UKC

On BBC 4 now.

I've got to admit that I used to be a bit of a cynic, but this is real edge of the seat stuff! I'm utterly gripped. Can't take my eyes off it.

One of the highlights, so far, was the revelation that a British Rail Class 42 was spotted near Crewe, and then - I can hardly contain myself - was spotted further up the line, about 15 minutes later! This is awesome stuff!?!

One of the secrets seems to be to hang about in the vicinity of railway lines, if you want to improve your chances... I'll take that on board and keeps my fingers crossed that I'll also be able to spot a train.

Choo chooooo!

In reply to Clauso:

Train Spotting Live (but only just)

In reply to Clauso:

In the 80's I worked in a British Rail engineering works. They had days where people were brought in for tours to tick off locomotive numbers in their books.

In reply to Clauso:

Its a cop!

In reply to Clauso:

Unfortunately it has one of the Dan Snow/Peter Snow* tw#ts in it.
* Delete as applicable

Steve (not on the edge of his seat)

In reply to aln:

I can't understand the appeal of all this ticking and writing little notes in books.

In reply to Andy Clarke:
Or maybe people who haven't even ticked the number/route having endless discussions about the ticking

Little (or rambling) notes in (log)books

In reply to Andy Clarke:

I wonder if the trainspotting community are mourning their own puerile tickers publisher, creator of such seminal works as Classic Rolling Stock, Hard Deltic and Extreme Steam.

In reply to DerwentDiluted:
Back when I did my spotting we only had a well-thumbed ABC, a pencil and a notebook. I feel the modern use of video cameras and online timetables lowers the challenge so much it's unethical.

In reply to Andy Clarke:

Is spotting them at a railway station analogous to sport climbing?

What would be the train spotting equivalent of a trad onsight lead?

In reply to Clauso:

I just missed the first of those programmes the other evening. Once I'd found out when they were on, I made sure to miss the other episodes by a wider margin.

T.

In reply to Pursued by a bear:

If you really can't see the beauty in an Intercity 125 then, frankly, you have no soul. It's got better lines than Hard Rock.

In reply to Clauso:

I once saw Thomas the tank engine near Didcot and I didn't have a timetable. Sadly I didn't have a notebook so couldn't get the tick. Failed E8?

In reply to Guy:


Dont be so hard on yourself; I'd imagine that that's probably equivalent to a headpoint, surely?... A failure would be something similar to standing by the side of the wrong branch line, and utterly missing the train?

In reply to Clauso:

On line timetables = Bolts

steam = Trad

I will be watching tonight after I finish going through my old guidebooks checking the ticks to see if any were within sight of a station.

The same buzz as DWS.

Dave Hillebrandt

In reply to David Hillebrandt:

Hobbyism in its purest form, confronting the great existential questions head-on, as they thunder down the tracks towards you. Adventure can be as worthily clad in an anorak of fire as a T-shirt of ghastly luminescence and corporate logo.

Who watching last night could not but be thrilled by the clatter of the mighty Class 37?

In reply to Andy Clarke:


Ahhhhh!... The good old Tractor? A symphony in diesel <nods knowingly>

In reply to Clauso:

my favourite was the clip of the classic Shed (or engine class 66), enthralling, I sat and made my wife watch it with me, sadly didn't seem too many female 'spotters, why is that?

In reply to Clauso:
I wonder if a certain D Cameron MP will be sitting down to watch this now he has some spare time!

In reply to keith-ratcliffe:

Doubt it, his telly's in the back of a blue van and he's got to find somewhere to live

In reply to keith-ratcliffe:


He'd be mad not to!... Then again, the recent consequences of his actions hardly inspire much faith in his sanity, so perhaps he won't?

Anyhow, I'm currently sitting here in my Casey Jones uniform, eagerly awaiting the next installment.

In reply to Clauso:

Is this the equivalent of Indian face?

youtube.com/watch?v=16kCRTFJr04&

In reply to Clauso:


I hope you've got your oily rag ready at hand?

In reply to Lusk:


Naturally, and I've also got several pans and the kettle on a rolling boil. I'm going back to the age of steam this evening.

In reply to phja:



It's certainly up there in the realm of Extreme Rock!

In reply to phja:

Reminds me all too vividly of the time I met the Malaga Express while returning illegally through the railway tunnel that runs alongside the gorge at El Chorro. Squashed myself flat against the wall and breathed in as hard as I could but it still felt like it was passing just a couple of inches in front of my nose. Broke out in a cold sweat every time I heard a hooter for months afterwards. I guess it was worth it for such a memorable tick, but after that I decided to confine my thrill-seeking to highballing low extremes on the grit - helluva lot safer than cutting edge train spotting.

In reply to Andy Clarke:

First time I got arrested, about 13 or 14, was walking through Thackley Tunnel with two of my mates.
Got picked up by the train and got six months conditional discharge

In reply to Lusk:

There's currently a class 319, in Salford, heading towards Manchester.

In reply to Clauso:

I must admit that there is a link between trainspotting and rock climbing. When I was 11 years old I was a trainspotter with my anorak and my ABC, underlining in the book all the engines that I spotted. When I was 17 and started rock climbing and acquired the local guidebook (the old red chew valley one) underlining the routes in it I had done seemed just like a natural extension of trainspotting and to add to all that they all had names(even better they had grades and at 17 grades are important). I dont underline routes in guidebooks anymore -just a pencil tick and a date, leaving most to memory but I still like old railway books.

In reply to Removed Userjess13:

Sounds as though you're a bona fide enthusiast... Probably not quite as enthusiastic as this transatlantic cousin, though:

youtube.com/watch?v=NqvwnxgxazY&

In reply to Clauso:
I thought I would let this thread run a while before declaring that I actually like this programme.
It stirs the memories of a teenage obsession with trains - more specifically - steam locomotives and ticking lists in a series of Ian Allan guides to the Motive Power of British Railways.
This led to a real interest in how these machines worked that culminated in an Engineering Degree and subsequent career in training mainly in the manufacturing sector.
My interest in walking/climbing has also had a 'ticking' element to it and one could ask the question "What are Munroists but Mountain Trainspotters?" or 'Hard Rock' tickers indeed.
Starting a ticklist can lead to an amazing journey of discovery and as long as we treat the trip as more important than the destination we will retain a sense of balance.

In reply to Andy Clarke:

Man I'm slow, I just got that! Have a like.

In reply to keith-ratcliffe:


I liked it too, albeit it being a bit of a train crash, in places... In fact, I was disappointed that they didn't let it run until later in the evening. They could have used night vision cameras, like they do on Spring Watch Live, to give us a glimpse of what trains get up to at night?

In reply to Clauso:

>They could have used night vision cameras, like they do on Spring Watch Live, to give us a glimpse of what trains get up to at night?

We could see the moment they transform into the replacement bus service

In reply to toad:

We'd probably witness them picking their bogeys, I'd imagine?

In reply to toad:


Bus Spotting Live. I'd watch it.

In reply to toad:


Works both ways!

In a rare, perhaps unique, moment in British railway history, a replacement train service has been put on to make up for a closed road. It is normally the other way round.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/jul/09/volunteer-rail-service-scot...