-edit, or rather replace its content with mine. Yes, again, there shall hardly be sources to quote, but I ensure you I know what I am doing - I have been trainspotting for 54 years now, my first 12-hours-long trip alone to the Warsaw Central Station with ma baby camera when I was six. Yet I expect a strong opposition of this piastu guy and would like to ask if you can offer some support... There is no appeal here in Poland, the official Polish wiki twitter account dead since June 2018.

Last remark: the name, the title. The current one in the Polish wiki says nothing. No, we do not call ourselves "trainspotters". Never did. It was always "Maniak Kolejowy", i.e. "Rail Maniac", what may be considered offensive. It is not, and still, we no longer use the word: Polish maniacs, as one of few railfan communities in the world, created and adopted a widely used short form "MK".

Should I, can I then change the TITLE of the article? How? How do I add interlanguage links? The beautiful help pages in English lead to s dead end, to an inxeistent item. The Polish ones are written in a language only the author may understand. — Preceding unsigned comment added by KrzysztofLeski (talk • contribs) 13:39, 9 September 2019 (UTC)
 * This is the English Wikipedia. The policies and other practices of the Dutch, Swedish and Polish Wikipedias are entirely outside our control. -- Red rose64 🌹 (talk) 18:56, 9 September 2019 (UTC)

OK, I am banned
I can no longer edit anything in the Polish wiki. Yet again, not an attempt to contact me, no warning. Admin's power demonstrated.

This time I tried to remove a picture, the only one that illustrates the Polish "trainspotting" article. It presents, a behaviour against the law and main rules of railfanning.

No way. Admins know better. == (from:) Krzysztof Leski (talk) 15:12, 9 September 2019 (UTC)
 * This is the English Wikipedia. What happens at the Polish Wikipedia is their business, it is nothing to do with us. -- Red rose64 🌹 (talk) 18:53, 9 September 2019 (UTC)
 * OK, acknowledged, though it ruins my impression of wiki as one family... :)
 * However, I might need another advice. The Railfan article in ENwiki CANNOT be added as an interlanguage link to any article in PLwiki because someone... made it a link from a CATEGORY in PLwiki, not an article. What is the purpose, any solutions? KrzysztofLeski (talk) 19:27, 9 September 2019 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by KrzysztofLeski (talk • contribs) 19:27, 9 September 2019 (UTC)
 * This is the talk page for discussing improvements to the page Railfan. It is not a help page: if you need assistance with matters concerning the English Wikipedia, a number of avenues are listed at Help:Contents; if your problem is specific to the Polish Wikipedia, I suggest that you try pl:Pomoc:Spis treści. -- Red rose64 🌹 (talk) 19:55, 9 September 2019 (UTC)

A Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion
The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion: Participate in the deletion discussion at the nomination page. —Community Tech bot (talk) 13:52, 23 October 2022 (UTC)
 * Loxxzoo.jpg

Seperate trainspotting article
Hello, I have been working on a new article about trainspotters as I felt the topic needed further information which wasn’t covered in the current railfans article and couldn’t easily be wedged in. While ‘railfan’ is an umbrella term which covers trainspotting I don’t think the topic and its significance in British culture can be done justice without a seperate article. Please have a look at the draft article here and make/suggest any improvements: Draft:Trainspotter Wikociewie (talk) 09:24, 3 January 2024 (UTC)

Article about railfans in Japan
Railfans in Japan are only briefly covered in this article so I felt that there was an opportunity for a separate article focusing specifically on the topic covering their unique history and activities. Please take a look at the draft here Draft:Densha otaku and make any improvements/comments/suggestions that occur.

title: Talk:Railfan


text:
Talk:Medical Marijuana

You might want to check out Medicinal marijuana and just do a redirect - Gantry 06:39, 19 Dec 2004 (UTC)

title: Talk:Medical Marijuana


title: File:Himmler45.jpg


text:
XBin

XBin, or eXtended Binary, is a file format for saving IBM PC text mode images.

Essentially an extension to the normal raw-image BIN (raw memory copy of text mode video memory) files, it provides an enhanced means for saving console graphics superior to ANSI graphics.

The format was created by Belgian programmer Tasmaniac of ACiD, partly in response to the demand for a solution to save images in the BIN image format, which offered no insight as to the size/width of the image. XBin stores its width information internally so that a programmer or user does not need to define this information more than once, an inherent problem with plain BIN files.

XBin also had several notable features above and beyond that of standard text images saved in ANSI format in that it took further advantage of the text mode environment by (optionally) storing alternate palette color information, supporting modified character set fonts and its own simple compression system.

title: XBin