The Story of AJ Railfan (And why the Railfan Community is done for..)

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  • Опубликовано: 8 янв 2025

Комментарии • 239

  • @GamingRailfanner
    @GamingRailfanner  2 дня назад +15

    There's tons of things I didn't say in the video because it would be over 20 minutes long and I know 95% of people wouldn't watch the entire thing
    But in other words, along with what I said, people have gained a sense of entitlement and have become soft compared to the 2010s (and even before that), As well as Social Media shifting the "Culture"
    Also I completely forgot but here's the video of the 2020 CN Separation: ruclips.net/video/VV-QgaHCvJ0/видео.htmlsi=XbXiYNJTU4kEy1rQ
    And here's the 2024 CN Separation: ruclips.net/video/S1wytAllGkY/видео.htmlsi=vcdcqhzVwZPdmjXF
    Aside from the commentary difference(s), compare the comment section

  • @TheWinnipegRailfan
    @TheWinnipegRailfan 2 дня назад +107

    I miss AJ a lot honestly, his well edited content back in 2018 was WAY ahead of its time, and he was a genuinely nice guy to talk to. 😔

    • @railfandepotproductions
      @railfandepotproductions 2 дня назад +3

      @@TheWinnipegRailfan you could always join the transit town legacy server if you want to and if possible

    • @CDTX2052offical
      @CDTX2052offical День назад +2

      @TheWinnipegRailfan don't worry I also make great memes you could also watch, but i also Miss AJ railfan so much 😢

    • @TheWinnipegRailfan
      @TheWinnipegRailfan День назад +1

      @@railfandepotproductions oh? i didnt know there was a legacy server still around lol

    • @FECMILWAUKEEOctoling
      @FECMILWAUKEEOctoling 14 часов назад

      @@railfandepotproductions mhm do you have a link?

    • @railfandepotproductions
      @railfandepotproductions 10 часов назад

      @PRROcto1361 here you go

  • @erfp551
    @erfp551 2 дня назад +35

    Not only the rudeness, but this hobby has became a competition and people are now purposely making people miss trains and bragging, we’re all here for one reason. We like trains

  • @TrainzShenaniganz
    @TrainzShenaniganz 2 дня назад +32

    0:04 Thanks for including me. It does suck to see AJ go, he truly was a chill dude who made amazing memes.

  • @AmtrakFunkandDiscoFan
    @AmtrakFunkandDiscoFan 2 дня назад +43

    Dude, back in 2020, I used to be so obsessed AJ Railfan. I have cited him as a big influence on my channel.

    • @GamingRailfanner
      @GamingRailfanner  2 дня назад +8

      Same, I honestly should've fully mentioned that

    • @railfanhunterjacob6353
      @railfanhunterjacob6353 День назад +1

      @@GamingRailfanner Just sent you an email and I have a solution to fix the railfan community. I think this is the only option we have for the next generation of railfans

  • @SilverThunder710
    @SilverThunder710 2 дня назад +41

    Railfans are so insane that even railfans don’t want to be railfans anymore. Literally every single community I’m in is like this now. The Internet isn’t even worth it anymore. The few sensible people who don’t care about clout and just want to enjoy a hobby or a game or ANYTHING just can’t anymore.

    • @railfandepotproductions
      @railfandepotproductions 2 дня назад +1

      Why not call em out directly?

    • @District_1073
      @District_1073 2 дня назад

      I’m one of those people who doesn’t care about clout but this I really true

    • @railfandepotproductions
      @railfandepotproductions 2 дня назад

      @District_1073 is*

    • @NepsiNetCEO
      @NepsiNetCEO 2 дня назад +3

      True. Very. You can’t enjoy ANYTHING now, because there is always someone there to ruin it for the people who like it. Which is why I enjoy things that are unpopular, because the less popular it is the less haters there are.

    • @railfandepotproductions
      @railfandepotproductions 2 дня назад

      @NepsiNetCEO whatever happened to fighting back

  • @amtrakp4242
    @amtrakp4242 2 дня назад +45

    11:23 Thanks Sebastian Deyoung and CCRP (Capitol City Rail Productions) for Ruining the Railfan Community so badly that it’s unfixable

  • @KeystoneTrains
    @KeystoneTrains 2 дня назад +23

    I wholeheartedly agree. I hate to say that Covid changed people. The lack of respect and empathy towards us railfans has hit a low. I remember growing up watching A.J. Railfan and I always enjoyed his videos, my favorite video of his was when he was railfaning UP 4014 in Minecraft. Idk if anyone else remembers it.

  • @Rails-Of-Illinois
    @Rails-Of-Illinois 2 дня назад +16

    The railfanning community gotta be fixed... COVID really isolated tons of people (including railfans) tbh. I wish foamers didn't exist, ngl.

