To give a (relatively) serious reply to Leeneia, I reckon for a railway enthusiast, friends with similar interests are a great advantage. In the UK, the outside world thinks we're all mad or childish, although the recent publicity surrounding "Tornado" has made people think twice about this. So one needs friends and acquaintances to bounce off.

In my own case, the fuse was lit by a schoolmate giving me an enormous number of 1930s "Railway Magazines" belonging to his late father, who was a District Engineer with British Railways. The mags contained wonderful reports and pictures of the famous A4 and Duchess record runs. Also there were lots of historical articles going right back to early tramroads. As a result I became much better educated about British (and world) industrial history. And there were little vignettes illuminating the wider picture - such as the news item about a well known British enthusiast with a camera being detained by the Nazi police in 1935 (couldn't happen now of course). At the same time Hitler was wining and dining the British railway establishment to celebrate 100 years of German railways - there was the most creepy report in the RM, going on and on AND ON about Der Fuhrer striding through the ecstatic crowds to open the exhibition.

So in my case it's deep rooted, later helped even more by sharing houses with several other rail photographers who are still good friends.

I'd say the best way of lighting the spark is first to get copies of the (US or UK) railfan mags, read them thoroughly, and ride on a preserved line. Once the infection has taken, it's possible to volunteer to help on a railway - or even something like Tornado's support group! Whatever, oily stains, dirty hands, 03:00 starts to get the shot or light up the loco, and large magazine/book/DVD/camera bills are inevitable. Enjoy!