Are you only interested in British trains?

[roebuck]

Uk only bugger that forgian rubbish

 

[GNER 373]

Personally I'm 99% interested in British Railways. The main reason for this is that I did not fall in love with seeing bullet trains, ICE Expresses, or TGV's. As a child I spent many Saturday afternoons in Newcastle Central Station watching the busy movements of not just the Trains themselves, but the staff, the luggage carts, the people...just everything! Sunday mornings was in Birtley watching the ECML movements that included not just mainline trains but goods/freight trains coming and going to and from Tyne Yard. Because I've only known British Railways its easy to say that this is why I like them so much, but I'd be leaving out the whole history of the railways which originates from Britain and in particular the area I live in. I went to a school named George Stephenson, we have the ECML on our doorstep, Central Station is a monument to Victorian Architecture, the whole history of the North East is built either on Shipbuilding, Coal Moning and Railways! It's in my blood! A lot of my family are either firemen or Railwaymen. It's so much more to me than just saying 'it's close, so I like' it for me! It's my history too!

The other 1% is given to new built 'foreign' loco's or trains such as the TGV Duplex, New Bullet Trains, Siemens ICE, of which I like to learn about how they are built etc, but drop me in any other country and tell me to head to a railway (apart from heading towards a large city) I'd be lost!

I just wish our Railway itself rivalled our foreign counterparts in the infrastructure stakes!

 

[DiscoStu]

I have no interest in British trains. I only like European trains nowadays, although I've done a bit of travelling by rail in India and Vietnam too. They're a bit too far away to become an "enthusiast" of though.

I used to bash in the UK in the 80's and early 90's, but I think the system has gone completely plastic and sterile now. European trains are run better, have more character, and I think the other countries are just an all round more pleasant place to be than the UK.

If I'm being completely honest, I can't see a single thing to get enthusiastic about over here.

I don't know how you guys do it Each to their own though

 

[jonty14]

I live in Germany and I am only interested in UK railways. (It is a bit of home!!) The UK scene is more colourfull and the Infrastructure more interesting. German steam locos are all the same red and black colour and diesels are all red! Britain's preserved lines are the best in the world. The whole railway is preserved e.g the station buildings and rolling stock. Here in Germany there is only interest in the locomotives. I think we British are more interested in industrial history than they are here.

Also the German railway magazines have articles about European railways but never anything about UK railways.

This is my opinion though.

Jon

 

[sprinterguy]

My main interest is UK railways as that is what I have the greatest understanding of, but European railways are growing on me: I used to have only an interest in Britains' railways, but my interests are now expanding beyond our shores. My principal interest in railways is the joy of travelling by train, so it stands to reason that I can enjoy the experience in any country of the world.

I think the problem in the past for me has been attempting to get my head around the sheer scale of the rest of the worlds' railway systems in one go, which it is difficult to gain an understanding of when I'm so detracted from the operations of those railways living as I do within this island nation.

So by (unwittingly) breaking my interest in foreign railways into bite sized chunks I've been able to gradually build up an understanding of much of the European rail network and there's certainly much to hold my interest: First to gain my attention were the French TGVs (The logical next step from Britains' Eurostars), then the TGV Thalys operation (Always admired that deep red livery ever since it was first launched when I was a kid), German ICEs and the rest, into Switzerland, Italy, etc, just followed.

IMO the (absolutely hellfire) Austrian "Railjet" trains, Siemens Velaro EMUs and Bombardier Talent MUs are far and away better than most current rolling stock we have in the UK.

The Chinese steam scene, unfortunately pretty much ended now, also interest me and I've always been impressed by the sheer colossal size and power of American steam locomotives, but that's about the full extent of my railway interests beyond our immediate continental neighbours.

 

[WestCoast]

I live in Germany and I am only interested in UK railways. (It is a bit of home!!) The UK scene is more colourfull and the Infrastructure more interesting. German steam locos are all the same red and black colour and diesels are all red! Britain's preserved lines are the best in the world. The whole railway is preserved e.g the station buildings and rolling stock. Here in Germany there is only interest in the locomotives. I think we British are more interested in industrial history than they are here.