  • @GP30_Foamer
    @GP30_Foamer 2 дня назад +34

    I remember being in the transit town discord at the time of AJ’s departure, and I remember being so worried when one of the mods told me the news that he was leaving. I’ve been so beyond lucky to be with the railfans I’ve been with, most of them are actually former transit town members themselves. I want to do my best to make AJ’s last words a reality, I wish so badly that every railfan out there was as kind and respectful as those from that discord, but I’m scared that the rest of the world is too far gone to make it happen…

  • @amtrakproductions-mx9ib
    @amtrakproductions-mx9ib 2 дня назад +21

    I’m sad he’s gone. but hey, at least the channel still exists

    • @codyrapp7253
      @codyrapp7253 2 дня назад

      @@amtrakproductions-mx9ib true

  • @AJRailfan
    @AJRailfan 10 минут назад +1

    This was surprisingly accurate, I never thought anyone would make a video essay about me, let alone one that put to words the complex emotions I felt when I left my channel. You're absolutely right - I've found that the railfan community, perhaps due to its predominantly adolescent male population, suffers from normalized aggression against people who are perceived as childish (or "cringe" ). Furthermore, communities of railfans rapidly change what they perceive as socially acceptable in an effort to find new ways to put down different groups of railfans, for no reason other than their own enjoyment and need for validation from their peers (the "live long enough to see yourself become the villain" was a reference to how I felt I had taken part in this behavior at some points towards the end of my RUclips career, which I deeply regret).
    I have considered coming back to RUclips at numerous points in the past few years, but the trauma of being bullied, the trauma of taking part in bullying, and the fear for my safety in an increasingly politically divided America have kept me from returning. That being said, there were also many great friends I made along the way and many moments when I felt happy to be around so many people who got excited about trains the way I used to. If you've ever commented "I miss you AJ" on any of my videos, I miss you too. I wish it was possible to return to my channel and put a smile on your face without reliving my childhood trauma.
    Thank you for making this video. I'm glad I'm not the only person who sees the railfan "community" for the bullying competition it is. I hope one day I feel safe enough to return in some way.

  • @Blur4strike-2
    @Blur4strike-2 2 дня назад +5

    It's things like this that make me stay as a solo railfan in public and private, too much of a headache dealing with all the haters and rumors of spicy things going on behind the scenes. There really needs to be a 'cleanup' of the railfan community as a whole, not trying to be the 'thought police' but more along the lines of trying to be a decent human being if you will.

  • @nattheunordinary
    @nattheunordinary День назад +2

    I honestly feel like leaving the railfan/transit community was one of the best things I've done. The amount of drama, chaos, toxicity and plain tomfuckery was beyond mind boggling

  • @TheSanCarlosRailfan
    @TheSanCarlosRailfan 2 дня назад +15

    Shockingly I know the creator of AJ railfan in person

    • @railfanlynx
      @railfanlynx День назад

      is he okay?

    • @CNJL_Productions
      @CNJL_Productions День назад

      damn. is he doing alright?

    • @TheSanCarlosRailfan
      @TheSanCarlosRailfan День назад +2

      He is good and feeling better

    • @railfanlynx
      @railfanlynx День назад

      @@TheSanCarlosRailfan I hope he comes back one day, we all miss bro very much

    • @TheSanCarlosRailfan
      @TheSanCarlosRailfan День назад +1

      IVE talked to him a few times it doesn’t seem he is coming back😢

  • @MononFan603
    @MononFan603 2 дня назад +17

    If there is anything I've learned, is that most people don't realize the worse until it's too late.

  • @gabetrain8834
    @gabetrain8834 2 дня назад +7

    It’s strange seeing train videos now compared to the 2000s, or the 2010s. I watched the railfan community fall apart in front of my own eyes in the past 5 years

  • @MassRailfan124
    @MassRailfan124 2 дня назад +6

    Its horrible that the railfan community was an amazing community to share the love of trains to become the definition absolute stupidity and destruction. We only have a bad reputation because of the people that have gone from good railfans to absolutely idiotic people who don't know any better, I am drifting away from the community gradually due to all of this idiotic behavior.

  • @nickelplatestudios2162
    @nickelplatestudios2162 День назад +1

    While I can't exactly speak for AJ just because I'm not terribly familiar with his channel, I can think of a number of reasons why the railfan community is fundamentally ill at best, and screwed at worst. I'm not a college qualified anthropologist, so I can't say whether or not the proliferation of the internet or COVID was the definitive cause of all this community's problems, but I imagine they certainly didn't help either, and probably further fanned the flames of this dumpster fire.
    Coming from me personally, I was picked on relentlessly in school for trains and railroading being my hobby. It was suffocating honestly, and it only abated when I met a couple friends who were also into the same hobby. While our interactions with the mainstream railfan community were limited, I thought maybe that others outside of our circle would've shared the same values we did; a community's whose only requirement was sharing the respect, passion and knowledge of trains. It really is disheartening to see the exact same kind of mistreatment and hatred, being dished out by those who are not dissimilar to my school bullies, who call the railfan community their home. What should be a casual hobby has been turned into a toxic competition: Whose model is better than whose, which railroad is better, which region of the country in terms of railroads is better, whose photo has the better light, whose camera is better, and lots of other extremely petulant, trivial, materialistic, high-school level BS. This community is also lacking in empathy and morals, and it tolerates gatekeeping and mob mentality. To clarify, I'm not saying "all" railfans are like this, but the amount of people who treat the hobby like a "good ol' boys" club is enough to be noticeable. I've also seen plenty of clout chasers, vandals, racists, sexists, homophobes, transphobes, domestic abusers, stalkers, complete basket-case psychopaths, and an alarming number of people being outed as PDFiles in this community over the past couple of years. Perhaps rather sickeningly is that even after some of these people are busted, they sneak back in and resume their regular activities without any kind of pushback or accountability.
    This community is going to have to come to a major reckoning with the crazies in it's ranks if it wants to improve its reputation. Unfortunately, I just don't foresee this happening if things stay on their current trajectory. Sometimes I almost don't blame folks for finding other hobbies. The amount of BS that goes on in the railfan community is not worth putting up with.

