railfanning

Absaroka · Post by **Absaroka** » Thu Mar 31, 2005 8:12 am

Just a thought. I have noticed that several people here in their posts have mentioned liking trains, railfanning and etc. It is a passion that I share.

Both this and crossdressing for me seem to be rooted in happy childhood experiences and I wonder if there is some sort of a connection, maybe just feeling things unusually intensly or maybe I am still just a kid at heart. Does this ring a bell with anyone else?

I suppose we could get into all sorts of symbolism here such as the train taking you on a journey to far away places such as our other side also.

Andrea

Virginia · Post by **Virginia** » Thu Mar 31, 2005 8:52 am

I had a Lionel train set when I was small and I can remember details of it more than anyother childhood experience. I also use to ride the train from home to the school I attended about a six hour ride. I now live in Roanoke and we have the "Transportation Museum" and the O. Winston Link museum. He is renowed for his pictures of trains and you would swear looking at them that they were actually moving and you can hear the whistle blowing.
One of my desires is to take the train trip across I guess Southern Canada through the Rockies. Of course I also want to do the Steamboat trip down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers.
Girl has to have dreams!
Virginia

Post by **DonnaT** » Thu Mar 31, 2005 9:33 am

There are a couple of other CD forums that have threads pertaining to trains and trannies

An a number that also include being ham radio operators.

I've always like trains, even wanted to build a big layout in the basement, but never did. There is a train set upstairs in the closet.

My great grandpa worked on the B&O. Maybe it has something to do with being Irish also

TamaraSegunda · Post by **TamaraSegunda** » Thu Mar 31, 2005 3:02 pm

I've been a train nut since the first time I ever saw one (at about age 3). My childhood ambition was never to be a policeman or a fireman or a doctor or a cowboy; I wanted to be an engineer on the Union Pacific, between Ogden, Utah, and Evanston, Wyoming. To this day, when I visit a new city, one of places I want to see first is its railroad station.

I'm not sure what connection, if any, exists between the gender stuff and the trains, but even as a child I can remember wishing that I was the engineer in the cab of the locomotive, and at the same time imagining that I was the elegant lady being helped aboard a luxurious, first-class sleeper by a courtly Pullman Porter. Today on my office walls, I have two calendars. One features classic Vogue models, the other features photos from the golden age of train travel.

[Sigh] We are so weird! Isn't it wonderful?
.......Tamara Segunda

Alexandra · Post by **Alexandra** » Thu Mar 31, 2005 4:03 pm

TamaraSegunda wrote:We are so weird! Isn't it wonderful?

Violet · Post by **Violet** » Thu Mar 31, 2005 4:35 pm

I recall with great fondness the rail trips my family used to take to the west coast to visit family and friends when I was very young, especially the series of tunnels through the rocky mountains. I recently took a trip by rail from Toronto to Montreal; it really wasn't the same, no cool scenery and nothing to do for the entire length of the trip; I guess memory trumps reality. I wish there was still the same amount of VIA rail service in Canada; CP Rail built this nation, and it's very sad to see it in such decline. I do greatly enjoy subways and C-trains, though.

Tristen Cox · Post by **Tristen Cox** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 9:08 am

Ok no laughing, but I've never actually travelled by train. However I've had collections of model trains up until I was 14 and have always had some strange passion when it comes to miniature trains be it indoor or outdoor setups. It's pretty amazing what they can do with small scale versions. As far as real trains I love the early 1900s through 1930s steam engines. There's something about the feel of that time that takes me back wishing I was there myself. *sighs*

Love
Tristen

Absaroka · Post by **Absaroka** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 12:01 pm

This is pretty intriguing. Maybe both things are just signs of us "being in touch with our inner child" to use psychospeak. In all seriousness for me both of them have some similar components in terms of make believe and childhood happiness.

On the other hand an awful lot of people like trains. I have a layout in n scale in my house and it is noticable when someone does not comment on it-most people are at least intrigued by it. And since crossdressing is supposed to be a lot more common that people generally think maybe it is inevitable.

Ham radio- I can see why the totally anonymity of that might be loads of fun for crossdressers.

