So we jumped on it, and we quickly learned that the tower didn't have internet, and it was going to be $53,000 to install it.” Cyr recalls. “It’s one of the very, very limited places along the Northeast corridor that you can have a camera that close to the tracks, beyond the wires, and have decent views. A Virtual Railfan viewer suggested they put a camera on an old switch tower. Internet access can be expensive and difficult to establish. It was a win.Īdding new sites isn’t always easy…or affordable. He delivered, finding a location in Fort Worth, Texas, that had a clear view of Tower 55, one of the nation's busiest and most congested rail intersections - in other words, a rail fan’s dream. And, as a commercial airline pilot, Tippins had the time and opportunity to scout new sites. With a new partner on board, the team upgraded the Folkston camera and standardized the equipment to be used for future sites. Tippins is now the Vice President and Treasurer. Tippins had another proposition: How about taking on a partner? Cyr told him it had been a money-losing venture so far. “I said no, I wouldn't be interested in selling at all because now it's a mission and we're going to make it work, maybe not today or tomorrow, but eventually we're going to do it.” “I told him he couldn't write me a check with enough zeros to cover the blood, sweat and tears that we had already invested into this camera and folks in Folkston,” Cyr said. Tippins shared the vision of creating a network, and he was ready to buy. But they didn’t have the time or the funding to do so. The pair had always intended to expand Virtual Railfan to make a network of train cameras. He was one of the original viewers of the Folkston cam, and he had a question: Would Cyr and Cornell want to sell the business? Cyr got a call from a man named Mike Tippins. 4014, aka "The Big Boy," traveling through Cajon Pass in Southern California.įast forward to late 2013. Virtual Railfan's Hesperia camera catches UP No. “It was pretty much just a camera on a page.” Adding More Cams…And a Partner “The technology really wasn't around, so we kind of had to custom build everything,” Cyr said. Fortunately, they had a friend who owned a hosting company and could help. And then they had to figure out how to stream the footage. The first camera cost about $2,000, which, 10 years ago, was a steep price. “I think she will always be the unofficial mayor of Folkston.”Ĭyr and Cornell had their location - now to tackle the technology. “If you want something done in Folkston, you talk to Dixie,” Cyr said. She offered to let Cyr and Cornell mount a camera on the roof of her shop, which had a clear view of the railroad tracks. She just so happened to have a store on Main Street, and she was a believer in Cyr’s vision. It was a no.ĭixie McGurn was the former Mayor of Folkston. The City’s answer wasn’t what they expected. The way he saw it, it was a great promotion for the City - one that would ultimately bring more rail fans to town, which would generate revenue for local hotels, restaurants and more. Cyr pitched the idea to the City of Folkston. I'm thinking obviously Folkston is where we like to watch trains, so let's approach the City and see what they say.”Ĭyr started making phone calls and Cornell started researching equipment. “I wanted all HD video, audio, and a nice unobstructed view looking at the track. And then there was the matter of where to put the camera. Back in 2010, the technology to live stream train footage didn’t really exist, so researching the right equipment was one important first step. While it might sound simple, getting the first camera up and running wasn’t easy. “I looked at Justin and said, ‘We could do that, right?’ That’s how it started.” And we hear one guy say to the other, ‘Why isn't there one of those webcams so we can watch trains from home?’ I think it was at that moment that the light bulb went off,” Cyr said. “We were there one night and these two older gentlemen were also sitting there watching trains. The two had been working together on the train simulator business from Florida and Louisiana respectively and, as fellow rail fans, had met up several times in Folkston to catch up in person and watch trains. It was early 2010, and Mike Cyr was meeting up with Justin Cornell, now Chief Technology Officer for Virtual Railfan. It was on this platform that the idea for Virtual Railfan was born. But it’s actually a spot where rail fans can sit and safely watch trains go by. If you didn’t know better, you’d think it was a tiny depot. In the town of Folkston, Georgia, a covered platform sits across from a set of railroad tracks. Mike Cyr, one of the founders of Virtual Railfan, at the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum.
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