  • @MiddleboroLakevilleRailfan
    @MiddleboroLakevilleRailfan 2 дня назад +11

    It’s such a shame that railfans stumbled upon brainrot and let it manipulate them in such a way to have made these things possible. As you may have noticed, I have been leaving the railfan community slowly but steadily. I don’t want to associate myself with people who don’t know how to act civil and who do stupid things like this.

    • @MassRailfan124
      @MassRailfan124 2 дня назад +1

      I agree, it sucks that the community has become more disappointing but has fallen apart big time. Our society in our world is also taking a turn for the worst. Its upsetting, very upsetting.

  • @MerseyTransport
    @MerseyTransport 2 дня назад +16

    A legend gone because people can't keep their hate to themselves. Society now is screwed

    • @railfandepotproductions
      @railfandepotproductions 2 дня назад +2

      Then don't sit back

    • @MerseyTransport
      @MerseyTransport День назад

      ​​@@railfandepotproductions what'd you expect me to do? Go into the argument & start insulting whoever I see? This issue has been addressed by multiple people yet nothing seems to change. If you want action, do it yourself.

    • @amtrakp4242
      @amtrakp4242 7 часов назад

      @@MerseyTransport that’s something everyone agrees with

  • @backbayproductions9508
    @backbayproductions9508 15 часов назад +1

    I've barely been a part of the railfan community for the last 2 to 3 years at this point. It's definitely affected my motivation to film trains, let alone be around those with that similar interest.
    In my opinion, 2019 was a sign for things to come. People had been complaining about railfans being unnecessarily aggressive and mean through half of the year. It got to the point where some needed a break and some just outright left. While it might have been the least bad year between then and now, it already layed out the foundation of what toxicity we were about to see in the years that followed.
    2020 was definitely the big turning point. While I did make friends that year who I'd trainspot with a couple of times between then and 2021, those friendships were temporary. One of them went on to be a cop hater, another just stopped showing up, and a 3rd I just stopped catching up with when I started to distance myself from the community. I was also bullied A LOT that year for no reason whatsoever by not just the railfan community but many in general.
    2021 was where things went from bad to worse. Does Nicco's Trains sound familiar? I don't think we need to recall the unspeakable act he did and filmed that year. Besides him, there was a huge ton of drama and bullying that was worse than the year prior. At that point, I had enough of the community and distanced myself from it almost entirely. Trainspotting became a lot more rare for me and even today it is still rare for me to do.
    Fast forward to now and I think it's safe to say the community is beyond repair. There are WAY too many bad seeds in the community to the point where you'd be better off trainspotting by yourself and not even interact with anyone within it, let alone make friends. It's gonna take A VERY long time if this community wants the respect it once had and if it wants any real redemption.

  • @Britannica-Productions
    @Britannica-Productions 2 дня назад +7

    I remember seeing AJ Railfan’s videos back in 2019-2021. When I found out he was gone, I really couldn’t believe what I just heard, but at least some videos are still up. The railfan community might collapse like a house of cards one day, and even if we couldn’t know, he knew.

  • @CP7014productions
    @CP7014productions 2 дня назад +6

    the railfan community has gotten VERY disrespectful/rude since 2020, i’ve been called the r word for not knowing something about a specific engine type, specific discord servers will call you an r word for such small stuff, including a RU developer.

    • @CPTRailfan
      @CPTRailfan 2 дня назад

      @@CP7014productions RU as in Rails Unlimited?

  • @Dan_isreal.08
    @Dan_isreal.08 День назад +1

    I’m not gonna lie you’re right, I left around 2021-2022 as well due to similar reasons (and me just growing out of it I guess). My experiences during 2020-2021 were honestly terrible (although I’m not gonna lie I did some stupid shit too but it was mostly just small drama and me being immature). People have become so lacking of empathy now it’s actually depressing, I still like trains but from that point on I’m just not gonna associate myself with the word “railfan”.

  • @HeyItsMeGoku785
    @HeyItsMeGoku785 2 дня назад +5

    Im so disappointed in the railfan community its genuinely made me start rethinking my choices of being a railfanner

  • @GalaxysSouthFLRailfanning
    @GalaxysSouthFLRailfanning 2 дня назад +9

    Thia community is cooked.
    If it gets any worse i might lean more to the bus community
    My love for trains wont stop though.

