Whats with the steryotype of us liking trains?

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Does anyone ever wonder why people like cars so much?

Rarely ever right?

Trains are awesome, it's not exclusively autistic. NTs have a habbit of ignoring things if they aren't in the cultural consciousness.

Trains are antiquated for much of society and naturally they are forgotten about.

For some, it's the engineering. For some, it's the huge extent and complexity, yet predictability, of the scheduling and routing systems, and all the infrastructure (signals etc) which goes into keeping a rail system running. For some, it's the ability to categorize trains into so many groups (manufacturer, year, various types of physical subsystems, industry, rail lines they were used on, aspects of individual engines' histories, etc). They're all giant frameworks with a lot of publicly available information and options for all kinds of activities, from visiting rail museums to trainspotting to compiling personal databases - things which align well with stereotypical autistic 'hooks'.

For some people, it can even be the social aspect - railfans (or railfen) have been around for long enough, and established enough clubs and groups, that it's quite possible to use them as a way to be socially involved with people who might also share a mindset - or at least something in the same ballpark.

I'm not a railfan myself, but I know myself well enough to spot that the engineering aspect of trains, at least, does pull at something in my head. I could absolutely fall into train engineering as a special interest; it wouldn't be all that hard.

In my opinion...

It's got to do with lining objects. 'Repetitive and obsessive behaviors'. It does resemble trains to me.

Topics of trains and domains involving that are just a more specific, and can be evolved into something more sophisticated manifestations of 'lining objects' into what was described as systemizing aptitudes like maths, engineering and physics.



Trains are not my interests, let alone special interests or obsessions.
But other sorts of involving systemizing; maths, engineering, physics do.
It just happened that doesn't specifically involve trains and liking it.

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Why do I like trains so much? I really don't know except to say that I don't think that I am a facts and figures type of guy. I am more of a daydreaming type of guy, though I do remember some facts and figures and technical details which helped me when I used to work on the railway, as we had rules exams which had to be passed with a 95% correct result and no wrong answers in a certain section of the exam. (500 questions. Had been 200 questions that were harder questions to answer but it later changed to 500 questions).

For me it is picture daydreaming I think deeply in.

One thing that is good about trains and railways is that they are predictable in that they follow structure and rules.

Another aspect is that if a steam special is going to pass, while I will love to see it, I am more thrilled to see a class 143 passing by (A diesel railcar). I am sad that these lovely units are in their last few years as I have the fondest memories of all of working them, and to me they are or were the "Heroes of the railway!" They were the most exciting trains to operate and be on. A bit like a greenhouse on wheels. They would rattle and shake and accelerate far faster then a high speed train. They were "Super fleas!" Haha!
Passengers and staff used to complain about them, but foe me it was the sole number one reason for being there. I could get to work a 143! The similar 142's were ok, but a 143 somehow was the speedster. The hidden gem!

But trains and railways... I always have liked them. Oh, I love cars too but trains....
And these days with my model railways I have changed to model in 7mm narrow gauge where I can let my imagination flow! Narrow gauge it is almost a case of "Anything goes" so I have an excuse to make my own railway up with my own trains to run on it. I am making my own rules up for my own little railway which mirror the practical aspects of the real railways but do not neccessarily conform to the same rules and regulations, as I am making my own rules up to comply with my own little railway operating company.

So I do have rules, regulations and structure, but it is not nesccessarily directly the same as the real railway rules. It is "My" adoption of rules which apply to my little railway world that I love to play with both in miniature form, and in my mind that I enjoy!

Trains are amazing. I like the double decker trains.

Nice!

Never been into trains myself, but then again I also lack the stereotypical inclination toward math and math-heavy sciences like engineering, so that may be a factor. I somehow manage to be both very obviously autistic and very non-stereotypically autistic at the same time

I like trains.

I’m okay in practical math, pretty bad in theoretical math.

I’m more arts than science-oriented.

I can't say that I fit into the mathematical stereotypes.

Didn't had any interests with trains myself.
Didn't get immersed a lot with motors that much.
Didn't even do a lot of lining objects nor categorizing stuff that much as a child.

And didn't had a lot of exposure about trains. Not sure if that's related.


Despite I got involved with a lot of what systemizing may able to describe, it didn't lead to trains.
Nor do trains lead me to elsewhere.



While my own speculation still stands; it might be some metaphor or simile to do with lining objects... Or seeing something similar to it.

"Where did the stereotype of autistics liking trains came from?"

I may even add another speculation, like, some popular autism blog of a specific case of a particular autistic.
And this particular autistic like trains.
Now that particular special interest became a popular stereotype.


Unless there's a study about most autistics liking trains... And why... I dunno.
It's a fun guess.

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