Any other thoughts on the why of a connection?

Thanks
Andrea

Violet · Post by **Violet** » Fri Apr 01, 2005 3:07 pm

Interesting, what kind of psychological weight we will give to vehicles of various kinds. Sports cars, trucks, big rigs, buses, double-decker buses, SUVs, vans, minivans, hatchbacks, econo cars, half-laners, off-roaders, harleys, ninja bikes, and Ford Prefects - all are essentially the same thing, yet each projects (and *interjects*) a different image. A train is an entirely different animal. When you're in a car, either you're in control or you have immediate, direct access to the mechanism of control and the person handling it. When traveling by rail, you're entirely dependant on the machine and driver which you normally do not even see; and yet rail generally feels much 'safer' (instinctually) than travel by car - your path is set and there are, for the most part, no other vehicles in sight. There is no sense of nagging worry; you can just 'sit back and enjoy the ride'. Perhaps why the method is so comforting to those of us who may otherwise have a lot to worry about. Almost like being held safe in your mother's arms... or am I reading too muchinto this?

Absaroka · Post by **Absaroka** » Sat Apr 02, 2005 12:09 am

Riding by passenger train certainly is more relaxing. As to reading too much into things who knows? I remember being told once that peanut butter is a psychiatrically fascinating food-all sorts of stuff about how it is one of the first foods we can prepare for ourselves (think p&j sandwiches) soprobably trains are a psychiatrically fascinating mode of transportation. Our minds certainly do work in mysterious ways and the train as womb or mothers arms is not all that far fetched. Also just the idea of being taken somewhere and you can't get off..............

I personally have always been fascinated by freight trains. Love to watch them. I always wanted to ride one somewhere but never did. I have had friends who did though.

Andrea

Alexandra · Post by **Alexandra** » Sat Apr 02, 2005 1:59 am

when I was a wee lad, I was lucky enough to make a cross-country trip on Great Northern's famous "Empire Builder". I remember going up to the dome car in the wee hours of the night. A few short years later passenger service was kaput.

Merinda · Post by **Merinda** » Sat Apr 02, 2005 4:34 am

well I will be in the city tomorrow (hopefully ) to ride one of our last Hitachi suburban trains with no air-con , appreciating 30+ years of the" SILVER SAUNA"

Absaroka · Post by **Absaroka** » Sat Apr 02, 2005 3:22 pm

the Great Northern was one of my favorites although I never got to ride it. I loved that mountan goat on the sides of the cars

I did ride around on the Northern Pacific quite a bit. I remember going for over night trips with the windows open in the summer listening to the noise and stretching out on the seats with my legs across the aisle

-it wasn't very crowded by the mid sixties.

Andrea

Alexandra · Post by **Alexandra** » Tue Apr 05, 2005 3:53 am

sort of like multi engined non-turbo radial piston aircraft -- a nightmare to maintain . . . but no jet sounds as great as a Lockheed Constellation taking off . . . oh, wait, this is the train thread . . .

Beauty · Post by **Beauty** » Tue Apr 05, 2005 6:05 am

Andrea wrote:Just a thought. I have noticed that several people here in their posts have mentioned liking trains, railfanning and etc. It is a passion that I share.

Both this and crossdressing for me seem to be rooted in happy childhood experiences and I wonder if there is some sort of a connection, maybe just feeling things unusually intensly or maybe I am still just a kid at heart. Does this ring a bell with anyone else?

I suppose we could get into all sorts of symbolism here such as the train taking you on a journey to far away places such as our other side also.

Andrea

Hi Andrea,

Sorry for the delay in my response. When I read this thread title I went, "Wow.. another train thread." I said that because of what you noted in your first paragraph. I've seen lots of train threads in CD'ing forums, including this one.

Now I guess this could be because trains are just plain old popular, but I do wonder if what you are saying is true.

Anyhoo.. on to my feelings.

I loved trains and I love traveling on them.

When I was little I was always fascinated by the model trains, but I never really coveted a train set enough to beg for it for Christmas or anything.

Great thread!

Beauty

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