    • @GamingRailfanner
      @GamingRailfanner  2 дня назад +2

      Yea, having something to fall back on is a good idea

  • @trainsandsirensofilinmiwi2080
    @trainsandsirensofilinmiwi2080 2 дня назад +9

    It just makes me VERY heartbroken that he had to deal with so much hate. No one should ever deserve to go through any of that.

    • @athxlpacii77x4
      @athxlpacii77x4 День назад

      can you tell me who Buccaneer is exactly?

    • @BayAreaFoamCo
      @BayAreaFoamCo День назад

      @athxlpacii77x4 Railfan diddy

    • @GamingRailfanner
      @GamingRailfanner  День назад

      Buccaneer Railfanning is an alleged "PDF File" if you know what I mean, this was uncovered a month or so ago

  • @TrainMedia00
    @TrainMedia00 2 дня назад +9

    I understand AJ and you because I thought railfans are kind and respectful and chat about "hey what's your favorite railroad, mines CSX" like a conversation and become choo choo friends but now this present they all changed and spread like a nuke bomb, they just like to argue "Union Pacific is better, No it's BNSF! " Instead of what's your favorite but no they just go on a war on themselves, and also I hate when they just pointing fingers at you thinking you did something as a CN train with a coupler just broke off and I really don't get it because why?
    And I feel so bad for AJ ending his YT career because of the disrespect of the whole community.
    I feel like I'm the only railfan who is just looking at this pure chaos of the community that I'm in is now destroying.
    In the future I'll have my own RUclips channel of all things trains for not only railfans but all train enthusiasts I'll be like Hyce and AmtrakGuy365.
    This community may be f&&ked up but I still love trains and there in my blood, and AJ I'm sorry for your channel to end.

    • @bigcstrainsthings6149
      @bigcstrainsthings6149 2 дня назад +5

      Hyce and AmtrakGuy365 are keeping the railfaning community together at the point

    • @GamingRailfanner
      @GamingRailfanner  2 дня назад +4

      Hyce and AmtrakGuy365 are pretty much the staple of this community, along with the smaller Channels such as myself. But it's still getting out of hand

    • @TrainMedia00
      @TrainMedia00 2 дня назад +1

      @@GamingRailfanner yeah I also subscribed to them cause I love there comments, if they leave RUclips the railfan community will be more F$&ked up then this, but I had my own RUclips channel which is this one but it's not grown yet because I don't have a camera and computer to edit or make videos I only had is TikTok and my phone I'm using right now, but in the future probably like after my graduation I'll be purchasing some stuff for my channel so I can save the Railfan community, if not well who knows, but I'm worried that I'm gonna get fingers pointing at me for what? content? Cringey video? (I don't do cringey videos) or etc. But I don't care what the haters gonna say about my future content or I'll roast them off.

  • @Blue10AEMia
    @Blue10AEMia День назад +1

    There are parallels on lots of communities lately. I used to be very active in the siren community but left due to the fact it was more toxic than the state of New Jersey.

  • @hamtrak_p42dcamtrak67
    @hamtrak_p42dcamtrak67 2 дня назад +4

    chat we're cooked. And I think something to state, is it's the ONLINE railfan community that's crumbling. All of the railfans I've ever met trackside were kind and genuine people, but it's truly fucked up online

    • @BayAreaFoamCo
      @BayAreaFoamCo День назад +1

      Good people just need to touch grass more and go trackside. Let the bad people stay online arguing.

  • @UPRailfan2024
    @UPRailfan2024 2 дня назад +2

    Back when, I loved AJ’s vids. I used to live off of them before I started Railfanning as a whole. Then one day after school, all I saw, was the Bio. I was so sad when I heard. RIP AJ

  • @kodachromerailroadvideos6571
    @kodachromerailroadvideos6571 2 дня назад +2

    The crumbling of the railfan community and watching my country (the United States) begin it's slow collapse like the Soviet Union did in the 1980s has really begun to make me see a bleek future in store. The day railfanning becomes a frowned upon hobby will be the day childhood truly dies

  • @cameronthehedgehog261yt
    @cameronthehedgehog261yt День назад +3

    It really is a shame how the railfan community has turned into to this day. This is why we can’t have nice things because we got these individuals that wanna ruin it for other people. And especially the model train community however I do miss watching AJ Railfan is always brighten up my day a lot and I am just in lots of words of how people changed towards him

  • @LowerTidmouthStudios
    @LowerTidmouthStudios День назад +1

    Imagine catching a train being separated and being blamed for it, what is wrong with people.
    But seriously, i knew that the railfan community changed... But i didn't know it was THAT bad.
    I think AJ's wishes would've never come true. This community is doomed real big time now.

  • @johnblair8146
    @johnblair8146 2 дня назад +2

    I’m Erie Lackawanna years old and modern railfanning SUCKS! Cab rides and learning how to run the engine was who we railfanned. Today the entire 5 man crew would be fired and the railfan would be thrown in jail. Now the only times I’m around trains are when I’m stuck at a grade crossing or when I ride Amtrak. The most railroads thing I do is play with my postwar Lionel train collection. I tried to get involved with a museum group bot it turned out to be the biggest cluster F and waste of time I ever experienced. Hell, I even have plenty of camera gear but I use it to photograph birds. No sense hanging around the railroad and getting arrested which would be very sad because I remember the railroad being a welcoming place for those of us who were truly interested in railroading. My advice to anyone who is interested in railroading today is to take up model railroading and stay FAR away from the tracks unless you are a railroad employee or an Amtrak passenger.