The UK is very good at nostalgia, if not always efficiency! For the the more modern units and stock, some areas of Germany are becoming varied and colourful with all the liveries of the private regional operators.

 

[HST Power]

In answer to the OP, I do have some interest in the foreign railway. I enjoy hearing about how other countries are developing and testing new projects in competition with the UK and Europe, and prepositions of how countries want to interlink their railways thus creating fresh high speed connections. I'm rather keen on the New York Subway, and the ongoing development of the Silver Line on the Washington Metro. Though to be honest, I'll only pay attention to most foreign developments if I'm actually told, or read about them. Otherwise, my core interest is devoted to the UK Network.

 

[Minilad]

I wouldn't say I have an interest in foreign railways, but I always have a look in stations and take a few pics when I am abroad

 

[T163R]

Careful with what you say about French & NZ trains, guys

 

[33056]

Until about 15 years ago I had no interest in any other railways than those in the UK and Ireland - now it is almost the opposite! In fact the only interest I have in the UK railway scene is probably down to the fact I live here.

If there were a means of transporting oneself instantaneously to have a day out anywhere, distance no object, then the UK or Ireland would be well down the list these days, there just isn't enough of interest here to me personally now. With me, it is a progressive thing - interest usually drops as the things I most like disappear; Belgium, Luxembourg and Portugal have also mostly gone the same way as the UK and Ireland in my view now, though a decent tour with interesting traction or routes in these countries will usually tempt me for a visit.

 

[Mvann]

I have had a passing interest in African railways, especially sas and rhodesian railways,

 

[radamfi]

Are people who only like British/Irish trains think that the service quality, connections policy, fare structure, price of fares and reliability experienced in Britain/Ireland is good enough and are not interested in how these things might be different abroad? If you think or suspect it is better abroad, are you not curious about experiencing the (possibly) superior service?

Does it matter if people running British trains and politicians responsible for them know anything about continental services?

Are you happy to get a 7 day All Line Rover at £430 when you can get One Country Interrail Passes or Swiss Passes for much less?

 

[WestCoast]

As someone who has a keen interest in railways in Europe, I think British trains can still offer unique and fantastic experiences. But I get tired of the poor attitudes, complex fare structure, inefficiency and lack of integration and consistency.

 

[Bittern]

Very much Britain only. Of course, I'm much more interested in history than modern-day as well.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

Are people who only like British/Irish trains think that the service quality, connections policy, fare structure, price of fares and reliability experienced in Britain/Ireland is good enough and are not interested in how these things might be different abroad? If you think or suspect it is better abroad, are you not curious about experiencing the (possibly) superior service?

What you're implying here is that those of us who aren't interested in other countries trains are just plain ignorant because we don't share the same type of interest as you. It also seems that you are unware of the definition or the word "interest". We're interested in the trains themselves. For many of us, this interest is separate from the money or the even services provided.

 

[WestCoast]

Are you happy to get a 7 day All Line Rover at £430 when you can get One Country Interrail Passes or Swiss Passes for much less?

To give a snapshot of how that compares - 350 euros (£325-ish) will buy you one month of unlimited travel on all DB services (as part of a yearly Bahncard 100). On a Saturday or Sunday a group of up to 5 adults can travel all over the country on regional trains (including private operators) for 39 euros (£36-ish).

I'm not all that interested in the history of the network - I like to learn about it, but it's not my main focus. Personally, I think there is a time and a place for nostalgia and it isn't on the modern day transport for the masses.

 

[Anon Mouse]

I used to only really be interested in UK railways, with a passing interest in Chinese stuff. However I got bored with the sameness of the UK scene and after having trips abroad I have an interest in all things railway no matter what Country or traction

 

[radamfi]

What you're implying here is that those of us who aren't interested in other countries trains are just plain ignorant because we don't share the same type of interest as you. It also seems that you are unware of the definition or the word "interest". We're interested in the trains themselves. For many of us, this interest is separate from the money or the even services provided.

That's a valid response to my somewhat loaded question. But I think it is still a question worth asking.

To give a snapshot of how that compares - 350 euros (£325-ish) will buy you one month of unlimited travel on all DB services (as part of a yearly Bahncard 100).

