The 2020 Roseville Railfan Hut Bombing is easily one of the most tragic incidents within the railfan community in the past few years. It came as a shock to many as Wabtec’s FLXdrive demonstrator locomotive rolled up to the hut on a cool April afternoon, little did the railfans photographing the rare locomotive know that it would be their last special catch.
The Bombing
It is hard to believe it has been almost a year since the tragic Bombing at the railfan hut in Roseville, California. There were several members of the railfan community that were watching the locomotive that day but we do not know who it was, or if they were able to survive the blast and fire. We do know one person died and another left severely injured. As a result of the Bombing, a new law was passed by the state of California which prohibits private property owners from permitting railfan activity to occur at a location where large numbers of people can be present without prior permission from the landowner. The law went into effect in November 2020 and the Railfan Hut was forced to close its doors for good in June 2021.
Who did it?
Wabtec claimed responsibility, the day after the Railfan Hut was blown up. However, none of the facts fit that scenario and the Roseville Police Department, Alameda County Sheriff’s Office and other agencies all looked into the incident and never found any evidence of who actually did it. As a result, the theory is that a propane torch or similar flammable material could have been used to ignite the hut and the flames moved through the frame to the batteries, which exploded with the blast. Wabtec never even presented their evidence. Why did it happen?
Why did they do it?
Following a period of service for Wabtec and BNSF, the locomotive rolled up to Roseville’s Railfan Hut on a cool November afternoon and railfans began taking photographs of the unit. Nothing suspicious was immediately seen by the railfans at the site. It was only when a short time later, another railfan discovered a small open window on the cab side of the BEL44C4D model. When he looked through the glass, he discovered a detonation device. All we know at the moment is that two railway maintenance workers and a member of the Roseville Rails to Trails Commission were seriously injured and hospitalized. The other railfans on the site were not injured, but remained shaken by the event.
Why was the railfan hut targeted?
Wabtec was a part of the introductory ceremony of the Wabtec GigaSwitcher in California. The Wabtec GigaSwitcher has one of the most massive hopper cranes in North America, requiring a highly visible and secure installation in the worksite. The giga switcher needed a place to go to generate loads of video and photo coverage. The Railfan Hut would have been the perfect place for the Wabtec Switcher, and would have given the company perfect exposure to the North American market. Railfan Catering When I first heard about the bombing I initially thought it was a joke, but after speaking with those who were there on the day it became clear that this tragedy was just as devastating. The outpouring of sympathy, support, and grief were staggering.
Conclusion
There are those times when you only need a little push to carry you to the next level in your photography journey. This was one of those times. I was fortunate enough to be on the scene at the Railfan Hut bombing and I was fortunate enough to capture the event. I had my hand on the shutter release on my camera snapping away at the bomb when I realized something was wrong. My heart sank into my stomach when I saw what had just happened. Two members of the Fire Protection District were pushing a patient in an ambulance out of the Railfan Hut as the explosion occurred. Then, a swarm of first responders descended on the scene. With all the chaos and noise from the response, I had no clue as to the identity of the casualties, nor did I know how much time I had before the fire trucks arrived.
(Written by AI)
RailNews 