  • @F40M07
    @F40M07 2 дня назад +15

    0:16 hey that’s me! Thanks for putting me in!!!!

  • @TankEngineMedia
    @TankEngineMedia 2 дня назад +3

    It’s very unfortunate that it happened to AJ Railfan. I really want to hope that AJ’s wish come true but with the current rate it seems to be going I’m not too sure if it’ll become a reality. I want to be optimistic but it gets harder every day

  • @BnuuyBoi2005
    @BnuuyBoi2005 2 дня назад +5

    I will always remember AJ Railfan but now... we're cooked

  • @Uno_611
    @Uno_611 10 часов назад

    I remember watching AJ during my first few months in the railfan community. The community has become extremely toxic these days.
    The community has made a horrible downfall and I feel sorry. I honestly feel bad about people who just wanna have fun or do their own harmless thing, and then toxic people butcher them saying it’s “cringe!!” Or harass them so much to the point where they quit because of the pressure. I’ve definitely been a victim to these types of people in the RC and it ain’t fun.
    Especially with the people we have now, the reputation of Railfans has really hit a new low.

  • @LEE_1076
    @LEE_1076 2 дня назад +12

    I miss AJ Railfan... I loved his content... 😢💔 The Railfan Community is slowly crumbling, and we can’t do anything about it... We’re fucked.

    • @railfandepotproductions
      @railfandepotproductions 2 дня назад +2

      Then don't sit back then

    • @GamingRailfanner
      @GamingRailfanner  2 дня назад +3

      Unfortunately, not even the likes of me can change it at this point, this video however brings awareness to it and we need.. Pretty much almost EVERYONE to pitch in

    • @railfandepotproductions
      @railfandepotproductions 2 дня назад

      @GamingRailfanner I had ENOUGH of this "can't do anything" narrative
      Why f3tishize the fall of railfanning now?
      It's apart of a larger issue of gen z refusing to change anything because apparently it doesn't matter(only if you think research is for chumps then it doesn't matter)

    • @railfandepotproductions
      @railfandepotproductions 2 дня назад

      @@GamingRailfanner I had ENOUGH of this "can't do anything" narrative
      Why f3tishize the fall of railfanning?
      It's apart of a larger issue with gen z refusing to change anything because apparently it doesn't matter(only if you think research is for chumps then it doesn't matter)

    • @railfanhunterjacob6353
      @railfanhunterjacob6353 День назад

      @@GamingRailfanner I think every railfan should go back to getting CDs and have a social media exodus on every social media and then disconnect the internet

  • @Tracksidechase
    @Tracksidechase 2 дня назад +2

    This is crazy
    I’ve watched AJ for a while and he was one of the people who got me into Railfanning as well the internet rn is absolutely insane and it’s getting so sad about how much the internet is becoming and is destroying people who doesn’t want to do they’re hobby I’m a calm good Railfan’s and I still think this is stupid and I feel like Rowan message the other day is also really good
    -Railfan Chases

  • @MilesL.auto-train4013
    @MilesL.auto-train4013 2 дня назад +2

    The lack of empathy, mob mentality, and human decency the railfan community has is astounding. Some are more chronically online than others, but many need to take a step back and realize that being a shitposter does not fly in the real world, nor should it be a normalized behavior. Between friends, sure, but there's a difference between public and private.

  • @TexasSoCalRailfan9021
    @TexasSoCalRailfan9021 2 дня назад +5

    Nice Video 0:00 And Thanks For Adding me First In The Comments!

  • @gabrielquinones3343
    @gabrielquinones3343 2 дня назад +3

    I remember watching AJ railfans videos too
    He railfanned in places where I live
    But I think the railfan community has literally derailed
    From people derailing trains and being a terrorist for internet fame to people dating minors
    People make memes about NS derailing or the new Union Pacific derailment
    Many people now jump to conclusions

  • @onlineconsumer9
    @onlineconsumer9 2 дня назад +3

    It's not brainrot it's people being stupid and not accepting of others. It's the growing culture that is more absorbed into social media. That doesn't necessarily mean like skibidi toilet but it means watching mean people. And since railfans are more frequently on social media nowadays, it's a lot easier to bully someone than it was back in 2018, 2019, 2020, when AJ Railfan was still making content. When the pandemic started, there was a cultural shift in how we carry out day to day actions. A lot more things are screen-based, and we have become more plugged in than every before, making bullying and toxicity in communities easier.

    • @TexasSoCalRailfan9021
      @TexasSoCalRailfan9021 2 дня назад

      I Agree

    • @GamingRailfanner
      @GamingRailfanner  2 дня назад +1

      Yea that's something I slightly touched upon (referring to how social media changed everyone) but not fully addressed

  • @theroanecountyrailfan9280
    @theroanecountyrailfan9280 2 дня назад +4

    It appears that we are screwed. We do have about five years until the first gen beta babies will be old enough to find out about railfannings so if we cant fix it by 2030 we are screwed.