The British equivalent is £1300 (2 x 14 Day All Line Rovers at £650) and that still has some time restrictions!

On a Saturday or Sunday a group of up to 5 adults can travel all over the country on regional trains (including private operators) for 39 euros (£36-ish).

The Schönes-Wochenende Ticket has to be the ultimate bargain. Even on weekdays the Länder tickets are still pretty good value.

 

[RichmondCommu]

Uk only bugger that forgian rubbish

Sorry, can you decode that for me?

 

[Clip]

I should really not post in this thread as im not so much a rail enthusiast as a lot of you BUT what i will say is that until you have experienced the railways in other countries(US NZ CR IT SP) and such like you cant have a feeling of what its all about..

given that we are tightly controlled on how we run trains - where we run them and such its a breath of fresh air to get on one that may not have the same constraints..

Unless its NZ where anything can sodding happen

 

[Pete2210]

Richmondcommu(nist)? Schoenes Wochenende (sorry no umlauts) in its basic translation means a fine or good weekend ticket, a Lander ticket would equivalent to a ticket available only in an English County, Yorkshire for instance.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Coming to this thread very late, I have modelled and had interest in US railroad for a long time(The Clinchfield RR) but via another group I have found a lot of folk in the US that are VERY knowledgeable about UK and European Railways.

Personally I have interest in all railways in all countries and I believe it would be "blinkered" to not take an interest of happenings in other countries railway systems......we don't have a monopoly on good ideas.

 

[passmore]

Are you only interested in British trains?

If so, is it simply because they are more accessible to you given you live in the UK? Or another reason?

Is there a difference in awareness and knowledge of the neighbouring networks compared to enthusiasts in other European countries?

Are British railway professionals and people in charge of railways in the UK sufficiently aware of what happens outside the UK, or is such knowledge irrelevant?

I'm not interested in the railways of Britain post privatisation at all. My main rail interests concern SNCF, SNCB and Renfe. I don't think there's a difference in awareness or knowledge of the different rail systems at all, it really is whatever floats your boat. I have a house in Limoges in France and I regularly holiday there with 2 of my friends who are also interested in European railways (some of you on here might know them if I can remember their usernames), and the gare there is always frequented by 2 locals who are very knowledgeable about the various locos that come through.
Accessibility, to me, is never an issue but it might be for someone else.

 

[radamfi]

Richmondcommu(nist)? Schoenes Wochenende (sorry no umlauts) in its basic translation means a fine or good weekend ticket, a Lander ticket would equivalent to a ticket available only in an English County, Yorkshire for instance.

Länder translates to 'states' and are more like regions than counties as there are only 16 in a population of 81 million. Some of the Länder tickets cover populations bigger than many European countries such as North Rhine-Westphalia (18+ million) and Bavaria (12+ million).

 

[WestCoast]

Länder translates to 'states' and are more like regions than counties as there are only 16 in a population of 81 million. Some of the Länder tickets cover populations bigger than many European countries such as North Rhine-Westphalia (18+ million) and Bavaria (12+ million).

Indeed, the British equivalent would be regions. So, there would be tickets for the whole West Midlands region, North East England, South East England, Central and South Wales e.t.c.

 

[trentside]

I'm mainly interested in British railways. I think this is only because my knowledge of European systems is quite poor, but as someone who loves travel this is something I'm keen to change.

 

[Pete2210]

Länder translates to 'states' and are more like regions than counties as there are only 16 in a population of 81 million. Some of the Länder tickets cover populations bigger than many European countries such as North Rhine-Westphalia (18+ million) and Bavaria (12+ million).

Thanks for that radamfi, you explained that much better.

 

[Rhydgaled]

My interest generally is mainland UK standard gauge, narrow gauge and overseas railways don't get me particularly excited most of the time. There are exceptions, I find the Ffestiniog's double Farlie locos interesting for example, and I mighy be more interested than I am in mainland European stuff if I actually traveled abroad (something I haven't done for quite a while). Another reason for my relative lack of interest in overseas railways is that I don't presently find much of their rolling stock particularly good looking (Dutch stock isn't too bad, perhaps because I lived over there for a time, and the single-deck TGVs (esspecially Thalys) ICE-1 and ICE-2 are good-looking too).

