The Associated Foamites of Western Nevada
(Your Worst Nightmare - Foamers on the Internet!)
A.F.W.N. is a group of railroaders and railfans who have enjoyed the hobby (what do you mean, "What Hobby?" Railfanning!) together for many years. Most of us are located in Western Nevada, hence the name. Together, we are dedicated to preserving excellence in railfanning throughout this region and wherever else we may decide to, "take the show on the road."
Meet the core group of the AFWN:
Skyspy: President, Chief Operating Officer, Webmaster, Chief Instigator, Manager of Multi-Media Productions, Superintendent of Communications, Field Operations Coordinator.
Kwanna and
Star: Domestic support to the Chief Operating Officer, Multi-Media
Productions Assistants.
RAM794: Superintendent of Intelligence Acquisition, Master Mechanic, Superintendent of Planning, Superintendent of Field Operations, and Primary Nemesis to the Chief Operating Officer.
RR_Widow: Chief Zookeeper, Wrangler of Minors, Director of Office Management, Superintendent of Landscaping and Decorating, and Director of Food and Beverage (best one on this planet!)
Cowboy Jim: Chief Engineer - Communications, Operations Consultant, Humor Officer, and Political Analyst.
Windcatcher: Chief Pilot, Humor Officer, Assistant Zookeeper, and Superintendent of Happy Hour.Wolfman: Chief Snake Charmer, Superintendent of BTU Power, Manager of Snowmobile/ATV operations, Assistant to RAM794 for Intelligence gathering.
NEW LIFE FOR AFWN ONLINE: A decision was made that it was time to breathe some new life into the AFWN in the interest of promoting the sharing of "Excellence in Railfanning" online. You are looking at the results; a new location and a new updates! Keep checking back on a regular basis, and we'll try to keep you updated on railroad happenings occurring in the vicinity of our membership, which now includes Washington (see below).
On March 25th, 2001, AFWN President "Skyspy" had a rare extra day off from work. As such, an executive staff outing to Keddie, California was called. The primary purpose of this outing was to introduce "Little Tank", a new member of the AFWN (and of the human race, born this past January) to the fine art of railfanning. A good time was had by all as seven trains passed by between our arrival at 1130 and our departure at 1630. On the way back to the AFWN Operations Center at Sparks, we "went in the hole" at Spring Garden to catch an eighth westbound train.
April 24th saw the UP E-9's passing through the area on a marketing department special. AFWN Chief Mechanical Officer "RAM794" was the engineer on this job and was last seen heading into the desert near Doyle, California displaying a grin that looked like it would need to be removed by surgery as he was "slaving away" over the E's. Chief Political Analyst "Cowboy Jim" believes he picked out puke stains on the side of the 951 (lead unit) in the resulting photos. You be the judge - check out the photos in "Skyspy's Room" and "Skyspy's Yard."
Speaking of "Cowboy Jim," he recently fled the politically (and maybe soon, financially) bankrupt state of California for greener pastures in Western Washington. As a result, AFWN now has a Northwest Regional branch office.
The yellow tunnel motor providing power for dragging the hill out of downtown Reno on the Reno Branch got away before any of us got pictures. For the last several days, however, a genuine scarlet and gray tunnel motor has been lurking about Sparks. Stay tuned....
Stay tuned for updates on future gatherings, outings, and any special moves that we become aware of.
Photo: BNSF 724 tiptoes across the north leg of the Keddie
Wye, exiting the Gateway Subdivision and entering the UP Canyon Subdivision
as seen during a recent AFWN Executive Staff outing on March 25, 2001.
For Nevada railroad news, information, photos, stories, and related links, check out Skyspy's Yard.
AFWN: In-Your-Face Railfanning!
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