  • @Thenumbersthatareodd
    @Thenumbersthatareodd 2 дня назад +6

    I remember watching this guy, he was cool. It's sad to see him go so early off the platform.

  • @EuropeanRailfanAlt
    @EuropeanRailfanAlt 2 дня назад +5

    I still remember watching his videos and commenting on them too, and was upset when he quit

  • @XavierTheRailfanner_
    @XavierTheRailfanner_ 2 дня назад +3

    This guy was honestly my nostalgia back in the day

  • @NS_1522
    @NS_1522 2 дня назад +3

    I’m remember watching his drifting trains video way back in the day, it was really good.
    Honestly I feel really bad for him since he had such a good career to begin with and to see it end by the community he associated with is really sad, and it just makes me upset knowing that people did something like that to begin with.
    But it is the Railfan community so doesn’t really surprise me.
    Still tho I feel really bad for him I hope he is doing better now

    • @jstrainsstuff2386
      @jstrainsstuff2386 День назад

      The TikTok aviation community is like the rail fan community too, it’s deteriorating. I remember when AJ rail fan released the video with the blue BNSF geep it was the funniest thing ever.

  • @TheAmtrakCCandSJfan
    @TheAmtrakCCandSJfan 2 дня назад +6

    I was growing up from AJ Railfan, he was a great person.

  • @cpttankerjoe
    @cpttankerjoe 2 дня назад +2

    Gate keep your hobbies folks. Keep bad actors away so you don’t have to worry about them later.

  • @JustATeenageRailfan
    @JustATeenageRailfan 2 дня назад +3

    I was a friend of his back during the Minecraft railroading stuff. I did a little bit off camera including building,driving and other details

  • @railfanxjofficial
    @railfanxjofficial 2 дня назад +6

    My father told me this. You should live long enough to become the villain. And if the Railfan Community challenged the younger railfan audience, I will be ready. I take this advice to you as well G. DO NOT. Try t be the hero. Live to become the villain.

  • @Sunglass_Man
    @Sunglass_Man 2 дня назад +1

    I swear. AJ was my primary inspiration for joining RUclips and social media. When I saw him leave I was devastated. I didn’t know what to do as a content creator, because my main inspiration left from hate, and I didn’t want to go down that path. After watching this video I understand now, how the internet has completely flipped from the perfect world I viewed it as pre 2020. Almost all of my optimistic dreams I had for 2020 that I had early on have left because of the toxicity. It’s such a cruel world when people on the road to success leave faster than the speed of light. Stay safe out there guys

  • @Tri-StateGuy
    @Tri-StateGuy 2 дня назад +2

    I liked watching AJ, especially some of his videos still are memories...
    Also I feel like even besides AJ the railfan community is in a dark age...

  • @TrainHound160
    @TrainHound160 2 дня назад +1

    He was not only a youtuber, he was one of my good friends from a railroad club SBHRS. He will be missed.

  • @ChristinaGXL
    @ChristinaGXL 15 часов назад

    As a woman who's been in this space for 15 years, I'm sorry to say but it's always been toxic in the train community. I have a theory that a fair part of it is undiagnosed neurodivergent people with internalised predjudice towards railfans who think that if they bully the person they see as "cringe" then that insulates them from being seen the same way by society at large. And I say this as an autistic 32yr old who still sometimes struggles to be totally open about just how cringe I am. You said in your video that you feel you have to change your content to keep up with things, but please don't fall into this trap, please continue to be yourself and create the content you enjoy creating. That's what you can do to create that better world for the next generation of railfans. Show them that there's still space for individuality and to be yourself online instead of having to follow the crowd.

  • @MattTheAllertor125
    @MattTheAllertor125 2 дня назад +3

    Well i remembering watching his content so much.. but now he just disappeared.. and even just showing that everything changed after 2020s that people just became so unreasonable and dumb and the railfan community is (Kind of idk) falling apart i guess... so dont just falsely blame railfans for doing these bad stuff to those train, blame the bad railfans.. and what happened? Just somewhat now a werid world we live at.. God bless yall..

  • @Rails_Of_Reading
    @Rails_Of_Reading 2 дня назад +2

    Dude this actually made me cry…

  • @TracksideAlexGonzalez
    @TracksideAlexGonzalez День назад

    It’s sad that how these people ruin the community. I can agree the internet has ruined the railfan community. Makes me wonder why I am still in.. this community is done for.

  • @zenontrainstrucks9433
    @zenontrainstrucks9433 2 дня назад +2

    Thank you!!! Finally, someone understand how screwed up the railfan community is!!

  • @LittleBudMoore
    @LittleBudMoore День назад

    I used to be in the railfan community, but I left that community for racing not just because I was starting to get bored but rather because of what goes on now in the railfan community.

  • @PhoenixTheEIRC8205
    @PhoenixTheEIRC8205 2 дня назад +1

    thats one reason why i dont consider myself a railfan even though i take video of trains

  • @RAtheGoodRailfanner_888
    @RAtheGoodRailfanner_888 2 дня назад +1

    4:30 during 2020 I didn’t even stay inside, I stayed outside all by myself.

