Train spotting info

[Ducatist4]

I couldn't find an appropriate forum to post this so hopefully General Discussion will do.

What information to spotters log in their note books? Is it just loco/wagon numbers as a list or do you note other information and if so what?

 

[DarloRich]

Do whatever works for you. There is no standard for you to meet

 

[xotGD]

If you note where, when and what service it was working it will be a more useful record when you unearth your notes in 30 or 40 years' time.

 

[47403]

I just put the date and where and list the numbers, if I have something for haulage, I just put where from and to and the number below. However some will put the times and even headcode there too..
As someone has already said, its whatever suits you.

 

[The exile]

Whatever you do, in 20 - 30 years’ time you’re more likely to wish that you’d recorded more information than that you’d recorded less!

 

[theblackwatch]

Whatever you do, in 20 - 30 years’ time you’re more likely to wish that you’d recorded more information than that you’d recorded less!

Absolutely. A few years back, Rail Express did a couple of features entitled 'From the Notebook'. One was a day at Tiverton Parkway (or maybe Tiverton Junction) in the 1970s, and included not only a selection of pictures, but a log of what every working seen was - a fascinating insight into the railway operations of the time. It even included details of the coaching stock used on each train, although when I spoke to the author about it, he admitted he didn't log the coaches at the time, and had to get the into off one of his mates who was with him, who had done!

As has also been said,there is no set 'rule', but if in 20 years time, all you have is a list of numbers, it will probably be quite meaningless.

 

[pdeaves]

Conversely to others' comments, if you are only interested in 'I've seen X', there is no need to note anything more (especially if you plonk it in a master list later on).

As with any 'collecting' hobby (whether that be train sightings, stamps, spoons, old radios, whatever), set whatever parameters you want that suit your interest. Equally, make whatever exceptions you want, too!