Conventions when filling in spotting books

[ABB125]

Speaking to other enthusiasts, it appears that I am fairly unique in how I denote sight/haulage etc. Therefore I thought I'd ask, what is generally considered to be "normal"? I gather red pen is popular...

If anyone is interested in my system, it consists of the following;

• ✔ to the left of the number for sight (if anyone can't see that, it's a tick)
• R or H to the right of the number for Rideage (DMU/EMU) or Haulage (locomotive)
• A thin green highlight down the column if I have seen all of a subclass

See the picture attached.

 

[_toommm_]

Delete

 

[cactustwirly]

I don't do spotting, but I record my haulages (mainly HSTs) on a spreadsheet

 

[87electric]

When I used to use a book it was a biro to underline for sight and then a green highlighter line for haulage. Neat and tidy.
I gave up on books as it didn't matter whose publication I used there were always some typo faults, either through human error or printing errors. My own spreadsheets, also printed up into old school A4 folders, is my way. Hopefully error free.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

I use black biro to underline sightings and green highlighter to indicate photos. (P) for haulage - from the steam age "pulled by" or if a non-powered carriage, (R) for "ridden on". (C) denotes I have visited the cab and for Sleeper cars, if I have had a berth in that vehicle then note (S) for slept in is applied. Rarest of all would be note (d) for driven - and my prized entry for this note is for the A4 class 60007 Sir Nigel Gresley...

Here's a couple of quick snaps from my 2018 Combined illustrating all the above except (d).

 

[_toommm_]

I use a great little app on Android called Trainspotter, inputting my spots in as below. If I've had haulage with that loco or on that unit I mark it with a ■ (black square). The app also lets me search by depot, unit type and sub class, amongst others.

I complement this with RailMiles to record all my haulage.

 

[xotGD]

The system I used to use was:

Shaded in pencil if I hadn't seen it (fetch the rubber when you see something you need)
Vertical red line next to locos I'd had for haulage.

This technique made it much quicker to mark up each new book than lots of underlining and highlighting, which was my earlier method.

As all of my old Platform 5s were jettisoned I have now just used my old haulage records to generate some class-by-class spreadsheets to show what I've had..

 

[ABB125]

Thanks for all the replies. Personally I find underlining a bit confusing - if taking a quick glance, is it the one above the line or below? It could lead to momentary confusion.

 

[Strat-tastic]

Surely you'd know your own system?

For me it's red underline for sight, yellow highlight for haulage. If a unit then additional line + highlight for carriage travelled in, if known.

The great thing is, there are no rules, only how one decides to do it, which applies to the whole of the hobby, of course

 

[Techniquest]

My method with books was simple. A tick to the right of the number for sight, underline for haulage.

I got rid of my books etc last summer, but I have started a memo file on my phone of the IET sets I've been on and where to/from. Just happened to have them in the memory so one day jotted them down. When in the area if time permits I do occasionally get ones I need added to the list, and I've found myself yesterday making a note of my journeys this month, but try as I might I just can't re-ignite the spark that was once there.

Not even a good run from Birmingham to Kidderminster with 68011 last night could get the spark back!

 

[37047]

I use the SpotLog app (Android version) - has options to mark as haulage/photo when adding a number.

 

[Shaw S Hunter]

When I first started (a long time ago!) I underlined sightings in green, easy on the eye. Once haulage became a thing I used yellow highlighter for that. But highlighters vary in colour and quality rather a lot so eventually I switched to underlines for haulage with anything not yet sighted indicated by an asterisk. This would then be enlarged to a circular blob once the sighting was made, a good way to look back over the year to see what new sightings had been made. These days sightings are less important to me so I simply keep a list of requirements on computer while the back of the notebook has an abbreviated version of this. Haulages are recorded in reasonable detail on a spreadsheet. For anyone starting now I would definitely recommend going straight to a computerised method but it would take far too much work to computerise my spotting archive going back 43 years.

 

[GW43125]

For me, I don't do spotting, just haulage, and it's as simple as a red line through something when I've been on it. I generally use railmiles to keep on top of things.

 

[Strat-tastic]

Are there any spreadsheets available to get someone going?

 

[ABB125]

My journey spreadsheet basically consists of the following columns:

• Date
• Unit/locomotive(s)
• Start
• End
• Via
• Distance

I have variations on this for heritage lines, London Underground, trams etc, all on different sheets.
There's nothing fancy in my spreadsheets; the only formula I use is one I created to add miles and chains.
Ultimately it is my intention, when I get around to it, to "upgrade" to Microsoft Access, but that will take a bit of effort.

As for sightings, I don't bother with location or headcode or date or anything like that; the number simply goes in the notebook (or not if I know I've already seen it), and at the end of the trip my Platform 5 book gets updated.