  • @ThePolarExpress1225Productions
    @ThePolarExpress1225Productions 2 дня назад

    I miss AJ A LOT since He has made my Childhood and i was crying when he announced he was DONE With YT I was SHOCKED and we can all agree we desperately want him back

  • @BuckeyeNationRailroader
    @BuckeyeNationRailroader 2 дня назад +3

    To be honest he's fully justified in his decision. The amount of railfans who are Homophobic, Transphobic, Sexists, Racists, etc has gotten to a point where attacks such as Doxxing, DDoSing, Stalking, etc. has become a common place. I myself became a victim of a group of railfans who stole my identity and made close to $1,000 Dollars of Unauthorized Purchases under my name. The situation with the railfan community has gotten so bad that I don't see it being around for much longer as there will be authorities out there making it extremely difficult for us to enjoy ourselves out by the tracks.

    • @GamingRailfanner
      @GamingRailfanner  2 дня назад +3

      If i'm gonna be honest, he definitely left at a right time

    • @BuckeyeNationRailroader
      @BuckeyeNationRailroader 2 дня назад +3

      @@GamingRailfanner He left when things went from bad to completely unbearable

  • @yellowrailproductions
    @yellowrailproductions 2 дня назад +3

    Bro, I was just looking at his channel this morning

  • @SuperOwensTrainsYT
    @SuperOwensTrainsYT 2 дня назад +2

    OH MY GOD IS THAT AN END TRAIN DPU WHY YES IT IS

  • @strenesperu9956
    @strenesperu9956 День назад

    The community is way beyond toxic for no goddamn reason. I'm from Peru, South america, and the community of my country has just started to grow, and we still have a bunch of drama to the point its hilarious. I've been one of the few who has managed to stay neutral most of the time.

  • @SCVRailOfficial
    @SCVRailOfficial 2 дня назад

    This guy made insane content that I still rewatch… WHEREVER YOU ARE AJ, YOU HAD A GREAT THING GOING!

  • @chessiecat96
    @chessiecat96 День назад

    I'm glad I left trains behind and shifted to trucks and the world of computer programming and demoscenes.
    This community (and the TRAINZ community) have gotten increasingly toxic in varying ways along with being more and more "competitive" than anything else.
    To the railfan community: We are all here for TRAINS.
    To the TRAINZ community, Remember your roots, And take a breather.

  • @NepsiNetCEO
    @NepsiNetCEO 2 дня назад +1

    Yep. Cant have anything good nowadays. There is always someone out there who wants to ruin the fun for the people who actually enjoy it. My best example is the Godzilla community. It sucks. It basically granted me anger issues, and you really can’t say anything without setting someone else off because they don’t like your opinion and can’t keep it to themselves.
    This community corruption disaster has boosted my gravitation toward unpopular things, like old stuff and obscure games. Why? Well because the less people there are in the community for that the less haters are in it. Example: MST3K community. I don’t do much with it but so far I haven’t seen any drama from that community.
    “Nuff’ Said.”
    The internet is disastrous. There is a small, dwindling hope for revival for future generations. I fear that this is a downward spiral. Doomed.
    Someday, I hope to ride away from all the internet troubles in CGREEN. If only.

  • @YourLocalHistorian
    @YourLocalHistorian День назад

    As a railfan, I’ve had an idea racking around in my head about all of this our community needs a vision we don’t have one people are so divided over the stupidest things they failed to see the broader picture I enjoyed AJ railfan’s content even though it wasn’t my style to produce anything like it. I thought some moments were cringe but not enough to say anything about it it was just a goofy little channel that did goofy things and it was completely harmless.

  • @STUAA2025
    @STUAA2025 День назад

    Definitely not everybody is a terrible person... but people need a reality check.
    This community can heal if people could understand others better.

    • @GamingRailfanner
      @GamingRailfanner  День назад

      Yea, everyone cant be bad, that was definitely an exaggeration.. But its a lot of people to overshadow the good ones

  • @muni_Thomas_boi
    @muni_Thomas_boi 2 дня назад +1

    I like how you brought up the idea in the discord server and then I was called way too young

    • @GamingRailfanner
      @GamingRailfanner  2 дня назад +1

      Pretty much an assumption because that apparently is the case with most because we asked others and it turns out demographically, they were in fact young to a certain extent
      But we did sort of joke about it

    • @muni_Thomas_boi
      @muni_Thomas_boi 2 дня назад

      @GamingRailfanner I am a fetus I popped out of the womb 13 years ago

  • @LongIslandRailfanner
    @LongIslandRailfanner 2 дня назад +2

    I miss AJ Railfan a lot he made good content too, the Railfan Community is now Fucked thanks to Sebastian Deyoung, Capitol City Rail Productions, Buccaneer and the Southline Productions to name a few

    • @railfanhunterjacob6353
      @railfanhunterjacob6353 День назад +1

      Don't forget Alan Smith too and Nicholas Clemens aka TheN&WClassA1218. Those RUclipsrs need to be calling out too

