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A railfan is an enthusiast or hobbyist of railroad trains, of both the historic and modern varieties. Railfans commonly collect or build model trains on tracks or more elaborate city and landscape dioramas. They may also participate in clubs. Railroad photography is also a common hobby of railfans. Other hobbies may include visiting railroad museums, listening to railroad radio communications, taking frequent trips on passenger and tourist railroads, and watching trains in action. Art, music, books, and movies about railroading are popular among railfans. Several magazines cater to railroad hobbyists.

In the United States, railfans are sometimes known as "foamers". This comes from slang used by railroad workers, who have noted that some people start "foaming" with excitement whenever they see a train. It is a slightly derogatory term but railfans have adopted it with pride. In Europe and especially the United Kingdom, the term " trainspotter" is sometimes used, although this refers to the specific activity of watching trains and is not quite synonymous with railfan.

Railfans may have different interests pertaining to railroads. Some railfans are mainly interested in the steam railroad era, while others may be mainly interested in modern diesel railroads, and many are interested in both. Some railfans specialize their interest in one or more specific railroad companies, either currently existing ones, or those which no longer exist. Railroads which are no longer in business are commonly known as fallen flags.

Sometimes, the appeal of trains is nostalgic, recalling an earlier era when the railroads played a central role in commerceThis article is about the business concept; Commerce is also the name of several places in the United States''. Commerce is the exchange of something of value between two entities. That "something" may be goods, services, information, money, or anything e and transportationFor the movement of people or objects, see transport. For the shipping of convicted criminals to penal colonies, see penal transportation., and the train depot was the center of every town. Sometimes, the appeal can come from a fondness for the power of large machinery. Sometimes, there is an appeal of the scenery of the railroad running through incredible terrain, or the gritty ambience of the urban train yard. Sometimes, the appeal cannot be explained. Many people, who would not otherwise think of themselves as railfans, like trains. Most cannot explain why. Songs and stories have glorified railroading ever since the invention of the locomotiveA locomotive is a vehicle that provides the motive power for a railway train. Traditionally, the locomotive or locomotives are positioned at the front of a train, pulling passenger carriages and/or freight vehicles. This requires the locomotive to be move, especially in the United States, while children's toys and books about trains continue to be popular. The Railroad TycoonRailroad Tycoon is a computer strategy game. There are three versions; the original Railroad Tycoon ( 1990), Railroad Tycoon II ( 1998), and Railroad Tycoon 3 ( 2003). Railroad Tycoon was originally written by game designer Sid Meier and published by Micr series of computer games is another example of railroads' enduring popularity.

A railfan can be spotted by a camera, scanner (complete with every railroad channel known to man), railfan vehicle, custom railroad themed license plate, and a railroad shirt.

Ever since 9/11The attacks of September 11, 2001 were a series of coordinated terrorist attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001. Nineteen members of the al-Qaida militant Islamist group hijacked four aircraft. They crashed two into the two towers of the, the railroad railfan has tended to have trouble with law enforcement, since bystanders often report them as terrorists. Even though the common railfan takes pictures from public property, he or she may still get questioned by the cops.

Jason Trew, a railfan in Ringgold, GeorgiaRinggold is a city located in Catoosa County, Georgia. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 2,422. The city is the county seat of Catoosa County 6. Ringgold is where the locomotive General stopped during the great locomotive chase on had a close encounter with the law. "Me and a bunch of other railfans were watching a Norfolk Southern train go by and a person called the Whitfied County Sheriff and what the person thought was a shotgun, ended up to be a monopod for a camera that another railfan had." Even though this railfan had a close encounter with the police, no one should really be afraid of seeing a railfan taking a photo of a train rolling by.