Strangly, while I'll often take and look at photos of our present service trains, I don't generally do the same with steam hauled trains despite me generally finding them more interesting to watch in action.

I'm almost certain a lack of awareness of continental systems has affected the way British trains are organised. Something that springs to mind immediately is the attitude to connections and direct trains. For example, it is widely accepted in the UK that you need to provide as many direct trains as possible and it is not particularly important to provide good and easy connections. Someone familiar with Swiss or Dutch networks would find this weird.

That is strange, sounds like UK railways have a lot to learn from those of mainland Europe. I wonder if the UK policy of not holding connections to help improve PPM (perhaps a result of priviatisation, or was BR doing that anyway?) is the cause of direct services being so important? If connections were held then there wouldn't be as much of an issue with changing trains. However, trying to provide connections rather than direct trains could impact on getting a nicely spaced, standard frequency, service. Somthing this fourm should probablly discuss.

Britain's preserved lines are the best in the world. The whole railway is preserved e.g the station buildings and rolling stock. Here in Germany there is only interest in the locomotives. I think we British are more interested in industrial history than they are here.

Sadly the preservation of our wonderfull station buildings has, until recently, been solely the demain of preserved railways. On the national network, many minor stations have had their attractive traditional buildings demolished and replaced with unsightly, draughty, bus shelters. The wonderful building at one small station, Fishguard & Goodwick, has 'survived' thanks to the station being closed. However, despite being in a conservation area nobody has tried to conserve it and only one wall, the chymney and half the roof look like they might survive (the other half of the roof is falling down due to one wall having rotted away completly). Even the big stations haven't had a very good time of it, I was at Holyhead yesterday and while the buildings were still there they look like they have not been cared for properly for years.

Even some staffed stations (Aberystwyth is the one I'm thinking of in particular) do not have that most basic of facilities, a fully-enclosed waiting room (I could have used one last winter, though I was waiting on the station for a bus not a train). At Aber-Y, there were/are plans (I think under the national stations improvment program) for a glass frontage containing gaint metal lettering spelling the name of the station (backwards) in front of the original building. That wouldn't really complement the traditional building at all and I'd much rather see the money be put to providing waiting rooms across Wales.

Indeed, the British equivalent would be regions. So, there would be tickets for the whole West Midlands region, North East England, South East England, Central and South Wales e.t.c.

The Explore Wales ticket sounds like what you're talking about. You can by the all Wales version, but there is also an 'Explore Wales - North & Mid Wales' ticket and an 'Explore Wales - South Wales' option. The North & Mid version, at £37ish (with 16-25 or senior railcard, £57ish without), giving you 4-days rail travel in an 8-day period (bus travel on all 8 days) can be good value, and they throw in a 50% discount on the Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland railways along with many other offers, such as 2 for 1 addmission to Caernarfon castle. A little query, one guard on my travels yesterday said the passenger was supposed to fill in the 4 dates for rail travel in advance of traveling. However when I used the ticket under it's previous name last year the practice seemed to be the guard on the first train you used each day would fill in the date. Which is the correct rule?

 

[RichmondCommu]

I'm really surprised with some of the posts on here, especially given the perceived lack of variety on the UK rail network at the moment. There is lots of interesting stuff to be seen in France, Germany and Switzerland to name but three including plenty of loco hauled trains.

For those who like to travel a bit further the states of Victoria and Queensland in Aus are pretty interesting places. As too is Thailand with lots of loco hauled over night trains (or at least there was a couple of years a go). The rail network in Vietnam is quite an experience too, especially the boarding arrangements in Nha Trang!

Given the strength of the Euro against Sterling EU travel is not cheap at the moment but is certainly worth saving up for. When I was in my late teens / early 20's (I’m about to turn 45) Inter-Rail was very popular amongst my peer group in terms of seeing Europe on the cheap (relatively). In my view different languages should not be seen as a barrier to overseas travel; do what I did and take the trouble to become bilingual. It’s not that difficult!

So many different cultures to sample if only you could be bothered! In all fairness if you do not have any dependants i.e. families and family holidays there is no excuse for at least not heading over to France and Germany for a week or two! The beer gardens in Germany are something else!