Eastleigh Spotters

[Buffer68]

Are there any Forum members that are either regular or occasional visitors to Eastleigh station spotting the various trains coming through. I get up there from Poole when I can and it would be great to link us up here.

 

[Domeyhead]

Are there any Forum members that are either regular or occasional visitors to Eastleigh station spotting the various trains coming through. I get up there from Poole when I can and it would be great to link us up here.

Can I be a bit controversial - when I was a nipper I was a train spotter too - and Eastleigh was one of my haunts, but in those days apart from steam the main difference was we didn't have the internet or access to sources like the forums and magazines of today so we never knew what we were likely to see - and there were more lines and more specials too, more classes of loco (diesel and steam not to mention DMUs DEMUs EMUs and stock - more variety of freight - so there was anticipation every hour of the day. Recently I was on Reading (as a commuter this time) and bumped into a group of spotters on platform 8 and they were so well organised and of course there are fewer classes these days anyway even though there are more trains - and I just found myself wondering what is the draw now? These chaps had all the gear and were even texting friends to let them know what was about and on what train. I don't mean to be critical and I hope I don't come across that way but train reliability and unit pathing is so precise now it is possible to predict the units on any given train down to a choice of no more than two or three. Apart from an ECS movement or a rare freight I reckon the whole day can almost be mapped out in advance. I'm happy to be shot down in flames I just want to know the motivation.

 

[Buffer68]

I have only been spotting for a couple of years and find Eastleigh to be the nearest place to go for freight and other passenger workings that I don't normally see in the Bournemouth area. I can see where you are coming from though Domeyhead with less variety than the old days and all the technology. Whenever I have been to Eastleigh, I have met guys many of whom don't even have a computer let a lone a smart phone that does email. It is nice for me as a relative youngster to be able to tell them about timings etc. which I receive via Yahoo railway group pages. To pick up on your point about mapping out your day before setting out, on Monday to Thursday, Eastleigh is predictable but Friday is quite different and timings are quite erratic and strange workings come through. I guess the combination of guys doing things the old way and some the new way makes for a learning curve both ways which is great.