# Waving at trains and boats **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 19, 2025, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waving-at-trains-and-boats/1021080 "2025-07-19T13:41:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2025, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waving-at-trains-and-boats/1021080/21 "2025-07-19T17:48:41Z")
Fantasy larp with latex foam weapons. An offshoot of [this UK fest larp](https://www.profounddecisions.co.uk/empire?2) but tiny and only 1 day, no camping. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2025, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waving-at-trains-and-boats/1021080/22 "2025-07-19T17:49:45Z")
I live a few hundred feet away from the historic Durango-Silverton Narrow Gauge railway. I always wave at the train if I’m in the park when they go by: (I’m working on some t-shirt designs based on my photos. This is just down the street) [![Imgur](https://i.imgur.com/sxFlde7.jpeg "imgur.com") ](https://imgur.com/sxFlde7) ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2025, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waving-at-trains-and-boats/1021080/23 "2025-07-19T17:50:18Z")
We inherited a Corvette when my father-in-law passed away in 2019. My wife has attempted to instill in me the expectation, in the Corvette community, that if you are driving your Corvette, and you drive past another 'Vette, you’re supposed to wave to the other driver. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2025, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waving-at-trains-and-boats/1021080/24 "2025-07-19T18:01:03Z")
My friend and I have a tradition of waving to folks when we’re driving back roads on vacation. Nothing extravagant, just a simple wave. The return rate is usually pretty high, with the folks that appear to be local lifting a (non-middle) finger off the steering wheel. It’s just a simple way of greeting/acknowledgement that makes the day a little bit better. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2025, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waving-at-trains-and-boats/1021080/25 "2025-07-19T18:08:39Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > in the Corvette community, that if you are driving your Corvette, and you drive past another 'Vette, you’re supposed to wave to the other driver. That used to be the custom of Beetle drivers until VW came out with the new version. ---
**Author:** ![Die\_Capacitrix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/die_capacitrix/32/9_2.png) [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2025, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waving-at-trains-and-boats/1021080/26 "2025-07-19T18:33:42Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > My wife has attempted to instill in me the expectation, in the Corvette community, that if you are driving your Corvette, and you drive past another 'Vette, you’re supposed to wave to the other driver. Same for Subarus, at least in Switzerland. But only the sport models. Also when driving on Islay. I think they take away your scotch glass if you don’t wave. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2025, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waving-at-trains-and-boats/1021080/27 "2025-07-19T18:52:00Z")
> [@sunacres](#): > > I just went from Oakland to Chicago on the California Zephyr and will take the return trip in a couple of days. Folks waved to us the entire way, from their backyards, from the rivers they were swimming in, from street crossings. It feels good. Of course I wave back. Unless it’s changed in the past few years, it’s also kind of a thing for rafters to moon the California Zephyr when it runs along the Colorado River. So there’s that, too… ---
**Author:** ![sunacres](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@sunacres](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sunacres)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2025, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waving-at-trains-and-boats/1021080/28 "2025-07-19T19:03:14Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > it’s also kind of a thing for rafters to moon the California Zephyr when it runs along the Colorado River. Still a happy tradition, at least in these warmer months. We had considerably more lunar activity in Ruby Canyon below Grand Junction than we did upriver towards Glenwood Springs, which is more populated but less, um, traditional. ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2025, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waving-at-trains-and-boats/1021080/29 "2025-07-19T19:44:43Z")
> [@PatrickLondon](#): > > on a tour by rail of the Scottish Highlands I hope there will be pictures. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2025, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waving-at-trains-and-boats/1021080/30 "2025-07-19T19:53:46Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > in the Corvette community, that if you are driving your Corvette, and you drive past another 'Vette, you’re supposed to wave to the other driver. I’ve known Jeep Wrangler drivers who do the same - or at least they did 25 years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2025, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waving-at-trains-and-boats/1021080/31 "2025-07-19T22:56:17Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > Among US recreational boaters it’s pretty much expected that they’ll wave at each other. It’s mostly just friendly bird of a feather having fun together spearately, but it also serves as a signal: “I’m paying direct attention to you right now, so if you need assistance, right now is your chance to signal me.” Agreed with the above. Boating culture encourages people to be friendly, in that boaters are usually really open to offering assistance when needed (in this regard, I find it to be similar to people who are camping). Part and parcel of that is to wave as you pass each other. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2025, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waving-at-trains-and-boats/1021080/32 "2025-07-20T00:53:52Z")