  • @ThatColumbusRailfan
    @ThatColumbusRailfan 2 дня назад

    i fully got into railfanning because of people like AJ, they make good content, it was fun and rewatchable, and everytime they uploaded it was something new… hell thats why i started posting shorts. i was bored in the middle of the summer (2024) and decided id give it a try and continued till December. but im losing faith in the community faster than i hoped. When big names begin to leave because of their community it should be a wake up call to stop and rethink not a green signal to keep going… at this rate the railfan community will crumble from extreme toxicity… (sorry for the rant but i felt like i needed to say something)

  • @simply_kenetic4915
    @simply_kenetic4915 2 дня назад

    I haven't been in touch with the railfan community since all of the unnecessary hate and egos people have built, but seeing what he went through made me honestly disturbed to be a part of this community.
    We all gotta be better, stop the hate, stop making this hobby a competition, and stop trespassing and making the railroads hate us.

  • @Robloxity_News
    @Robloxity_News День назад

    Man I remember when he left and only now know why he truly left, and man its tragic to see what we have come to.

  • @NC_YT_123
    @NC_YT_123 2 дня назад

    My early days on RUclips were quite literally built around AJ, sad that it’s been almost 4 years since we lost this pioneer.😞

  • @csxtrainfan319
    @csxtrainfan319 2 дня назад

    Unfortunately, like you I see things for our community is heading for the worse. We all need to make things better for the next generation and the generations after that

  • @LEVIRISLEY-j2i
    @LEVIRISLEY-j2i 2 дня назад +4

    2025 is here

  • @Trainboy17
    @Trainboy17 День назад

    "Just promise me that you're building a better community for the next generation of young railfans to ensure they never feel this way."
    good god that did NOT age well. I will admit i've done little slip ups but that is nothing compared to what happened on the internet as a whole. In fact the CN 148 separation thing happened similar to Millenniumforce when the CSX train decoupled. Alan himself had nothing to do with it since he was in his car but he caught it on camera did he not? thinking about that if it happened now there would be arguing left and right on this modern internet.

  • @Norfolk475
    @Norfolk475 2 дня назад

    I remember growing up watching AJ and I really enjoyed his vids. I'm sad that he's gone, I can't believe that covid changed everything.

  • @TheSPGuy49
    @TheSPGuy49 2 дня назад +2

    I love trains every day I used to go out watch trains see other rail fans and talk for hours now no ones out I don't see anyone. Why? because some people in this hobby are just annoying toxic and just ruining every thing. It used to be " hey there a cool lash up Dow the line want to meet and see it." To just silence
    Great vid I totally agreed😀👍

  • @pinkgumball2007
    @pinkgumball2007 День назад

    bro i remember AJ railfan, dude was miles ahead of his time, but now since he was screwed over by the internet, and now i just stick to Distant Signal, BNSF 1458 (idk if hes cool but he is chill to me), Southern Plains Railfan (however he too left recently), and a few others

  • @c23onrails
    @c23onrails 2 дня назад +1

    I used to talk to him on discord, he was my favorite

  • @TheGuardianUnion
    @TheGuardianUnion 2 дня назад

    To be honest, I agree with him. I loved his videos AJ’s videos but both the pandemic and rail fans in general decided to throw him out which is one of the reason why I hate rail fanning now because I got rid of one of my favourite RUclipsrs

  • @theisraelilocomotive70414
    @theisraelilocomotive70414 День назад

    Ex-Shai_Destroyer here, I can promise you folks that ex-AJ is doing better nowadays than when that post was made. I won’t disclose any other details, it’s not my place to, but there’s no need to worry the way I see it.

  • @District_1073
    @District_1073 2 дня назад

    I was always watching his train horn song covers. I completely forgot about him and it’s sad to see how the community is now.

  • @TheMilwaukeeRoad
    @TheMilwaukeeRoad День назад

    Makes me question about why I returned to the railfanning community for the past month now.

  • @KiAnimeStuffProduction
    @KiAnimeStuffProduction День назад

    Ngl i saw this coming a long long time ago back in the early 2000s railfans were always disrespectful its kinda sad it actually took a decade for people to start talking about it and actually sorta getting it noticed.

  • @TheGs4_4449
    @TheGs4_4449 2 дня назад

    A.J. used to be y favorite RUclipsr. I used to love his content, so, sooooo much. This genuinely sucks, and its just, sad. :(

  • @WisconsinRailProductionsoff
    @WisconsinRailProductionsoff 2 дня назад

    I miss him a lot 😢 he literally made me smile at my lowest

  • @kadenrobinson7067
    @kadenrobinson7067 2 дня назад

    I remember talking to him on discord he told me he was done with the community
    I understand what he said the railfan community is very toxic same goes for the trainz community

  • @RailfanEngineer
    @RailfanEngineer 2 дня назад +1

    About damn time somone makes a video on him, AJ was absolutely goated, and those SW8 memes were absolutely peak. This had to happen didnt it.....

  • @CDTX2052offical
    @CDTX2052offical День назад

    I still worry about protosheep who still make memes. AJ was the the best railfan in youtube

  • @thenewyorkrailfan
    @thenewyorkrailfan 6 часов назад

    I miss AJ 😢