As the owners of The Station Inn, we’re natural railfans. And while we love traveling around the country for conventions, photography, and meeting up with fellow train lovers, sometimes there’s nothing better than simply watching a live stream while working on your own model railroad.
That’s part of what’s made Virtual Railfan so great. The organization has built an incredible library of railroad live streams throughout the US—and we’re lucky enough to have two cameras featured with them, including this public stream:
Cresson, PA – Fixed West
Over the years, the Virtual Railfan YouTube channel has amassed more than 500,000 subscribers, and it’s made us wonder: What happens behind the scenes at Virtual Railfan?
Well, we finally have the scoop. We’ve interviewed Drayton Blackgrove, the Host Relationship Manager at Virtual Railfan.
Our Interview With Drayton Blackgrove
Station Inn: Where did your love of trains originally come from?
Drayton Blackgrove: That’s a tough question to answer because everyone’s answer on our team is going to be a little bit different. I’d say for most of us, we were fascinated with trains from a young age and simply never grew out of it.
Personally, I was always interested in trains, including Thomas the Tank Engine, and over the years, I developed a passion for the real deal. My parents would take me trackside to see trains in south-central Michigan, and when I was a teenager, my grandmother would take me on day trips to see trains in Ohio and Indiana.
In eighth grade, I started recording trains on video and publishing them on YouTube® with my parents’ permission and supervision. By high school, my channel had grown successful, which opened up opportunities during and after college to produce videos for real railroad companies—a total dream come true.
In 2019, I landed a job with ScaleTrains, and in 2023, ScaleTrains acquired a major stake in Virtual Railfan, which is how I became the Host Relationship Manager in 2026.
Station Inn: How did Virtual Railfan get started?
Drayton Blackgrove: Virtual Railfan was started by Mike Cyr and Justin Cornell, who connected online over their shared love for the game Trainz Railroad Simulator. They thought it would be a fun idea to set up a live camera in one of their favorite train-watching spots: Folkston, Georgia. Pretty much any CSX train going into or out of Florida had to pass through there via the famous “Folkston Funnel.”
They set up the camera in 2009 as a hobby, spending quite a bit of money out-of-pocket every month to maintain it. By 2012, they decided to turn it into an official business called Virtual Railfan™ and began expanding cameras to other locations across the South and eventually nationwide.
Station Inn: How long did it take to build an audience? How did you go about it?
Drayton Blackgrove: By 2017, Virtual Railfan was on YouTube and reaching millions of viewers every month.
A major turning point came in 2020 during the pandemic. When people were unable to go trackside in person, millions tuned in from their couches to watch live trains from home. We gave people a way to safely social distance while still enjoying their favorite hobby. We saw a tremendous surge in viewership and subscribers during that time; those were actually our most profitable years!
That surge opened up new opportunities to install camera locations in places we had previously eyed, as railroad museums and host sites actively began reaching out to partner with us.
Station Inn: What makes a good camera location?
Drayton Blackgrove: We look for locations with high-volume train traffic—specifically lines that see 25 or more daily freight trains. Beyond sheer volume, iconic backdrops make for great viewing, whether that’s street running (like the one seen from our La Grange, Kentucky cameras), historic monuments/buildings, or scenic mountain landscapes.
Station Inn: How can people start working with you?
Drayton Blackgrove: If you own a building with a clear view of a railroad line that sees 25 or more trains a day, we’d love to talk.
All we need to get set up is:
- An existing internet connection we can tie into, with speeds capable of up to 30 Mbps upload.
- A standard 110-volt power outlet.
If you own a building and want to partner with us—or if you’re a railfan who knows of a great potential host building in your town—reach out to us at hosting@virtualrailfan.com for information on how to get started or how to approach the building owner!
Station Inn: What are some of the better, lesser-known spots to watch on Virtual Railfan?
Drayton Blackgrove: Here are a few underrated gems on our network:
Cohutta, Georgia: Located on Norfolk Southern’s H-Line between Chattanooga and Atlanta, seeing around 30 daily freights. What makes this spot special is that it’s on the property of Ed Painter—a well-known local railfan who literally has tracks on both sides of his house! On the opposite side sits the I-Line, which sees very infrequent traffic now due to shifts in coal energy transport, but watching trains right from Ed’s backyard is an awesome experience.
Russellville, Arkansas: This camera overlooks the former Missouri Pacific main line on Union Pacific’s Van Buren Subdivision. It sees about 30 trains a day and offers a great view of the historic depot. It’s an exceptionally underrated spot!
Sweetwater, Tennessee: Originally installed in 2017 in partnership with the city to capture the total solar eclipse, this spot sits on Norfolk Southern’s A-Line. While it sees about 12 trains a day, downtown Sweetwater is a beautiful setting with great community events. Plus, since the line runs right by Virtual Railfan headquarters in Cleveland, Tennessee (just 30 minutes south), if we spot something cool passing the Sweetwater camera, we can head right down to the tracks outside our office to catch it in person!
Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum (Chattanooga, TN): This camera captures about 40 daily Norfolk Southern freight trains alongside daily vintage steam and diesel excursion trains operating out of the museum. Even though it’s right in our backyard, it deserves way more views than it gets.
Station Inn: How do you expect Virtual Railfan to evolve in the next 5–10 years?
Drayton Blackgrove: We want to continue expanding our camera locations, but quality matters over quantity—focusing on heavy freight corridors and scenic settings.
Where our focus is really shifting is providing our members with more exclusive value. We want to create original content, videos, documentaries, and possibly podcasts, with the ultimate goal of becoming the “Netflix of railfanning.” We are also looking to build stronger community connections through annual in-person events where members can railfan together at our camera locations.
Station Inn: What were you surprised to learn about the railfan community in your experience doing this?
Drayton Blackgrove: We’re railfans ourselves, but seeing how powerful online connections can be was a huge revelation. Virtual Railfan has built a global community. Viewers tuning in from Australia, New Zealand, the UK, and beyond chat daily, form deep friendships, and even plan trips to the U.S. to meet up in person.
We’ve even had several couples meet through our camera chats, start dating, and get engaged—including one couple who got engaged right in front of our La Plata, Missouri camera! It has been incredible to see how Virtual Railfan connects people around the world in ways that were never possible before.
Get Close to the Trains At The Station Inn
When you’re ready to come see the real thing in person, book a room at The Station Inn. Our front porch overlooks the busy Norfolk Southern main line, giving you a first row-view of the passing trains.
See you in Cresson!