Just got back from our little trip on the Willamette on _The Portland Spirit_. Good food, nice drinks, and lots of waving to (and from) people on the banks and people on other boats. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2025, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waving-at-trains-and-boats/1021080/33 "2025-07-20T00:59:03Z")
> [@beowulff](#): > > I live a few hundred feet away from the historic Durango-Silverton Narrow Gauge railway. I always wave at the train if I’m in the park when they go by: > (I’m working on some t-shirt designs based on my photos. This is just down the street) > [Imgur: The magic of the Internet](https://imgur.com/sxFlde7) C.W. McCall-The Silverton > **[C.W. McCall - The Silverton](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2VbX-DbLrY%2F)** > > C.W. McCallBlack Bear Road (1975)1. Black Bear Road2. The Silverton3. Lewis And Clark4. Oregon Trail5. Ghost Town 6. Convoy7. Long, Lonesome Road8. Green Riv... ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2025, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waving-at-trains-and-boats/1021080/34 "2025-07-20T03:51:51Z")
I’d never heard that song before. Thanks for the link. ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2025, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waving-at-trains-and-boats/1021080/35 "2025-07-20T03:58:03Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > I’ve known Jeep Wrangler drivers who do the same - or at least they did 25 years ago. Yep. I owned a Wrangler 25 (and more) years ago, and it was normal to wave at the drivers of other Jeep Wranglers. ---
**Author:** ![BippityBoppityBoo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bippityboppityboo/32/5745_2.png) [@BippityBoppityBoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BippityBoppityBoo)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2025, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waving-at-trains-and-boats/1021080/36 "2025-07-20T04:00:17Z")
> [@sunacres](#): > > I just went from Oakland to Chicago on the California Zephyr and will take the return trip in a couple of days You went through Lincoln (Nebraska) and didn’t wave at me? That hurts my feelings. I’ll let it slide this time since the east bound Zephyr passes through at about 3am and I was no doubt at home, sitting in my skivvies trying to cool off and reading da Dope. On your return, wave out of the left side train windows, that is the side my house is on, about a mile away. That’ll happen about midnight going west. I’ll likely be eating ice cream and yep, reading da Dope. I’ll wave back at you. I promise no mooning. That would give _a full moon_ a whole new definition. ---
**Author:** ![Drummond\_Bays](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/8edcca/32.png) [@Drummond\_Bays](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drummond_Bays)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2025, 6:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waving-at-trains-and-boats/1021080/37 "2025-07-20T06:11:09Z")
Hey, maybe if anything, that person might need a wave _the most_ ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2025, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waving-at-trains-and-boats/1021080/38 "2025-07-20T06:14:41Z")
> [@BippityBoppityBoo](#): > > You went through Lincoln (Nebraska) and didn’t wave at me? That hurts my feelings. Boo, if I take the train trip I’ve been thinking of later this year, I be glad to wave in the direction of Lincoln. I’ll be a few hundred miles north, mind, but I’ll wave. ---
**Author:** ![BippityBoppityBoo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bippityboppityboo/32/5745_2.png) [@BippityBoppityBoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BippityBoppityBoo)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2025, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waving-at-trains-and-boats/1021080/39 "2025-07-20T06:24:43Z")
> [@Spoons](#): > > I’ll be a few hundred miles north, mind, but I’ll wave. The Empire Builder? That’s on my list for Glacier Park alone. Besides, the further north I go and the colder it gets the happier I am. Let me know when and I’ll lean out my back porch and wave back! ---
**Author:** ![Spoons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spoons/32/3141_2.png) [@Spoons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spoons)\ **Post date:** [July 20, 2025, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waving-at-trains-and-boats/1021080/40 "2025-07-20T06:28:43Z")
No, Boo, more like the _Canadian_. One of my bucket list items: taking a train from Toronto to Vancouver. Maybe more than a few hundred miles north, but I’ll still wave. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waving-at-trains-and-boats/1021080.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/waving-at-trains-and-boats/1021080.md?page=3)